Optional Mechanics
What the game can do today and what it deliberately does not.
Bardo starts simple. A mechanic is only present when it exists in the code and is switched on.
Built In
| Mechanic | State |
|---|---|
| Characters and world setup | Working. |
| Inspection and reading | Working. |
| Inventory | Working. |
| Movement | Working. |
| Communication (speech) | Working. |
| Fictional time | Working and optional: time passes only when you ask to wait, and with your approval. |
Not Available
The ordinary turn gate still refuses unsupported combat, magic, currency, encumbrance, survival, checks, progress, investigation, relationship-system, autonomous-NPC and exploration mechanics. Writing a fact with a mechanic name does not enable it.
World Tools has separate operator-gated paths for calendar and region founding, markets, routes, routines, owner-taught knowledge and quest progress. Their availability depends on server switches; a calendar or route preview is not a complete published ruleset.
Generic deterministic gameplay packs also exist as pure or proposal-only code. Their existence does not make them playable mechanics. The local integration candidate includes a gated source-grounded rules table: an owner reviews a proposed reading before approving it, and confirms each roll. Model-produced threshold interpretations roll dice only; narrative consequences are not applied. Separately approved operation doors can apply supported primitive effects. Missing review context is refused; older approvals require fresh review under validator v9. Existing receipts stay readable. This is partial functionality tested offline, not complete BRP, 24XX or MÖRK BORG support or measured rules accuracy; hosted activation is not established.
Server Switches
A few preview features sit behind server-side switches that are off unless an operator turns them on. They are not enabled for ordinary use. See the repository's docs/architecture/switches.md.
Capability Registry
Bardo keeps one registry of mechanics. A preference (off, auto, on) is separate from whether a mechanic is ready; setting on for something that does not exist never makes it exist. In this version the registry describes what could be configured; it does not yet change how the running Storyteller behaves.