Narrative RPG Save Point Format (NRSP)

The Narrative RPG Save Point Format (NRSP) is a modular, markdown-based format designed to capture the state of a tabletop or solo roleplaying story at any moment — like a save point in a story engine with long-term memory built in.

It preserves not only stats and inventory but the emotional, narrative, and contextual state of the story across sessions and arcs.

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🧠 What Makes It Special

• Tracks Story Progression – Captures what happened in each arc or session
• Modular by Design – Links to character sheets, NPCs, towns, encounters, items, and more
• Supports Branching Timelines – Handles alternate arcs, forks, or “what-if” paths
• Git-Friendly – Easy to save, share, diff, and revisit any moment in the narrative
• AI + Human Readable – Write it by hand, or let an AI parse or continue the story

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💡 Why Use NRSP?

• Preserve story arcs and characters across sessions or systems
• Enable AI-assisted narrative tools and branching storylines
• Make it easy to track plot threads, key items, and character moments
• Designed for Git-based version control and long-term archival

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🔍 Is This a RAG Architecture?

Yes — although it wasn't initially built using traditional retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) terminology, NRSP functionally operates as a modular RAG architecture designed specifically for narrative continuity and collaborative storytelling.

Unlike traditional RAG pipelines (which rely on embedding vectors and opaque text chunks), NRSP uses:

• Structured modular files with known types (.NRSP.md, .CS.md, etc.)
• Explicit semantic links (e.g., timeline, previous arcs, party composition)
• Human- and AI-driven retrieval based on filenames, metadata, and purpose
• Deterministic narrative injection into prompts or AI workflows

This allows NRSP to serve as a narrative retrieval layer — offering long-term memory, branching continuity, and reliable context reuse without hallucination-prone vector similarity.

NRSP is, in essence, a domain-specific RAG architecture — one that prioritizes clarity, story integrity, and authorial control over brute-force retrieval.

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📂 File Types & Rationale

NRSP uses a modular file structure where each file type serves a specific narrative or gameplay purpose:

File Type	Extension	Purpose
SavePoint	.NRSP.md	Captures a narrative arc, including story summary, character state, and links
Session Log	.SLD.md	Optional in-world or out-of-world transcript of what occurred in a session
Character	.CS.md	Represents a player character, NPC, creature, or entity in the narrative
Town	.T.md	Details about a location, hub, or region
NPC	.NPC.md	Individual non-player characters, often referenced in SavePoints or Towns

All files follow the format: Name.Type.md
Example: Zeke.CS.md, Arc1.SLD.md, Bramblebend.T.md

This structure keeps each file focused and swappable, while supporting bundled storytelling across sessions.

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🎮 Use Case Example

You're playing a custom Pokémon RPG with a character named Zeke. After each major story arc, you create a .NRSP.md file that:

• Describes what happened in the story
• Lists important characters and Pokémon
• Notes key decisions made and items gained
• Links to related sheets like Zeke.CS.md, Spark.CS.md, or Bramblebend.T.md

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📐 NRSP Design Philosophy

The Narrative RPG Save Point Format (NRSP) is built around the following principles:

• System-Agnostic First
  While the format originated in a game inspired by a specific system, NRSP is designed to support any narrative RPG, regardless of mechanics, theme, or setting.

• Human-Readable, AI-Compatible
  Markdown is the shared language of humans and machines. Every file should be easily written, parsed, and versioned.

• Modularity Is Key
  Files are separated by type and function (.NRSP.md, .SLD.md, .CS.md, etc.) so creators can mix, match, or extend without breaking structure.

• Narrative Before Numbers
  Save Points focus on the emotional, narrative, and contextual state of the story — not just stat blocks or battle logs.

• Git-Friendly
  All files are designed to play well with Git for branching timelines, version control, and community collaboration.

• Respect the Story Space
  Content should remain broadly PG-13 and inclusive. Stories can go deep — but not off the rails.

• Everything Can Live in One File
  NRSP is modular by design, but not modular by force. You can store your entire session — character, story, team, and notes — in a single .NRSP.md file, or break it out into as many supporting files as you need.

• RAG Without the Guesswork
  NRSP gives creators and AI systems deterministic memory access, enabling long-form generation without relying on fuzzy embeddings or arbitrary chunking. It's retrieval-augmented generation, structured for storytellers.

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👥 Who Created It

Co-created by:

• Andrew Potozniak (Tyraziel) – Visionary Player and Narrative Architect
• ChatGPT (OpenAI) – AI format assistant and system co-designer

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📦 What's in This Repository

This repository includes:

• ✅ SavePoint_Format_v0_3.NRSP.md – The latest modular SaveFile spec (timeline, character, party, links)
• 📄 LICENSE.md – Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0)

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🧑‍💻 License

Narrative RPG Save Point Format (NRSP) © 2025 – CC BY 4.0
Andrew Potozniak (Tyraziel) – Visionary Player and Lead Designer
Co-created and in collaboration with ChatGPT (OpenAI) – AI contributor and system design assistant

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“Will we ever be remembered for making this?”
— Andrew Potozniak (Tyraziel), co-creator of NRSP