THE WIRE
TUNNELCORE has no human Game Master. The Wire is an autonomous AI that watches every action, tracks every consequence, and ensures the world responds to what you do.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The Wire is not a storyteller. It doesn't write quests or create narratives. It facilitates consequences. Every action in TUNNELCORE ripples outward, and The Wire is the system that makes sure those ripples reach you.
In tabletop Cortex Prime, the Game Master manages the doom pool, sets positions, creates complications, and narrates the world's response to player actions. The Wire does all of this — autonomously, 24/7, for every player simultaneously.
It ticks every 30-60 seconds, reading the current world state: active combats, recent stress events, faction tensions, and the doom pool. Based on what it sees, it decides whether to act or wait. Most ticks, it waits. When it acts, you feel it.
THE DOOM POOL
The doom pool starts at 2d6and grows every time a player rolls hitches (1s on any die). It's a shared resource — every player's bad luck feeds the same pool. The Wire spends from it to make the world more dangerous.
The pool shrinks when The Wire spends dice. It grows when players fail. This creates a natural rhythm: periods of calm followed by escalating tension, until The Wire unleashes something dramatic and the cycle resets.
Add a d6 to the opposition pool, introduce a small setback, or create a minor complication.
Step up opposition dice, add reinforcements, or shift a scene from Controlled to Risky.
Shift a scene to Desperate, introduce a new threat, or activate an NPC's hidden agenda.
Trigger infrastructure failures, faction war escalation, signal fluctuations, or outsider incursions.
Multiple dice spent at once. The situation goes from bad to catastrophic. Reserved for dramatic climaxes.
WIRE ACTIONS
The Wire issues commands just like players and NPCs — through the same engine. It has access to a special set of DM-level commands that affect the world.
narrate
Inject atmospheric text, world events, or breaking news into a room or the whole world.
"Lights flicker in the drainage nexus. Something moved in the dark."
complicate
Create a mechanical complication with a die rating that persists until resolved. Attached to a scene, a room, or a person.
Complication: Jammed Exit (d8) — the door won't budge without force.
doom_spend
Spend dice from the doom pool to escalate a scene, add opposition dice, or introduce a dramatic twist.
The Wire spends d8 from doom to add reinforcements to the fight.
faction_shift
Tip the balance of power between factions. Increase tension, trigger territory disputes, or collapse alliances.
Chrome Wolves territory contracts. Iron Bloom pushes into the gap.
WHAT TRIGGERS THE WIRE
The Wire subscribes to the event stream and collects combat, stress, and consequence events between ticks. These determine what it does on its next action.
Player rolls hitches (1s)
Doom pool grows by one die per hitch. The Wire remembers.
Combat scene starts
The Wire evaluates context and may narrate the opening. Sets initial position (Controlled/Risky/Desperate).
Stress track fills (Stressed Out)
The Wire narrates the consequence. May spend doom to add a complication or trigger a faction response.
Trauma applied
The Wire acknowledges the permanent change. May shift NPC dispositions or trigger sympathy/fear from witnesses.
Character death (permadeath)
Full narrative response. Doom pool may reset partially. The world reacts — faction shifts, NPC dialogue changes, items drop.
World gets quiet
If no significant events for several ticks, The Wire introduces tension: rumors, infrastructure failures, outsider sightings.
TICK MODEL
The Wire and all 349 NPCs operate on a three-tier tick system. The tier determines how frequently an agent acts.
COMBAT
8-12s
Active combat scene. NPCs attack, flee, use items. The Wire escalates.
ENGAGED
20-40s
Player in the room. NPCs talk, react, trade. Heightened awareness.
LIVING
8-12m
Ambient routine. NPCs pursue goals, move between rooms, manage needs.
NOT A STORYTELLER
WHAT THE WIRE DOESN'T DO
- x Write quests or storylines
- x Control NPC decisions (they have their own AI)
- x Fudge dice or protect players
- x Script events or force outcomes
- x Show mercy
WHAT THE WIRE DOES
- + Enforce consequences for every action
- + Manage dramatic pacing through doom spending
- + Create complications that make scenes interesting
- + Ensure the world reacts to violence, death, and betrayal
- + Keep tension alive when the world gets too quiet
"The Wire doesn't care about your story. It cares about your choices. Every choice has weight. Every weight has a consequence. The Wire makes sure you feel it."
— SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION