[FEATURE] Local game "wake" screens / info token display

[tdhsmith]

What problem are you trying to solve?

Running the local game mode on a tablet goes a long way toward replacing the needs of the grim in-game†, but one sticking point I would really like to address is integrating the info tokens in the app, as it is one of the only things that can require many varied components mid-game.

Ideally this can simply leverage all of the existing "wake" interface behavior from remote games, simply repackaged?

Describe the solution you'd like

When in local mode, during the night phase, the "Wake" option should be relabeled something like "Display Info Screen", and behave as follows:

• Instead of sending the information to the other player, it should display directly on the storyteller's screen so that it can be displayed in person.
• Since it is being revealed to a player, this information screen should have opaque background, or otherwise hide all secret information from the UI.
• The button to close the screen should have some sort of confirmation step or misclick prevention to avoid the ST accidentally dismissing it and revealing the grim to a player.

Alternatives you have considered

Using the physical tokens, using a different app (Pocket Grimoire) or website to show messages and character names.

Comments

Debated whether this was a bug as I don't believe the wake screen can ever send a message in local mode. If this suggestion isn't to be implemented, I think it would be less confusing if the "wake" option itself was disabled.

[tdhsmith]

† Why should running the game locally from a tablet be an important use-case? Well, in short, it's really great! It makes the game more portable, and able to be played in smaller and more dynamic spaces where the grim is likely to be disrupted or too easily seen. It also is a great all-in-one reference tool that empowers STs to find information more quickly and run scripts that are more complex or less familiar to them. Lastly it's capable of some helpful things wouldn't be feasible with physical components such as ad-hoc reminders and player nameplates.

[bra1n]

Hey there, this is something that is on the roadmap further down the line already. We have plans to improve the "local play" mode in a way that would allow users to run IRL games with it, too!

[MyMindWorld]

I recently subscribed to the Patreon to use the app for running custom scripts via Local Play mode, but I was disappointed to find that the app isn't sufficient for this purpose, and I need to rely on external tools.

Here are a few suggestions that I think would significantly improve the experience, aside from info tokens:

1. Tracking nominations and votes
   A simple way to track nominations and votes by pressing the spacebar as an ST would be incredibly helpful.

2. Public townsquare link
   A public link to the townsquare (without requiring registration) would be great. It could include basic details like names, alive tokens, role counts, day number, etc., for easier sharing with players.

3. Notes for ST
   A dedicated text area for ST notes would be very useful, as the custom reminders for games with roles like Wizard don’t feel sufficient for detailed note-taking.

4. Custom townsquare layouts
   Rooms are rarely perfectly round, and being able to create a square/rectangular layout with custom spacing—similar to how we arrange the real townsquare board—would be incredibly convenient.

[bra1n]

Hey @MyMindWorld, thanks for your feedback! A few comments:

1. I'm not sure this will ever become a feature. As it is, you can already mark who is on the block and, if you really need to, update the current vote highscore. Going beyond that would be going outside of the scope of the game, too, as this is something that the Storyteller can and should be able to keep in their head when running a game, just like with a physical Grimoire.
2. That's already on the roadmap, but will take some time. So don't expect anything like this soon. :-)
3. This is also outside of the scope of this app. If you want to keep freeform notes, I'd suggest simply using a secondary app for that, which will always be better suited than any similar feature in our app.
4. We generally need to figure out a way to represent the player circle on smaller screens, but for the purpose of the game rules, you can and should always be able to list your players in a circle format. Sure, in reality they might be sitting more in a square shape, for example, but that shouldn't prevent you from running a game with the app. The downside to free form placement (which it seems like you're asking for) is, that you then have to manually move every play to their position and end up with overlapping / terribly spaced UI elements.