# IARPG-OPS-1 — Fictional Intelligence Operations Standard **Version:** 1.0.0 **Published UTC:** 2026-07-19T00:00:00Z **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standards A public game-design standard for fictional intelligence operations, mission interaction, evidence, tradecraft, tasking, and review. ## Operating premise > Every authority has objectives. Every operative has a job. Allegiance defines the assignment—not moral alignment. This standard defines a reviewable game-design contract for fictional intelligence operations. It covers mission direction, authority, collection, source handling, evidence, tradecraft, counterintelligence, synthetic sources, player interaction, tasking, extraction, debriefing, governance, and safety boundaries. ## Normative language - **MUST** — required for conformance. - **SHOULD** — recommended unless a documented reason applies. - **MAY** — optional supported behavior. ## Canonical records ### Foundation #### FOUND-01 — Operational Neutrality and Authority **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/operational-neutrality-and-authority **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/operational-neutrality-and-authority.json Authorities define mandates, resources, constraints, and customers; the system does not assign permanent hero or villain status. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Debrief - **MUST:** Every operation identify the sponsoring authority, customer, mandate, and jurisdiction before player acceptance. - **MUST:** No authority receive a permanent good, evil, hero, or villain flag in canonical game logic. - **SHOULD:** Conflicting authorities expose different objectives, constraints, and definitions of success without hiding their operational interests. - **MAY:** Authorities cooperate temporarily when requirements overlap, even when their long-term interests conflict. Supporting report sections: - [Geopolitical agnosticism and faction ecology](/docs/report/systemic-subterfuge-architecting-a-geopolitically-neutral-classless-espionage-mmo#architectural-pillar-i-geopolitical-agnosticism-and-dynamic-faction-ecology) — Neutral authority architecture and fluid loyalty. - [Post-national worldbuilding](/docs/report/architectural-and-narrative-design-specifications-for-a-vr-first-post-national-espionage-mmo#post-national-worldbuilding-and-the-elimination-of-geopolitical-bias) — International representation without nationality-based moral assignment. #### FOUND-02 — Mandate, Customer, and Jurisdiction **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/mandate-customer-and-jurisdiction **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/mandate-customer-and-jurisdiction.json Operational authority is bounded by who requested the work, where it applies, what methods are permitted, and what review follows. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Deliver - **MUST:** Tasking declare a customer, intelligence requirement, legal or organizational authority, and operating jurisdiction. - **MUST:** The mission distinguish authorized methods from prohibited or unsupported methods. - **SHOULD:** Cross-jurisdiction work declare which authority can recognize, deny, contest, or punish an action. - **MAY:** A mission include compartmented customers whose identities are revealed only when the player has the required access. Supporting report sections: - [The multi-polar intelligence ecosystem](/docs/report/typology-of-intelligence-operatives-and-tradecraft-frameworks-a-comprehensive-architecture-for-clandestine-beh#the-multi-polar-intelligence-ecosystem) — State, private, corporate, and independent operational customers. - [Recommended warrant architecture](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#recommended-warrant-architecture) — Jurisdiction and evidence thresholds remain separate from severity. ### Mission Design #### MISS-01 — Intelligence Requirement **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/intelligence-requirement **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/intelligence-requirement.json Every mission begins with a question or decision need that collection and analysis are meant to support. