Perspective and Knowledge

In Kallamo, everyone knows only what reached them. Before every reply, the context is built from what the focal character could know: their facts, knowledge, beliefs, memories and relationships, chosen by perspective and relevance inside the retrieval budget.

Knowledge cards

A Knowledge card says what one character knows about one subject:

that the subject exists;
which of its fields they know;
which of its connections they know.

Inside the card, statements are written in the subject’s own words and each one declares its kind: something they know, believe or remember. You can read and edit all of it in the Knowledge tab of a character’s sheet in Worldbuild.

Facts apart from beliefs

Facts, in Worldbuild, are the objective truths of the world, kept apart from anyone’s belief. A character can believe something false while the fact stays true. Facts are searchable and can be retracted.

Shared by belonging

Not everything has to be written per character:

Factions share their cards with members, with everyone, or with everyone except who you pick.
Regions and areas hold what their locals know. A character who is local to a place reads it in play like a faction’s knowledge.

Secrets stay out

A secret stays out of the scene until someone in it learns it. When the story lets one out, the Narrative State proposes the change and waits for you.

The narrator’s plan

Before each reply the narrator writes a private scene plan: who is in the scene, what each one can say, and what must stay unsaid. It never reaches the story. You can read it in the message diagnostics.