Quick Start
This page takes you from a fresh install to a running fight. It should take about ten minutes.
If you would rather understand the app before using it, read How it works first. It is short.
1. Install a game system
Section titled “1. Install a game system”On first launch you get a Game System Required screen. Nothing works properly until a system is installed, so start here.
Tap Install D&D 5E. That downloads the published D&D 5E package, which includes the SRD reference content — so the library comes up with creatures, spells and items already in it. No account is needed, but it does need a network connection.
If you are offline, Install D&D 5E Offline Copy installs the copy that ships inside the app instead. That one is the game system only, without any content, so the library starts empty and you add or import the content yourself.
Two other buttons on that screen do the same job in different ways:
- Download opens the Package Manager, where other systems live.
- Import installs a
.systemfile you already have.
2. Find something in the library
Section titled “2. Find something in the library”Tap the 
Library button on the game screen.
The sidebar has three groups. Library searches everything, Content holds your campaigns and modules, and Compendium lists the content types your system defines — creatures, spells, items and so on.
Tap All Entries and type a name. Tap a result to read it.
3. Add combatants to the encounter
Section titled “3. Add combatants to the encounter”Back on the game screen, tap the 
More menu (the three dots) in the
initiative window:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Load Combatant | Pick a creature from the library and add it |
| New Combatant | Create a one-off combatant by hand |
| Load Party | Add every player character in the current campaign |
Pick Load Combatant and add two combatants. Tap the same creature twice to get two of them.
By default a loaded combatant is added to combat and placed on the map. You can change that under Settings → Combat → Load Mode.
4. Roll initiative
Section titled “4. Roll initiative”Tap start. By default the app rolls initiative automatically for all enemy combatants and sorts the list. You can also set a value yourself by tapping a combatant’s initiative field and typing it in.
While combat runs:
- next and previous move through turns.
- Tap a combatant’s hit points to apply damage or healing.
- Swipe a row to edit it or add conditions.
- Long press a row (or right click on macOS) to open its context menu.
Tap stop to end combat. You can start again later and pick up where you left off. To clear the
board for the next fight, tap the More menu and choose Reset: all enemy
combatants are removed and your party’s combatants stay in the list.
5. Put it on a map
Section titled “5. Put it on a map”Open the game screen menu and tap the 
New Map, or load an existing map from
your campaign.
Drag a token to move it. Tokens for combatants you loaded are already there if Load Mode included the map.
6. Show it to your players
Section titled “6. Show it to your players”Two ways, depending on where your players are:
- In the room — mirror the player screen to a TV or projector over AirPlay or HDMI. See The Player Screen.
- Somewhere else — start the built-in web server and send them a link. See Remote Play.
Both show the same player-facing view. Your notes and hidden tokens stay on your device.
7. Save what you built
Section titled “7. Save what you built”Nothing needs saving by hand: maps and the tokens on them — positions, fog and drawings — are saved automatically as you go, and live in your current campaign.
Save Encounter is still there if you want a snapshot of the combatants and their token positions as a reusable encounter, but it is no longer the preferred way to keep your work.
Where to go next
Section titled “Where to go next”- How it works — the core concepts behind the app.
- The Library — searching, editing and creating content.
- Encounters & Combat — the full version of steps 3 and 4.
- Campaigns & Modules — organising your material.