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan - **MUST:** State the primary intelligence requirement as a decision-oriented question. - **MUST:** Separate the requirement from assumptions, preferred explanations, and desired political outcomes. - **SHOULD:** Define priority intelligence gaps and the minimum evidence needed to close them. - **MAY:** Include secondary requirements that become active when new evidence changes the operational picture. Supporting report sections: - [Case officer and operations cycle](/docs/report/typology-of-intelligence-operatives-and-tradecraft-frameworks-a-comprehensive-architecture-for-clandestine-beh#the-case-officer-and-the-intelligence-operations-cycle) — Requirement-driven tasking and operational coordination. - [Strategic fit with evidence-based play](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#strategic-fit-with-rogue-intelligence) — Consequences should follow evidence and explainable reasons. #### MISS-02 — Mission Brief Contract **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/mission-brief-contract **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/mission-brief-contract.json A mission brief is a reviewable contract connecting authority, requirement, roles, constraints, evidence thresholds, abort conditions, and extraction. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Extract - **MUST:** Include title, authority, mandate, intelligence requirement, jurisdiction, roles, known facts, assumptions, constraints, abort condition, extraction plan, and debrief deliverable. - **MUST:** Disclose whether rewards are engine-verified, authority-reviewed, or dependent on an unverified sponsor. - **SHOULD:** Expose evidence thresholds for irreversible actions and major consequence states. - **MAY:** Hide compartmented details behind role access while preserving the shared mission contract. Supporting report sections: - [Verified and unverified contract design](/docs/report/social-deception-and-player-generated-fake-quests#quest-design-unverified-vs-verified-contracts) — Transparent risk tiers for tasking and payment. - [Escrow, verification, and reputation](/docs/report/trust-deception-and-virtual-economies#escrow-verification-and-reputation-systems) — Trust signals, histories, and settlement boundaries. #### MISS-03 — Mission Lifecycle **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/mission-lifecycle **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/mission-lifecycle.json Operations progress through explicit lifecycle states from tasking to debrief, with observable transitions and recoverable failure states. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Access, Collect, Validate, Deliver, Extract, Debrief - **MUST:** Represent Task, Plan, Access, Collect, Validate, Deliver, Extract, and Debrief as distinct states or reviewable milestones. - **MUST:** Persist accepted brief revision, evidence state, role assignments, and consequence state across transitions. - **SHOULD:** Permit fail-forward transitions when a planned path closes but the intelligence requirement remains answerable. - **MAY:** Allow parallel collection tasks to converge into a shared validation state. Supporting report sections: - [Case officer and intelligence operations cycle](/docs/report/typology-of-intelligence-operatives-and-tradecraft-frameworks-a-comprehensive-architecture-for-clandestine-beh#the-case-officer-and-the-intelligence-operations-cycle) — Role coordination through an intelligence cycle. - [Fail-forward mission design](/docs/report/systemic-implementation-of-delusional-ai-and-hallucinated-mission-vectors-in-virtual-reality-mmorpgs#balancing-risk-reward-the-fail-forward-paradigm) — Failure changes the operation instead of erasing player time. #### MISS-04 — Roles and Information Asymmetry **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/roles-and-information-asymmetry **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/roles-and-information-asymmetry.json Operative, handler, analyst, technical, liaison, and support roles receive different information and actions while contributing to one requirement. **Mission phases:** Plan, Access, Collect, Validate, Deliver - **MUST:** Each assigned role have at least one unique information source, decision, or action that materially affects the operation. - **MUST:** Shared mission truth remain server-authoritative even when roles receive incomplete or conflicting views. - **SHOULD:** Role coordination reward concise handoffs, explicit uncertainty, and timely escalation. - **MAY:** One player occupy multiple low-intensity support roles when population is limited, provided information boundaries remain visible. Supporting report sections: - [Operative archetypes and support roles](/docs/report/intelligence-operative-archetypes-and-tradecraft#analytical-liaison-and-support-roles) — Distinct analytical, liaison, and support responsibilities. - [Operative and handler interdependence](/docs/report/architectural-and-narrative-design-specifications-for-a-vr-first-post-national-espionage-mmo#interactive-cross-dimensional-media-the-operative-and-the-handler) — Asymmetric cross-platform interaction design. #### MISS-05 — Success, Abort, Extraction, and Debrief **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/success-abort-extraction-and-debrief **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/success-abort-extraction-and-debrief.json Operations define success beyond completion, permit professional aborts, and require extraction and debrief as first-class gameplay. **Mission phases:** Deliver, Extract, Debrief - **MUST:** Define complete success, partial success, professional abort, compromised extraction, and failed debrief outcomes. - **MUST:** Record why the operation ended and which intelligence gaps remain. - **SHOULD:** Reward source protection, cover preservation, evidence quality, and decision usefulness independently of objective completion. - **MAY:** Convert an unsuccessful collection attempt into future access, counterintelligence warning, or environmental discovery. Supporting report sections: - [Operational egress and contingencies](/docs/report/operational-directive-analog-tradecraft-and-counter-surveillance-in-high-density-virtual-urban-environments#operational-egress-and-contingencies) — Egress and contingency planning as part of the operation. - [Mitigating zero-payout frustration](/docs/report/systemic-implementation-of-delusional-ai-and-hallucinated-mission-vectors-in-virtual-reality-mmorpgs#mitigating-the-frustration-of-zero-payout) — Fail-forward value and meaningful secondary outcomes. ### Collection #### COLL-01 — Collection Discipline Selection **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/collection-discipline-selection **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/collection-discipline-selection.json HUMINT, SIGINT, OSINT, cyber, imagery, geospatial, and technical methods produce different evidence and exposure profiles. **Mission phases:** Plan, Access, Collect - **MUST:** Every collection method declare what it can observe, what it cannot establish, and what exposure it creates. - **MUST:** Collection output identify source discipline and acquisition context. - **SHOULD:** Missions offer at least two plausible collection approaches when the environment supports them. - **MAY:** Collection disciplines conflict, requiring players to reconcile timing, identity, or attribution differences. Supporting report sections: - [The intelligence disciplines](/docs/report/typology-of-intelligence-operatives-and-tradecraft-frameworks-a-comprehensive-architecture-for-clandestine-beh#the-intelligence-disciplines-the-ints) — A multi-discipline intelligence taxonomy. - [Technical and signals operatives](/docs/report/intelligence-operative-archetypes-and-tradecraft#technical-and-signals-operatives) — Technical collection roles and constraints. #### HUM-01 — Source Handling **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/source-handling **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/source-handling.json Human sources are relationships with access, motivation, reliability, vulnerability, and independent agency. **Mission phases:** Access, Collect, Validate, Extract - **MUST:** Represent source access, motivation, placement, reliability history, and protection risk separately. - **MUST:** Store source statements as reports with attribution and context, not as direct game truth. - **SHOULD:** Allow sources to refuse, misunderstand, omit, exaggerate, or change cooperation based on treatment and risk. - **MAY:** Permit source relationships to outlive individual operations and change future access. Supporting report sections: - [HUMINT operatives](/docs/report/intelligence-operative-archetypes-and-tradecraft#humint-operatives) — Case officers, agents, sources, and relationship-centered collection. - [State intelligence and HUMINT operatives](/docs/report/typology-of-intelligence-operatives-and-tradecraft-frameworks-a-comprehensive-architecture-for-clandestine-beh#state-intelligence-architecture-and-humint-operatives) — Source and case officer roles within an operational system. ### Evidence & Analysis #### EVID-01 — Observation, Report, Interpretation, and Hypothesis **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/observation-report-interpretation-and-hypothesis **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/observation-report-interpretation-and-hypothesis.json The game separates what was observed, what a source reported, what an analyst inferred, and what explanation is being tested. **Mission phases:** Collect, Validate, Deliver, Debrief - **MUST:** Classify every dossier item as observation, source report, interpretation, hypothesis, assessment, or decision. - **MUST:** Preserve author, time, context, source, and revision lineage for each item. - **SHOULD:** Allow players to challenge, annotate, supersede, or retain competing interpretations without deleting the original record. - **MAY:** Display disagreements between roles as parallel analytic notes. Supporting report sections: - [Strategic fit with explainable