inFict Backstage
inFict Backstage is where authors build real-world stories and guide live play. We're in a limited-access beta and are onboarding writers slowly to ensure the platform stays stable and writers are supported.
Sign up or sign in. If you don't have access yet, we'll enable it as the beta opens up.
See Backstage in action
This 8-minute walkthrough shows the Backstage Writer, playing the story in the inFict app, and using Guide to adjust the story in real time.
Writer
inFict Backstage gives you everything you need to write, test, and publish a real-world story. Build branching narratives using Twine, Ink, or Inform as your authoring tool (learn more). Define what triggers each moment — a player's location, a choice they make, a message they send. Test it yourself before you publish. Then share it with the world.
No coding required. If you can write a story, you can build an inFict experience. If you know how to code, you can take it even further.
Guide
Once a story is live, you can take a seat backstage as a Guide. Pace the session, step in as a character to send a message the script didn't anticipate, add a beat that fits the moment, or hand the story back to itself when the players are in flow. Be the DM, the narrator, or quiet support — Backstage gives you the tools to shape the experience as it unfolds.
Players always know when a guide is part of the experience: the inFict app surfaces a clear indicator whenever a guide is active.
Story channels
inFict stories reach players through the channels of real life. Every one of these is a storytelling tool you control as an author:
- Location — trigger story moments when a player arrives somewhere real
- SMS and MMS — players text a story number and get a response from inside it
- Phone calls — players call in to a character. Someone answers.
- Email — deliver clues, documents, or messages to a player's inbox
- Sound and music — use as background or to cue moments
- Images and galleries — tell your story visually
- Webhooks — connect inFict Backstage to external systems (websites, services, etc.) for advanced experiences
Ecosystem & credits
Authoring Tools
inFict plugs into the interactive fiction tools you may already use in TwineJS, Ink, or Inform. Decades of craft went into these projects — we build on their foundations and credit them here. They are independent of inFict; consider visiting and supporting them regardless of how you publish.
Twine
The open-source foundation of hypertext storytelling. If you think in branches and choices, Twine is your tool — visual, flexible, and beginner-friendly.
Created by Chris Klimas and the Twine community.
Ink
A clean, elegant scripting language built for writers who want precise control over narrative flow. Ink stays out of your way and lets you write your story with clarity.
Created by inkle and the Ink community.
Inform 7
A natural-language programming system for building worlds with deep internal logic. If your story has rules, systems, and complex cause-and-effect, Inform 7 is a great choice.
Created by Graham Nelson and the Inform community.
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