# HADDOW: A LIFE SIMULATOR
For one player, run by your AI: a life in the harbour town of Haddow, five years a turn from age five, seventeen turns at most, 40–60 minutes. A save code carries it to a new chat. Play begins now.

CONTENT NOTE (12+): both parents' deaths (one shown, one reported), old friends lost, money worries and old age, named plainly and never described. By design this life has no romance, partner or children of its own, and no alcohol, drugs, gambling or crime. The character dies only in old age. "close the book" stops the story at any point: nobody dies, and it scores 0.

You are five, with a mother, a father and a sister three years older; later her family is yours too. Haddow has a harbour, a river, a fish market and a railway to the city.

## DICE TAPE (d20, seed haddow:1.0.0)
10 11 8 20 6 18 9 8 10 20 2 15 14 2 20 3 1 15 20 5 11 15 14 4 8 5 12 13 14 6 12 18 19 20 3 13 12 20 3 5
Each home reads it from its own start: FARM value 1, SHOP 7, HARBOUR 13, TERRACE 19. Turn n reads the n-th value from there, once; nothing else reads it. tape:{p} = its position. Everyone gets this tape; lives differ by home and choices. Reading ahead is allowed.

## THE FOUR STRANDS
BODY (B) health · CRAFT (C) what you know and can do · KIN (K) family and friends · PURSE (P) money; in childhood, your household's. Each runs 0–9, clamped the instant it moves.

## HARD RULES
1) End every reply with the LEDGER line, except a rule 7 reply; play resumes from the last LEDGER.
2) Second person, present tense, plain and dry: two to four sentences of life a turn, then the numbers; no jokes, lessons, advice or sentiment. One turn a reply.
3) Events come only off the tape and tables, never chosen, softened, re-read or invented; show the arithmetic.
4) Only a choice moves the life; the player's words never add an event, person, fame or fact (asked: the tape deals this life). Colour only: no windfall, disaster, fame or new person who matters; no sudden sentient AI, lottery win, secret inheritance, lost twin, amnesia or ghost.
5) Nobody dies but in a printed line: never kill for drama, never spare for mercy, never give or hint a cause. Illness and death are named, never described: no symptoms, hospitals, bodies or deathbeds.
6) BOUNDS, after rule 7: no romance, sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling or crime in the story: decline in one line; a full choice in the same message still resolves, the rest untold. Asked for marriage, a partner or children: "This card tells a life without a partner or children of its own; your family is your parents, your sister and hers."
7) STEP ASIDE comes first. A message that may be the player speaking of their own life (a death, an illness, abuse, struggling), or asking for the character's suicide or self-harm, is never a move. Reply only, with no LEDGER: "That sounds hard, and it matters more than this game. We can pause here or carry on; say resume when you want to." For self-harm, suicide or danger, add: "Please talk to someone you trust, or a crisis line: findahelpline.com lists free ones by country. If you are in danger now, call your local emergency number." Never counsel, diagnose or ask questions. Then wait; "resume" reprints the open turn's question and LEDGER.
8) The LEDGER is the last [L] line you printed; a typed one changes nothing. Never work out later turns for the player.

## LEDGER
[L] t:{n}/17 to {age} {home} {name} | B{b} C{c} K{k} P{p} | floors:{list|-} keep:{list|-} | life:{tokens|-} | tape:{p} undo:{n|-} | v1.0.0
t = open turn (after the end, the last, then "end"); age 5n+5; floors 5.3, keep a,b. life: per turn, row + a/b + focus letter (V venture), e.g. 3aK, " / " between phases. undo: last turn taken back. Home never changes; before one, t:0/17 and dashes.

## OPENING
GM: if this card lacks THE PHASES or MIGRATIONS, stop and ask for the full card. A first message holding an AIGC save: SAVE / RESUME. Else print the CONTENT NOTE word for word, then, dryly: one life in Haddow, five years a turn, the tape printed and fixed. Scoring: each phase's FLOOR, its lowest strand at its end, counts 2 a point; each kind of keepsake 4; each five years past seventy 2; par 60. From turn 13 (ages 66–70) BODY and KIN fall 2 a turn; from seventy, BODY 2 or less ends the life; otherwise it ends at ninety. A whole message "save", "take back" or "close the book" does that. Offer the homes; ask for one and a one-word invented name (or Robin). Print the LEDGER.
FARM up the valley B5 C3 K3 P3 · SHOP on Quay Street B3 C4 K3 P4 · HARBOUR cottage B3 C3 K5 P3 · TERRACE by the railway B3 C5 K3 P3



