It's a lot more thorough than that, but you've got the basic idea!

Cool!

He rereads the introductory paragraph. So it's basically saying that there won't be any rules lawyering: his character will be able to use her (his?) powers without worrying about technically screwing himself (herself?) over, but at the same time he won't be able to say "well I didn't think this would happen" if he picks a power that tells him what will happen.

I think that makes sense.

On to the next page!

Okay, so he needs to… pick the setting for the adventure, or let the book pick for him? He thinks he's pretty okay with letting the book pick. The author probably worked really hard on it!

Next page. Oh, that's just two sentences. Page after that?

What happens if I don't pick any of the powers about how I look?

If you don't pick any powers that affect how you look, you'll probably look the same way you look right now. You can also use makeup or illusion magic or something else to change how you look, but a power like Emerald Orbs or Perfect Hair will give you more flexibility and control, as well as the guarantee that your vision won't be impaired or that your hair won't get inconveniently tangled.

I already have 18 Charisma. Does that mean that I get A Thousand Ships for free?

Well, you can't get any powers without taking them, but it's possible that taking a power won't get you anything you want and don't already have. I'm not sure what it means to have 18 Charisma, can you explain?

That's another weird thing for it to not know…

Charisma is the ability about how likable you are and how much you can influence people and also about how you look. 10 is average and 18 is the highest you can get as a human without raising your score when you level up or using a magic item. So I'm really, *really* pretty, and also I'm good at casting bard spells because we use Charisma for that.

Okay, that helps.

So, if it's really important to you that you be one of the prettiest people around wherever you go, A Thousand Ships and A Hundred Ships would make it so that was true even if you went somewhere where 18 Charisma was average. And if you're not satisfied with some part of your appearance, then A Hundred Ships and A Thousand Ships would make you look a way that you were satisfied with. But if you already feel satisfied with how you look, even if it doesn't make you the most beautiful person in every room you'll ever be in, then A Thousand Ships and A Hundred Ships probably aren't for you.

He thinks he's probably that last thing.

What's a true name? Do I have one? Does that make Elan a fake name?

He doesn't want to have a fake name! He likes his name!

Some worlds have magic where knowing someone's name gives you power over them. In those worlds, it's common to go by a nickname unrelated to your real name to protect yourself. There are also worlds where people have the names their parents gave them and a magic name that they usually have to work hard to learn or get.

Huh. I… guess it would be nice to always be Elan and not ever have that be a bad thing?

He tentatively checks the box.

The 0/70 in the corner changes to 1/70.

Part of the metanarrative guarantee means that the Spirit steers you towards situations that align with your narrative sensibilities. That is to say, stuff that you think makes for a good story is more likely to happen and stuff that you don't like in stories is less likely to happen. So if you would find a story where people had true names and had to work around them boring or annoying rather than exciting or cool, you're less likely to encounter situations where true names come up.

This book is really hyping itself up! Elan wonders how it's going to know what stuff he likes in a story. Maybe that's part of why he's picking powers and talking about them, actually…

He turns the page. More appearance stuff. The voice power sounds really neat; he checks that one without hesitation. The wording on the eyes power is a little confusing, but he can't put his finger on why. The power itself seems okay but he doesn't check it. He likes the hair power, though, he can check that too. Although…

How come A Thousand Ships and A Hundred Ships cost one point, but Perfect Hair and Emerald Orbs cost two points? Wouldn't A Thousand Ships and A Hundred Ships do more stuff?

5/70

Part of it is that A Thousand Ships and A Hundred Ships do different things: they can affect your eyes and hair, but their focus is more on your face, especially how it's shaped. Another part is that Emerald Orbs and Perfect Hair give you more flexibility and control. A Thousand Ships and A Hundred Ships are more likely to find one stable look that works for many situations, while Emerald Orbs and Perfect Hair make sure that your eyes and hair are perfect all the time, which means that they can change very quickly if that's what's right in the moment.

Okay!

Elan turns the page. He doesn't really care about his nails, being able to shrink to the size of a bee or grow to the size of a giant sounds super handy, and he definitely wants the Dressing Room. Heck, he wishes he could have the Dressing Room in real life!

10/70

All the powers on the next page branch out from Dressing Room.

They're also all pretty weird! Well, that first one is like a super ultra Bag of Holding, so he'll take that. It's always a pain to try and remember whether you're tracking encumbrance.

11/70

Elan flips the page and… stares, for a minute, trying to put his confusion to words. Finally, he puts down:

Would I need to keep track of bathroom breaks if I don't take Personal Hygiene?

11/70

If you already don't need to take baths or use toilets then Personal Hygiene would be redundant!

That's not

He shakes his head. This is confusing!

I do have to use the bathroom and take baths, but most stories don't really mention that! Unless there's potty humor, or the main character is taking a really fancy bath, or there's some other reason!

11/70

Well, if you prefer stories where it never comes up then you should probably take Personal Hygiene. The main reasons someone might not want to take Personal Hygiene are if it would be redundant or if they really don't mind having to use a toilet or take a bath.

Okay, but why is that a specific power he has to take. Why isn't it the default? Is the story really going to be describing every minute of his character's day or something? That would totally take forever and he probably wouldn't even get to the exciting bits!

Unless…

wait a minute is all of this REAL??

11/70

…Yes. Did you think it wasn't?

I thought it was a story!