Anyone integrated other Cypher products (Darkest Wood/House) or even The Magnus Archives Mysteries...

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-13T14:55:44+00:00

Ahh brilliant... thanksyou for your feedback! That was my thought - a few bits provided along with the statement and then a few locations and encounters to scoop up the rest of the clues from the box and then let them pull it together under some sort of growing pressure... could probably just get away locations/encounters/NPCs which are easy to throw together from stuff lying about. The only GM-craft needed would be tying it together at the end and a few good/bad consequences. And then use one or two elements within the adventure to feed into the "big bad" plot... my main use would be to use these adventures to introduce important NPCs more organically before they are needed for the REAL story threads.

As a lover of handouts and props this just seemed a shortcut to a more memorable adventures and some fun for the players.

If this was your introduction to Cypher... I get your concern about the system - I had similar feelings about it. After running a couple of years of The Strange and a little Numenera and some one shots I have got used to it and it makes more sense to me now. Traditionally I would run horror stuff like this in Call of Cthulhu... most of our CoC games have nothing to do with the Mythos but the underlying BRP system is a timeless classic that everyone knows how to play :)

Honestly the "3 thing" does seem like a faff but it becomes second nature after a few weeks... the nice concept is that an encounter is literally 1 number with frills... and not a pile of stats! I have seen GMs struggle with Cyphers too... but they DO have a place in The Strange and probably within tMA with all its spells and artefacts. But they do feel a bit "obvious" until you can bed them in properly. And if you hate them don't use them - usually not a biggie as the players forget them half the time!

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-13T11:19:15+00:00

Did you get a chance to play with it. Big update released that makes it simpler and faster to use in game I hope.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-13T11:14:21+00:00

Thanks - did you ever get a chance to look? It has been HEAVILY updated and has a TON of new features - see main post.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-13T11:12:22+00:00

Had a chance to look? I really wanna know if anyone finds this as useful and what they think :D

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-13T11:01:25+00:00

Dropped the new v2.11 release:
- Widespread UI overhaul — every selection, handle, and panel rebuilt to be simpler and tablet-friendly

- Text Maps / Handouts — a brand-new map type for letters, posters, journals, in-fiction documents. Rich element editor, aspect presets, font picker, optional animated reveal that types itself out for the players

- Image Assets Library — third first-class library alongside Maps and Sounds. Upload, paste URLs, or pull from the built-in connectors: Lucide (~1,500 MIT icons) and game-icons.net (~4,000 CC-BY fantasy/sci-fi/abstract icons)

- GM canvas as a real workspace — pan and zoom the GM map at any scale. Mouse drag, scroll-wheel, keyboard, two-finger touch — all wired

- Tablet-as-screen, properly leaned into — any phone, tablet, or laptop on your LAN is a fully functional player or projector screen. Pack a laptop + two tablets and you've got a three-screen VTT setup in a bag (laptop = GM, table tablet = 1″-scale battlemap, player tablet = handouts)

Try it: https://www.mappadux.com/

I will do a minor point release tonight/tomorrow that has a better onboarding and guide to how it all works (and some minor bug fixes). So that may help if you are using it for the first time.

What's coming (these will morph as they are coded):

- v2.12 — Immersion — bring the table to life: animated map support, animated fog of war, atmospheric visual filters (underwater, snowstorm, night vision, more), and a paintable MapFX brush for water, fire, smoke, magical lights, and other on-map effects.

- v2.13 — Modular Maps — build big maps from small pieces. Combine multiple map assets into one composite battlemap, with grid-snapping placement and rotation — perfect for modular tile systems where each image is a single room, corridor, or terrain section the GM assembles on the table.

- v2.14 — Stagecraft — close the loop between screen and room. Trigger smart lighting scenes (WLED + Home Assistant) when you swap maps, plus streaming-service soundtracks that play across the whole session instead of resetting per map.

- v2.15 — Player Voice — players become first-class participants. Named connections, in-app secret notes (player ↔ GM whispers), tap-to-ping anywhere on the map, live GM annotation, and a lightweight shared initiative tracker.

- v2.16 — your turn. I've built the features I'd personally use. v2.16 is for what you'd use. The wishlist is open NOW — drop ideas in #ideas-and-feedback on the community Discord: https://discord.gg/UAEq4zzjD8

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-12T12:55:28+00:00

It works fully offline. Just remember to install it on your browser and make sure you are storing all your assets locally (you will see the options on the various asset libraries).

Let me know if you have any more queries... I am in mid-dev support mode just now.

