Canon and Worldbuilding Management¶

Craft guidance for building and maintaining world truth in interactive fiction—from documenting why facts are true to organizing lore into portable packs.

The Nature of Canon¶

Definition: Canon is the authoritative truth of your story world. Not suggestions, not possibilities—facts that all other content must respect.

Why Canon Matters:

Consistency creates believability
Players notice contradictions
Canon enables parallel creation (multiple authors/agents)
World depth comes from coherent history

Canon Is Not:

Draft ideas (those live in workspace)
Player interpretation (that varies)
Author's private notes (unless promoted)
Everything written (most is discarded)

Cause Chains¶

The Core Rule¶

Every fact needs a cause. "It just is" is not canon.

Unjustified facts feel arbitrary. They break immersion because readers sense something missing. Cause chains provide depth and believability.

Building a Cause Chain¶

Structure:

Truth: The fact you're establishing
Immediate cause: Why is this true?
Deeper cause: Why is that true?
Open question: Where the chain stops (for now)

Example:

Level	Content
Truth	The Guild controls the waterfront
Immediate cause	After the Collapse, they were the only organization with intact logistics
Deeper cause	Their founder foresaw the crisis and stockpiled resources
Open question	How did the founder predict the Collapse?

When to Stop¶

Not every cause chain needs infinite depth. Stop when:

You've reached a satisfying foundation
Further depth doesn't serve the story
The mystery itself is valuable
Research can't provide more

Mark stopping points as open questions for potential future exploration.

Cause Chain Anti-Patterns¶

Pattern	Problem	Fix
"It just is"	Feels arbitrary	Ask "Why?" at least once
Circular reasoning	A because B because A	Find external anchor
Infinite regress	Never reaches foundation	Accept a stopping point
Hand-waving	"Magic did it"	Even magic has rules

Timeline Anchoring¶

Why Timelines Matter¶

Without temporal positioning, events can contradict each other or violate causality. Timeline anchoring prevents impossible sequences.

Anchor Types¶

Type	Definition	Example
Absolute	Fixed date in story time	Year 347 of the New Era
Relative	Relationship to another event	Three years after the Collapse
Sequential	Order without specific duration	After the Last War but before the Guild's Rise

Anchoring Events¶

Every significant event needs a timeline_position:

When did it happen?
What came before?
What came after?
How long did it last?

Cross-reference against existing anchors. If a new event contradicts established chronology, one of them is wrong.

Timeline Validation¶

Before finalizing events, check:

[ ] Is the timeline position documented?
[ ] Does it fit with known anchors?
[ ] Do cause-and-effect relationships respect time?
[ ] Are event durations plausible?

Timeline Anti-Patterns¶

Pattern	Problem	Fix
Floating events	No temporal position	Add at least relative anchor
Impossible sequence	Effect before cause	Reorder or revise
Compressed history	Too much in too little time	Expand or simplify
Vague dates	"A long time ago" for everything	Establish relative order

Canon Organization¶

Canon Packs¶

A canon pack is a portable, thematic container of related lore.

Pack Types:

Type	Focus	Example
Era	Timeline-bounded period	Age of Founding pack
Faction	Group-focused lore	Guild of Artificers pack
Metaphysics	World rules	How Magic Works pack
Geography	Place-focused lore	The Eastern District pack

Pack Scope¶

Scope	Meaning	Use Case
Book	Story-specific lore	Unique to this narrative
World	Shareable lore	Could appear in other stories

Creating a Canon Pack¶

Choose pack type (Era, Faction, Metaphysics, Geography)
Set scope (book or world)
Gather related lore entries
Build cause chains for each entry
Establish timeline positions
Check internal consistency
Check external consistency (against other packs)
Classify spoiler levels
Document open questions

Canon Pack Validation¶

Internal consistency:

Do entries within the pack contradict each other?
Are cause chains complete?
Are timeline positions compatible?

External consistency:

Does this pack contradict other packs?
Do faction motivations still make sense?
Are metaphysical rules consistent?

