Pre-1.0 public preview
Write branching, stat-driven RPG stories in plain text.
Talewright is an open-source engine for text-first RPGs and visual novels with skill checks, inventories, factions and many branches. You write in Talemark, a plain-text story language. No programming required.
Try the web player Read the docs
The web player runs in your browser with nothing to install. Pick the built-in sample, The Lost Relic, or open your own story ZIP. The ZIP is read on your computer, not uploaded.
Stories are text files
Scenes, dialogue and choices live in .tale files. Your cast and rules live in
story.talewright.yaml. Choices can require stats, roll skill checks and change state.
=== temple.entrance
{player:first-name#possessive} torch gutters as **cold air** spills from the door.
* [Climb the collapsed wall] skill-check athletics dc 14
success: -> temple.upper
failure: { player:hp -= 2 } -> temple.fall
* [Read the glyphs] (requires: player:int >= 12) -> temple.glyphs
What you get
RPG rules built in
Stats, skills, d20 skill checks, items that modify stats, factions with reputation tiers, XP and levels. Use the default ruleset or adjust it.
Branching without the wiring
Hubs and storylets offer whichever scenes are currently available, so you don't have to connect every path by hand.
Grammar handled for you
Names, pronouns (including custom sets), possessives and a/an.
Mistakes caught early
Broken links, unknown items and misspelled stats are reported with file and line number when the story loads.
Saves, Back and Forward
Named save slots plus full undo and redo for players.
Optional character creation
Let players choose names, pronouns, presets and starting stats.
What's available today
Talewright is a pre-1.0 preview. Story syntax, save formats and tools may change without notice, and backward compatibility is not guaranteed until version 1.0.
- Web player: play.trytalewright.com. Play the sample or check and play your own story ZIP.
- VS Code extension: highlighting, suggestions and live checks for Talemark. The current release supports Linux x64 only.
- Command-line tools: preview downloads for Windows, macOS and Linux on GitHub Releases. So far, only Linux x64 has been verified.
- Sharing: send a story ZIP to anyone with the web player. Building a standalone website (for example for itch.io) or desktop game requires the .NET 10 SDK on the author's computer.