Conditionals

Dialogue that plays the same every time isn’t really dialogue. <<if>> lets you branch based on what’s actually true right now - gold, quest state, reputation, whatever your game tracks.

<<if $gold >= 10>>
    Merchant: A pleasure doing business.
<<elseif $gold >= 5>>
    Merchant: Every coin counts, friend.
<<else>>
    Merchant: Come back when you're flush.
<<endif>>

Four directives: <<if condition>> opens, <<elseif condition>> adds branches, <<else>> is the fallback, <<endif>> closes. All must balance.

Each branch is a full body - lines, options, commands, nested <<if>>s, whatever the scene needs.

Nested conditionals

You can nest as deep as the story needs:

<<if $has_key>>
    <<if $door_locked>>
        Aria: The key fits. The door groans open.
        <<set $door_locked = false>>
    <<else>>
        Aria: The door's already open.
    <<endif>>
<<else>>
    Aria: Locked, and no key. We'll find another way.
<<endif>>

Keep it readable. If a block starts looking like a pyramid, consider splitting it into separate nodes.

Option guards vs <<if>>

Two different tools. Know when to reach for which.

<<if>> changes what gets run. The lines inside only execute when the condition is true.

<<if $hp < 20>>
    Aria: You're bleeding.
<<endif>>

Option guards change whether an option is available. The player sees the option either way; it’s locked if the guard is false.

-> Drink a potion <<if $potions > 0>>
    Aria: That's better.

Rule of thumb: if the player should know the option exists but isn’t accessible, use a guard. If they shouldn’t even see that branch, use <<if>> around the ->.

<<once>>: the special case

If you want “run this the first time only,” you don’t need to manage a variable - Bubbles has a dedicated form:

<<once>>
    Aria: Welcome to the ruins.
<<else>>
    Aria: Here again, I see.
<<endonce>>

It’s covered in full in Once Blocks.

A practical scene

title: BakeryDoor
---
<<declare $knocked = false>>
<<declare $baker_awake = false>>

<<if $baker_awake>>
    Baker: We're open. Come in.
<<elseif $knocked>>
    Baker: (grumbling from upstairs) One moment!
    <<set $baker_awake = true>>
<<else>>
    Narrator: The door is shut. A sign says "Back at dawn."
    -> Knock anyway.
        <<set $knocked = true>>
        <<jump BakeryDoor>>
    -> Come back later.
        <<jump Street>>
<<endif>>
===

Three states, one node, one <<jump>> back to itself to re-run the logic after the knock flips the flag. That’s a very common Bubbles pattern.

Next: Jumps and Detours