Offsession Adventure Yaml

Workflow

1. Confirm the adventure frame: premise, tone, theme, one-shot or campaign use, and expected branch depth.
2. Build the state model only as needed:

• counters for hidden logic.
• inventory for items, currencies, rerolls, and after bonuses.

3. Outline the scene graph before writing prose. Ensure start exists and every exit target resolves to a scene id.
4. Write scenes with concise titles, markdown-ready descriptions, and exits that are easy to run at the table.
5. Use gates only when tension or uncertainty improves the branch. Keep DCs readable and consequences clear.
6. For each gate, use a short, readable label. The canonical list in references/CHECKS.md remains the default recommendation.
7. Use visible_if, requires_item, one_time, effects, add_items, remove_items, and color only when they materially change play.
8. Validate the finished YAML with the validator script. If the remote validator reports errors, fix them and validate again before presenting the result as complete.

Output contract

Default deliverable: a single YAML document, ready to save as an Offsession adventure file.

Unless the user requests otherwise, include sections in this order when they are needed:

1. meta
2. counters
3. inventory
4. scenes

Schema guidance

• meta.title is required. description, theme, and one_shot should be present unless the user explicitly wants a minimal stub.
• Counter types must be number or boolean.
• Valid inventory types are currency, item, reroll, and bonus.
• usage_count is available for charge-based non-currency inventory.
• If type: "bonus", always include value and set bonus_timing: "after".
• Keep inventory ids stable, lowercase, and underscore-separated.
• Scene descriptions can use markdown and multiple paragraphs.
• Ending scenes should use exits: [].

Exit and gate rules

• gate.text should clearly describe the roll and the stakes.
• gate.short_text should be a short, readable label for the check, such as Dexterity, Investigation, or a custom label supported by your adventure.
• gate.show_short should be true when short_text is present.
• gate.dc should reflect the actual challenge, not arbitrary difficulty inflation.
• gate.failure_target should resolve to an existing scene id.
• requires_item should use an existing inventory id and a positive integer amount.
• visible_if should define exactly one subject: counter, item, or currency.
• Prefer effects on an exit when choosing that path should immediately change state.
• Prefer add_items and remove_items on a scene when the state change should happen on arrival and needs player-facing text.
• Use exit color sparingly to signal urgency, danger, reward, or a highlighted path.

Completion checklist

The YAML is complete only if all of the following are true:

• The document follows the schema summarized in references/SCHEMA.md.
• Every scene id and exit target is valid.
• The first playable scene is start.
• Conditional logic references existing counters or inventory ids.
• The remote validator returns success.

References

• Schema summary: references/SCHEMA.md
• Canonical gate checks: references/CHECKS.md
• Example adventure: references/EXAMPLE.yaml
• Validator script: scripts/validate-yaml.js