The Echo Cycle

• The Rhythm of Play
• Creating a Fragment
• Fragment Length
• Spending Echo Tokens

The Rhythm of Play

An Echo Cycle consists of:

1. The Sender creates a fragment
2. The Receiver reads/listens to it
3. The Receiver responds with their own fragment
4. Roles reverse

Both players contribute one fragment per cycle. A complete game typically runs 8-12 cycles total (4-6 each).

Creating a Fragment

When it's your turn to send a fragment, follow these steps:

1. Choose Your Medium

Decide what form your fragment takes:

• Letter or journal entry
• Ritual instructions
• Dream or vision
• Map annotation
• Audio recording description
• Shrine inscription
• Psychic echo

2. Ground It in Place and Time

Reference a location on the map (existing or new) and indicate when this fragment originates:

• How long after the last fragment?
• Before or after a specific event?
• In response to what?

3. Make a Change

Every fragment must alter something. Choose one or more:

Minor Changes (most fragments should be this scale):

• Add a new location to the map (settlement, ruin, shrine)
• Reveal a memory or detail about the past
• Shift the emotional tone of your relationship
• Introduce a symbol or recurring image
• Add a question or mystery

Major Changes (use sparingly, 1-2 per game):

• Drastically alter established facts about a location
• Reveal a betrayal or hidden truth
• Permanently transform one of the Windcallers
• Destroy or redeem a major location
• Change the nature of your bond

Forbidden Changes:

• You cannot directly control the other Windcaller's actions or thoughts
• You cannot negate their previous fragment entirely
• You cannot declare their Windcaller dead without agreement

4. Invite Response

End your fragment with something that calls for reply:

• A direct question
• An unfinished ritual
• A symbol requiring interpretation
• A contradiction to resolve
• A location to explore

5. Update the Map

Add your new location or change to the shared map (see Map Generation section).

Fragment Length

Aim for 150-400 words or 1-3 minutes of audio. Fragments should be substantial enough to advance the story but brief enough to maintain mystery.

Spending Echo Tokens

You begin play with 3 Echo tokens. These represent moments of clear psychic connection across distance. Spend them to:

• Ask a Direct Question (1 token): Your fragment can break the fourth wall and ask the other player directly about their Windcaller's intentions, feelings, or past. They must answer honestly in their next fragment.

• Contradict a Memory (1 token): Reveal that something previously established was wrong, misremembered, or changed. The other player must acknowledge this contradiction in their response.

• Invoke a Shared Echo (2 tokens): Create a moment where both Windcallers experience the same vision, sound, or sensation simultaneously—the only true communion in the game.

When you spend a token, mark it off on your character sheet. Both players track their own tokens separately.

Gaining Tokens:

You regain 1 Echo token when:

• You complete a ritual described in a previous fragment
• You answer a question left unanswered for 2+ cycles
• The other player explicitly acknowledges a truth you revealed
• A Storm Event occurs (see below)

You cannot exceed 3 tokens at any time.