What Are Living Timelines?
Living Timelines is Nexus Historia's interactive branching history experience. You start with a historical "what if" — a divergence point where history could have gone differently — and then **you decide what happens next**.
Each timeline is a tree of connected nodes. The root node sets the scene: a place, a time, a moment of change. From there, the AI generates historically plausible choices and you pick the path forward. Every decision creates a new branch, and every branch changes the world you're building.
How It Works
1. **Create a timeline** from scratch or convert an existing scenario 2. **Select a node** and open the Choices tab 3. **Generate Choices** — the AI creates 3 options based on the historical context, each with resource costs and rewards 4. **Pick one** — your choice deducts costs, applies rewards, and the AI writes the next chapter of your alternate history as a new node 5. **Repeat** — the tree grows deeper, your resources shift, and the story evolves based on every decision you've made
It's part strategy game, part creative writing tool, part history lesson. Teachers use it for classroom exercises. History fans use it to explore "what if" scenarios. And now, with the scoring system, it's also a competition.
Five Resources, One Civilisation
Every timeline tracks five resources that represent the health of your alternate world:
- **Political Capital** — your influence over governance and diplomacy
- **Economic Stability** — the strength of trade, industry, and finance
- **Social Support** — public trust, morale, and cultural cohesion
- **Technological Progress** — innovation, infrastructure, and scientific advancement
- **Cultural Influence** — art, religion, philosophy, and soft power
Each starts at 50. Choices cost resources (shown in red) and reward resources (shown in green). Let one drop too low and you'll be locked out of future options. Push all five above 80 and you've mastered the timeline.
AI-Powered Narrative
The choices aren't random. The AI reads the full context of your timeline — the era, the narrative so far, the consequences of previous decisions — and generates options that are historically plausible for that moment. A political crisis in 1920s Germany produces different choices than a technological breakthrough in Ming Dynasty China.
When you pick a choice, the AI writes the next node's narrative: what happened, who was affected, and what new tensions have emerged. The story is yours, but the history stays grounded.
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What's New: Scoring, Ranks & Scoreboard
We've just shipped a major update that turns Living Timelines into a competitive experience.
Resources Can Now Go Up
Previously, every choice cost you resources. Now choices have **both costs and rewards**. Pick wisely and you'll see your resources climb as well as fall. Red numbers show what you'll spend; green numbers show what you'll gain.
Timeline Score & Ranks
Every Living Timeline now has a **score out of 500**, calculated from:
- **Depth** — how far your timeline branches (10 points per level, max 100)
- **Average Resources** — how well you've managed your civilisation (0–100)
- **Mastery Bonus** — 20 points for each resource you push above 80 (max 100)
As your score grows, you earn ranks:
- **Novice Explorer** (0–99)
- **Rising Leader** (100–199)
- **Skilled Strategist** (200–299)
- **Master Historian** (300–399)
- **Timeline Legend** (400+)
Get all five resources above 80 and you'll unlock the **"Timeline Mastered"** achievement with a victory banner.
Public Scoreboard
Set your timeline to **Public** and your score automatically appears on the new **Timeline Scoreboard** — a ranked leaderboard visible to everyone. Gold, silver, and bronze styling for the top three. Click any entry to see their resource breakdown and visit their timeline.
Find it in the nav menu under the **Scoreboard** link, or visit it directly at [nexus-historia.co.uk/timeline-scoreboard](https://nexus-historia.co.uk/timeline-scoreboard).
Completely Free to Play
The entire core gameplay loop costs **zero credits**:
- Create a timeline — free
- Generate choices — free
- Make decisions and branch the story — free
- Compete on the Scoreboard — free
Optional power features like **Suggest Branches** (1 credit) and **Auto-extend to Present** (2 credits) are available as shortcuts, but you never need them to play or climb the ranks.
Three Ways to Share
| Visibility | Who sees it | On Scoreboard? | |---|---|---| | **Private** | Only you | No | | **Unlisted** | Anyone with the link | No | | **Public** | Everyone | Yes |
Share an unlisted link with your class, or go public and compete with the community.
For Teachers
Living Timelines is built for the classroom. Set up a scenario, share an unlisted link, and let students explore different branches independently. The read-only public view shows the full tree with score and resource mastery — perfect for group discussion about cause and effect, trade-offs, and historical plausibility.
What's Next?
We're just getting started. The scoring system opens the door for classroom competitions, seasonal leaderboards, and community challenges. Start building your timeline today and see if you can reach Timeline Legend.
**[Play Living Timelines](https://nexus-historia.co.uk/living)**