evidence](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#strategic-fit-with-rogue-intelligence) — Observation, report, interpretation, and hypothesis should remain distinct. - [Counterintelligence data collection methodology](/docs/report/counterintelligence-directive-alliance-leak-investigation#data-collection-and-analysis-methodology) — Structured collection and suspect isolation. #### EVID-02 — Provenance, Confidence, and Corroboration **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/provenance-confidence-and-corroboration **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/provenance-confidence-and-corroboration.json Confidence is earned through source context, provenance, independence, consistency, and discriminating evidence. **Mission phases:** Collect, Validate, Deliver, Debrief - **MUST:** Every material claim carry provenance, source type, acquisition time, confidence, and reason codes. - **MUST:** Independent corroboration be required for mission-defined irreversible actions. - **SHOULD:** Confidence changes reference the specific evidence or contradiction responsible for the update. - **MAY:** Mission authors define different evidence thresholds for public attribution, operational action, and internal warning. Supporting report sections: - [Recommended warrant architecture](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#recommended-warrant-architecture) — Severity and evidentiary certainty are separate axes. - [Mission verification guidelines](/docs/report/hallucinated-ai-quest-design-in-vr-mmorpgs#mitigation-strategies-and-design-guidelines) — Verification tools and intentional reliability signals. #### ANAL-01 — Competing Hypotheses and Assessment **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/competing-hypotheses-and-assessment **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/competing-hypotheses-and-assessment.json Analysis compares multiple explanations and records what evidence would discriminate among them. **Mission phases:** Plan, Validate, Deliver, Debrief - **MUST:** Material assessments identify at least one plausible alternative explanation when evidence is incomplete. - **MUST:** Each hypothesis list supporting, contradicting, and non-discriminating evidence. - **SHOULD:** Collection planning prioritize evidence that can distinguish among leading hypotheses. - **MAY:** Allow analysts to publish dissenting assessments with separate confidence and reasoning. Supporting report sections: - [Alliance leak threat assessment](/docs/report/counterintelligence-directive-alliance-leak-investigation#threat-assessment) — Counterintelligence investigation with multiple suspects and evidence types. - [Investigation workflow](/docs/report/counterintelligence-directive-alliance-leak-investigation#investigative-workflow-and-timeline) — Structured collection and analysis over time. ### Tradecraft #### TRADE-01 — Cover Identity and Congruence **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/cover-identity-and-congruence **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/cover-identity-and-congruence.json Cover is a persistent system of identity, access, behavior, records, competence, relationships, and exposure—not a costume slot. **Mission phases:** Plan, Access, Collect, Extract - **MUST:** A cover define identity, occupation, purpose, access rationale, expected competence, records, relationships, and exposure indicators. - **MUST:** Suspicion respond to incongruence among behavior, environment, documentation, and known history rather than a hidden alignment score. - **SHOULD:** Cover consequences persist across operations and permit repair, reinforcement, compartmentation, or retirement. - **MAY:** Multiple covers coexist with separate access, relationships, and risk histories. Supporting report sections: - [Taxonomy of cover identities](/docs/report/cover-identities-and-tradecraft-in-espionage-executive-summary#taxonomy-of-cover-identities) — Cover types, verification, and risk. - [Maintaining the legend](/docs/report/the-architecture-of-deception-constructing-and-maintaining-cover-backgrounds-in-modern-espionage#maintaining-the-legend-operational-tradecraft-and-communications) — Persistent identity maintenance and communications. #### TRADE-02 — Surveillance, Detection, and Counter-Surveillance **Status:** Guidance **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/surveillance-detection-and-counter-surveillance **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/surveillance-detection-and-counter-surveillance.json Surveillance is represented as pattern recognition, route pressure, environmental observation, and exposure management within fictional game spaces. **Mission phases:** Plan, Access, Collect, Extract - **MUST:** Keep public documentation at fictional, abstract, game-system level and avoid practical real-world targeting instructions. - **MUST:** Represent surveillance through observable game patterns, uncertainty, and resource trade-offs. - **SHOULD:** Provide more than one response to suspected surveillance, including delay, route change, abort, decoy, or controlled exposure. - **MAY:** Use accessibility settings to surface patterns through visual, audio, or interface cues. Supporting report sections: - [Philosophy of urban counter-surveillance](/docs/report/operational-directive-analog-tradecraft-and-counter-surveillance-in-high-density-virtual-urban-environments#the-philosophy-of-urban-counter-surveillance) — Fictional urban surveillance mechanics and cognitive load. - [Maintaining cover and counter-surveillance](/docs/report/cover-identities-and-tradecraft-in-espionage-executive-summary#maintaining-cover-and-counter-surveillance-tradecraft) — Cover maintenance and detection risk. #### TRADE-03 — Communications and Compartmentation **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/communications-and-compartmentation **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/communications-and-compartmentation.json Operational information moves through role-aware channels with explicit need-to-know boundaries, delivery state, and exposure cost. **Mission phases:** Plan, Collect, Deliver, Extract - **MUST:** Operational messages identify sender role, intended recipient, mission context, sensitivity, and delivery status. - **MUST:** Compartmented information remain inaccessible to roles without a declared need-to-know path. - **SHOULD:** Communication methods expose latency, reliability, interception, and attribution trade-offs. - **MAY:** Allow deliberate misinformation inside the game when it is bounded, discoverable, and separated from authoritative system truth. Supporting report sections: - [Clandestine communications and physical exchanges](/docs/report/typology-of-intelligence-operatives-and-tradecraft-frameworks-a-comprehensive-architecture-for-clandestine-beh#clandestine-communications-and-physical-exchanges) — Communication and exchange methods in the tradecraft taxonomy. - [Pre-exchange protocol](/docs/report/operational-directive-analog-tradecraft-and-counter-surveillance-in-high-density-virtual-urban-environments#pre-exchange-protocol-the-analog-signal) — Fictional signaling and exchange preparation. ### Counterintelligence #### CI-01 — Counterintelligence Investigation **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/counterintelligence-investigation **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/counterintelligence-investigation.json Counterintelligence identifies compromise through competing explanations, evidence provenance, access analysis, behavioral change, and controlled tests. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Collect, Validate, Deliver - **MUST:** Separate access, opportunity, action, motive, and attribution as distinct investigative questions. - **MUST:** Counterintelligence consequences require case evidence and reason codes rather than omniscient server accusation. - **SHOULD:** Offer controlled tests, source validation, audit, surveillance, and damage assessment as different investigative tools. - **MAY:** The apparent compromise be a deception operation intended to redirect investigators. Supporting report sections: - [Alliance leak investigation workflow](/docs/report/counterintelligence-directive-alliance-leak-investigation#investigative-workflow-and-timeline) — A structured fictional counterintelligence investigation. - [Counterintelligence matrix](/docs/report/typology-of-intelligence-operatives-and-tradecraft-frameworks-a-comprehensive-architecture-for-clandestine-beh#the-counterintelligence-matrix-and-the-double-agent-paradigm) — Double-agent and insider-risk archetypes. ### Synthetic Sources #### AI-01 — Synthetic Source Disclosure and Authority **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/synthetic-source-disclosure-and-authority **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/synthetic-source-disclosure-and-authority.json Synthetic characters and generated dialogue are visibly disclosed and cannot create authoritative game facts, inventory, permissions, or settlement. **Mission phases:** Access, Collect, Validate, Deliver - **MUST:** Disclose synthetic characters and generated responses in the interaction surface. - **MUST:** Keep mission facts, inventory, access, rewards, legal status, and world state server-authoritative. - **MUST:** Treat synthetic output as a report or claim unless validated against authoritative state. - **SHOULD:** Store only reviewed, scoped continuity in durable character memory. - **MAY:** Synthetic sources intentionally mislead