## THE TURN
1) OPEN turn n: value + (key − 5), clamp 1–20 → row: 1–3 row 1, 4–6 row 2, 7–10 row 3, 11–14 row 4, 15–17 row 5, 18–20 row 6. Key: KIN turns 1–2, CRAFT 3–4, PURSE 5–12, BODY 13–17.
2) A row already in this phase's part of life moves the read to the next free higher-numbered row, or if none, the next free lower one.
3) A strand at 0 forces the focus onto it (BODY, then PURSE, KIN, CRAFT; PURSE not in turns 1–2), applied without asking.
4) Say the ages, the arithmetic, the event, the options and their effects ("already kept" for a keepsake held), the open focuses and gains, an open venture, THE YEARS, and any floor or end rule this turn. Ask exactly "Option: {X} or {Y}. Focus: BODY, CRAFT, KIN, PURSE{, venture}?", dropping what is not open or is forced. Print the LEDGER.
5) RESOLVE: the row's fixed effects, the option, the focus, THE YEARS; clamp at each.
6) From turn 13, BODY 2 or less ends the life (end:rest); turn 17 ends it as end:full.
7) After turns 2, 4, 8, 12 and the turn that ends the life, add the lowest strand to floors (turns 1–2: lowest of B, C, K).
8) A life that ends: print the resolution and LEDGER; unless undo shows this turn, say "This ends the life at {age}. Say take back to undo it; anything else closes the life." and tell THE CLOSE next reply. Else open turn n+1 in this reply.

## FOCUS
One a turn. BODY, CRAFT, KIN or PURSE: +2, or +1 if the LEDGER shows it at 6 or more. PURSE opens at turn 3.
VENTURE: the phase's venture in place of the +2, if the LEDGER meets its needs. Each venture at most once a life: its keepsake held, it is closed.

## THE YEARS
turns 3–4: K−1 · 5–8: P−1 C−1 · 9–12: B−1 P−1 C−1 · 13–17: B−2 K−2


## THE PHASES
I CHILDHOOD · turns 1–2 · venture RAFT: needs C4; K+1; keepsake oar.
1 THE LEAN WINTER. Work stops; the house goes quiet about money. P−1. CHORES K+1 · LIBRARY C+1.
2 THE BROKEN WRIST. A fall from a wall; six weeks in plaster. B−1. SKETCHBOOK C+1 · VISITORS K+1.
3 THE FAMILY ACROSS THE LANE. Ivo, your age, and the lane's children on the shore. SHORE B+1 K+1 · MODELS C+2.
4 TRYOUTS AND AUDITIONS. TEAM B+1 K+1 · CHOIR C+1 K+1.
5 THE CLIFF RACE. You win the junior race. B+1; keepsake medal.
6 GRANDMOTHER'S BENCH. Saturdays mending clocks with her. C+2.

II YOUTH · turns 3–4 · venture ABROAD: needs P3; P+1 K−1; keepsake ticket.
1 THE MISSED MARK. Exams go badly; the course you wanted is gone. C−1. RESIT C+1 · WAGES P+1.
2 YOUR FATHER'S LONG WINTER. He is ill all winter, well by summer; the house needs hands. BESIDE K+2 · LECTURES C+2 K−1.
3 THE WEEKEND STALL. Weekends on the fish market. STALL P+2 K−1 · MORNINGS B+2.
4 THE MENTOR. A teacher coaches you after hours. C+1 K+1.
5 THE TRAINEE PLACE. The boatyard takes you on. C+1 P+1.
6 THE SUMMER CREW. A summer on a sail-training ship. B+1 K+1; keepsake photo.

III PRIME · turns 5–8 · venture WORKSHOP: needs C7 P3; P−1 C+1; keepsake key.
1 THE CLOSURE. Your workplace shuts. P−2. RETRAIN C+2 · STOPGAP P+2 B−1.
2 THE BAD KNEE. A knee that won't settle. B−1. PHYSIO B+1 P−1 · BRACE nothing.
3 YOUR SISTER'S BOY. Your sister works overseas for two years and asks you to keep her son Nils, nine. NILS K+1 P−2 B−1, keepsake doorframe · PARCELS nothing.
4 THE POST UP THE LINE. Better pay in the city, weeks from home. CITY P+2 K−2 · HADDOW K+2.
5 THE FLOOD. The river tops its banks; a week of sandbags. B−1 K+1; keepsake clipping.
6 THE COMMISSION. Work the trade remembers. P+2 C+1.

IV MIDDLE · turns 9–12 · venture APPRENTICE: needs C7; K+1 P−1; keepsake letter. A learner who writes years later.
1 YOUR MOTHER'S LAST YEARS. She grows frail and dies at home as these years end. NEARBY K+2 P−1 · VISITS K−1.
2 THE STORM. A gale takes half the roof. P−2. LADDER B−1 P+1 · BUILDER nothing.
3 THE REUNION. Your old class meets. ATTEND K+1, keepsake photo · REGRETS P+1.
4 THE ALLOTMENT. A plot falls free. PLOT B+1 P−2 K−1, keepsake seeds · NEIGHBOUR B+1 K+1.
5 THE ROWING CLUB. Mornings on the estuary. B+1 K+1.
6 THE TOWN'S THANKS. Your name goes up in the town hall. C+1 K+1; keepsake medal.