Narrative feasibility:

Can the story use this lore as intended?
Does this enable or block narrative possibilities?

Conflict Resolution¶

When Canon Conflicts¶

Sometimes new lore contradicts existing canon. This requires explicit resolution.

Never silently overwrite. Silent changes cause cascading errors and undermine canon authority.

Resolution Process¶

Document the conflict — What are the competing versions?
Identify implications — What depends on each version?
Decide which is canon — Based on story needs and history
Update all dependent lore — Propagate the decision
Archive the non-canon version — For reference

Conflict Documentation¶

Field	Content
Conflict ID	Unique identifier
Versions	Both competing facts
Sources	Where each appears
Dependencies	What relies on each
Resolution	Which is canon and why
Updates needed	What must change

Spoiler Stratification¶

Spoiler Levels¶

Not all lore is safe for players to see. Classify everything:

Level	Definition	Player-Facing Treatment
Minor	Background flavor	May appear with careful phrasing
Major	Affects understanding/strategy	Must be omitted or heavily obscured
Critical	Would ruin experience	Never appears, no exceptions

Examples by Level¶

Minor Spoiler:

The Guild's founder was wealthy.

Adds depth but doesn't change the experience. Can include in codex with appropriate phrasing.

Major Spoiler:

The Guild's founder foresaw the Collapse.

Affects how players interpret Guild actions. Should be omitted from codex or heavily obscured.

Critical Spoiler:

The Guild's founder caused the Collapse.

Central twist that would ruin discovery. Never in codex under any circumstances.

Spoiler-Safe Derivation¶

When deriving player-facing content from canon:

Identify spoiler level for each fact
Minor: Include with in-world phrasing
Major: Omit or obscure (e.g., "Some say the founder knew more than most...")
Critical: Completely exclude
Document omissions for validation

The In-World Scholar Test¶

Ask: "What would an in-world scholar know and publish?"

Scholars don't know:

Secret motivations
Hidden identities
Future events
Information meant for discovery

Consistency Dimensions¶

Internal Consistency¶

Within a single piece of lore:

Facts don't contradict
Cause chains are complete
Timeline is coherent
Motivations make sense

Cross-Reference Consistency¶

Between lore elements:

Shared facts agree
Timeline positions align
Character behaviors match
World rules apply uniformly

Narrative Consistency¶

With the story:

Lore enables intended scenes
Player choices remain meaningful
Discovery is possible
Pacing isn't disrupted

Working with Uncertain Facts¶

When Canon Isn't Established¶

Sometimes you need facts that don't yet have canon backing.

Options:

Request canon creation — Ask for official lore
Use placeholder — Mark as provisional
Imply without stating — Let players assume
Present as in-world uncertainty — "No one knows for certain..."

Provisional Canon¶

Mark uncertain facts clearly:

Status	Meaning	Treatment
Canonical	Established truth	Use directly
Provisional	Assumed but not official	Mark and verify later
Proposed	Suggested for consideration	Don't rely on yet
Rejected	Explicitly not canon	Don't use

Common Mistakes¶

Retroactive Changes Without Propagation¶

Problem: Changing canon but not updating dependent content.

Fix: Track dependencies. When canon changes, identify and update all affected content.

Treating References as Canon¶

Problem: Using other fiction as authoritative source.

Fix: Fiction is inspiration, not evidence. Research primary sources.

Over-Detailed Canon¶

Problem: Defining more than the story needs.

Fix: Canon should enable stories, not constrain them unnecessarily. Leave room for future development.

Under-Documented Canon¶

Problem: Facts exist in author's head but not in records.

Fix: If it matters, write it down. Unwritten canon is unreliable.

Quick Reference¶

Concept	Key Principle
Cause chains	Every fact needs a documented why
Timeline anchoring	Events need temporal positions
Canon packs	Organize by theme and scope
Conflicts	Never silently overwrite
Spoiler levels	Minor/Major/Critical stratification
Consistency	Internal, cross-reference, and narrative
Uncertainty	Mark provisional canon clearly