when the mission clearly supports verification and fail-forward outcomes. Supporting report sections: - [Controlled generative architecture](/docs/report/systemic-implementation-of-delusional-ai-and-hallucinated-mission-vectors-in-virtual-reality-mmorpgs#generative-architectures-for-delusional-npcs) — Separate mechanical truth from narrative generation. - [Mitigation strategies and design guidelines](/docs/report/hallucinated-ai-quest-design-in-vr-mmorpgs#mitigation-strategies-and-design-guidelines) — Reliability signaling, player agency, and bounded falsehoods. #### AI-02 — Mission Claim Verification **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/mission-claim-verification **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/mission-claim-verification.json Potentially unreliable tasking is checked against records, world state, source history, logic, location, and mission economics before acceptance. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Validate - **MUST:** Provide at least one accessible method to test high-impact mission claims before commitment. - **MUST:** Distinguish object, relation, event, location, authority, and reward claims in the verification model. - **SHOULD:** Use reliability history, contradiction checks, coordinate checks, source comparison, and authority confirmation as complementary tools. - **SHOULD:** False or misleading tasking still produce some recoverable intelligence, discovery, or progression value when pursued in good faith. - **MAY:** Player skills prioritize anomalies but never output infallible truth labels. Supporting report sections: - [Sanity-check mechanics and skill-based detection](/docs/report/hallucinated-ai-quest-design-in-vr-mmorpgs#sanity-check-mechanics-and-skill-based-detection) — Verification as an active gameplay loop. - [Taxonomy of hallucinated vectors](/docs/report/systemic-implementation-of-delusional-ai-and-hallucinated-mission-vectors-in-virtual-reality-mmorpgs#the-taxonomy-of-hallucinated-vectors) — Object, relation, and event falsehood classes. ### Interaction & Interfaces #### GAME-01 — Player Interaction and Social Stealth **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/player-interaction-and-social-stealth **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/player-interaction-and-social-stealth.json Social stealth evaluates behavioral congruence, access, timing, environment, and explanation rather than invisibility or costume alone. **Mission phases:** Access, Collect, Extract - **MUST:** Suspicion derive from observable incongruence, restricted actions, known records, and environmental context. - **MUST:** Provide nonviolent paths for access, collection, recovery, and extraction when the mission design supports them. - **SHOULD:** NPC reactions communicate what changed through behavior, dialogue, posture, access, or attention. - **MAY:** Players recover from minor mistakes through explanation, assistance, delay, or role-consistent action. Supporting report sections: - [Social stealth and behavioral mimicry](/docs/report/architectural-and-narrative-design-specifications-for-a-vr-first-post-national-espionage-mmo#social-stealth-and-behavioral-mimicry) — Behavioral congruence as stealth. - [Anatomy of suspicion and congruence](/docs/report/systemic-subterfuge-architecting-a-geopolitically-neutral-classless-espionage-mmo#the-anatomy-of-suspicion-and-congruence) — Suspicion from context and mismatch. #### GAME-02 — VR and Browser Role Interdependence **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/vr-and-browser-role-interdependence **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/vr-and-browser-role-interdependence.json Embodied VR, desktop, mobile, and browser roles coordinate through complementary information and actions. **Mission phases:** Plan, Access, Collect, Validate, Extract - **MUST:** Define unique responsibilities for embodied and non-embodied roles within the same mission requirement. - **MUST:** Synchronize authoritative mission state while allowing role-specific latency, visibility, and presentation. - **SHOULD:** Non-VR roles support short sessions, asynchronous continuity, and accessibility without trivializing field decisions. - **MAY:** The system adapt role distribution when a cell has fewer players than available roles. Supporting report sections: - [Asymmetric cross-platform multiplayer](/docs/report/architectural-and-narrative-design-specifications-for-a-vr-first-post-national-espionage-mmo#the-asymmetric-cross-platform-multiplayer-paradigm) — Cross-dimensional role design. - [Mirrored interdependence and collaboration](/docs/report/architectural-and-narrative-design-specifications-for-a-vr-first-post-national-espionage-mmo#mirrored-interdependence-and-collaboration) — Complementary roles and shared operation state. ### Tasking & Logistics #### TASK-01 — Verified and Unverified Tasking **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/verified-and-unverified-tasking **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/verified-and-unverified-tasking.json Verified tasking uses engine-backed terms and settlement; unverified tasking exposes disclosed counterparty and deception risk. