Creating your first scenario

Scenarios are the heart of SimChat. Each scenario sets up a simulated conversation by defining the AI character's personality, the context and the goals for the learner.

Anyone who can create content - owners, administrators, assistant administrators, cohort leads and authors - can build a scenario. Who publishes it depends on your role, which is covered at the end of this article.

What a scenario is made of

• Title and description - what the scenario is about. Shown on scenario cards and lists
• AI behaviour - the set of AI rules for the scenario: how the avatar plays its role, how the conversation is marked, and the style of feedback
• User instructions - what the learner reads before starting. Explains the context and objectives
• Script - the AI character's background, personality and knowledge. This is what powers the AI's responses
• Checklist (optional) - the criteria the conversation is marked against
• Questions (optional) - follow-up questions asked after the conversation
• Resources (optional) - links and a walkthrough for the learner to review afterwards

Three ways to start

Select Create scenario from the sidebar, the Scenarios page or your dashboard. You'll be asked how you want to start:

• Write it yourself - build the scenario step by step in the editor
• Generate with AI - describe what you need, or upload existing materials, and let SimChat draft it for you. See Creating scenarios using the AI scenario generator
• Start from a template - begin from one of your organisation's templates, with every field prefilled. If you have no templates yet, this option explains how to make one. See Creating and managing scenario templates

All three open the same editor, so you can switch approach at any point.

Working through the editor

The editor has seven steps. You can jump between them in any order.

1. Key details - AI behaviour, title, description, character name, who can access the scenario, the icon shown on the scenario card, which conversation modes are available, and the voice and video avatar when audio or video is turned on
2. Instructions - what the learner reads before they start
3. Script - the AI character's full background. Write it as you would for a human actor
4. Checklist - the criteria the conversation is marked against
5. Questions - optional follow-up questions asked after the conversation
6. Resources - optional links, plus a walkthrough explaining how the scenario should have been approached
7. Settings - purpose, time limit, attempt limit, collections, tags, curriculum topics, and which materials learners can open before they start

Select Save draft as you go. You can leave a scenario in draft for as long as you like.

Previewing before anyone sees it

Once you have saved a draft, Preview appears in the editor header. It opens the scenario's introduction page in a new tab, exactly as a learner sees it, so you can read the instructions and start the conversation to check how the AI character performs.

AI behaviours

Every scenario needs an AI behaviour. Your organisation starts with four, chosen from your industry when the organisation was created:

• Every organisation gets Generic and Interview
• Healthcare organisations also get History taking and Counselling
• Other industries get Customer service and Explanation

Administrators can create custom AI behaviours under Scenarios → AI behaviours. See Understanding AI behaviours.

Choosing conversation modes

In Key details, choose how learners can take part. You can turn any of the three on or off:

• Text mode - the learner types, the AI replies in the chat
• Audio mode - a real-time voice conversation. Uses audio minutes
• Video mode - a real-time conversation with a video avatar. Uses video minutes

When audio or video is on you also choose a voice, which is required. One voice covers both. Video mode also needs a video avatar. See Choosing voices and video avatars.

Getting it in front of learners

Before anything can go live, you must answer Who can access this scenario? in Key details - either All users in this organisation, or Specific cohorts with at least one cohort selected.

What happens next depends on your role:

• Owners, administrators and assistant administrators select Publish to make the scenario live straight away
• Cohort leads publish scenarios aimed at the cohorts they staff
• Authors select Submit, and a reviewer publishes it or sends it back with feedback

Every scenario is in one of four states: Draft, Waiting for reviewer, Waiting for author, or Live. Only live scenarios reach learners. See Submitting scenarios for review and publishing updates for the full flow, and Previewing, publishing and managing scenarios for managing scenarios afterwards.

Updated on: 07/09/2026