Narrative Content: Lore, Rules, and GM Instructions

Not every file in this project is structured JSON. Three of the 21 types are markdown — Lore, Rules, and GM Instructions — and they serve fundamentally different purposes. They are prose-first, they have no reference fields, and they are not mechanically processed the way a character or relationship is. They are the voice of the world, the system, and the Storyteller.

Lore Files (.lore.md)

Lore files are world-building content. They explain what the World of Darkness is, how Kindred society functions, the history of a city's vampires, the nature of clans and sects, and the deeper mysteries beneath the surface. The project has lore files spread across /Concepts/, /Vampire Lore/, /Garou Lore/, /Factions and Sects/, /Primer/, and other folders.

What Makes Good Lore

A lore file should be self-contained enough to be read cold and understood, but focused enough to have one clear subject. "Kindred Society" covers the Traditions, the court, boons, and Elysium. "The Promise of 1528" covers one specific historical event. A sect file covers one faction and its place in the night.

Write lore in the voice of the World of Darkness — gothic, immersive, slightly cynical. The AI reads lore files during play to answer questions about the world. A well-written lore file gives the AI the language, tone, and facts it needs to stay in character.

The GM-Only Deep Lore Distinction

The /GM-Only Deep Lore/ folder is reserved for secrets the players are not supposed to know. A Methuselah's true identity. An ancient feud hidden beneath the city's politics. The real reason the Prince maintains a state of siege. Files here are marked as GM-only in the project settings and are not shown to players. The AI Storyteller uses them during prep and scenes to reveal secrets at dramatically appropriate moments. When you add a new secret to the chronicle, put it here.

Folder Organization

Lore is organized by subject, not by type. /Vampire Lore/ holds Kindred-specific world-building. /Garou Lore/ holds Lupine material. /Factions and Sects/ covers the Camarilla, Anarchs, Sabbat, and independents. /Concepts/ holds the foundational primers. This is a free-form organization — the folders exist to make browsing manageable, not to enforce rigid taxonomy. When you build out a specific city, give it its own folder for city-specific history.

Rule Files (.rule.md)

Rule files are mechanical reference. The rule files in /Rules/ cover the core V5 systems: building dice pools, rolling and succeeding, difficulty, conflicts, trackers, traits, time, and dropping the dice (taking half, automatic wins). These are consulted by the AI during play to adjudicate mechanics correctly.

Writing Rules

A rule file should be concise, reference-oriented, and mechanically precise. Use tables for lookups (difficulty benchmarks, conflict turn structure, damage types). Use lists for procedures. Keep flavor to a minimum — the lore files handle world-building; the rules handle numbers. A good rule file answers "what do I roll?" in under ten seconds.

The existing rules are based on V5 core. If you are adapting this project to a different system, replace these files. If you are adding house rules, add new files. Keep each rule file focused on one mechanical subsystem.

GM Instruction Files (.gm-instructions.md)

GM instructions control the AI Storyteller's behavior during live play. These are not player-facing and not world-building. They are directives: how to narrate, how to handle dice, when to escalate, how to track character knowledge, which hooks to prioritize, when to award XP.

The existing instructions are the result of iteration — each one was added because the AI needed a specific behavioral rule to run the chronicle correctly. They cover:

• Narration style — tone, pacing, sensory detail, when to summarize vs dramatize
• Conflict resolution — how to run combat, social conflict, and investigation
• Hook prioritization — which character-specific plot hooks to pull and when
• Character knowledge consistency — preventing the AI from revealing secrets a character shouldn't know
• Folder priority — which folders to read first when answering questions
• XP rewards — when and how much to award
• Daytime handling — what happens when the sun comes up

Editing GM Instructions

Read them all before changing any. They interact. The Narration Style instruction sets a tone that the Dice Rolls instruction assumes. Changing one without reading the others can create contradictions that make the AI behave erratically. GM instructions are the most sensitive files in the project — small changes can have large effects on play quality.

Adding New GM Instructions

Add a new .gm-instructions.md file when the AI consistently makes a specific mistake that can be corrected with a clear rule. The instruction should be specific, actionable, and phrased as a directive. "When a player feeds, describe the Resonance flavor" is better than "Make feeding more atmospheric." The AI cannot interpret creative intent; it follows explicit instructions.

The Prose Voice

All three markdown types share one rule: write as if this is being printed in a book someone paid for. No meta-commentary about the app, the AI, or the build process. Keep the fourth wall intact. The Player's Handbook and Builder's Manual follow the same rule — these are in-world documents, not software readmes.