Terms used in the atlas

Key. A stable address connecting a location on a map to its written encounter record.

Read-aloud. Information designated for presentation to players, usually on arrival or at a stated trigger.

Referee-facing. Information intended for the person administering the adventure, including hidden causes and procedures.

Player-facing. Information that players may inspect without receiving the private explanation.

Hub-and-spoke. A pattern in which a base supports excursions to several destinations. A hub may itself contain dangers or hidden interests.

Information asymmetry. A difference in what two participants or groups know at a particular moment.

Clue network. A model of discoverable evidence, its sources and the actions or places to which it points.

Escalation. An increase or change in pressure with a specified condition, such as elapsed time, an alarm or a crossed boundary.

Return loop. A route through which an earlier location is revisited; the same geometry may carry changed conditions.

Chassis. The recurring page arrangement of margins, columns, navigation and reading widths.

Threshold image. An image placed at an entry to direct attention before the detailed explanation.

Digital page. A one-based page position in the selected PDF, including covers, inserts and cropped plates.