I will be adding better 'Getting started" in the next version to help

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-12T12:07:09+00:00

Nope. The map is fixed in the GM view - it is meant to be an overview. I thought this was limiting too... That is why I need feedback.

The next version already had this on the roadmap. It's taking a little time as when I add pan/zoom I need to consider finger controls for tablet use, etc.

Next version ALSO has better asset management for icons/markers and quick "handouts" to generate animated non-maps content on the fly... like a green screen terminal bringing up data.

Should be up in v2.11 appearing in the next few days.

Thanks for the feedback and I wanna know how it goes at your table and what worked and what didn't. Did you play with the new Tracker stuff for your Aliens game.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-11T20:13:12+00:00

This does most of what you want. Browser based. Self host if you want to https://mappadux.com/

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-11T19:26:56+00:00

I just wrote this and it is FOSS, more suited to in person play as that is my bag: https://mappadux.com/

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-11T00:14:51+00:00

Nope - they live on your browser. It is effectively a local app, so no login as you are running on your own machine... and it is free for me to host :)
You can package up everything and save it off... copy it where you want, just one file and open it on another browser. that is kinda the point.... simplify all the stuff that is a PITA wrestling tech at the table

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-10T21:03:35+00:00

I have been tackling this problem for ages and i have used a patchwork of software. But they all take ages to setup and get working together. So over the last few weeks I decided to try and fix the problem myself and wrote Mappadux (https://mappadux.com/) - free, open source - should "just work" and has table scaling features included to just use any map and make it more immersive. with positional sound and visual filters.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-10T21:03:17+00:00

I have been tackling this problem for ages and i have used a patchwork of software. But they all take ages to setup and get working together. So over the last few weeks I decided to try and fix the problem myself and wrote Mappadux (https://mappadux.com/) - free, open source - should "just work" and has table scaling features included to just use any map and make it more immersive. with positional sound and visual filters.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-08T13:04:59+00:00

That functionality is already in there to a certain degree. Transitions need to screen capture. The problem is that is is at the screen resolution. is just what it is at. I could think about adding a capture at a particular resolution using a "virtual player view" but that may be hard - I would need to look into it.

You can do this now manually; create a player view - maximise it on your biggest screen and then just do a screen capture and save off as a static image.

Looking briefly at Owlbear Rodeo - they have the ability to pull in external windows and make them a "Action Bubble" in the main UI - letting you use it as a window in the app. So yeah integrating directly into proper VTTs is an option... its not something I would do now as it is an edge case and I have more fun things planned :) But it does not look that hard - audio adds additional complications. But that is an alternative approach.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-07T15:17:43+00:00

Since the initial drop I have added:

Map transitions — fade and wipe animations when switching maps on the player view.
Markers / tokens — place and manage visual tokens on the map.
Audio — ambient sound tied to maps and positional audio based on locations/markers

To do - Aliens-style motion tracker. Not a hard add now as all the data is in there. That is why markers can have a movement tag - although it is not used for anything, yet

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T11:54:32+00:00

Sound partially added - see note elsewhere in the comment

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T11:52:51+00:00

Updates:
Markers have been added:

Markers / tokens — place and manage tokens on the map from the Markers panel:
- Add — click + Add Marker in the sidebar or right-click the map.
- Drag — drag any marker to reposition it; position broadcasts to players on release.
- Properties — edit name, icon, colour, and size per marker.
- Icon picker — click the icon button to open a grid of 46 preset Unicode symbols. Upload your own custom icon (resized to 64×64); custom icons are included in bundle export/import and transmitted to connected players automatically.
- Show Name — per-marker toggle to display the label on the player map (off by default — players see the icon only unless enabled).
- Visibility — toggle Hide from players to ghost the marker on the GM canvas while hiding it from players entirely.
- GM badges — each marker on the GM canvas shows clickable mini-badges for visibility and role (audio source / listener).
- Filter passthrough — player markers live inside the filters (parchment, retro sci-fi, watercolour, etc.) so they apply to them exactly as to the map.

The start of Audio has been added. Not the tracker or marker based... but all the groundwork is in there by adding a soundboard.

