AI roleplay status bar template: track a scene in plain text

A roleplay status bar can be a compact record of the scene: where people are, what they carry, and which problems remain open. Start with a few facts you want to keep consistent, then define how each may change.

The templates below are text you can edit or ask a chatbot to reproduce. They do not create an application database, calculate game rules, or guarantee memory. The example is an original illustrative adventure with fictional adults, not a tested EchoMelon feature or generated result.

Copy a small plain-text panel

SCENE STATUS
Scene: [short name or number]
Location: [established place]
Time: [known time, or unknown]
Present: [characters currently here]
Inventory: [confirmed items and quantities]
Open objective: [current unresolved task]
Known clues: [observations; label uncertain interpretations]
Last change: [what changed, and the event that supports it]

Keep the field names stable. “Location” should not become “Destination” halfway through: one says where the characters are, while the other says where they plan to go.

You can paste the panel into your own notes even if your chat app offers no special status-bar feature. For an app-specific setup, check the current editor and formatting guidance first.

Define what the fields mean

Field	What belongs here	What to leave out
Scene	A label for the current encounter	An invented turn counter presented as an app measurement
Location	The place established in the story	A destination nobody has reached
Time	A known time or “unknown”	Precise minutes that the story has not established
Present	People in this scene	Every person mentioned in the adventure
Inventory	Confirmed possessions with a named holder	Items only seen or promised
Objective	An unresolved task the player accepted	A commitment made for the player
Clues	Observations and clearly labeled suspicions	An unearned answer to the mystery
Last change	A short reason for the update	A second full retelling of the scene

Use ordinary descriptions such as “tired” or “cautious” only when the narration establishes them. A numerical health or friendship score needs an agreed scale and update rule. Otherwise, a precise-looking number says more than the scene supports.

Initial state for an original adventure

Avery, 30, and Jun, 36, are adult surveyors checking an abandoned coastal signal station. They have agreed to inspect a locked chart room before the storm reaches the headland.

SCENE STATUS
Scene: Signal station arrival
Location: Entrance hall
Time: Late afternoon; exact time unknown
Present: Avery, Jun
Inventory: Avery: lantern, rope x1; Jun: folded coast map
Open objective: Find a legitimate way into the locked chart room
Known clues: Fresh mud outside the chart-room door; cause unknown
Last change: Arrival established the starting scene

The mud is an observation. “A thief entered the room” would be an interpretation, and naming the thief would go further still. The panel can preserve uncertainty instead of making a guess look settled.

One update, before and after

Suppose the player writes:

“I stay in the entrance hall and examine the wall hooks. If you find a loose key, Jun, check for hazards and take it only if it is safe to lift.”

The action is conditional. That message alone does not establish that a key exists or that anyone has taken it.

Now use this original illustrative scene continuation:

Jun studies a small brass key hanging from a numbered hook. “No wire attached,” she says. After checking the hook, she removes the key and holds it beside the folded map. The chart-room door remains shut.

After those events are established, update only what changed:

SCENE STATUS
Scene: Signal station arrival
Location: Entrance hall
Time: Late afternoon; exact time unknown
Present: Avery, Jun
Inventory: Avery: lantern, rope x1; Jun: folded coast map, brass key x1
Open objective: Find a legitimate way into the locked chart room
Known clues: Fresh mud outside chart-room door; cause unknown; key found on hook
Last change: Jun checked and took the key; the door is still shut

The key belongs to Jun, the location remains the hall, and the objective is still open. Finding a key does not establish that it fits, that the door opened, or that the pair entered.

Add an update instruction

Use a short rule with your panel:

Keep this scene-status panel after the narrative when the format is supported.
Update a field only when an established event changes it.
Keep holder names and item quantities explicit.
Separate observations from suspicions; use unknown for missing information.
Do not decide the player's actions, feelings, purchases, or commitments.
If the panel conflicts with the agreed scene, flag the conflict and ask which
version to keep. Preserve unchanged fields.

These are instructions to check, not an automatic enforcement system. Review the panel against the scene and correct drift explicitly. If the app does not preserve the format, use the same headings in a separate note.

Optional Markdown layout

A short table is another presentation choice:

| Scene field | Current state |
| --- | --- |
| Location | Entrance hall |
| Time | Late afternoon; exact time unknown |
| Key holder | Jun, brass key x1 |
| Chart-room door | Shut; key not yet tried |

Tables are a GitHub Flavored Markdown extension, so rendering depends on the platform. A fenced example is shown as literal text under CommonMark's code-block rules. Use the plain-text panel when you want readable labels without relying on table rendering.

Check consistency before adding more fields

Read the last scene and ask: did an intention become an accomplished action? Did an item change hands without an event? Did an unknown become a fact? Did the panel advance the clock or choose an emotion for the player?

Correct the smallest conflicting field, keep the reason for the correction, and continue from the agreed version. Add a new field only when it helps a decision in your story. A readable record of five useful facts is easier to inspect than a dashboard full of unexplained numbers.

To choose an adventure setting, explore EchoMelon. Check the actual story preview and current creator workflow before applying a custom text-panel convention.

For longer continuity, pair the panel with a short story recap and correction workflow. If you add an illustration, the image-hosting guide explains direct URLs and field-specific rendering checks.