A web-based application designed to help Dungeon Masters (DMs) manage and display combat initiative for tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). It features a DM admin interface for controlling encounters and a separate player display view suitable for an external monitor.

Have you tried it? Got feedback or questions? Discuss here: https://discourse.draft13.com/c/ttrpg-initiative-tracker/16

Features

Campaign Management:
- Create campaigns to organize game sessions.
- Option to set a custom background image URL for the player display on a per-campaign basis.
- Campaign cards display the number of characters and encounters.
Character Management:
- Add and manage characters (player characters) within each campaign.
- Set default Max HP and default Initiative Modifier for each campaign character.
Encounter Management:
- Create multiple encounters per campaign.
- Add characters from the campaign roster (with auto-rolled initiative based on their modifier and HP pre-filled from campaign defaults) or add custom monsters.
- Monsters have an editable default initiative modifier (pre-filled at +2) and can be marked as NPCs.
- "Add All Campaign Characters" button for quickly populating encounters with initiative rolls.
- DM controls to start, pause/resume, advance turns, and end encounters.
- Visual feedback for rolled initiative when adding individual participants.
Player Display:
- A clean interface showing the current initiative order, participant HP (monster HP totals are hidden, only the bar is shown), and current turn.
- NPCs (monster-type) are visually distinct from hostile monsters.
- Displays custom campaign background if set.
- Shows a "Game Session Paused" message when no encounter is active or if the current encounter is paused by the DM.
- Player display is opened in a separate window via a button in the DM's header.
Real-time Updates: Uses Firebase Firestore for real-time synchronization between DM actions and the player display.
Initiative Tie-Breaking: DMs can drag-and-drop participants with tied initiative scores (before an encounter starts or while paused) to set a manual order.
Responsive Design: Styled with Tailwind CSS.
Confirmation Modals: Implemented for destructive actions like deleting campaigns, characters, encounters, or ending combat.

Tech Stack

Frontend: React
Styling: Tailwind CSS
Backend/Database: Firebase Firestore (for real-time data)
Authentication: Firebase Anonymous Authentication

App Usage Overview

The TTRPG Initiative Tracker is designed for Dungeon Masters to manage combat encounters and display the initiative order to players. Here's a typical workflow:

Admin Interface (DM's View):
- Create a Campaign: Start by creating a new campaign. You can optionally provide a URL for a custom background image that will be shown on the Player Display for this campaign. Campaign cards will show a preview of this background.
- Add Characters: Within a campaign, add your player characters. For each, set their name, default maximum HP, and a default initiative modifier. This section is collapsible to save screen space.
- Create Encounters: For each combat scenario, create an encounter within the selected campaign.
- Manage Participants:
  - Add characters from your campaign roster. Their Max HP will pre-fill from their campaign default, and their initiative will be automatically rolled (d20 + their default modifier).
  - Add monsters. Provide a name, Max HP, and an initiative modifier (defaults to +2 but is editable). Mark if the monster is an "NPC" for different styling. Their initiative will be automatically rolled (d20 + specified modifier).
  - Use the "Add All From Campaign (Roll Init)" button to quickly add all campaign characters not yet in the encounter, with their initiative rolled and HP set from defaults.
  - If there are ties in initiative, you can drag and drop participants (before starting the encounter or while it's paused) to set a specific tie-breaker order.
- Control Player Display:
  - Click the "Open Player Window" button in the header to launch a separate, clean window for your players (ideal for an external monitor). This window's content is controlled by the DM.
  - Use the "eyeball" icon next to an encounter to toggle it as "LIVE ON PLAYER DISPLAY". This controls what is shown on the Player Display window. Only one encounter can be live at a time.
- Run Combat:
  - Once participants are added and initiative is set, click "Start Encounter". This also automatically makes the encounter live on the Player Display.
  - Use the "Pause" button to temporarily halt combat. While paused, you can adjust HP and re-order tied initiatives. Click "Resume" to continue.
  - Use the "Next Turn" button (disabled when paused) to advance through the initiative order. The current combatant will be highlighted.
  - Apply damage or healing to participants directly in the Admin View.
  - Mark participants as inactive (e.g., if knocked out) using the toggle next to their name.
  - Click "End Encounter" (with confirmation) when combat is over. This also deactivates it from the Player Display.
Player Display Window:
- This window (opened by the DM via /?playerView=true URL) shows a simplified, header-less view of the active encounter.
- It displays the initiative order, current turn, round number, and participant HP (monster/NPC HP values are hidden, only the bar is shown).
- NPCs are styled with a muted gray background, distinct from hostile monsters (custom reddish-brown) and player characters (blueish).
- If a custom background URL was set for the campaign, it will be displayed.
- If no encounter is active on the Player Display, or if the current encounter is paused by the DM, it will show an appropriate message ("Game Session Paused" or "Combat Paused").

This flow allows the DM to prepare and run encounters efficiently while providing a clear, real-time view for the players.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Node.js and npm: Ensure you have Node.js (which includes npm) installed. You can download it from nodejs.org.
Firebase Project: You'll need a Firebase project with:
- Firestore Database created and initialized.
- Anonymous Authentication enabled in the "Authentication" > "Sign-in method" tab.
Git: For cloning the repository.

