---
title: Story Asset Dependencies
category: Story Assets
tags: assets, dependencies, clues, continuity
contextKey: storyAssets.dependencies
micro: Show how one asset depends on another asset or state.
quickTitle: Dependencies
quickSummary: Dependencies track when one asset only works, matters or becomes available because another asset exists or reaches a state.
screenshot:
---

# Dependencies

Dependencies explain how assets rely on one another. A key may require a lock. Evidence may require a document. A clue may only become useful after another clue has been discovered.

Use dependencies when the order matters. They help you see whether the story has prepared an asset before it is used, revealed or resolved.

# Understanding the Fields

| Field | What it means | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Source asset | The asset that controls, enables or blocks something else. | A key, letter, clue or code. |
| Target asset | The asset affected by the dependency. | A locked box, sealed tin or hidden file. |
| Dependency | The kind of link between the two assets. | Requires, blocks, unlocks or reveals, depending on the options in your project. |
| Source required state | The state the source must be in before the dependency matters. | The letter must be opened. |
| Target blocked state | The state the target cannot reach yet. | The box cannot be opened. |
| Description | The writer's plain-English explanation of the story logic. | "The tin only matters once Beth finds the photograph." |

# Example

A coded letter may be blocked until the cipher page is found. The letter and the cipher are separate assets, but the meaning of one depends on the other.

# Related Guides

- [Story Asset Details](/Help/Article/storyAssets.details)
- [Story Assets](/Help/Article/storyAssets.overview)