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Deliver - **MUST:** Label tasking as verified, authority-reviewed, reputation-backed, or unverified before acceptance. - **MUST:** Verified tasking lock reward terms and use deterministic completion or review rules. - **MUST:** Unverified tasking disclose that objective, reward, or sponsor claims may fail without engine settlement. - **SHOULD:** Expose issuer history, proof of interaction, dispute record, and relevant reputation without presenting them as infallible truth. - **MAY:** Unverified tasking offer higher potential reward or unique access to justify risk. Supporting report sections: - [Quest design: unverified vs verified](/docs/report/social-deception-and-player-generated-fake-quests#quest-design-unverified-vs-verified-contracts) — Safety-with-fee versus freedom-with-risk. - [Trust recovery through escrow and reputation](/docs/report/trust-deception-and-virtual-economies#escrow-verification-and-reputation-systems) — Layered trust signals and dispute histories. #### LOG-01 — Courier and Handoff State Machine **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/courier-and-handoff-state-machine **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/courier-and-handoff-state-machine.json Physical or digital operational handoffs use deterministic states, accessible destinations, tamper evidence, timeouts, and reviewable settlement. **Mission phases:** Plan, Deliver, Extract - **MUST:** Use Created, Accepted, In Transit, Delivered, Breached, Expired, and Canceled states with atomic settlement. - **MUST:** Verify destination accessibility before posting and protect accepted couriers from later access revocation or obstruction. - **MUST:** Keep reward, collateral, cargo ownership, and fees distinct in the economic ledger. - **SHOULD:** Physicalized cargo communicate burden and tamper state without exposing protected contents by default. - **MAY:** Support remote perimeter deposit when post-acceptance obstruction would otherwise make delivery impossible. Supporting report sections: - [Finite state machine architecture](/docs/report/systemic-architecture-for-trustless-escrow-and-courier-contracts-in-a-virtual-reality-mmorpg#2-1-finite-state-machine-fsm-architecture) — Deterministic contract lifecycle. - [Universal perimeter receptacle](/docs/report/systemic-architecture-for-trustless-escrow-and-courier-contracts-in-a-virtual-reality-mmorpg#5-0-systemic-resolutions-the-universal-perimeter-receptacle-upr) — Delivery access separated from private structure permissions. #### JUR-01 — Evidence-Based Jurisdiction and Warrants **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/evidence-based-jurisdiction-and-warrants **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/evidence-based-jurisdiction-and-warrants.json Severity and evidentiary certainty are separate axes; jurisdiction determines who can observe, investigate, restrict, pursue, or review. **Mission phases:** Collect, Validate, Deliver, Debrief - **MUST:** Track offense severity separately from evidentiary certainty. - **MUST:** Use anomaly, suspect file, confirmed warrant, and active manhunt as distinguishable case states. - **MUST:** Expose reason codes, jurisdiction, evidence basis, review path, and applicable restrictions. - **SHOULD:** Fund bounty outcomes through fines, bonds, seized value, or capped budgets rather than unconstrained currency creation. - **SHOULD:** Provide surrender, appeal, restitution, review, evasion, and lawful resolution paths. - **MAY:** Different jurisdictions recognize or contest the same case differently based on evidence and agreements. Supporting report sections: - [Recommended warrant architecture](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#recommended-warrant-architecture) — Dual-axis severity and certainty model. - [Economy and anti-exploit controls](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#economy-and-anti-exploit-controls) — Bounty funding and anti-collusion constraints. #### ECON-01 — Operational Economy and Resource Pressure **Status:** Guidance **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/operational-economy-and-resource-pressure **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/operational-economy-and-resource-pressure.json Currency, access, time, cover, source trust, equipment, transport, and safe locations