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-# gmtool
+# The Director
+
+An offline-first tablet app for running tabletop RPG sessions at conventions.
+
+Its permanent feature is the **Director Rail** — an always-on pacing co-pilot that keeps a
+hard-clocked slot on time — sitting above a pluggable shell that hosts any game system and any
+scenario. Built for face-to-face play: no server, no wifi, no install ceremony. Open it on the
+tablet and it works.
+
+> Working name "The Director". Repo `gmtool`. First deployment: Continuum 2026 — but built as a
+> reusable product for any convention, not one con's materials.
+
+## Status
+
+**Slice 1 — complete.** Proven end-to-end against the AFTERIMAGE pilot scenario:
+
+- **`<gm-shell>`** — root: owns the session clock, scenario, beat stamps, and persistence.
+- **Director Rail** — session clock, "you are here" vs target with a live **drift** badge, next
+  hard trigger countdown, and one-tap **"Reached it"** stamping (no mental arithmetic mid-scene).
+- **Dice engine** — one seedable core (any die: d4–d100, dF, pools, modifiers) plus pluggable
+  **system rule-packs** that interpret a roll. Ships with **Year-Zero** (6–9 = success, 10+ = two).
+- **Scenario data model** — one structured file per scenario; the source of truth (see below).
+- **Persistence** — namespaced `localStorage` with JSON export/import for backup and device swap.
+- **Installable PWA** — a service worker precaches the shell so it launches offline.
+
+Deferred to later slices: NPC generator, art generator, the rest of the tray tools, more
+rule-packs and scenarios, and the clue safety-net. See the roadmap below.
+
+## Quick start
+
+```bash
+npm install
+npm run dev       # local dev server
+npm test          # Vitest suite (jsdom)
+npm run build     # static production build → dist/
+npm run preview   # serve the production build
+```
+
+Requires Node ≥ 18. No runtime framework — the only dependencies are dev tools (Vite, Vitest, jsdom).
+
+## Architecture
+
+Vanilla ES modules and **Web Components** (light DOM) over a thin core of pure, deterministic
+logic. All testable logic lives in `src/core` and `src/dice` and takes an injected `now` (ms) or
+`rng` (`() => [0,1)`) — no `Date.now()` / `Math.random()` inside — so tests are fully deterministic.
+Components are dumb renderers that emit events; the shell wires them together.
+
+| Unit | Responsibility |
+|---|---|
+| `src/core/store.js` | Namespaced `localStorage` (`gmd.<namespace>.<key>`) + export/import |
+| `src/core/clock.js` | Pure session clock: start / pause / resume / elapsed |
+| `src/core/timeline.js` | Drift + next-hard-trigger analysis from the scenario timeline |
+| `src/core/scenario.js` | Scenario validator |
+| `src/core/format.js` | Elapsed + drift display formatting |
+| `src/dice/roller.js` | Seedable dice core (pools, modifiers) |
+| `src/dice/rulepacks/` | System interpreters (`year-zero.js`) + registry |
+| `src/components/director-rail.js` | `<director-rail>` — the always-on pacing bar |
+| `src/components/dice-tray.js` | `<dice-tray>` — die picker + roll + verdict |
+| `src/components/gm-shell.js` | `<gm-shell>` — root wiring + persistence |
+| `src/scenarios/` | Scenario data files (`afterimage.js`) |
+| `public/` | `manifest.webmanifest`, `sw.js` (offline service worker) |
+
+## Scenario data model
+
+A scenario is one JS module — the single source of truth the Rail reads. The timeline is authored
+in **relative minutes from Start** (con slots begin late; relative timing keeps drift honest).
+
+```js
+export default {
+  meta: { id: 'afterimage', title: 'AFTERIMAGE', system: 'year-zero', players: 4, playMinutes: 210, slot: 'Fri · Slot 2' },
+  timeline: [
+    // targetMin = minutes after the GM taps Start
+    { id: 'a1-open',    label: 'The pier — the case lands', targetMin: 0,   hardTrigger: true },
+    { id: 'a1-parlor',  label: 'Parlor 88 interview',       targetMin: 35,  cutHint: 'Summarise the ledger; skip the tea ritual' },
+    { id: 'a2-doorcam', label: 'Door-cam reveal',           targetMin: 120, hardTrigger: true },
+    // …
+  ],
+  clues: [], cast: [], props: [],   // reserved for later slices
+}
+```
+
+`meta.system` selects the dice rule-pack. `hardTrigger` marks immovable beats; `cutHint` is what to
+compress if you reach a beat behind schedule.
+
+## Roadmap
+
+1. **Slice 1** — shell + Director Rail + data model + dice engine (Year-Zero). ✅
+2. **Slice 2** — NPC generator (offline genre tables) + art generator (offline pencil-art library).
+3. **Slice 3** — more rule-packs + the remaining convention scenarios.
+4. **Slice 4** — the clue **safety-net** (essential-clue gap tracker + fallbacks).
+5. **Slice 5** — the convention **hub** (all slots, live "up next / live now").
+6. **Later** — markdown → scenario-data generator; native iPad wrapper.
+
+## Docs
+
+- Design: [`docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-20-gm-director-design.md`](docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-20-gm-director-design.md)
+- Slice 1 plan: [`docs/superpowers/plans/2026-07-20-director-slice1.md`](docs/superpowers/plans/2026-07-20-director-slice1.md)
+
+---
+
+*Personal convention-play tooling. System rule-references paraphrase their respective rulebooks for
+private table use.*