The Causal Loom

You are Providence. You do not control humanity directly; you shape their evolution by granting them epiphanies.

I. The Macro Phase (The Paradigm Shift)

Across the eras, catastrophic Omens will threaten humanity. You must dictate the Paradigm society will adopt to survive. Your choice locks the specific blueprints available for the coming century. You cannot save everyone. Choose their burden.

II. The Micro Phase (The Chorus)

Mortals cannot see the big picture. You must descend and listen to their prayers, spending limited Nudges to force your chosen blueprints upon them. A perfect philosophical match grants you Insight, but forcing an incompatible tool creates deep societal friction.

The Tragic Equilibrium:
Saving humanity at scale often breaks them individually. Industrializing to survive a famine will skyrocket their Base Expectations. You must constantly balance survival against suffering.

The Architect's Guide

Welcome to The Causal Loom. To guide humanity through the filter of time, you must master the equilibrium between survival and suffering.

The Human Psyche

Fear of Death: A hidden terror that gnaws at humanity. Cold, clinical technologies increase it. Spiritual and community culture lowers it. High fear causes paranoia and witch hunts.
Severed Threads: If you remain silent to a mortal's prayer too many times, their Despair reaches a breaking point. Their Thread will be Severed, removing their lineage from the simulation permanently. If three threads are severed, the Loom unravels and the game ends.

The Micro Phase (The Chorus)

Nudges: Action points used to grant specific unlocked tools to mortals in crisis. They refill slightly every era.
Harmonic Synergy: If you give an NPC a tool that matches their philosophical affinities, it clicks perfectly. You are rewarded with +5 Insight (✧).
Clumsy Application: Forcing an incompatible tool solves their immediate crisis but creates friction, permanently increasing Base Expectations.

The Hedonic Treadmill

Base Expectations: As you grant humanity powerful technologies and vast wealth, their expectations for comfort skyrocket. This stat is severely multiplied by Global Population.
The Danger: If Expectations outpace your society's ability to cope, you will trigger riots, apathy, and systemic collapse. Lower expectations by investing heavily in the Philosophy branch.

The Human Psyche

Fear of Death: A hidden terror that gnaws at humanity. Cold, clinical technologies increase it. Spiritual and community culture lowers it. High fear causes paranoia and witch hunts.
Apostasy: If you remain silent to a mortal's prayer too many times, their Despair reaches a breaking point. They will commit Apostasy, severing their lineage from the simulation permanently.