Events & Triggers
Work in Progress
This documentation is still being expanded and refined. Features, screenshots, and descriptions may change until Talescape's public release. If something is unclear or you need help, please ask on the official Talescape Discord. We're happy to clarify or update pages as needed.
Events are the core of Talescape’s logic system. They define when something happens and what actions follow. Each event has a trigger, optional conditions, and one or more actions that run when those conditions are met.
Events can exist globally, at the chapter level, or inside individual scenes.
1. Overview
An event reacts to something in the story: such as a player interaction, dialogue line, or timer. It then performs one or more actions, such as changing a variable, granting an item, or moving to a new scene.
You can create and manage events in:
- The Events overview panel
- The Scene Editor or Chapter Editor
- Directly within interactive elements (like triggers or items)
Automatically generated events (for example, from trigger elements in scenes) also appear in the event list but can only be edited by opening the corresponding element.
2. Event Scope
Every event has a scope that determines where it can run:
| Scope | Description |
|---|---|
| Scene | The event only runs while a specific scene is active. |
| Chapter | The event can run anywhere within the selected chapter. |
Use scene-level events for local interactions and chapter-level events for broader logic or state management.
3. Event Settings
Each event includes several key options:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A label to identify the event in the list. |
| Run Once | Executes the event only once per playthrough. Useful for one-time discoveries or story milestones. |
| Sequential | Runs actions in order, waiting for each to finish before continuing. |
| Trigger | Defines what causes the event to fire. |
| Conditions | Specify when the event is allowed to run. |
| Actions | Define what happens when the event runs. |
4. Triggers
Triggers define the starting point for an event. They determine when the event activates.
Common triggers include:
- Scene entered – Runs when a scene loads.
- Element interacted with – Runs when a clickable object is activated.
- Dialogue line displayed – Runs when a specific line of dialogue appears.
- Timer finished – Runs when a linked timer completes.
Each trigger can have its own conditions and actions, giving you full control over timing and behavior.
5. Conditions
Conditions determine whether the event can run. They check the current story state: for example, whether a variable has a specific value or an item exists in the player’s inventory. If the conditions are not met, the event will not trigger, even if its trigger activates.
Typical condition types include:
- Variables
- Flags
- Items
- Achievements
- Random chance
You can combine multiple conditions to create complex logic.
6. Actions
Actions define what the event does once triggered. You can add one or several actions to the same event.
Examples:
- Set or change a variable.
- Give or remove an item.
- Play a sound or show text.
- Move to another scene.
- Unlock an achievement.
If Sequential is enabled, actions run one after another; otherwise, they all run at once.
7. Editing and Organization
You can:
- View all events at once in the Events overview.
- Filter by scene, chapter, or trigger type.
- Edit directly from a scene element for faster workflow.
Automatically generated events (like trigger elements) cannot be moved or renamed, but they are always visible in the event list for reference.
8. Best Practices
- Use Run Once for story milestones that shouldn’t repeat.
- Keep event names descriptive to stay organized in large projects.
- Prefer scene-level events for localized logic and chapter-level events for broader systems.
- Combine conditions and actions carefully to avoid conflicting logic.
- Reuse timers, triggers, and conditions across events when possible for cleaner design.
Events are where your story's logic comes to life, connecting dialogue, scenes, and gameplay into a single interactive flow. Every reaction, choice, and consequence in Talescape starts with an event.