States and Randomizers

Add states where players stay and randomizers that draw a weighted outcome, and choose the start state.

States and Randomizers

A system is made of nodes of two kinds: states, where a player stays, and randomizers, which draw one outcome by weight and move on at once. This guide covers adding both, choosing where players start, and running operations when a player arrives.

Adding a Node

In a workspace, click + Node at the top-left of the canvas and choose a kind:

State — "A place a player stays, until one of its exits is taken."
Randomizer — "A pass-through: draws one outcome by weight on entry and leaves at once. A player is never in one."

To add a node that follows an existing one, click + node at the bottom of that node's card instead: the new node is placed next to it and connected to it — with a new exit, or a new outcome when the existing node is a randomizer.

Important: A node's kind can't be changed later. To turn a state into a randomizer, add a randomizer and move the connections over.

Node Details

Select a node to edit it in the Inspector:

Name — the name your team sees on the canvas. Required.
Slug — "Unique within this system. Conditions and transition targets name it."
Description — a note for your team. The first two lines show on the card.
On enter operations — "Operations applied when this state is entered." Both kinds of node have them. See Operations and Effects.
Transitions — a state's exits, or a randomizer's outcomes.

Click Save at the bottom of the Inspector. Saving from any node's Inspector saves the whole system.

The Starting State

Every player of a system begins in its starting state, marked ▶ Start on the canvas. Its Inspector reads "Players of this system start here."

To make another state the start, select it and click Start here instead. Only states can be the start: "A randomizer cannot be the start: it is passed through, not stayed in."

The Main Quest below starts in Start — click another state to compare:

Tip: If you delete the starting state, another node becomes the start without asking, and it can be a randomizer. Check which node has the ▶ Start badge afterwards, and use Start here instead on the state you want.

Randomizer Outcomes

A randomizer's Transitions are its outcomes. Add one with + Add outcome, or by dragging the red + handle on its card onto another node. Each outcome has:

a name and a target — the node the player moves to;
a weight (1 by default) — the outcome's chance is its weight divided by the total of all the outcomes' weights. A weight can be an expression, so chances can depend on a player's state;
On outcome operations, which run when that outcome is drawn.

The card on the canvas shows each outcome's chance. In the Daily Chest below, Gold has a weight of 70, Gems 25 and Energy 5 — so 70%, 25% and 5%:

The order of outcomes doesn't matter.

Next Steps

Continue to Exits and Transitions to connect your states.