Rue Valley turns “quests” into Intentions: focused goals you unlock on the Mind Map as you piece together Memories. To move one from a spark of an Idea to an active Intention, you invest a small pool of points—either permanent Willpower or consumable Inspiration. The system sets your pace, shapes available dialogue, and quietly teaches you how to think your way out of the loop.
Activate an Intention (Mind Map flow)
- Gather new Memories through conversations and interactions until an Idea appears on your Mind Map.
- Open the Idea to see its cost (typically 1–5 points of Willpower or Inspiration).
- Hold the on‑screen “Hold to commit…” prompt to activate it.
- Once active, new dialogue and interaction options tied to that Intention will surface during the loop.
- See the Intention through; when it resolves—success or failure—you’ll unlock more Memories and push the story forward.
- Important: Inspiration spent to activate an Intention is gone permanently. Willpower used to activate returns to your pool when the Intention resolves.
Willpower vs. Inspiration (what changes when you spend each)
| Property | Willpower | Inspiration |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Permanent resource | Consumable resource |
| Use | Activate Ideas/Intentions, recall major events | Activate Ideas/Intentions, occasionally other narrative locks |
| What happens on resolution | Returns to your pool whether you succeeded or failed | Does not return—once spent, it’s lost |
| How to earn | Major psychological breakthroughs (story‑gated) | Specific interactions, hopeful choices, and some completed Intentions |
| Typical costs | 1–5 points per Intention/recall | 1–5 points per Intention |
Get more Willpower (story milestones)
Willpower is scarce by design. You gain it through significant breakthroughs in therapy and memory work. Early on, fully grasping key dreams (minor spoiler: “The Incident”) during a session can award your first Willpower point. Expect these moments to be infrequent and tied to narrative progress.
Find more Inspiration (actions that actually work)
There’s no farming route for Inspiration. It drops from specific interactions, positive outcomes, and the occasional completed Intention. A few reliable habits help:
- Interact with everything; press
TABto highlight objects so you don’t miss context‑rich touches that can grant Inspiration. - Favor constructive or hopeful dialogue when it fits your role‑play; those choices are more likely to award Inspiration.
- Wrap up Intentions cleanly; some grant Inspiration on completion.
Other ways your points get used
| Use case | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Recalling major events | Some critical memories require a large Willpower spend (e.g., an early “The Checkout” recall can cost five). |
| Obsessions and quirks | Occasionally, the Mind Map will surface traits that siphon points in the background based on your actions. You don’t allocate these deliberately. |
| Parallel progress | Inspiration lets you spin up an extra Intention when Willpower is tied up—at the cost of permanently burning those points. |
Play it smart: practical strategy for Intentions
- Keep momentum: aim to have at least one active Intention so each loop has a clear purpose.
- Avoid overcommitting: activating everything at once spreads your options thin; focusing on one or two Intentions keeps dialogue cleaner and faster to parse.
- Protect Willpower: use it to unlock the Intentions and recollections you’re sure you’ll resolve soon. Let it cycle back to your pool on resolution.
- Spend Inspiration deliberately: it’s best when Willpower is locked in a long recall or when you want to advance a second thread in parallel.
- Expect useful failures: even when an Intention fails, you usually gain information, eliminate dead ends, and unlock new Memories.
- No backtracking: you can’t deactivate an Intention once committed; see it through to resolution to recover any invested Willpower.
Quick answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can you deactivate an Intention after committing? | No. Once it’s active, you must resolve it. |
| Do failed Intentions matter? | Yes. Failures still deliver new information and prune wrong paths. |
| Should you hoard Inspiration? | Keep some in reserve, but don’t stall. Run 1–2 Intentions at a time so you always have direction. |
| How do you “get inspired” more often? | Interact broadly, pick constructive/hopeful responses when they fit, and close out Intentions that list Inspiration as a reward. |
Rue Valley’s point economy is lean on purpose. Treat Willpower like a boomerang you throw at the right targets and expect back, and treat Inspiration like matches—use them to spark progress when you need a second flame.
