Dialogue style guide

This page is for explaining abstract dialogue style conventions. This shows how the PC (Player character) and NPCs (Non Player Characters) react to certain topics, while dialogue scripting deals with scripting functions.

Writing style
While Teraurge is a porn game, the game world is not obsessed with sex or function with porn logic. The world is a place and characters are people. Writers should write characters and not sex/fetish dispensers.

The disrupting influence is the player. While the world and characters should maintain the authenticity of the world, the player character is the wild card. The PC can bring up the issue of sex into the equation.

General advice
Control the character not the story. Option to (Blowjob) Is sterile and mechanical but saying “So... How long was that tongue of yours?” Is an action the player takes to participate in the narrative. Present the dialogue options as levers controlling the player character and not the story.

Let characters impose themselves on the player. If the PC loses a fight, let the enemy kick the PC in the curb, leave them face down in a puddle and spit on them. Players always want to push back on imposition so let them voice their frustration and anger.

Let player impose themselves on the world. All the things you write for Teraurge are precious things in an uncaring world where players will always strive to destroy and alter it. Let them, they will love you for it.

Do not assume player's internal thoughts.

"You see a sexy, skimpily dressed lizardman standing at the door."

is different from

"You see a lizardman standing at the door. He’s wearing a loincloth and has a spear."

If you write the PC aroused, you must get "permission" from the player. This permission usually happens when the player pursues actions that imply sexual interest. This also extends to everything else the player might have an opinion on.

No sudden death. Signpost danger when the player might pick a dialogue option that results in it. Every scenario that might end in player death must have several escape hatches. The player might take severe bumps when escaping the situation but player survival is preferable to their death. While you need to provide options for escape, you must also let the PC fail them too.

Failure will be hundred times more painful if the PC is not dead. So if you’re looking to write tragedy, try to keep the poor sap alive.

How to write the player character (PC)
The PC is defined by the attributes and the player. PCs can further define themselves by interacting with the world. Do not write anything specific about the PC's physical self (color, height, hair, eye color, etc). The exception to this are the attributes when checked in dialogue (large muscles, etc).

Railroading
This is an example of railroading: {} "Can I kick you in the balls?" [] Sure. [] Only a little. [] Yes, but I won't like it.

The reasonable thing to do: {} "Can I kick you in the balls?" [] ...What? [] No. [] I kick you in the balls in return, if you do that. [] Why would you do that? [] Sure.

All interactive stories rely on railroading the player to a degree but it is usually only called "railroading" when the player desire and the writer intent collide (player can't react in a way they'd like to react).

Railroading isn't inherently a bad thing if the author wants to tell a lot of exposition that the player has chosen to listen to. Railroading is acceptable if the player has already agreed to a certain branch (Tell me more, I will help you, etc). Railroading only becomes a problem when the player is forced into a situation they can't react in a way they'd like.

You can force something on the player by making it a attribute check. The attribute check must be reasonable and in character. A fight can also act as a check. (Note there must always be the alternative outcome to the skill check so you cannot rely on it to continue the story in the direction you would desire.)

Writers should always consider how players might want to respond and include those in the dialogue, but note that some player options might have a “destructive” reach in logic of the game world and might have consequences that will need an extreme amount of additional writing.

"Evil" Player character
The usual RPG fare is to create general branches of player characterization and distill all choices to support them. Branches are usually evil and good and sometimes neutral. For Teraurge, these ideas are expunged and replaced with reactions and motivations.

Player should not be "evil" without a plausible motivation. This helps in preserving narrative cohesion and reduces infinite dialogue branches into a more manageable number (PC won't randomly rape or murder a person in public). Schizophrenic PCs will rip apart any narrative you try to create. Only give the PC options to do harm with a good motive.

How to evil:

 * Vindictiveness: If the player catches a thief who stole from them, let the player be cruel. If someone mocks the player, let the player (try) have the last word.


 * Lust: Let players flirt and harass people.


 * Greed: If the player meets a lone traveler carrying valuables, let the player rob them. Large amount of wealth should always have player options to try and take them.


 * Pragmatism: If the player is worried a witness will tell the authorities of their crimes, let the player kill them.

De-escalate: Commitment to one "evil" does not make the player a mad berserker. Let the player try to control the escalation and give excuses or express regret. Let the player stop or stem the escalation of "evil" their choices might bring about.

Magic
Magic should be written as an untamable, dangerous, mysterious force of nature, rather than as a common thing or a handy tool.

The PC should always try to conceal magic use, but would reveal and use it if the situation is dangerous or the PC can solve a problem with it. Normal NPCs should react to magic the same way people in real life would react to it, with disbelief. Witnessing magic should be treated as a shocking and major thing for them.

Portals
Normal NPCs should react to portals the same way they would react to magic in general, with amazement. PC shouldn't casually reveal to people the portal business and should mostly keep it to themselves. If the NPC has knowledge about portals or magic, revealing the portal business can be more casual.

If PC is asked, they should be able say directly how they got here (with NPCs laughing it off or being confused) but not elaborate on it. PC should also be able to give likely lies to gloss over the subject.

Feral sex
The PC should not reveal anything about sex with ferals if not directly confronted about it, even in the company of other people that also have sex with ferals.

Combat etiquette
If the PC is attacked, they should have options to deescalate, fight, and surrender in most circumstances.

If the PC wins in combat against a NPC, the PC should in general have the option to rob, release, rape, and kill the NPC. The environment and situation the combat happens in dictates which of these options are available. In the wilderness alone with the NPC, all options should be available.

Player Attributes (C.W.I.A.S.E)
Attributes are the arbiters of conflict inside Teraurge. They determine if the PC can make the jump or if the PC manages to intercept the kick headed for their groin.

You can check attributes with functions or you can hide dialogue choices if the PC doesn't meet the attribute requirements. It's basically the difference of trying an action and knowing an action.

"Passive" attributes, like perception, works well with hidden dialogue choices (//showif) when the attribute determines what options the PC has. "Active" attribute like strength works well with function checks (Push the boulder off the ledge). When describing an action, don’t start the description with a "Try". It should always be framed as an definitive course of action.

Charisma
 * Lying
 * Persuading
 * Rhetoric
 * Charisma allows the PC to make arguments appealing to emotion.
 * For example: A rallying cry, a plea for mercy or a speech.
 * Social skills
 * Saying sorry.
 * General attractiveness

Will
 * Courage/bravery
 * Will should be checked for tasks that are particularly daring or scary.
 * For example: Jumping from great height, snarky comments in a dangerous situation.
 * Resistance to pain
 * Resistance to mind control
 * If someone is trying to mind control the PC, it's checked against the PC's will attribute.
 * Innate magic strength
 * If the PC is involved in a magical effort outside combat, the Will stat is used to represent their general magic strength. Other factors like the PC's knowledge of the magic involved or intelligence should also be taken into account.

Intelligence
 * Learning
 * Using learned skills
 * Planning
 * Machinery use
 * Problem/puzzle solving
 * Knowledge
 * Intelligence also checks knowledge of things that the PC might have learned before they were transported to another world, like electronics skill or book trivia.

Agility
 * Speed
 * Reflexes
 * Dexterity
 * Weapon use
 * Punching
 * Sneaking

Strength
 * Lifting
 * Pushing
 * Wrestling
 * Punching

Endurance
 * Physical stamina
 * Resistance to physical trauma
 * Running
 * Carrying
 * Sexual stamina

Attribute Increase

Player's attributes should be considered static and exist to define the player character for the duration of the game. The character progression is mostly done outside the attribute points.