Now that you've got that beautiful and intriguing map saved, ripe for exploration by a curious band of brave souls, its time to invite your friends and start a legendary adventure!
- Invite your Friends: ARcana defaults to displaying your Username and status in the upper left corner of the display. Above that you will see 3 dots. Click the middle dot or swipe left from your Username to reach the 'Friends' menu (middle button). If you want to invite a fellow ARcanist on a quest, search for them by Username using the search bar. When your friend appears below the search bar click the 3 dots to the right of their Username and photo and click "Add Friend" when it pops-up. When they confirm your invitation they will appear in the list below your Username.
- Start a Game with Friends: Now that your friends appear on your Friends menu, check that their status is "Online". Next to their Username and photo you will see 3 dots. Click them and click "Invite." When they accept they will join your game and you will see their status update to "Playing."
- Drop your Map: From the drop down menu on the upper right click the Cloud icon and review your saved maps. Click the one you want to play and the "Load" button. The map will load onto your tabletop. Go back to the drop down menu and make sure the Lock icon is set to the middle setting (unlocked) and the Mini icon is set to "Mini only Mode." Now your players can move their minis without distrubing your map!
- Connect in-App, over Zoom, on Discord etc: Choose your preferred means to connect and you are all set to start the adventure! To find a record of the action swipe left from your Username to go past the "Friends" menu to the "Journal" Dice rolls are recorded here.
Tools for the GM: Now you are ready to tell your story, take advantage of all the app has to offer! Some hints for the best performance before you start: have players set their mobile device auto-lock to "Never" and turn off Notifications. Now try some of these features to manage your adventure:
- Group Assets: You can group key assets together and you can move or duplicate them to rapidly build out your world.
- Fog of War: GMs now have the ability to hide or show groups of assets and characters until they want to reveal them. Taverns around the corner, dank dungeons below and that mysterious stairway can be hidden from players until it's time for the big reveal!
- Vertical Map Move: Move the map up and down for all of the players so you can be sure players are seeing the right level of the map their characters are on, whether deep underground or high up in a wizard's tower. Push the dungeon below the table and reveal it when you're ready.
- Lighting Control: GMs can control the mood by raising or lowering the lighting. Enter the cavern and lower the lighting so that only flickering torches light the way!
- Beacon Tool: Press and hold on the map to draw attention to "ping" a specific spot on the map and ensure the party doesn't miss it.
- Lock the map except for Mini movement: Click the 3 dots in the upper right and from the drop down menu click the mini figure until its highlighted. Now players can only move their mini and not your build!
To get the most out of your experience we recommend you watch the latest tutorials on getting started!
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