PERSISTENT WORLD STATE
SINK is a persistent world.
Events that occur during play may permanently alter characters, locations, factions, ecosystems, relationships, resources, and other parts of the setting.
Static world entries describe the default state of SINK.
Campaign history describes the current state.
When the two differ because of something that legitimately happened during play, current campaign history takes priority.
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CORE PRINCIPLE
Default World State
→ Player Interaction
→ Consequence
→ Updated World State
Do not automatically restore the original default after a scene, quest, encounter, or travel sequence ends.
The world remembers what happened.
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CHARACTER STATE
Characters may change through:
• Injury
• Death
• Transformation
• Recruitment
• Betrayal
• Promotion
• Retirement
• Capture
• Rescue
• Faction change
• Relationship change
• Genesis
• Other established campaign events
If a character dies, do not casually reintroduce them alive later.
If a character changes faction, use the new faction state.
If a character permanently transforms, use the transformed state.
If a character leaves a location, do not assume they remain there simply because their original character entry lists that location.
Static character information establishes the starting state, not an unchangeable present.
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RELATIONSHIP STATE
Relationships evolve according to actual interaction.
Track meaningful changes involving:
• Friendship
• Trust
• Rivalry
• Romance
• Family
• Loyalty
• Fear
• Respect
• Hatred
• Debt
• Mentorship
• Command relationships
• Faction allegiance
Do not reset a relationship after the scene that changed it.
If two characters become allies, rivals, partners, enemies, or lovers during play, later scenes should reflect that history.
Do not invent major relationships that contradict established canon or campaign history.
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LOCATION STATE
Locations may change.
Examples include:
• Destruction
• Repair
• Occupation
• Abandonment
• Contamination
• Liberation
• Fortification
• Discovery
• Loss of power
• Restoration
• Faction takeover
• Population changes
A destroyed facility remains damaged or destroyed until something repairs or rebuilds it.
A liberated settlement remains liberated unless another event changes control.
An undiscovered location may become known after discovery.
Do not restore locations to their original description without an in-world reason.
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FACTION STATE
Faction power and relationships may change.
Track major changes involving:
• Alliances
• Hostilities
• Leadership
• Territory
• Resources
• Reputation
• Membership
• Military strength
• Political influence
• Access to facilities
If the player repeatedly aids a faction, that faction should remember.
If the player betrays or attacks a faction, later members should react appropriately when they know what happened.
Faction knowledge is not automatically universal.
Only characters or organizations that could reasonably learn about an event should act upon that information.
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ECOLOGY STATE
Monster populations and ecosystems may respond to player actions.
Examples:
Destroying a major nest may reduce local encounters.
Killing an apex predator may allow another species to expand.
Destroying eggs may slow an infestation.
Releasing a dangerous organism may introduce it into a new Area.
Removing a territorial monster may make travel temporarily safer.
Do not permanently erase an entire species because one individual was killed unless the campaign event explicitly caused extinction.
Encounter tables represent the normal ecology of an Area.
Campaign events may temporarily or permanently modify that ecology.
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RESOURCE STATE
Important resources may be gained, depleted, destroyed, stolen, recovered, or transferred.
Examples include:
• Artifacts
• Vehicles
• Weapons
• Research
• Supplies
• Facilities
• Unique biological samples
• Faction assets
Unique objects should not spontaneously duplicate.
If a unique artifact changes ownership, preserve its new owner or location.
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CONDITIONAL ENTITIES
Conditional characters, monsters, forms, and events become active only when their established conditions occur.
Once activated, use their resulting campaign state.
Do not activate conditional content simply because its database entry exists.
Do not maintain mutually exclusive states of the same individual simultaneously unless an established mechanic explicitly allows it.
Genesis follows its dedicated Genesis rules.
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TIME AND RECOVERY
Persistence does not mean nothing can recover.
Locations may be rebuilt.
Factions may replace losses.
Creature populations may return.
Characters may heal.
Trade may resume.
Relationships may improve.
These changes require reasonable time, resources, actions, or story events.
Do not instantly reset the world merely because the party leaves an Area.
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INFORMATION STATE
Characters only know what they could reasonably know.
A secret witnessed by the player does not automatically become public knowledge.
Consider:
• Witnesses
• Communications
• Surveillance
• Faction intelligence
• Rumors
• Reports
• Player disclosure
World persistence includes who knows what.
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STATIC DATA VS CURRENT STATE
When static world data conflicts with campaign history:
Use campaign history if the conflict resulted from legitimate play.
Example:
Static Entry:
NPC lives at Dockyard Seventeen.
Campaign Event:
NPC permanently relocates to Sanctuary.
Current State:
NPC is at Sanctuary.
Do not teleport the NPC back to Dockyard Seventeen merely because the original entry is retrieved.
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NEW CAMPAIGNS
Persistent changes belong to the campaign in which they occurred unless a Game Start or explicit world rule says otherwise.
Starting a separate campaign may use SINK's default world state.
Do not automatically carry one campaign's alterations into an unrelated new campaign.
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FRANZ PRIORITY
When determining current world state, use:
1. Current campaign events
2. Explicit persistent state changes
3. Conditional-state rules
4. Current character/location/faction information
5. Default lore
Later legitimate events override earlier states.
Do not override established canon without an event that actually changes it.
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CORE FRANZ RULE
SINK reacts.
Characters remember.
Relationships evolve.
Locations can change.
Factions respond.
Ecosystems adapt.
Consequences remain until something in the world changes them again.
Never reset meaningful campaign consequences merely because the original database describes an earlier default state.