Dungeon Master Training Guide

Product: Will DM (virtual tabletop for maps, fog, light, and a physical world)

Audience: New Dungeon Masters

Document status: Living draft — update as features ship

Manual version: 0.2 · 2026-07-31

App phase: Phase 1 (design + table foundation)

How this manual is maintained

In-app (clickable): open [/guide](/guide) from Home or any campaign (Training guide).

Guided learning: on the campaign as DM, toggle Coach on/off anytime. Progress is kept on this browser so you can leave it off for most of a campaign build and turn it back on for the last stretch.

Search: ⌘K / Ctrl+K (or Search) indexes the board, lessons, this guide, and actions — Enter jumps to the thing.

Source of truth: docs/training/DM-TRAINING-MANUAL.md · PDF: Dropbox Will DM/Training/ · rebuild with python3 docs/training/build_manual_pdf.py

1. What Will DM is (in one minute)

Will DM is a map-first virtual table for D&D-style play:

• You (the DM) design and run a shared board: floors, walls, furniture, lights, monsters, prizes, familiars, and player tokens.
• Players join with a code or link and see a fog of war view — only what light and their vision reveal.
• The world is physical: structures have sturdiness, fragility, and hit points; doors open; walls can be breached or reduced to rubble.
• Almost everything the DM does that matters is meant to save to the database so the table survives reloads and later multiplayer sync.

Place hierarchy & transcendent characters

Places nest outward from the playable board:

Map (board) ⊂ Structure ⊂ Surround ⊂ Area ⊂ City ⊂ World

A Character is not owned by a single campaign. Traits, skills, magic, items, and ledger events (acquired / learned / lost / transcended) live on the character and remain valid wherever they go. Campaigns and maps only host a presence (where the token sits). See docs/architecture/WORLD-AND-CHARACTER.md.

2. Your first 15 minutes (checklist)

3. Roles at the table

Dungeon Master (you)

• Full map, all floors, hidden monsters, structure tools, libraries.
• Design mode dock (left) + inspector (right).
• Invites players via code or player link.

Player

• Fog of war; vision from their character + lights.
• Joins with code, claims a seat, optional character token.
• Role can be locked from invite URL so they cannot flip to DM tools in that tab.

Spectator

• Join as spectate from home; limited presence at the table.

Seats (important)

A seat is “who is sitting at the virtual table,” not the character sheet itself.

• Claiming a seat creates a TableSeat row in the database.
• Your seat token is stored on this browser (localStorage) so you can rejoin.
• If you clear site data or switch devices, claim a seat again (or use the ?seat= link from join).

4. Design studio — building the board

The design studio (/campaign/:id/design) is the admin workbench. The live table (/campaign/:id) is seats, fog, fullscreen, and sync. Switch with the header pills. Start campaign (/campaign/new) creates the table; it does not dump you into live play.

Left: Library (Design dock)

• Filter and drag monsters, prizes, familiars onto the map.
• Drop snaps to grid; placement is written to the database.
• Floor tabs: place objects on the active floor.

Center: Map

Faint labels (DM only for now): every relevant object has a quiet label under it. Color family = type (structure, light, monster…). Damage state is in color (amber/orange/gray), not extra words. Players do not see these labels yet; later, talents / items / spells can grant shared vision.

Right: Inspector

• Walls / tiles: structure scores, test attacks, restore rubble.
• Obstacles (tables, doors, furniture): same structure tools + open/close for doors.
• Lights: bright radius (save button).
• Tokens: summary; drag on map to reposition.

Structure & physical world

1. Select a wall, door, or table.

2. Set sturdiness (hard to break) and fragility (chips easily).

3. Save DM scores → persists to DB.

4. Preview an attack (magic missile, shatter, …), then Apply if you accept it.

5. Restore structure to reverse rubble when you change your mind.

6. Doors/gates: Open / Close toggles passage (saved).

Software recommends; you always decide. Applied hits change HP, damage state (intact → damaged → breached → rubble), and whether the piece blocks sight or movement.

5. Inviting players & seats

From the home page

1. Enter join code.

2. Enter name at the table.

3. Choose Player / DM / Spectate.

4. Optional: place a character token with that name.

5. Claim seat & join → redirected into the campaign; seat remembered on this device.

From the campaign (DM)

• Copy code or Copy player link (PlayerLinkBar).
• Table seats panel: who is seated, claim/leave, refresh.

Player first session

1. Join with code + name.

2. Confirm seat badge appears.

3. Select their character in “View as” if multiple tokens exist.

4. Explore only what light and vision reveal.

6. Persistence — what actually saves

This section is the contract with the DM: if you meant it to stick, it should live in Postgres, not only on screen.

Always persisted (database)

Device-only (not the campaign world)

What does **not** auto-save yet (know the gaps)

• Live multiplayer: other browsers do not yet stream your moves in real time (refresh or reload to pull server state).
• Some inspector text for monsters/prizes is display-only until HP editors land.
• Leaving a seat on a device does not delete the seat row for everyone (roster purge is future work).

DM best practices for “I meant that to stick”

1. After dragging, release the mouse/finger and wait a beat (PATCH fires on release).

2. Sturdiness / fragility / light radius auto-save shortly after you stop adjusting (Save still works).

3. After previewing a smash, click Apply this result if you want rubble for real.

4. Prefer wizard apply over hand-editing then closing the tab mid-request.

5. Before a session, hard-refresh once so everyone sees the latest DB state.

6. Write down the join code; it is the campaign key for players.

7. Map stage & table habits

• Full screen for the session board; Esc or Shrink when you need the rails.
• Center map after expanding so the whole estate fits with edge padding.
• Use floor tabs so you do not place upstairs monsters downstairs.
• Hand tool or hold Space to pan without grabbing tokens.
• Hidden monsters: players should not see them; keep them hidden until reveal (token flag).

8. Suggested first adventure flow

1. Seed or wizard a manor / dungeon.

2. Place party tokens (or have players claim seats with create-token).

3. Place 2–3 lights players will need.

4. Hide a prize and a monster.

5. Share code; players join.

6. Narrate; move lights; open a door; optional structure hit on a weak door.

7. End session; board remains in the database for next week.

9. Troubleshooting

10. Roadmap (manual will grow here)

Planned / in progress areas this manual will expand into:

• ☐ Live multiparty sync of positions and structure
• ☐ Share labels by talent / magic item / skill / spell / potion
• ☐ Portal travel between floors
• ☐ Play-mode movement rules (not free design drag)
• ☐ Inventory / prize claims
• ☐ Initiative and engagement polish
• ☐ Seat purge / host tools

11. Glossary

Document control

Next update triggers: multiparty sync, share-vision labels, portal travel, play-mode movement.