Interactive Chapter Elements

Interactive chapter elements

Interactive chapter elements let readers vote, draw an outcome, roll dice, uncover hidden text, solve a puzzle, change saved story values, or read prose in a purpose-built visual format. Each topic below shows what the reader sees, the exact chapter syntax or authoring steps, the available behavior, and a focused publishing checklist.

Let readers choose, draw, and act

• Polls collect votes from signed-in readers and can show or hide results at different stages.
• Random Draws choose one equally likely outcome from an author-written list, with optional Game State saving.
• Dice Rolls give readers a roll button and can optionally save the result.
• Reveals hide a passage behind a button and can set one game value when opened.
• Code Locks require an exact answer before revealing their passage and can allow retries or make the first submitted answer final.
• Ordering Puzzles ask readers to arrange a shuffled list into the author's intended order.
• Action Buttons apply one or more Game State changes without moving to another chapter.

For a calculated value applied as the reader enters a chapter, use Game-State Formulas. For a simple automatic R or D value, use Random Values in Chapter Changes.

Let readers view or edit values

• Reader Inputs let a reader update a Reader Variable inside the chapter.
• Stats and Meters present current Game State values as compact displays or visual ranges.

These elements use variables already defined on the story. Start with Reader and Game Variables when the story does not have the required value yet.

Format messages, streams, and fictional interfaces

• Chat Bubbles format a left- or right-sided messaging exchange, with optional named colors to distinguish speakers. A chat stream can play two or more complete bubbles automatically or wait behind an authored start button.
• Email Cards present fictional correspondence with From, optional To, and Subject fields.
• Fictional Terminals present a computer screen, system log, or console. A terminal stream can reveal full-body output one line at a time automatically or after the reader selects an authored start button.

These visual blocks do not send messages or run commands. They format authored story content and may contain only the combinations described in their individual topics.

Choose their appearance

The story's Element Theme controls the visual treatment of supported controls and formatted blocks. Test the selected theme in White, Black, and Sepia appearance, especially when a chapter combines several elements or uses long labels.

Open the element topic before adding it to a chapter. Follow its setup steps, begin with the simplest supported form, preview the chapter as a reader, and then add optional state changes, conditions, or nested formatting one piece at a time.