Hello All!

Beta 5 is live at long last, and with it the first desktop builds of Dungeon Reader for Windows, macOS and Linux.

The desktop app takes the project's goals even further, distancing the ever-present distraction of the web itself! There's no browser involved, it runs offline, and it lets us open several documents in the one context.

What's new

🖥 Desktop app (beta). The most requested thing since launch (going back to @BettyBoopdaboop's very first comment) and a fun mission that's introduced me to Tauri and the whole world of web app wrapping. It's pay what you want: download it free, or chip in if it earns a place at your table.

📑 Tabs (desktop only). Keep the module, maps and rulebook open together. Thanks to @jbuhrig here and @Dingo on Discord for making the case!

📜 Sample module (web). New visitors can now open Tomb of the Serpent Kings by Skerples straight from the welcome screen, annotated as a short tour of the basics. If you're already a user, you probs won't see this option because it will default to the last document opened. I've added the annotation file to the Marginalia Library on the Discord server (with a link to the module) if you're interested.

🖋 Flyleaf. A new journal feature in marginalia. This caused a small existential crisis, because Dungeon Reader is a 'Reader' - not a note-taking tool - but there has to be somewhere to jot down brief session notes and whatever else (or we still need a separate note-taking tool!). The minimal solution was the same used by readers over the centuries: write on the flyleaf! (The flyleaf is the blank page at the front or back of a book, traditionally where people jotted names, notes and reminders.)

🛠 Smoother. Long-overdue rendering fixes - now noticeably smoother scrolling, especially on older machines. Search has also moved into a tidier sub-header.

Installing the desktop app

The builds aren't code-signed yet, so Windows and macOS will warn you the first time you open them. Annoying, I know. There are short notes for each system on the main page. If anything goes wrong, tell me in the comments or in #bug-reports on Discord.

The Marginalia Library

The Discord Server has a forum for sharing annotation files: prep notes, conversions and guided reading paths for the modules you run. No PDFs, just the notes. Come and share yours!

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This is the first desktop release, so I'd love to hear from anyone who tries it. A quick comment is all I need:

• Your system: Windows, macOS (Intel or Apple Silicon) or Linux, and which version.
• Installing: did the security warning and the install notes make sense, or did you get stuck?
• Tabs: how does it feel with a couple of big PDFs open, like a module and a rulebook?
• Anything missing or broken compared with the web version.

Drop it in the comments here or in #bug-reports on Discord. And if Dungeon Reader has earned it, a rating on itch helps other GMs find it.

Cheers All!

– Sebastian