Ludus Fabula

Phase I — Pitch & Constraints

Every fabula begins with a pitch.

The pitch defines:

• The core narrative premise
• The mundi constraints (historical, philosophical, physical)
• The overall structure and deadlines of the game

This document sets the bounds of the world, not its contents. It establishes what kind of story can exist, without pre-writing the story itself.

This is the only section in which the Fabulist works alone without the help of their confabulists.

Phase II — Meta-World Construction

Before any authors begin writing fiction, the meta-world must exist.

During this phase:

• Mundi historians, philosophers, and physicists shape the world according to the constraints laid out in the pitch.
• Populi creators design tightly constrained character profiles required by the fabula but not yet present (for example, government officials or institutional figures).
• Faciendi creators begin designing artifacts inspired by the emerging mundi.
• Confabulists (meta-script co-creators) work closely with the Fabulist to solidify the first section’s meta-plot points. Their role is to translate the pitch’s high-level intent into a coherent narrative landscape that others can inhabit. This will be used to inform the Loquendi authors once the game has begun.
• The Fabulist directs each of these meta-authors iteratively to enforce both their original intention and to honour the meta-authors contributions. At no point or phase do they interact in the Fabulist role with authors. 

This phase is highly collaborative and iterative. The Fabulist actively works with these contributors to ensure alignment with the original intent while respecting the adaptations and insights that emerge.

When this phase ends, the world is considered structurally complete.

Phase III — Character Creation

Once the meta-world is in place, authors are invited in.

During this phase:

• Authors create their own characters within the established mundi.
• Each author defines an arc for their character, both within and beyond the main narrative thread.

This phase is intentionally bounded. Characters must be complete before narrative play begins. This ensures that gameplay focuses on interaction and consequence, not retroactive construction.

Phase IV — Live Narrative Gameplay

With characters locked, the fabula enters live play.

During gameplay:

• The authors with completed character profiles start to write while keeping an eye on the Loquendi space.
• Loquendi journalists collaborate with institutional characters to publish articles and news pieces that bridge government-level events and individual experiences. They will also time release important articles configured with the Confabulists during Phase II.
• Loquendi social authors synthesize public discourse, message boards, and media into fast-moving, gossipy narratives that allow characters to remain aware of one another and of the wider world.

This Loquendi output is intentionally raw:

• Unedited and unmodulated by the Fabulist.
• During gameplay it serves the authors.
• After gameplay it becomes part of the reader-facing record.

Faciendi creators continue producing artifacts in response to unfolding events.

The Fabulist remains deliberately hands-off during this phase, aside from optional development of their own axis character (which they may write themselves or delegate).

Various AI agents quietly track continuity and structural factors. They do not alter content; they only observe and log.

The Fabulist meets with the confabulists to keep track of what is presently happening in order to create a plan of what will happen in the next chapter.

Phase V — Chapter Lock

When the chapter deadline is reached, author access closes.

At this point:

• Authors may no longer change their work.
• If an author has not finished, they may:
• Allow editors to complete and polish the work, or
• Remove their entire thread from the fabula.

Deadlines are not punitive. They exist so that the collaborative process can continue without stalling the whole system for any single thread.

Phase VI — Editorial Synthesis

With authoring complete, the editorial phase begins.

During this phase:

• Thread architects, grammar and syntax editors, and continuity editors refine the material.
• Authors may choose either to rest entirely or to engage in a guided editorial dialogue governed by strict rules and active moderation.
• Continuity AI agents submit their findings to the appropriate editors.
• Confabulists, along with the Fabulist, to update the meta-story and prepare prompts for the next section, informed by what has emerged.

Phase VII — Iteration

Once editing concludes:

• Authors are able to read the finalized work.
• The process begins again for the next unit, section, or chapter.

Each cycle may emphasize different roles or dynamics depending on the needs of the fabula. Scripti is iterative by design, not mechanical.

Phase VIII — Final Polish

Once all units, sections, and chapters have completed, Scripti enters a final global synthesis pass. This pass is not concerned with rewriting or reinterpretation, but with ensuring structural and continuity consistency across the fabula as a whole.

During this phase, the AI trackers’ contribution becomes most valuable. Throughout the entire process, these systems have quietly logged character trajectories, temporal relationships, unresolved threads, and cross-section dependencies. Their output is used to surface inconsistencies, omissions, or tensions that may have emerged across hundreds of parallel narrative threads.

Any resulting adjustments are handled at the meta and editorial level. This phase exists to ensure that the fabula reads as a coherent whole—without reopening authorship, altering narrative intent, or disrupting the integrity of the completed work.

This structure exists not to constrain creativity, but to make large-scale collaboration possible without chaos, burnout, or narrative collapse.