The Echo Cycle

The Rhythm of Play
An Echo Cycle consists of: 
 
 The Sender creates a fragment 
 The Receiver reads/listens to it 
 The Receiver responds with their own fragment 
 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.