are operational resources with explicit creation, transfer, lock, and destruction semantics. **Mission phases:** Task, Plan, Deliver, Extract - **MUST:** Classify currency events as creation, destruction, transfer, lock, or unlock in an immutable UTC ledger. - **MUST:** Treat escrow and frozen funds as temporary locks unless a separate rule destroys or forfeits value. - **SHOULD:** Compose mission rewards from currency, access, intelligence, reputation, supplies, and persistent opportunities rather than raw cash alone. - **SHOULD:** Measure newcomer and operational affordability before changing sinks or payouts. - **MAY:** Use property, communications, transport, cover maintenance, and logistics as mission-relevant sinks. Supporting report sections: - [Currency flow definitions](/docs/report/monetary-architecture-genesis-allowance-and-economic-stabilization#currency-flow-definitions) — Creation, destruction, transfer, lock, and unlock semantics. - [Ledger schema and telemetry](/docs/report/monetary-architecture-genesis-allowance-and-economic-stabilization#ledger-schema-and-telemetry) — Immutable double-entry records with UTC timestamps. ### Governance & Safety #### GOV-01 — Versioning, Change Control, and Telemetry **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/versioning-change-control-and-telemetry **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/versioning-change-control-and-telemetry.json Public standard records are versioned, citable, machine-readable, and changed through visible release notes and test evidence. **Mission phases:** Task, Debrief - **MUST:** Every standard record publish code, version, status, canonical URL, summary, requirements, related records, and research links. - **MUST:** Breaking changes increment the major version and retain the superseded public record. - **MUST:** Current, guidance, experimental, planned, and retired states remain visibly distinct. - **SHOULD:** Mission implementations attach validation evidence and telemetry before claiming conformance. - **MAY:** Publish machine-readable catalogs, schemas, examples, and discovery manifests beside human-readable pages. Supporting report sections: - [Telemetry and live-ops tuning](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#telemetry-and-live-ops-tuning) — Instrumentation and controlled regional pilots. - [Simulation and validation plan](/docs/report/monetary-architecture-genesis-allowance-and-economic-stabilization#simulation-validation-plan) — Shock testing and acceptance criteria before launch. #### SAFE-01 — Safety and Fiction Boundary **Status:** Current **Version:** 1.0.0 **Canonical:** https://iarpg.com/standard/safety-and-fiction-boundary **JSON:** https://iarpg.com/records/safety-and-fiction-boundary.json Public material stays fictional, game-system focused, and clearly separated from real-world medical, legal, investigative, or tactical authority. **Mission phases:** Task, Debrief - **MUST:** Label organizations, authorities, operations, jurisdictions, and examples as fictional where ambiguity could cause harm. - **MUST:** Keep psychiatric status separate from guilt, danger, credibility, alignment, and punishment mechanics. - **MUST:** Do not investigate, validate, or amplify a visitor's real-world espionage or surveillance claims. - **MUST:** Keep public tradecraft documentation abstract and game-oriented rather than practically actionable for real-world wrongdoing. - **SHOULD:** Link real-world grounding and urgent-help information to the separate EspionagePsychosis.com resource. - **MAY:** Use content warnings and accessibility controls for distressing fictional scenarios. Supporting report sections: - [Strategic fit and representation boundary](/docs/report/justice-system-and-warrant-escalation-for-rogue-intelligence#strategic-fit-with-rogue-intelligence) — Avoid psychiatric framing as guilt or punishment. - [Post-national worldbuilding and bias mitigation](/docs/report/architectural-and-narrative-design-specifications-for-a-vr-first-post-national-espionage-mmo#mitigating-techno-orientalism-and-casual-colonialism) — Representation constraints for international fiction. ## Machine assets - Catalog: https://iarpg.com/standards-catalog.json - Mission schema: https://iarpg.com/mission-brief.schema.json - Mission example: https://iarpg.com/mission-example.json - Record schema: https://iarpg.com/records/iarpg-standard-record.schema.json - Discovery: https://iarpg.com/.well-known/iarpg-operations.json ## Support boundary IARPG-OPS-1 is a fictional game-design standard. It does not certify factual truth, legal compliance, real-world intelligence practice, safety, accessibility, security, production quality, or endorsement of any authority. The public validator checks structural conformance only.