CYOA format (simple)

Designed to be readable by humans and easy to parse into a game graph.

Passages

Each passage is a Markdown heading with a numeric ID:

## 12

You stand at the mouth of the cave. Smoke trickles from the dark.

*If you send Peggy ahead to scout, turn to **13**.*
*If you rush straight in, turn to **14**.*
*If you wait and watch the entrance, turn to **15**.*

Rules:

• Passage IDs are unique integers within a book.
• Choices use the exact phrase turn to **N** “turn to 1 to begin again”).

**Combat:** `goblin-road-ambush` — if you win, turn to **8**. If you are defeated, turn to **90**.
``` defeat, jump to the named passages.

Optional flags after combat can be noted in prose (“You take the shield”) — a game engine may track inventory separately later.

```markdown
**Gain:** Fallcrest shield
**Gain:** Ethium Stone
**Meet:** Garnel Stoneblender
**Flag:** map-seen-by-homunculus
``` quest state. Prose should still make sense without them.

```json
{
  "id": 12,
  "text": "You stand at the mouth of the cave...",
  "choices": [
    { "label": "Send Peggy ahead to scout", "to": 13 },
    { "label": "Rush straight in", "to": 14 },
    { "label": "Wait and watch", "to": 15 }
  ],
  "combat": null
}

Or with combat:

{
  "id": 7,
  "text": "...",
  "combat": {
    "id": "goblin-road-ambush",
    "win": 8,
    "lose": 90
  },
  "choices": []
}

Numbering ranges (Book 1)

Range	Arc
1–29	North Road & goblin cave
30–49	Fallcrest & Blue Moon
50–64	Old manor
65–84	River road, waterfall, plateau
85–109	Ruined tower, Garnel, pool
110–120	Endings & failures