# How to Play

## Making Choices

Each turn, the AI presents you with 2-4 action choices. Your selection determines what happens next in the story. There are no "wrong" choices — every path leads to unique narratives.

## Writing Your Own Actions

You're not limited to the offered choices. Type **any action in your own words** and the AI will weave it into the story. Free-text actions are priced fairly by how significant a move they are (see Chapter Pacing below).

## 🎲 Dice of Fate (天命骰)

Not sure what to do? Click the **Dice of Fate** button beside Send. The game rolls a wild — but still canon — action for you and plays it out. The result is decided server-side: the heavens choose, and you live with it.

## Chapter Pacing (本章气数)

Each chapter has a pacing budget shown as **本章气数**. Bold, time-skipping actions (e.g. 闭关三个月 — "seclude for three months") spend more of the budget and push the story forward; small beats spend less. When a chapter's 气数 runs out, the story advances with a transition scene — keeping your run moving instead of stalling.

## Game Modes

- **Reforge (改命模式)** — play as the canonical protagonist and defy fate. The game tracks your **deviation (偏离度)** from the original novel and scores the run when it ends.
- **Challenge (挑战模式)** — an original character with **permadeath**, pursuing a goal of your own.

## Character Stats

Your character has attributes that change based on your decisions:

- **Spirit Power (魂力)** — your martial arts cultivation level
- **HP** — health points
- **Reputation** — how NPCs perceive you
- **Inventory** — items you've collected
- **Deviation (偏离度)** — in Reforge mode, how far your story has strayed from the original

Stats influence available choices and story outcomes.

## Ink Drops (墨滴)

Each successful turn costs **2 ink drops**; the opening of every story is free, and new accounts get a welcome grant. 墨滴 never expire. Refill on the **Pricing** page when you run low — and if you run out mid-story, a paywall lets you top up and continue immediately.

## Saving & Loading

- Click the **floppy disk icon** in the game header to save
- Your progress is automatically saved after each turn
- Load previous saves from the game selection screen

## Leaderboard & Run Cards

- The **Reforge Board (改命榜)** is not open yet. Once launched, eligible runs will be ranked under the rules displayed on the board at that time.
- When a run ends, you get a shareable **artifact card** summarizing turns survived, deviation, and score.

## Token Usage

Each AI response consumes tokens (a measure of AI processing). You can:

- View current session usage via the **chart icon** in the game header
- Check historical usage on the **Usage** page (accessible from the main header)

Tokens are tracked per session. Higher complexity responses may use more tokens.