Skip to content
DiscordDE

Ways to chip in

The Taleward software is free and open. Development takes time, hosting and tools cost money. If you enjoy using Taleward, you are welcome to chip in.

These links go to external providers, whose privacy policies apply there. This page loads nothing from them until you click.

Taleward
  1. 1Who knows what
  2. 2How an evening goes
  3. 3For game masters
  4. 4Your character
  5. 5Your data
  6. 6Getting started
  7. 7Get involved

Your table's story,kept safe.

Taleward records your tabletop RPG session, turns it into a recap to read aloud and remembers who knows what.

Where are you starting from?

  • I’m a player

    All you need is your game master’s invitation, as a link or QR code. It takes you on in the browser or in the Android app.

    Open in your browser

  • I run a game

    To record at the table, use the Android app; long recordings on a phone only work there. You also need a Taleward server: your own, easiest with Taleward for Windows, or our community server.

    Get it on Google PlayOr as an APK fileYour own serverCommunity server

    Checksum (SHA-256) of taleward-0.37.0.apk2123e357579a71f328a1990d37981740bc15d44b0c2c88a9a72a750e18b963fa

    Check on Windows: Get-FileHash taleward-0.37.0.apk, on Linux: sha256sum taleward-0.37.0.apk

  • I’m setting up the server

    For a club, game store, Discord community or your own table: as a Windows program, as a box or on a server of your own.

    Run it on your own server

Just looking? A made-up campaign is waiting in the browser, no server needed. Try it without a server

  • Developed in Europe
  • Open source
  • Free for players
From the app: chronicle, chapter 8.

From the table to the recap

You play. Taleward takes notes.

First what was said at the table, then what made it into the recap. The recap is meant to be read aloud, ideally before the next session.

Said at the tableFrom the transcript, which only the game master sees
  1. AnjaAs you grab the bag, one of the front planks lifts, and a woman crawls out from underneath.
  2. SinaI drop the bag in shock. Who are you?
  3. TomHang on, Tavin stands up. That was the knocking. During the crossing I heard knocking three times and didn’t say anything.
  4. LeaAnd you’re telling us now?
  5. TomTavin thought it was a fish. A very polite fish.
  6. AnjaOren Sild sits up and grumbles: She paid. More than one copper coin.

Chapter 8

Beneath the Front Planks

The Quiet Waters · played on 3 October

The morning after the crossing, Oren’s ferry was still tied up at the landing, and the fog was thick. Juna went back on board to fetch her mail bag. Then one of the front planks lifted and a woman crawled out from underneath. Tavin said that during the crossing he had heard knocking beneath the planks three times and had said nothing.

The woman gave her name as Iria Sehl. She said she had been an archivist in Hohenwacht and had fled from the town council. Oren said she had paid for the crossing, more than one copper coin.

The fish stays at the table. Names the transcript mishears, like “Oren Sild”, come out right in the recap because the bible knows them. The scene is made up.

Who knows what

One scene. Different knowledge.

Mara and Tavin stand aboard the same ferry and afterwards read the same recap. What each character noticed on their own is kept in the campaign bible, just for them. And what only the game master knows stays sealed.

This scene is fictional. You can explore all three perspectives here.

What Mara knows

Mara Venn, Scout. The last ferry at Grauwehr

PublicRecap for everyone

At Grauwehr, Oren Silt took us across the river. One copper coin each, and the lantern out. On the far bank, the road to Hohenwacht disappeared into the mist. Why the ferryman wanted so little light remained an open question.

In Mara’s bibleHidden from Tavin

The archive’s signet ring

As Mara paid, a silver ring caught the light on Oren Silt’s hand. The split tower on its face is the mark of the Hohenwacht archive. Oren pulled his sleeve over it.

What Tavin knows

Tavin Rook, Wandering scribe. The last ferry at Grauwehr

PublicRecap for everyone

At Grauwehr, Oren Silt took us across the river. One copper coin each, and the lantern out. On the far bank, the road to Hohenwacht disappeared into the mist. Why the ferryman wanted so little light remained an open question.

In Tavin’s bibleHidden from Mara

Knocking beneath the planks

While Mara paid, three knocks came from beneath the ferry’s forward planks. After they cast off, the knocking came again, in the same rhythm.

What the game master knows

The last ferry at Grauwehr

Everyone reads the same recap. In the bible, the signet ring appears only for Mara, the knocking only for Tavin. Neither has shared their clue with the other yet.

GM only

One more passenger

Iria Sehl, an archivist from Hohenwacht, is hiding beneath the forward planks. Oren is taking her across in secret. He wears her ring as security for the passage.

GM only

Three knocks, no answer

The knocking is an agreed signal. Iria wants to know whether the guards on the bank have gone. That is why the lantern must stay out. She is not being held prisoner.

