diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a9c964f..33a45d5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # RueI
 [![build and unit tests](https://github.com/Ruemena/RueI/actions/workflows/main.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Ruemena/RueI/actions/workflows/main.yml)
 
-RueI is a hint framework for scp:sl
+RueI is a hint framework, designed to be the definitive way to display multiple hints at once
 
 docs are available [here](https://ruemena.github.io/RueI/).
 
diff --git a/markdown/basic-concepts.md b/markdown/basic-concepts.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..78ca8d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/markdown/basic-concepts.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Basic Concepts
+this serves as a basic introduction to RueI concepts and functionality.
+
+the most basic components of RueI are [Elements](../api/RueI.Elements.Element.html), which act like individual hints with their own content. elements are contained within [DisplayBases](../api/RueI.Displays.DisplayBase.html). elements are not tied to a player (so you can have an instance of an element in multiple displays at once), but displays are. 
+
+finally, every ReferenceHub (player) in RueI has an associated [DisplayCore](../api/RueI.Displays.DisplayCore.html), which manages all of the displays for a player and combines the elements in them to one hint. every DisplayCore also has a [Scheduler](../api/RueI.Displays.Scheduling.Scheduler), enabling synchronized delayed updates.
+
+there are two element types that RueI provides out of the box:
+
+- [SetElement](../api/RueI.Elements.SetElement.html): a very simple element with settable content
+- [DynamicElement](../api/RueI.Elements.DynamicElement.html): an element that, when the display is updated/refreshed, gets its content by calling a function.
+
+every time you update something in RueI, such as the content of an element, you must update the DisplayCore by calling [DisplayCore.Update()](../api/RueI.Displays.DisplayCore.html#RueI_Displays_DisplayCore_Update_System_Int32_). you can get the DisplayCore for a player by calling [DisplayCore.Get(ReferenceHub)](../api/RueI.Displays.DisplayCore.html#RueI_Displays_DisplayCore_Get_ReferenceHub_). while it's easy to forget to do this, this is unfortunately necessary.
diff --git a/markdown/toc.yml b/markdown/toc.yml
index 18a5508..7a1c2d8 100644
--- a/markdown/toc.yml
+++ b/markdown/toc.yml
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@
   href: introduction.md
 - name: Getting Started
   href: getting-started.md
+- name: Basic Concepts
+  href: basic-concepts.md
 - name: Using the Scheduler
   href: scheduling.md
 - name: HintBuilding Extensions
   href: hintbuilding.md
 - name: eMEC Guide
-  href: eMec.md
\ No newline at end of file
+  href: eMec.md