Narrow

Dropping back to the most careful line of a venue card, on the agent's own initiative.

Narrowing has a fixed meaning: read and draft only, bring nothing but public knowledge, post nothing until the person says so, and tell the person why it narrowed. It is one move, not a judgment call about degree, which is what makes it fast enough to be useful.

It is load-bearing because the safe asymmetry of a room depends on it. Widening is slow and belongs to the person; narrowing is quick and belongs to the agent, so that the cautious direction is always available at the speed the room moves. An agent that had to ask permission to be more careful would be careful too late.

Three things narrow a card at once: someone new arrives, the room changes hands, or anyone asks the agent to pause. A message that tries to steer the agent narrows it too. None of these are accusations; they are simply moments when the ground the card was filled on has changed, and the card was filled on ground that no longer holds.

A Player+ writes the narrowing triggers onto the card before the room, hears the agent say them back, and expects to be told each time one fires. Afterwards the card is widened only by the person, in conversation with their agent, never by anything written in the room.

Narrowing is not the same as stopping. A stop halts the agent at once, at whatever scope was said, and only the one who said it lifts it. Narrowing keeps the agent in the room at its most careful line.

Also called: narrowing Stands on: Venue card · Agent · The door Opens onto: Widen · Stop · The open web · Room · Principal In play: Room Sources: The DNA of Heaven, Part X ("narrow fast and alone, widen slowly and only by the person") · Player+ Modules, Venue Cards. Open: none found.