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Quick Start

This guide gets a DM from login to a usable first session quickly.

Who This Is For​

  • new DMs
  • beta testers
  • anyone evaluating whether SDMT is simple enough for live use

Goal​

By the end of this guide, you can:

  • create or select a campaign
  • start a live session
  • open the map and initiative tools
  • feel oriented enough to run a first encounter

Estimated Time​

5 to 10 minutes

1. Sign In​

  1. Open SDMT.
  2. Choose Log In or Sign Up.
  3. Enter your credentials and continue.

2. Create or Select a Campaign​

  1. From campaign selection, open an existing campaign or create a new one.
  2. Keep the name simple and recognizable.
  3. Open the campaign when ready.

3. Choose DM Role​

  1. Select the DM role if you are running the session.
  2. Confirm you reach the main app view.

4. Create or Open a Session​

  1. Open the Sessions tab.
  2. Create a new session or select one that already exists.
  3. Start the session if you want players to join live.

5. Open the Core Tools​

For a first successful run, focus on only two tabs:

  1. Initiative
  2. Maps

That is enough to run a simple encounter without learning every system at once.

6. Load a Map​

  1. Open the Maps tab.
  2. Load an existing map, or upload one if needed.
  3. Confirm the grid and scale look correct.

7. Prepare the Encounter​

  1. Add or review initiative entries.
  2. Open the loaded map.
  3. Place or sync tokens.
  4. If desired, save the layout as an encounter preset for reuse.

Mid-Combat Add (Quick Tip)​

Need the fuller step-by-step version? See Run Your First Session.

If you need to add someone after combat has started:

  1. Go to Initiative.
  2. Use Add PC, Add All Active PCs, or Add NPC/Monster.
  3. If prompted for a slot on an active map, use 1 for top of order or N+1 for end of order.

Expected result:

  • turn tracking stays intact
  • only new tokens are added on active maps
  • existing tokens are preserved

8. Invite Players​

  1. Start the live session.
  2. Share the session code.
  3. Ask players to join and confirm they can see the correct session state.

First Success Checklist​

  • you can sign in
  • you can open a campaign
  • a live session is active
  • initiative is visible
  • a map is loaded
  • at least one player can join successfully

What To Learn Next​

Once this flow feels comfortable, move on to:

  • Run Your First Session
  • map and token visibility workflows
  • encounter preset reuse
  • session switching and multiplayer coordination