Docket And Royal Actions
The docket is the crisis desk. Royal actions are the crown's proactive moves between crises.
Docket Purpose
The docket turns the simulation's pressure into decisions the player can act on. A docket item is not always an emergency, but it is always something the realm has noticed.
Docket categories can include:
- resource shortage
- house petition
- compact or rebellion pressure
- marriage proposal
- foreign incident
- trade disruption
- church threat
- intrigue report
- succession issue
- military or naval event
Severity
Severity is a short signal for urgency and danger.
- Low severity is safe to weigh against long-term goals.
- Medium severity can become costly if ignored.
- High severity should be treated as active risk.
Severity is not the only factor. A low-severity item tied to a disloyal house can still be politically important.
Deadlines
Some docket items have deadlines or decay. Ignoring them can trigger automatic outcomes, worsening events, or crisis chain progress.
Do not assume "no click" means "no effect." In HOTK, neglect is a decision the engine can remember.
Options
Options are the visible paths for resolving a docket item. They often differ by:
- gold cost
- legitimacy impact
- house loyalty impact
- relation impact
- success chance
- risk level
- event chain consequences
- advisor support or opposition
The UI should explain the outcome after resolution. The log keeps the permanent record.
Rolls
Some options use chance checks. A roll can be affected by ruler stats, skill path, context, advisors, and event-specific modifiers.
When a roll appears, read:
- roll value
- target
- modifier
- success or failure
- margin
- state changes after the roll
Royal Actions
Royal actions are separate from docket items. They are proactive moves such as holding court, prayer, training, judging disputes, or path-specific abilities.
They are best used to:
- repair legitimacy
- prepare for military risk
- strengthen council or court posture
- gather information
- improve weak stats
- smooth over consequences from docket decisions
Action Budget
The action budget prevents every turn from becoming a full repair pass. When the budget is spent, the player must accept some risk and advance.
This is why the docket belongs on the main screen and royal actions can live in a side rail. The docket is the turn's center of gravity.
Completed Task Cards
When a docket task is completed, the card should become an outcome card:
- what option was chosen
- whether it succeeded
- what changed
- what the realm thinks happened
- what remains unresolved
This is a trust requirement. The player should not have to scroll to the top or search the log to understand a just-completed action.