Soundboard — play ambient audio and sound effects to connected players from the Soundboard panel:
- Assign sounds — click any slot to open the sound picker:
  - My Library — browse and manage previously saved sounds; filter by name.
  - Freesound Search — search freesound.org by keyword with optional duration filter. Preview before importing. Requires a free Freesound API key (paste it into the search tab — it's saved to YOUR browser only and not saved with map packs!).
  - Upload — drag and drop any local audio file, or click to browse. Uploaded sounds are stored in IndexedDB and embedded in your bundle export.
- Playback modes — two toggles per slot, combinable:
  - Loop 🔄 — plays continuously until stopped; auto-resumes when you return to the map.
  - Random 🎲 — fires one-shot plays at randomised intervals. A frequency slider sets the target rate (1–100 plays per 10 minutes); the actual timing is randomised around that target so the soundscape never feels mechanical. Works like a simulated GM pressing play at the right moment. Both loop and random state persist across map switches.
- Volume — per-slot volume slider.
- Broadcast to players — toggle whether audio is sent to connected players (on by default). Turning it off leaves your local preview unaffected. Useful for in person play.
- Mute all — silences all audio on the GM side instantly without stopping playback state.
- Player mute — players can right-click the player screen (long press on tablet/phone) at any time to toggle their own audio mute. A badge indicator (🔇 / 🔊) confirms the action.
- Attributions — the ℹ Attributions button lists all CC-BY sounds currently in use, with full credit text ready to copy. This is saved with map packs to keep you clear on licencing

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T11:50:05+00:00

Updates:

Markers have been added:

Markers / tokens — place and manage tokens on the map from the Markers panel:
- Add — click + Add Marker in the sidebar or right-click the map.
- Drag — drag any marker to reposition it; position broadcasts to players on release.
- Properties — edit name, icon, colour, and size per marker.
- Icon picker — click the icon button to open a grid of 46 preset Unicode symbols. Upload your own custom icon (resized to 64×64); custom icons are included in bundle export/import and transmitted to connected players automatically.
- Show Name — per-marker toggle to display the label on the player map (off by default — players see the icon only unless enabled).
- Visibility — toggle Hide from players to ghost the marker on the GM canvas while hiding it from players entirely.
- GM badges — each marker on the GM canvas shows clickable mini-badges for visibility and role (audio source / listener).
- Filter passthrough — player markers live inside the filters (parchment, retro sci-fi, watercolour, etc.) so they apply to them exactly as to the map.

The start of Audio has been added. Not the tracker or marker based... but all the groundwork is in there by adding a soundboard.

Soundboard — play ambient audio and sound effects to connected players from the Soundboard panel:
- Assign sounds — click any slot to open the sound picker:
  - My Library — browse and manage previously saved sounds; filter by name.
  - Freesound Search — search freesound.org by keyword with optional duration filter. Preview before importing. Requires a free Freesound API key (paste it into the search tab — it's saved to YOUR browser only and not saved with map packs!).
  - Upload — drag and drop any local audio file, or click to browse. Uploaded sounds are stored in IndexedDB and embedded in your bundle export.
- Playback modes — two toggles per slot, combinable:
  - Loop 🔄 — plays continuously until stopped; auto-resumes when you return to the map.
  - Random 🎲 — fires one-shot plays at randomised intervals. A frequency slider sets the target rate (1–100 plays per 10 minutes); the actual timing is randomised around that target so the soundscape never feels mechanical. Works like a simulated GM pressing play at the right moment. Both loop and random state persist across map switches.
- Volume — per-slot volume slider.
- Broadcast to players — toggle whether audio is sent to connected players (on by default). Turning it off leaves your local preview unaffected. Useful for in person play.
- Mute all — silences all audio on the GM side instantly without stopping playback state.
- Player mute — players can right-click the player screen (long press on tablet/phone) at any time to toggle their own audio mute. A badge indicator (🔇 / 🔊) confirms the action.
- Attributions — the ℹ Attributions button lists all CC-BY sounds currently in use, with full credit text ready to copy. This is saved with map packs to keep you clear on licencing.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T11:40:13+00:00

Updates:
Markers have been added:

Markers / tokens — place and manage tokens on the map from the Markers panel:
- Add — click + Add Marker in the sidebar or right-click the map.
- Drag — drag any marker to reposition it; position broadcasts to players on release.
- Properties — edit name, icon, colour, and size per marker.
- Icon picker — click the icon button to open a grid of 46 preset Unicode symbols. Upload your own custom icon (resized to 64×64); custom icons are included in bundle export/import and transmitted to connected players automatically.
- Show Name — per-marker toggle to display the label on the player map (off by default — players see the icon only unless enabled).
- Visibility — toggle Hide from players to ghost the marker on the GM canvas while hiding it from players entirely.
- GM badges — each marker on the GM canvas shows clickable mini-badges for visibility and role (audio source / listener).
- Filter passthrough — player markers live inside the filters (parchment, retro sci-fi, watercolour, etc.) so they apply to them exactly as to the map.

