HISTORYFORGE

Privacy Policy

Effective: 2026-10-06

This privacy notice for Metellus Productions LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") describes how we collect, store, use, and share information when you:

  • Use our iPhone app, Augur (listed on the App Store as "Augur: History in 5 Minutes")
  • Visit our website at https://historyforge.app
  • Play interactive stories in our early web version
  • Create an optional account to save and resume stories across devices
  • Submit optional feedback or subscribe to story updates
  • Engage with us through email or other support channels

Questions? Contact us at support@metellusproductions.com.

Summary

You can play HistoryForge without creating an account or giving us your email address. A copy of your progress is saved in your browser. If you choose to sign in, your email and account identifier are used to keep your adventures and endings in your account across devices. Your choices and game state are also sent to our server to continue the story and, when live AI narration is active, to Google's Gemini API. Optional feedback and update subscriptions are handled separately. Usage analytics may include pseudonymous identifiers; they are not guaranteed to be anonymous.

The Augur iPhone app works differently from the website: it has no accounts and keeps your progress on your phone. The section "The Augur iPhone app" below describes exactly what it does. Sections 1 to 5 describe the website.

The Augur iPhone app

No account

Augur never asks for your name, email address or a password. There is no Augur account and no profile stored on our servers.

What stays on your phone

Your progress, streak, chapter bookmarks, listening settings and your answers to the onboarding questions (for example your goal and the history topics you like) are saved on your device only. Downloaded narration, films and paintings are cached on your device too.

Downloading chapters

Each chapter's narration, film and paintings are downloaded from Google Firebase Storage when you open it. As with any download, Google's servers receive the technical information needed to deliver the files, such as your IP address. We do not use it to identify you.

Subscriptions

Purchases are made through Apple; we never see your payment details. We use Superwall to show the subscription screen and to know whether a subscription is active. Superwall receives your purchase history, an anonymous identifier for your install, and your onboarding answers, so it can show the right subscription screen. This information is not linked to your name or contact details.

Notifications

If you turn on daily reminders, they are scheduled on your phone. No information is sent anywhere to deliver them.

No tracking, no ads

The Augur app does not track you across other apps or websites, does not show ads, and does not include analytics services. We do not sell personal information.

Deleting your data

In the app, open Settings and tap Erase my data to erase your progress, streak, settings, bookmarks, reminders and downloaded chapters from your phone. Deleting the app does the same. Your subscription is managed by Apple and is not affected; you can cancel it in your iPhone's Settings, under your Apple ID, then Subscriptions.

1. What information do we collect?

Story progress and decisions

To save and continue a story, we process:

  • A randomly generated run identifier, current scene, decisions, consequences, and game state such as health, supplies, and companions
  • A signed progress token that your browser sends to our server with your next decision
  • A local copy of your story and progress, saved in your browser so you can return to it on that device

When live narration is active, the server sends the scenario background, game state, and decision history to Google's Gemini API to generate the next scene. We do not include your optional subscription email or feedback comment in these story-generation requests. When the story uses prepared narration, no model request is needed for that scene.

Optional accounts and cloud saves

Firebase Authentication verifies your email and manages sign-in. Cloud Firestore stores your account identifier, email, account timestamps, and saved adventures, including your character, generated scene, decisions, progress, and endings. We may email you about your saved stories and new HistoryForge releases; every such email includes an unsubscribe link. You can transfer your existing guest story into your account.

When you request a sign-in link while playing as a guest, a temporary, email-bound copy of your signed progress lets you open the link in another browser without losing that progress. The transfer expires after one hour. Sign-in emails are delivered through Resend.

Usage and request data

When Google Analytics or PostHog is configured, we use these services to understand how visitors find and play HistoryForge. Usage information can include:

  • Page visits, referral information, device and browser information, and analytics identifiers stored in your browser
  • Story starts, choice identifiers, progress, endings, replays, context-note openings, sharing actions, and feedback ratings
  • A random run identifier and whether a scene used live AI or prepared narration

We do not intentionally include email addresses, feedback comments, or signed progress tokens in analytics events. Analytics can still use cookies or pseudonymous identifiers to connect activity. For signed-in players, a verified account identifier can link guest play and later activity across devices so we can understand actual returns, resumed stories, and account creation. We do not send your account email or story prose with these events. Our hosting service also processes web requests, and request information may be used for operational logs and abuse prevention.

Feedback (optional)

If you submit a rating or comment, we receive that feedback together with the run identifier, progress, completion status, and narration mode. Feedback is sent to our server and delivered to the HistoryForge team using Resend. Please avoid including sensitive personal information in a comment.

Story-update email (optional)

If you subscribe to updates, we collect your email address through Resend to send a confirmation and updates about new stories and the product. You can unsubscribe using the link in an update email. Playing, creating an account, or submitting feedback does not automatically subscribe you.

2. How do we use information?

  • Continue your story, generate narration, and restore saved progress
  • Send story and product updates to people who subscribed
  • Receive feedback, respond to support requests, and prevent abuse
  • Understand how far people progress, whether they replay, and approximately how long they spend actively playing so we can improve the product

3. Who do we share information with?

We do not sell personal information. Service providers used to operate this web version include:

  • Google Gemini: Scenario context, game state, and decision history for live narration
  • Google Firebase: Authentication, account information, and saved adventures
  • Resend: Subscription and email-delivery information, and feedback submitted to the team
  • Google Analytics and PostHog: Usage events and related analytics information when enabled
  • Website hosting providers: Requests and operational information needed to serve and protect the website
  • Apple and Superwall (Augur app): Purchases and subscription status, an anonymous install identifier, and onboarding answers used to show the subscription screen

4. How long do we keep information?

  • Local progress: Stays in your browser until replaced by a new story, cleared by the browser, or removed when you clear site data. Current guest continuation tokens expire after seven days without another choice; an otherwise valid signed guest save can be recovered when you add it to an account. Some older story versions use a shorter token lifetime.
  • Account saves: Stored without an automatic story-expiration date so you can return later. You can contact us to request deletion of your account and saved stories. Temporary email-transfer copies expire after one hour and are scheduled for cleanup; expired copies cannot be claimed while physical cleanup is pending.
  • Server processing: Temporary records support duplicate-request handling and request limits. Hosting and model-provider records follow the relevant service configuration and policies.
  • Subscriptions: Your email remains in our subscription records until you unsubscribe or request deletion. An unsubscribe record may be kept to prevent further updates.
  • Feedback and support: Submitted messages are kept in our support and email-delivery records so we can review and respond to them. You can contact us to request deletion.
  • Analytics: Usage records follow our analytics retention settings and the analytics providers' applicable policies.

5. Security

The published website uses HTTPS. Progress tokens are signed to help prevent changes to game state, and server-side request limits help control abuse. Privileged service credentials stay on the server. Account save requests require verified authentication and are checked against the owner of each saved adventure.

6. Children

HistoryForge depicts historical danger, including fire and injury. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted personal information, please contact us so we can review and remove it as appropriate.

7. Your rights

You can:

  • Contact us about information we hold and request access or deletion
  • Unsubscribe from story updates using the link in an email
  • Remove your locally saved progress by clearing HistoryForge site data in your browser
  • Use your browser settings to manage cookies and local storage

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this notice as the website evolves. Changes will be posted here with a new effective date.

9. Contact

Email support@metellusproductions.com with any privacy questions or requests.