GM only

The story beneath it all

Iria carries copies of records showing altered village boundaries. She does not yet know who benefits. If the group returns to the ferry, Oren will have to decide whom to trust.

Open thread: “Which lead will the group follow first?”

The game master checks every recap before anyone else sees it.

If a secret comes out at the table, Taleward suggests revealing it after the session. The GM decides.

Players can suggest things too

If Lea knows something that belongs in the bible, she writes it up as a suggestion. The game master takes it over, edits it or declines it. Nobody else at the table sees any of it. Loot also shows who is carrying it right now.

App excerpt “Your suggestions” in the bible as Lea sees it: “The woman with the lantern” is waiting for the game master, with “Withdraw”; “Knot signs of the Reedwalkers” has been accepted.
App excerpt “Your suggestions” in the bible as Lea sees it: “The woman with the lantern” is waiting for the game master, with “Withdraw”; “Knot signs of the Reedwalkers” has been accepted.
Lea’s suggestions, as she sees them.
App excerpt “Suggestions from players” for the game master: Tavin Rook suggests an addition to “Tavin’s copy”, Mara Venn an NPC “The woman with the lantern”, each with “Take over …” and “Decline”.
App excerpt “Suggestions from players” for the game master: Tavin Rook suggests an addition to “Tavin’s copy”, Mara Venn an NPC “The woman with the lantern”, each with “Take over …” and “Decline”.
This is how they reach the game master.
App excerpt of a bible entry, loot “Tavin’s copy”: description, a “GM only” box, below it “Who sees this? Everyone at the table” and “Who has it? Tavin Rook”, each with “Change”.
App excerpt of a bible entry, loot “Tavin’s copy”: description, a “GM only” box, below it “Who sees this? Everyone at the table” and “Who has it? Tavin Rook”, each with “Change”.
Loot with “Who has it?”, plus a line for the GM only.

How an evening goes

Four steps from the table to the recap

From the first word at the table to the session recap your group reads before next time.

  1. 1Recording

    Everyone gives their own consent, in the app or at the table. Guests need no account.

    App excerpt “At the table”: Anja, Lea and Tom have agreed, Sina still shows “Ask to agree”. Below it “Add a guest” and “Still missing: Sina.”
    App excerpt “At the table”: Anja, Lea and Tom have agreed, Sina still shows “Ask to agree”. Below it “Add a guest” and “Still missing: Sina.”

  2. 2Matching voices

    Who said what? The GM matches each voice to a person. Where Taleward is unsure, it says so.

    App excerpt “Check voices”: voice 1 is Anja as game master, voice 2 is Tom as Tavin Rook.
    App excerpt “Check voices”: voice 1 is Anja as game master, voice 2 is Tom as Tavin Rook.

  3. 3Checking

    The GM reads the recap, edits it and decides on the suggestions for the bible. Every suggestion cites its evidence from the transcript; anything that cannot be found there is marked as uncertain.

    App excerpt “Review chapter”, tab “Suggestions”: Iria Sehl becomes known and moves from “GM only” to “Public”, with a GM-only note.
    App excerpt “Review chapter”, tab “Suggestions”: Iria Sehl becomes known and moves from “GM only” to “Public”, with a GM-only note.

  4. 4Publishing

    The group reads the chapter before the next session, even offline if they like. What only one character knows is in their bible.

Mark a moment, right in the middle of the session

One tap on your phone notes the time, with a note if you like. Once the recap is there, the moment shows up with a bookmark ribbon in the margin. Nobody else sees your marks, not even the game master.

App excerpt of the overview during a session: “Session in progress · 1 moment marked”, the button “Mark this moment”, below it “Mark with a note” and “Marked at 20:41”.
App excerpt of the overview during a session: “Session in progress · 1 moment marked”, the button “Mark this moment”, below it “Mark with a note” and “Marked at 20:41”.
During the session.
App excerpt from chapter 7: two paragraphs with a red bookmark ribbon in the margin, below them “Your marks”: 19:52 “Lantern out – why?” and 21:41, each with “Go to the passage in the chapter”.
App excerpt from chapter 7: two paragraphs with a red bookmark ribbon in the margin, below them “Your marks”: 19:52 “Lantern out – why?” and 21:41, each with “Go to the passage in the chapter”.
In the recap afterwards.

For game masters

Everything at a glance, even at the table

While you play, the GM screen shows what you need right now: your plan, the bible, the group and whatever you add. Side by side on a tablet or laptop, as a short version on your phone.