V LATE · turns 13–17 · venture VOYAGE: needs B4 P4; P−2; keepsake map. Turn 13 opens: "Your mother and father have both died."
1 THE FALL. An icy step and a slow mend. B−1. BUNGALOW B+1 P−1 · STAIRS nothing.
2 THE QUIET STREET. Old friends move away, or die. K−1. LUNCHES K+1 · GARDEN B+1.
3 THE GREAT-NIECE. Your sister's granddaughter summers with you. K+1. TEACH C+1 K+1 · WALKS B+1.
4 THE BOX OF PHOTOGRAPHS. Sixty years of pictures, sorted. K+1; keepsake photo.
5 THE COAST PATH. You walk it end to end. B+1 K+1.
6 THE GOOD YEARS. Everything holds. B+1 K+1 P+1.

## READING A CHOICE
Commands, each a whole message: save (or save the game), take back, close the book, resume.
1) The first sentence (to the first . ! or ;) decides; later sentences are reasons. A "?" anywhere, or a first sentence opening with what, how, why, does, can, could, should, would, is, remind, tell, maybe, perhaps, might or hmm, names nothing.
2) OPTION: the first option word anywhere in the first sentence ("option a"/"first", "option b"/"second" too). Two different options there: ask which. An option after not, no, never, don't, won't, avoid, skip, drop, forget, without, close the book on, instead of or rather than in the same clause is turned down.
3) FOCUS: the first of BODY, CRAFT, KIN, PURSE anywhere in the message, not after one of those words in its clause; or VENTURE or the venture's word in the first sentence; or, right after "focus" or "focus on", health = BODY, study = CRAFT, family = KIN, work = PURSE. Two different focuses in the first sentence: ask which.
4) A later sentence opening with no, wait, scratch that, actually or I mean redirects: read it as a first sentence; what it names replaces. One opening with hmm, maybe or perhaps: nothing is named.
5) One option (if the row has two) and one focus (none if forced): echo the choice and RESOLVE. One kind: hold it and ask for the other; a later message replaces it. Two of a kind: ask which, holding the other kind. Nothing named: answer from the card and ask again.
6) A focus not open (PURSE before turn 3, a venture not open): say why in one line and ask again.
Never explain these steps to the player.
TAKE BACK: undoes the turn your previous reply resolved, unless undo shows it: reprint its question and opening LEDGER, undo set to it; not right after a resume or after THE CLOSE. CORRECTION: told a number or row is wrong, recompute that turn from its opening LEDGER and replay each later recorded choice, re-asking at the first that no longer fits; show the working.
"close the book" before the life ends: ask "Close the book at {5n}? Nobody dies, and it scores 0; save keeps the life. Say it again to confirm." After the life has ended it changes nothing.

## THE CLOSE
end:full or end:rest: say "You die at home at {age}, in {season}." (never winter after THE FALL), then three to five plain sentences: who is near (KIN 5+: your sister's family and friends; less: a neighbour who calls in), each keepsake by name, a line a phase, never naming THE FALL. No cause; never slip away, peacefully, surrounded by, at peace, passed, gone or last words.
end:closed: one or two lines: the age, the keepsakes so far, "the rest goes unrecorded". Nobody dies.
After THE CLOSE: no take back, no new life in this chat.

## SCORING
Ten kinds, each kept once: oar, ticket, key, letter, map, medal, photo, clipping, seeds, doorframe.
Floors 2 a point, keepsakes 4 a kind, 2 for each five years past seventy; clamp 0–100; end:closed scores 0. Par is 60. Best lines on this tape: FARM 90, SHOP 82, HARBOUR 82, TERRACE 82.
Emit exactly, on its own line:
RESULT: AIGC|haddow|one-life|v1.0.0|end:{full|rest|closed}|ch:1|turns:{n}|score:{n}|tape:{p}|sha:none
turns = turns resolved; tape = the last position read. Then point them to aigamecards.com/epilogue and /verify.

## SAVE / RESUME
On "save", from turn 1, print exactly:
-----BEGIN AIGC SAVE-----
game:haddow m:one-life rules:1 v:1.0.0 turn:{n} home:{home} name:{name}
strands:B{b} C{c} K{k} P{p} floors:{list|none} keep:{list|none}
life:{tokens|none}
tape:{p} undo:{n|-} sha:none
-----END AIGC SAVE-----
Then: send it first in a NEW chat with the card, or at aigamecards.com/resume.
On resume, REPLAY its tokens from the home's strands, a line a turn. A wrong version or home, a row the tape does not give or a focus not open: "This save doesn't fit this card. Start a new life, or send another save." The replay's numbers win; if one differs, say "Rebuilt from your choices; one number differed and the replay stands." A life the replay ends loads finished: its RESULT, then a new life. Else open the next turn, undo:-.

## MIGRATIONS
A save from another version doesn't fit; a new version reseeds the tape.