Rulebook – Version 2.1
Foundation (Frozen)
Developed by Sven Fleshman
Formerly published as CoreCode Human System (CCHS)
Note: This document defines the system physics of the framework. The Manifest describes its stance and intention.
Purpose of this Edition
This version serves as the binding foundation of The Consequence Framework.
It clarifies terminology, defines system rules, and establishes a coherent structural basis for all editions and applications.
This document describes system logic — not its specific implementation within individual formats.
1) Purpose
The Consequence Framework is a state-based rule system for modeling situations, pressure, escalation, and consequence.
It defines a deterministic system physics that:
- can be calculated digitally (simulation, code, logic), and
- can be applied with formal consistency across contexts.
The framework connects play and implementation through shared core concepts:
Source → State → Impact → Consequence
It is not a hit-point system, nor a numerical damage model.
It is a structural framework for representing situations and their traceable consequences.
2) Core Principles
- States describe reality, not resources.
- Impact arises from states and operates within reality.
- Resists determine not whether impact occurs, but how it is carried.
- Escalation emerges through duration, proximity, and consequence — not through accumulated damage.
The Consequence Framework is intentionally designed to:
- encourage decision-making,
- make responsibility visible, and
- prioritize structural clarity over optimization.
3) Core Terms (Canonical)
This section defines the binding terminology of the system.
State
A state is the named reality that is currently true.
It applies equally to world and characters and directly influences action, decision, and perception.
A state is not evaluated — it is acknowledged.
Examples: Bruised Ribs, Fear, Mistrust, Observed.
State Meta (Technical)
State Meta defines the systemic classification of a state.
It includes technical properties such as:
- Category (physical, mental, social, structural, etc.)
- Base Tier
- Tags
- Source
State Meta is not a separate in-game condition.
It exists solely for structural organization within the system..
Impact
Impact describes what change or limitation a state introduces to action and decision.
The state is reality.
Impact is what that reality produces.
Impact is qualitative:
It defines the direction in which a situation shifts because of a state.
Resist
A resist describes how effectively a character can carry the impact of a state.
Resists modify:
- the intensity of impact,
- the duration over which it persists, and
- the range within which it applies.
Resists never alter the state itself.
Intensity
Intensity describes how strongly that impact applies.
It determines the degree to which action, decision, and perception are constrained.
Intensity operates in degrees:
It measures the strength of impact, not its nature.
Tier
Tier denotes the systemic classification of intensity.
Within the system, intensity is technically represented as Tier 1–3.
Effective Tier
The Effective Tier is the calculated intensity of a state after applying all relevant resists.
Formula (simplified model):
Base Tier = systemic intensity level
Modifier = total resist reductions
Effective Tier = max(0, Base Tier − Modifier)
The Effective Tier represents the remaining impact strength after all modifiers are applied.
Duration
Duration describes how long a state remains active.
Duration is systemically defined and interpreted within context.
Range
Range describes how far an impact extends:
- physical
- social
- spatial
- narrative
Range functions as a structural design parameter.
Tick
A tick is the moment a state becomes systemically relevant.
It is not a time interval, but a point of structural relevance.
Consequence
A consequence is the concrete result that emerges from impact.
Consequences do not answer „What is right?“ but rather „What happens now?“
Possible consequences include:
- Withdrawal or retreat
- Escalation or stabilization
- Injury, loss, or death
- Success or breakthrough
A consequence is accepted — not optimized.
4) Source Priority
States arise from different sources.
A source describes origin — not blame, intention, or morality.
- System – tates generated by internal rule or mechanical logic (e.g., escalation through repeated neglect of a state).
- World – tates arising from environment or situation (e.g., injury from a fall, fear from a threat).
- Debug – interventions for system clarity (outside narrative reality).
For each state name, only one active instance may exist.
Multiple distinct states may coexist simultaneously.
5) State Rules
A state:
- is named once
- remains true until it ends or is replaced, and
- does not stack
What is named is true.
6) Resist Rules
Resists are reactive.
They:
- do not change reality,
- do not alter the state, and
- only modify the impact.
Impact remains present — the question is only how it is carried.
7) Impact Resolution
Impact manifests beyond the state itself:
- in action
- in decision, and
- in experience.
Technically, impact strength is determined by the Effective Tier.
The greater the impact, the stronger the constraint.
8) Tick Flow (Systemic)
A tick is not a unit of time, but a moment of structural relevance — whenever a state meaningfully affects a scene.
Tick sequence (conceptual, not procedural):
1. Review sources
(What currently affects the scene — World, System, or clarification?)
2. Apply or remove states
(What is now true — or no longer true?)
3. Apply resists
(How effectively can participants carry what is true?)
4. Determine Effective Tier
(How strong is the impact — sustainable or tipping?)
5. Resolve consequence
(What concretely happens as a result in the scene?)
This sequence ensures that consequence arises from structure — not arbitrariness.
9) Do / Don’t
Do
- Formulate new ideas as states first.
- Think in terms of impact before numbers.
- Ensure resists remain explainable.
- Allow consequences to unfold.
Don’t
- No hit points.
- No stacking identical states.
- No attaching raw numerical values directly to State Meta.
- No optimizing against reality.
- Do not use Debug as a gameplay source.
Note on Renamin
This rulebook was previously published under the title:
„CoreCode Human System (CCHS)“.
The renaming to „The Consequence Framework“ reflects a conceptual clarification and a more direct alignment with the system’s central principle: decision and consequence.
Structure, principles, and authorship remain unchanged.
Earlier versions remain valid as historical editions.
License
© Sven Fleshman
First publication: 21.01.2026
Revised: Version 2.1
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for non-commercial purposes
Under the following terms:
- Attribution is required.
- Derivative works must be distributed under the same license.
- Commercial use requires a separate agreement with the author.
The full license text and related documents (Manifest, examples, world context) are available at: https://svenfleshman.com