Category: Branching (variant) · Audience: Intermediate (uses story state)

What this shows

An early — often single — choice sends the player down one of several distinct opening paths, which then reconverge into one shared path for the bulk of the story. Named for the Hogwarts sorting scene: the early choice matters enormously for flavor, but the “main quest” is the same regardless.

How it works

• Start offers three origins. Each opening passage records the pick with <% s.origin = '...'; %> and then links to the shared MainQuest.
• From MainQuest on, the path is identical for everyone — the diamond closes back to a single thread.
• The shared middle keeps honoring the earlier choice by referencing it: As a **<%= s.origin %>**, you notice details others miss. Without callbacks like this, a Sorting Hat opening can feel like a bait-and-switch.

Using this in your own story

1. Multiply only the opening, not the whole story — that is what makes this cheaper than full branching.
2. Store the choice in window.story.state.
3. Reference the stored choice throughout the shared path so it keeps paying off.

Full source

:: StoryData
{
	"ifid":"2B264004-D167-481C-8851-C2C5428F69C4"
}

:: StoryTitle
Sorting Hat / Diamond Structure

:: UserScript[script]
window.story.state.origin = window.story.state.origin || '';

:: Start
Before the journey begins, who are you?

[[The Knight->Knight]]
[[The Scholar->Scholar]]
[[The Thief->Thief]]

:: Knight
<% s.origin = 'Knight'; %>
You trained with sword and shield, sworn to the crown.

[[Leave home->MainQuest]]

:: Scholar
<% s.origin = 'Scholar'; %>
You studied forbidden books by candlelight.

[[Leave home->MainQuest]]

:: Thief
<% s.origin = 'Thief'; %>
You learned to move unseen through crowded markets.

[[Leave home->MainQuest]]

:: MainQuest
From here, the road to the capital is the same for everyone.

As a **<%= s.origin %>**, you notice details others miss — but the quest ahead is shared by all three origins.

[[Enter the capital->Ending]]

:: Ending
The main story unfolds identically from this point on. Your early choice colored the opening and flavors the telling, but it did not change the course.

**The End**

[[Choose a new origin->Restart]]

:: Restart
<% s.origin = ''; %>
[[Begin->Start]]

▶ Play this example · Download the .twee file

← Prev: Gate / Quest · All examples · Next: Hub and Spoke →