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How to Play · Chapter 14

Player Controls

Everything a player sees and taps: their character's status, the map, the action buttons and their messages.

  • For players
Corin Vale's view of Black Hollow Village during Free Play: fog hides what he cannot see, the action buttons are at the bottom and the Session log is on the right.
A player's view
  1. 1Character and HP
  2. 2Free Play or Combat Where you are and whether you can act now.
  3. 3Your token Your name is under it; the dark areas are fog you haven't seen.
  4. 4Map controls Find me, whole map and Map Focus.
  5. 5Step bar and action buttons What to do next, then MOVE, SEARCH, INTERACT, TALK, ITEM or OTHER.
  6. 6Session log What happened so far, and your messages.

How to use it

  • The top line shows your character, HP and whose turn it is.
  • The bar above the buttons shows the step you are on and what to do next, such as CHOOSE AN ACTION.
  • The action buttons are at the bottom. A greyed-out button says why it is unavailable.
  • Your log and messages are on the right, or behind the sidebar button on smaller screens.

Step by step

  1. Read the introduction and tap Continue.
  2. Find your token: it carries your name.
  3. Pick an action at the bottom.
  4. Follow the step bar: preview, confirm, roll.
  5. In combat, tap END TURN when you are done.

Playing a Session For players

  • FREE PLAY: act whenever you like. COMBAT: wait for YOUR TURN.
  • In Free Play the buttons are MOVE, SEARCH, INTERACT, TALK, ITEM and OTHER; in combat ATTACK, PUSH and SPELL join them. DISARM TRAP and BROWSE STORE appear when something nearby allows it.
  • Exits beside you appear under INTERACT. Using one asks the GM to move you; your map follows you there.
  • A place without a map says "No tactical map is assigned to this location." Search, Interact and Other still go to the GM.

Understanding Player View For players

  • The status always shows whose turn it is: YOUR TURN, another character's turn, WAITING FOR GM or FREE PLAY.
  • Each token's ring shows its health; the creature acting has a gold ring.
  • The round buttons on the map find your character, show the whole map, and turn on Map Focus, which hides the panels.
  • On a phone, landscape gives the map more room.

Searching

  • Tap SEARCH to see what nearby you can search: shelves, desks, chests and anything the GM marked Searchable.
  • Too far away says "Move closer to search." Most things can only be searched once.
  • Some searches need a roll, such as an Investigation check.
  • What you find may be just for you; the others hear only that you found something.

Interacting

  • Tap INTERACT to open or close doors, open chests and use objects within two squares.
  • Locked things may need a key, a roll or a GM ruling.

Other Actions and Talking

  • OTHER sends anything you want to try to the GM: climb, persuade, hide, improvise.
  • In Free Play, TALK sends what your character says.
  • The GM may accept, reject or ask you for a roll.

Waiting for the GM

  • WAITING FOR GM means the GM is deciding an Other action or a ruling. There is nothing you need to do.
  • WAITING FOR ANOTHER PLAYER means it is someone else's turn.
  • SESSION PAUSED means the GM paused the game.

Important rules

  • You control only your own character, unless the GM lends you another.
  • Your view updates when a move is confirmed, never while you are only choosing a square.

Common questions

I can't find my character on the map.

Tap the target button in the map's corner.

Where did the GM's message go?

Into the Session log. Tap View to read it again.