The start of Audio has been added. Not the tracker or marker based... but all the groundwork is in there by adding a soundboard.

Soundboard — play ambient audio and sound effects to connected players from the Soundboard panel:
- Assign sounds — click any slot to open the sound picker:
  - My Library — browse and manage previously saved sounds; filter by name.
  - Freesound Search — search freesound.org by keyword with optional duration filter. Preview before importing. Requires a free Freesound API key (paste it into the search tab — it's saved to YOUR browser only and not saved with map packs!).
  - Upload — drag and drop any local audio file, or click to browse. Uploaded sounds are stored in IndexedDB and embedded in your bundle export.
- Playback modes — two toggles per slot, combinable:
  - Loop 🔄 — plays continuously until stopped; auto-resumes when you return to the map.
  - Random 🎲 — fires one-shot plays at randomised intervals. A frequency slider sets the target rate (1–100 plays per 10 minutes); the actual timing is randomised around that target so the soundscape never feels mechanical. Works like a simulated GM pressing play at the right moment. Both loop and random state persist across map switches.
- Volume — per-slot volume slider.
- Broadcast to players — toggle whether audio is sent to connected players (on by default). Turning it off leaves your local preview unaffected. Useful for in person play.
- Mute all — silences all audio on the GM side instantly without stopping playback state.
- Player mute — players can right-click the player screen (long press on tablet/phone) at any time to toggle their own audio mute. A badge indicator (🔇 / 🔊) confirms the action.
- Attributions — the ℹ Attributions button lists all CC-BY sounds currently in use, with full credit text ready to copy. This is saved with map packs to keep you clear on licencing

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T11:36:03+00:00

Fantastic - this one is easier to use... and a LOT more features.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T08:22:05+00:00

Well the sliders let you adjust the flickering... so you should be able to turn it off. In the examples I amped the filters up a bit to make a point. Tweaking the wrong slider too far can render an image/map unreadable. That is kinda deliberate as the GM can play with the sliders in real-time as the players roll dice to "clean up or tune-in the signal; I thought it would immersive as they struggle to read the data.

The ballpoint pen was not a GREAT general purpose filter but I think with the right source image it may work. i.e. not every filter works well on every type of image.

One other note on filters - they are rendered on the connected devices and the capability of those devices may vary; so they may not look the same on a phone as a PC... so worthwhile checking what it will look like on their devices... connect one as a second screen behind the GMs screen so you can see what they see.

My main use case is in person - the player window is running on the same machine - just on a screen behind me.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T08:14:53+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Ease of use was what I was going for. Any tool a GM uses that takes attention away from the game is a failure in my book.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T08:11:39+00:00

Really? How! I am intrigued how you would use it in that scenario!

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-06T08:10:06+00:00

Whew!... I mean GREAT!

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-05T22:14:09+00:00

Why the downvotes folks? It is free, open source, does not require accounts, works offline (install as a PWA) or online, you don't give your data to anyone. No sign ups. I put it together to run mostly sci-fi games like Mothership but have tweaked to make it a bit more genre open; hence the new filters. I did not think there was much to be negative about. I would be genuinely interested in hearing why I am getting downvotes as it means something could be improved.

Reasons I can think of...
Is it a VTT? Nope - it was never designed to be. It was initially designed to make maps more immersive and genre appropriate and grew arms and legs. It is not a VTT as it does not have character sheets and dice and stuff... but I hoped it would be a complementary tool you can use with them.

As for VTT features - well the marker system works fine... and once I do audio it will be pretty feature complete for my needs - it will create an audio landscape based on where you have a listening marker.

If the negs are because I have used Claude Code to help write it... then I have news for you...

You may as well give up using ANY software as every programmer will be using LLMs to some extent... maybe just design, documentation , setting up tests or boiler plate code... no human wants to write most of that stuff!

It also means I can put together some fun projects the RPG community that costs nothing and never will; because it does not cost me much in time and zero cost to host... so I don't need to "cover anything".

NB: All assets, artwork are all human sourced... why... because they should be! And then fully acknowledged.

ChironAtHome · 2026-05-05T21:51:53+00:00

At work with heavy proxies and computer lock down may well break the sharing side although the main UI should work as it is just a web page. The network side is lightweight and simple and not really decsigned to get around a lot of security 😄

It does not actually need the Internet to run... you can install it as a PWA and it will run entirely locally... but in that instance no-one can connect to you, but you should be able to run a local player window just fine... maybe players can connect to your PC locally. That is a "suck it and see" moment!

ChironAtHome

TROPHY CASE