Feature 05of 08 · Variants

One panel, several cuts

Variants: the right version for every reader

Some scenes need more than one version. A fight that's gentle for younger readers and unflinching for others. A scar that stays because of an earlier choice. A thought balloon that changes once the clue is found. A variant is an alternative version of a panel with a rule; when a reader reaches the panel, the first rule that matches wins.

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Pencil sketch of the same action panel drawn three times with increasing intensity, arranged like a dial.

Fig. 5How it works

Fig. 5 — VariantsOne panel, several cuts. A variable — chosen by the reader, set by your site, or by an earlier choice — decides which version appears.

matching rule wins: 1st
re-evaluation: live
variants per panel: ∞

Parts listVariants

In detail

What you get

Rules on variables

Each variant has a condition on your story variables — intensity, age, a choice, a found clue. Variants are checked in order; the first match wins, otherwise the base panel shows.

Swap anything

Artwork layers, balloons, hotspots, sound, video, timing — a variant replaces exactly the parts you change.

Let readers choose the intensity

Ask once at the start (“How intense should fight scenes be?”) or expose the setting in the reader's settings — every panel with variants follows.

Pass in what your site knows

Embedding a work in your own shop or platform? Your site can hand a verified value — such as the reader's age — to the player as a read-only variable.

Reacts live

Variants re-evaluate the moment a variable changes, so a choice can transform the very next panel.

Built and tested in the editor

A rule builder lists your variables, “copy from panel” gives you a head start, and preview scenarios show each version before readers do.

A gentler cut of one panel, chosen by a reader variable

"ambush": {
  "layers": [{ "id": "art", "kind": "image", "assetId": "img-ambush-full" }],
  "variants": [{
    "id": "gentle",
    "when": { "==": [{ "var": "reader.intensity" }, "gentle"] },
    "overrides": {
      "layers": [{ "id": "art", "kind": "image", "assetId": "img-ambush-gentle" }]
    }
  }]
}

Who gainsCreators · publishers · readers

What it means for you

For creators

Keep your uncompromised scene — and offer a gentler cut without making two books.

Apply as a Founding Creator

For publishers

Age-appropriate editions and classroom versions from one master.

Request a publisher pilot

For readers

Choose how intense the story gets — and see your choices leave their mark.

See an example

NotesQuestions & documentation

Questions

Read the docs

Every great story starts as a sketch.

Open the drawing board and start with your script, the smoothest way in, or with the art you already have: panel images, video clips or pages without lettering. Add balloons, shape the story, and see your first chapter running on a screen.

Apply as a Founding Creator Request a publisher pilot