Public beta · Building with our players

A second screen for Dungeon Masters who want to keep the magic at the table.

Tableward is a live companion tool for tabletop RPGs. Show your players the map, the monsters, and the moment — while you stay in control behind the screen.

No credit card. Free during beta. Cancel by closing the tab.

A DM's setup: laptop showing a dungeon master interface, tablet showing the synced player map, dice and notebook on a warm wooden table
— Our philosophy —
"Tabletop RPGs are about people sitting around a table — or a Discord call — telling a story together. We don't want to replace any of that. We want to take the boring parts off the DM's plate so the good stuff has more room to breathe."
Built by DMs, for DMs
How DMs use it

Three tables, one tool.

Whether your party gathers in a living room or across timezones, the setup is the same: you stay behind the screen, they see the world.

At the table · with a TV

Laptop in your lap, map on the wall.

You run the session from your laptop. The TV mirrors the player view — the map, the tokens, the fog peeling back as the party walks into the room. You keep the DM panel; they get the show.

At the table · second screen

No projector? A tablet does the trick.

Your laptop is the DM panel. A tablet in the middle of the table — or a second monitor turned toward the players — shows the live player view. The two stay perfectly in sync.

Fully online

Discord, Zoom, anywhere.

Share the player link with everyone. They open it in a browser — no account, no install. As you reveal map sections, place tokens, or zoom into a creature's portrait, they see it live.

What you get in the beta

Everything you need for next Tuesday's session.

Only what's live in the app today. The workbench section below covers what's still being shaped.

Sessions & Campaigns

  • A personal dashboard with all your campaigns
  • Run multiple parties or settings side by side
  • Each session has its own player join link — share once, your party uses it every week

Battle Mode

  • Initiative tracker — roll, sort, reorder, jump turns
  • Track HP, conditions, and status per token
  • Quick-adjust health on the fly (damage, healing, temp HP)
  • Group enemies (Goblin × 6) and manage them as a unit

Maps

  • Drop in any image — a hand-drawn dungeon, a Photoshop map, a screenshot
  • Rotate, crop, and calibrate a grid right in the browser
  • Fog of war — reveal areas with a click, hide them when the party leaves
  • Adjustable grid color and opacity to match the art

Character & Creature Tokens

  • Upload portraits for player characters and NPCs
  • Place tokens on the map and drag them around live
  • Personal token library — reuse your favorites across sessions
  • Auto-match tokens to grid scale

Live Player View

  • One link, no account required for players
  • Anything you publish appears instantly on their screen
  • Works on phones, tablets, laptops, TVs, projectors

Built for the way DMs work

  • Private staging area — set things up without spoiling
  • One-click publish when you're ready to show the room
  • Keyboard shortcuts for the things you do most
On the workbench

What we're shaping next.

The beta is free during this phase. AI features are limited per week so we can keep the lights on while we build. We'll be honest about what's stable and what's still being shaped.

  • AI-generated character & creature tokens

    Describe a monster, get a portrait. Goodbye, googling for art mid-session.

    Early access
  • AI-generated map objects

    Drop a chest, a torch, a stone circle — conjured straight from a prompt.

    Early access
  • Session intros & recaps

    A cinematic opener for your players. A written recap after the game.

    In development
  • Atmospheric lighting & ambient sound

    A red flicker for fire. A thunderclap on cue. A music shift when combat starts.

    Concept
  • Scene presets

    Save a whole atmosphere — music, light, sound — and switch with one click.

    Concept
Who it's for

You'll recognize yourself here.

For first-time DMs

You shouldn't need a degree in software to run your first game. Tableward gives you a single place to keep your maps, your monsters, and your player view. The interface stays out of your way so you can stay in the story.

For experienced DMs

You've already got your prep workflow. We slot into it — bring your own maps, your own art, your own tokens. We just make the night smoother: live sync to the player screen, an initiative tracker that doesn't fight you, fog of war that actually feels good to use.

For players (yes, you)

You don't need an account. Your DM sends a link, you click it, you see the map. Phone, tablet, TV — anywhere. Especially helpful if you're new to the hobby: the visuals make the world easier to picture, and combat much easier to follow.

Pricing

Free during beta.

Tableward is free while we're in beta. There are fair-use limits — generous enough for a weekly campaign, tight enough that no single user can run up our hosting bill. When we leave beta, we'll introduce a paid tier for heavy users and AI features. Anyone who joined during beta gets a free month on us as a thank-you.

Join the beta — it's free
FAQ

Questions DMs actually ask.

Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in any modern browser.
Do my players need an account?
No. You share a link, they open it.
What game systems does it work with?
Anything that uses a grid map, tokens, and initiative. D&D 5e, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, homebrew — you name it.
Can I use my own maps and tokens?
Yes. Bring your own art. We don't lock you into our library.
Does it work offline?
No — it's a live cloud tool. If your table doesn't have wifi, we're not the right fit.
What's the AI for?
Optional shortcuts. If you don't have a portrait for the monster you just dropped in, the AI can make one. Everything else is yours.
Is my data private?
Your campaigns, sessions, and uploaded art are yours. Player join links are unguessable. We don't sell anything.
What happens when beta ends?
Free tier stays. Paid tier unlocks higher limits and AI features. Beta members get a free month.
Join the beta

Ready to run a smoother session?

Drop your email. We'll send you a link to the beta and the occasional honest note about what we're building. Questions? beta@tableward.app

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