Taleward app, GM screen on a tablet in landscape with three columns: on the left the chapter plan “At the Hunger Stone” with the first scene played and below it the group with three pictures, all have agreed to the recording; in the middle the clock (“Session running for 1 h 36 min”, 1 h 24 min left) and the bible search “Who was that?”, which finds the entry Sefa Morr for “Sefa Mor”; on the right two documents, a notepad “Ohm Tessel knew Mara’s mother. Only say so if she asks.” and three links of the group.
Taleward app, GM screen on a tablet in landscape with three columns: on the left the chapter plan “At the Hunger Stone” with the first scene played and below it the group with three pictures, all have agreed to the recording; in the middle the clock (“Session running for 1 h 36 min”, 1 h 24 min left) and the bible search “Who was that?”, which finds the entry Sefa Morr for “Sefa Mor”; on the right two documents, a notepad “Ohm Tessel knew Mara’s mother. Only say so if she asks.” and three links of the group.
The same GM screen on a phone: the chapter plan “Am Hungerstein” with “Now: The lantern crosses” and the button “Played”, below it the clock with the time left.
The same GM screen on a phone: the chapter plan “Am Hungerstein” with “Now: The lantern crosses” and the button “Played”, below it the clock with the time left.
The GM screen on a tablet, bottom right the same view on a phone.

  • Chapter plan

    Your scenes for the evening. Tick off what has been played, skip what does not happen.

  • Who was that?

    The bible search finds names even with a typo. If someone is missing, you add them with a single tap.

  • The group

    Who is here tonight, who has agreed to the recording and what the characters have brought along.

  • Your screen

    Add a clock, a notepad, links and documents, move them around and make them bigger or smaller. The notepad is for you alone and never ends up in a chapter.

App excerpt “Check chapter”: paragraph about Iria Sehl with the check note that nobody says she fled from the council. Below it Anja’s note “She did not flee. She left before they could come for her.”
App excerpt “Check chapter”: paragraph about Iria Sehl with the check note that nobody says she fled from the council. Below it Anja’s note “She did not flee. She left before they could come for her.”
Anja’s note on the paragraph about Iria.

You have the last word

Below every paragraph of the chapter it says what the transcript supports and what it does not. If something is wrong or missing, write it down in your own words, right at the paragraph if you like.

Taleward then reworks only the paragraphs your note is about. You see before and after and decide for yourself. Nothing is rewritten silently.

No chapter is flawless, with any tool of this kind. We measured it on public recordings: usually up to three spots per chapter, which the game master puts right with a note.

How we measure

Your character

Your character belongs to you.

Characters live in your app, not in a single campaign. You take them into new campaigns, send them into retirement or mark them as deceased.

Taleward app, my characters: Mara Venn plays in one campaign, Ilsa Dorn in none yet, Edda Krumm is retired. Below, “New character” and “Back up collection”.
Taleward app, my characters: Mara Venn plays in one campaign, Ilsa Dorn in none yet, Edda Krumm is retired. Below, “New character” and “Back up collection”.
From the app: my characters.

  • Your collection

    It lives only on your device. A campaign gets a copy of name, picture, description and backstory, never your private notes. “Back up collection” saves everything as a file, for a new phone for example.

  • Character lore

    Family, home, old enemies, an heirloom: what your character brings along goes to the game master as a suggestion. If you like, Taleward reads your character sheet or backstory for it, but only once the game master has agreed.

  • The game master decides

    They add an entry to the bible, edit it or discard it, and decide who may see it. Only you and the game master read the backstory.

  • Documents along

    Character sheet, map, notes: you attach files to your character. You open PDFs and pictures right in the app. They stay on your device.

  • Counters, pronouns, level

    If the game master turns on counters for the campaign, you track hit points or nerve at the table. Only you and the GM see the values. Pronouns and level are part of the character.

App excerpt of Mara Venn’s character page: her picture, “played by Lea · she · Rank 2”, the short description and the counters Strength 7 of 10 and Nerve 2 of 3, with minus and plus. Below it “Seen by you and the game master”.
App excerpt of Mara Venn’s character page: her picture, “played by Lea · she · Rank 2”, the short description and the counters Strength 7 of 10 and Nerve 2 of 3, with minus and plus. Below it “Seen by you and the game master”.
Counters, pronouns and level on the character.
App excerpt of Mara Venn in the collection: under “Documents” the file “Mara Venn – sheet.pdf” and “Attach file”, below it “Character lore” with Uncle Brann.
App excerpt of Mara Venn in the collection: under “Documents” the file “Mara Venn – sheet.pdf” and “Attach file”, below it “Character lore” with Uncle Brann.
The sheet as a PDF, and below it what Mara brings along.
App excerpt “Character lore” for the game master: the suggestions “The archive map room” and “Liv’s disappearance”, marked “From the backstory”, public but not for Tavin Rook and Juna Pell, each with “Accept” and “Discard”.
App excerpt “Character lore” for the game master: the suggestions “The archive map room” and “Liv’s disappearance”, marked “From the backstory”, public but not for Tavin Rook and Juna Pell, each with “Accept” and “Discard”.
It turns into suggestions the game master decides on.

Your data

You decide about your data.

