Storyboard OS Handbook
Storyboard OS is a visual authoring platform for implementable structure. It turns design into implementation specs a team can build from — not just notes, but entry conditions, state changes, required assets, test criteria, and a checklist for the production pass.
Three verticals ship today:
- rpg-storyboard — RPG quest and scene authoring for video game designers
- marketing-storyboard — campaign implementation storyboard for marketing teams
- cinematic-storyboard — production storyboard for trailers, cutscenes, explainers, and game cinematics
What makes it different
Section titled “What makes it different”Most narrative tools capture story. Storyboard OS captures game-state. Every frame on the board carries:
- Entry conditions — what game flags must be true before this beat fires
- State changes — what the beat sets or modifies in the game world
- Required assets — art, audio, dialogue, animations needed to ship
- Test criteria — pass/fail checks that verify correct implementation
- Implementation checklist — ordered tasks for the dev or production pass
A frame without those fields is a story note. Storyboard OS makes the distinction visible: SPEC / PARTIAL / DRAFT badges show implementation depth at a glance without opening a single inspector.
Two workflows
Section titled “Two workflows”rpg-storyboard
Section titled “rpg-storyboard”| Workflow | Entry point | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Project boards (durable) | /projects | Design, edit, track progress, generate handoffs |
| Template preview (read-only) | /templates | Browse production templates and demo quest |
Project boards persist across reload. No backend, no accounts, no server — everything lives in localStorage.
marketing-storyboard
Section titled “marketing-storyboard”| Workflow | Entry point | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign board | /campaigns/:id | Full campaign canvas with launch readiness signals |
| Campaign brief | /campaigns/:id/handoff | Markdown + JSON export for execution team |
The marketing board answers: Can this campaign ship, and what blocks it?
cinematic-storyboard
Section titled “cinematic-storyboard”| Workflow | Entry point | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence board | /sequences/:id | Full cinematic canvas with production signals (health, burden, complexity) |
| Production brief | /sequences/:id/handoff | Markdown + JSON export for production team |
The cinematic board answers: What makes this sequence hard to shoot, animate, edit, or hand off?
The handoff
Section titled “The handoff”When the board is ready, click Handoff → in the header. The project handoff regenerates from live state:
- Project identity and template provenance
- Progress summary: checklist done/total, tests done/total
- All beats in topological quest order (Kahn’s algorithm — upstream dependencies before downstream outcomes)
- Each beat shows edited content, readiness status, and
[x]/[ ]completion
Download as Markdown (developer-readable) or JSON (engine-ingestible).
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”- Getting Started — install and run in under two minutes
- Authoring Workflow — the full design loop from project creation to handoff
- Architecture — package map, dependency rules, adding a new vertical
- Reference — frame types, connection types, readiness model, API