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