Local Development Setup (using npm)

Clone the Repository:

git clone https://code.draft13.com/robert/ttrpg-initiative-tracker
cd ttrpg-initiative-tracker

Create Firebase Configuration File (.env.local):
- In the root of the project, create a file named .env.local.
- Add your Firebase project configuration details to this file. You can find these in your Firebase project settings (Project settings > General > Your apps > Firebase SDK snippet > Config).
- Important: This .env.local file contains sensitive API keys and should NOT be committed to Git. Make sure it's listed in your .gitignore file.
Your .env.local should look like this:
```
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_API_KEY="YOUR_FIREBASE_API_KEY"
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN="YOUR_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN"
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID="YOUR_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID"
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET="YOUR_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET"
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID="YOUR_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID"
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_APP_ID="YOUR_FIREBASE_APP_ID"

# Used for namespacing Firestore paths, can be any unique string for your app instance
REACT_APP_TRACKER_APP_ID="ttrpg-initiative-tracker-dev"
```
An .env.example file is included in the repository as a template.
Install Dependencies: Navigate to the project root in your terminal and run:
```
npm install
```
This will install all the necessary packages defined in package.json and create a package-lock.json file.
Set up Firestore Security Rules:
- Go to your Firebase project console -> Firestore Database -> Rules.
- Use the following rules for development (allows authenticated users to read/write all data). For production, you MUST implement more restrictive rules.
```
rules_version = '2';
service cloud.firestore {
  match /databases/{database}/documents {
    match /{document=**} {
      allow read, write: if request.auth != null;
    }
  }
}
```
- Publish these rules.
Run the Development Server:
```
npm start
```
This will start the React development server, usually on http://localhost:3000. The application will open in your default web browser.

Deployment with Docker

This project includes a Dockerfile to containerize the application for deployment. It uses a multi-stage build:

Stage 1 (build): Installs dependencies, copies your .env.local (for local testing builds), and builds the static React application using npm run build.
Stage 2 (nginx): Uses an Nginx server to serve the static files produced in the build stage.

Prerequisites for Docker:
- Ensure Docker Desktop (or Docker Engine on Linux) is installed and running. Download from docker.com.
Building the Docker Image (for Local Testing with .env.local):
- Make sure your .env.local file is present in the project root and correctly configured with your Firebase details. The Dockerfile is set up to copy this file as .env during the build for local testing.
- Security Warning: The image built this way will contain your Firebase API keys from .env.local. Do NOT push this specific image to a public Docker registry. For production, environment variables should be injected by your hosting platform or CI/CD pipeline at build or runtime.
To build the image, navigate to the project root and run:
```
docker build -t ttrpg-initiative-tracker .
```
(You can replace ttrpg-initiative-tracker with your preferred image name/tag).
Running the Docker Container Locally: Once the image is built, run it:
```
docker run -p 8080:80 --rm --name ttrpg-tracker-app ttrpg-initiative-tracker
```
- -p 8080:80: Maps port 8080 on your host machine to port 80 inside the container (where Nginx is listening).
- --rm: Automatically removes the container when it stops.
- --name ttrpg-tracker-app: Assigns a name to the running container.
- ttrpg-initiative-tracker: The name of the image you built.
You can then access the application at http://localhost:8080.
Production Deployment Considerations:
- When deploying to a production environment (e.g., a cloud provider, your own server), you should not copy your .env.local file into the Docker image.
- Instead, configure the REACT_APP_FIREBASE_... environment variables directly in your hosting platform's settings or pass them to the Docker container at runtime (if your application is set up to read them at runtime, though Create React App bakes them in at build time).
- If your CI/CD pipeline builds the Docker image, ensure these environment variables are securely provided to the build environment.
- Implement strict Firebase Security Rules appropriate for a production application to protect your data.

Project Structure

ttrpg-initiative-tracker/
├── .dockerignore        # Specifies intentionally untracked files that Docker should ignore
├── .env.example         # Example environment variables
├── .env.local           # Local environment variables (ignored by Git)
├── .gitignore           # Specifies intentionally untracked files that Git should ignore
├── Dockerfile           # Instructions to build the Docker image
├── package-lock.json    # Records exact versions of dependencies
├── package.json         # Project metadata and dependencies
├── postcss.config.js    # PostCSS configuration (for Tailwind CSS)
├── tailwind.config.js   # Tailwind CSS configuration
├── public/              # Static assets
│   ├── favicon.ico
│   ├── index.html       # Main HTML template
│   └── manifest.json
└── src/                 # React application source code
├── App.js           # Main application component
├── index.css        # Global styles (including Tailwind directives)
└── index.js         # React entry point

Contributing

If you want to contribute, send me a message here: https://discourse.draft13.com/c/ttrpg-initiative-tracker/16, and I can add to this Gitea instance and you can feel free to fork the repository and submit pull requests. For major changes, please pose a topic to the Discourse instance above linked above first to discuss what you would like to change.

Releases 2

v0.2 Latest

2025-05-28 12:32:30 -04:00

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