How it works

The app, your device, and sharing with your game master — in plain language.

The website and the app

RpgMeister has two parts:

  • This website — the manual. Game rules, character-building advice, sample heroes, this guide.
  • The app at /app/ — where you actually build characters, run campaigns, and roll dice.

You do not need an account. You do not need to register. Open the app and start.

The app runs in your browser

The app is a Progressive Web App (PWA). It loads once over the network and then runs locally in your browser. There is no central RpgMeister server keeping your data.

On most modern browsers you can install it to your home screen or desktop — your browser's menu usually offers Install or Add to Home Screen while you are on the app page. After installing, it opens like a normal app.

The first load needs an internet connection so the browser can cache the app. After that, the character and campaign screens work offline; the website (this manual) needs a connection.

Your data stays on your device

Characters and campaigns are stored in your browser's local storage. They do not leave your device unless you share them.

  • Same browser, same device: everything stays.
  • Different browser or different device: empty — your data is not there.
  • Clear browser data / uninstall the PWA: your saves are gone too. Export first.
  • Browser updates, private browsing, or storage pressure: local data can disappear without warning. Treat exports as your safety net.

Treat your browser like a paper character sheet: it belongs to one player on one device. Get in the habit of tapping Export all on the roster after you build heroes you care about, and paste the JSON somewhere outside the browser.

Sharing with your Game Master

The app exports your character (or your whole party) as JSON on your clipboard. From there, you pass it to your GM via whichever channel you both already use — email, SMS, WhatsApp, Discord, a shared note, whatever works. The app doesn't send anything for you.

The flow on the GM's side is the same in reverse: they copy the JSON out of your message and paste it into their app to import. They keep a reference copy of your character so they have your numbers to hand during play. The live record stays on your device — your app does the bookkeeping during the session, exactly like a paper character sheet that only you mark up.

  • Single character: in Player Character Roster, use the export button on the row. The character is copied to your clipboard as JSON. Paste it into the message app of your choice and send.
  • Whole roster (backup): in Player Character Roster, use Export all below the table. Every saved character is copied as one JSON bundle — ideal for device backups.
  • Whole party: in Player Campaigns, use the Export for GM button on the campaign. The full party (your characters and player name) is copied to your clipboard, ready to paste.
  • Importing a character or roster from your GM or another device: copy the JSON to your clipboard, then in Player Character Roster use Import (clipboard). If the same character already exists, the app asks before overwriting.

See Characters and Campaigns for the full step-by-step.

Moving a character between your own devices

The same export/import buttons on the Player Character Roster double as your way to carry characters between, say, a phone and a tablet. There is no cloud sync — you just send the JSON to yourself.

Moving the whole roster? Use Export all once on the source device instead of exporting each character row by row.

  1. On the source device, open Player Character Roster. For one character, tap Export on the row; for the full roster, tap Export all below the table. The JSON lands on that device's clipboard.
  2. Paste it somewhere the other device can read — a self-addressed email, a note in a synced notes app, a private chat to yourself, a temporary cloud file. Anything that survives the trip.
  3. On the target device, copy that JSON to the clipboard, open Player Character Roster, and use Import (clipboard) below the table. (The button is disabled while a character is active — finish or save your current one first.)
  4. If a character with the same key already exists on the target device, the app asks before overwriting. That's also how you'd update a character you already have on the second device — re-export from the source, paste, import, confirm overwrite.

One device is always the current "live" sheet. After a session, re-export from whichever device you played on and overwrite the other so they don't drift apart.

What you need from your GM

The app does not connect to your GM, so the things they share are the things they tell you:

  • The tone and setting of the campaign.
  • House rules or character-creation limits.
  • Whatever a session needs — maps, handouts, the recap, an NPC's name.

You do not log into the GM's tools. They do not log into yours. Sharing is a conscious step.

Known limitations

  • Mobile clipboard can occasionally need a tap-and-hold to actually paste.

What to do when something goes wrong — clipboard, saves, missing campaigns — lives on Troubleshooting.

Open the app

Open the RpgMeister app

New to the flow? Try the Quick start next.