Custom campaigns

Tavernbard speaks all major tabletop systems out of the box, but it is not married to any of them. Campaign modules and table directives let your game master run any world you can write down: a starship crew, a haunted city, a ruleset of your own invention.

The two building blocks

Campaign modules

A module is a named reference document stored inside the campaign: a setting bible, a set of custom classes, gear tables, an adventure arc, house rules. The game master fetches modules by name whenever it needs them, and because they live server-side they survive context resets and ride along in every checkpoint and recap. Restore a save point from three weeks ago and the game master still knows your homebrew classes.

Table directives

A directive is a standing instruction for how the table runs: "keep descriptions cinematic", "no character death without a vote", "combat should be fast and deadly". Directives are stored with the campaign and re-fed to the game master every session.

Setting one up

Write your world as a folder of Markdown documents. A sci-fi example:

starfall-campaign/
  setting.md        the sector, factions, and tone
  classes.md        pilot, envoy, wrench, void-touched
  gear.md           weapons, ships, cybernetics, credits
  arc.md            the story you want to tell

Copy the folder into your host directory (where /tavernbard:host runs), then ask the game master at the table:

@Tavernbard load the starfall-campaign module

The game master reads the folder and saves each document as a campaign module. From then on the folder is irrelevant; the campaign record is the source of truth. New mechanics get real teeth too: custom damage types, resource pools (fuel, credits, heat), abilities with costs, and leveling rules all run through the same honest engine as everything else.

Refining the world as you play

Modules can be updated or replaced mid-campaign by asking the game master; the new version is stored under the same name. Directives can be added or dropped at any time: tell the game master once and it is remembered for good.

Limits

• Up to 20 modules per campaign.
• Up to 500,000 characters of module content per campaign in total; replacing a module frees its old size first.

That is roughly a few novels' worth of world; if you hit it, fold smaller documents together.

Where to go next

New to Tavernbard? Start with the setup guide. Curious what the engine tracks for you? See everything your game master can do.