Privacy without the small print. What happens to your recordings fits in three sentences.

  • Everyone gives their own consent.

    Without consent from everyone present, nothing is sent to the server.

  • Audio is deleted.

    As soon as the GM releases the recap, after 7 days at the latest. Until then the GM can listen back and have it reprocessed. Extending that period means everyone has to consent again.

  • The server can live with you.

    At your club or at home: if you like, everything is processed on your own server. Then nothing leaves your table.

App excerpt “Your data”: at the top your own consent to recordings with “Change”, below it “What happens to your data”: recordings, transcript, chapters, character sheets and backstories, secrets, each with a short paragraph.
App excerpt “Your data”: at the top your own consent to recordings with “Change”, below it “What happens to your data”: recordings, transcript, chapters, character sheets and backstories, secrets, each with a short paragraph.
From the app, as a player sees it.

Readable in every campaign

Under “What happens to your data”, the app shows everyone at the table what happens to recordings, transcript and chapters, who may have character sheets analysed and what stays secret.

Where your sessions are processed

That is up to whoever runs Taleward: on your own server with a worker, so nothing leaves it, or through the cloud in the EU, if the GM allows it for the campaign. Both together works too. The three modes in detail

Server
Holds campaigns, recaps and accounts. The app connects to it.
Worker
The server itself or a PC with a graphics card. It turns recordings into text and, if you like, writes the recaps.
Cloud
An online service, Mistral in the EU by default, does this work. Only if the GM allows it for the campaign.
Administration
The page in the browser where the server is set up and looked after.

Taleward is free for players. What a session costs

More about your data
Server settings, recordings card: audio is kept until the game master releases the recap, 7 days at most.
Server settings, recordings card: audio is kept until the game master releases the recap, 7 days at most.

This is how it looks in your server’s settings.

  • Developed in Europe

    Planned, built and maintained in Germany.

  • Built for the GDPR

    Consent, data minimisation and deletion are built in, not bolted on.

  • Local first

    With a local server, transcripts and chapters are created with you, by a local model. The cloud is an option, not a requirement, outside the EU only after explicit confirmation.

  • Delete means delete

    Account, voice profile and your own data can be exported and fully deleted, and so can a whole campaign with all its files.

The voice profile is optional. Only a voiceprint is stored, never the recording itself. Deleting it deletes everything.

Transcription and summaries are done by AI, preferably on your own server with a local model. If you lack suitable hardware or want a fallback, you can use the cloud, if the GM allows it for the campaign: Mistral in the EU then writes the transcript, and the chosen provider writes the summary, Mistral by default as well. Everyone at the table can see who writes their chapters.

If you run your own server, you are responsible for your data. The server comes with a template for your privacy notice.

Whether a campaign uses cloud services is shown to everyone on its overview. The GM allows the cloud for transcription and summaries per campaign.

Getting started

Your way in

On first launch, the app asks where you stand. Groups have a way of their own.

Taleward app on first launch: “I have an invitation” with a field for a link or server address, “I want to run a game” and “Try it without a server” with the buttons “As game master” and “As a player”.
Taleward app on first launch: “I have an invitation” with a field for a link or server address, “I want to run a game” and “Try it without a server” with the buttons “As game master” and “As a player”.
From the app: first launch.

  1. I have an invitation

    Your game master sends you a link or shows you the QR code. That takes you to their server and into their campaign.

    Android app on Google Play

  2. I want to run a game

    The easiest way is Taleward for Windows: one program for your PC with a graphics card that brings everything along. For a club or a larger group there is a server of your own. Ask in your club or set one up yourselves. Without a server of your own, use our community server. At the table, record with the Android app.

    Run Taleward yourselfTo the community server

  3. Try it without a server

    A made-up campaign with eight chapters, a bible, secrets and characters. You see it as game master or as a player. Everything stays on your device.

    Try it in your browser

  4. For your whole group

    Club, game store or Discord community: one server for many tables and campaigns, one administration. Free for players.

    Taleward for groups

Get involved

Built in the open, open to questions

Open, so you can run it yourselves

App, server and worker are open source. Any group or single table can run Taleward themselves, read the code and help build it.

App on GitHubServer on GitHub

App and server are licensed under the GNU AGPL 3.0. Anyone who modifies Taleward and runs it for others must make the modified code available to them.

The Taleward software is free and open. Development takes time, hosting and tools cost money. If you enjoy using Taleward, you are welcome to chip in.

Write to us

Questions, bugs, wishes: we read everything and answer as quickly as game night allows. You can also report bugs in the app or server directly on GitHub.

Send an emailJoin the Discord

On Discord, game masters and groups swap notes, and we answer there too. Discord is an external service with its own privacy policy. This page loads nothing from it until you click.

Run a game without a server?

On the community server you create an account and invite your group. Free for players.

To the community server