Click the invite link your GM shares. It opens in any modern browser — Chrome is recommended. You'll be prompted to sign in or create a free ZapGM account, then you'll land directly in the live session. No app download or installation required. ZapGM works on desktop and laptop.
Yes — a free ZapGM account is required to join a live session. Sign-up takes a few seconds with email or Google. Player accounts use very little of the GM's AI usage allowance, so the free tier is fine for players in almost every case.
Find the "YOUR NAME" field in the Party sidebar. Update it and confirm — the change broadcasts to all connected players and the GM instantly.
ZapGM officially supports Google Chrome. Other Chromium-based browsers — including Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera — should also work. Chrome is strongly recommended for the best experience.
The Broadcast Feed is the main content area where the GM delivers story content:
Click images to view them at full size. Expand lore cards to read the full details. Dice roll entries show the complete breakdown — individual die results, modifiers, and totals.
When the GM activates the VTT battle map, it appears as a dedicated tab in your Player Canvas. You can pan and zoom the map independently, view all token positions and HP bars, see the initiative turn order, and use local drawing tools for personal reference.
In the Party sidebar, click on an unclaimed PC (Player Character) card to send a claim request to the GM. Your request goes to the GM's Claim Request Tray for approval.
The character card shows an animated amber border with a "Pending" label while the GM reviews your request. Once they approve or deny it, the status updates immediately.
Yes. Players can claim multiple PC cards — useful for companion characters, backup characters, or when you need to manage multiple roles in the party. Each claimed character appears in your Party tab.
Once claimed, you can edit the character sheet directly — update stats, add notes, change descriptions, upload artwork, and track your own HP on the battle map. All edits sync automatically back to the GM's campaign.
Yes. The Party roster shows all claimed characters alongside each player's name. Unclaimed PCs are shown as available to request.
If you've claimed multiple PCs, use the character dropdown above the chat input to select which character is currently speaking. Chat messages will display that character's name.
Yes. Click the "Create Character" button in the Party sidebar to build a new PC from scratch. Fill in your character's name, class, race, description, and backstory. Optionally use Flash Forge AI to generate character details from a brief concept description. Your new character is submitted to the GM's campaign for acceptance.
Summons are conjured creatures under your control — familiars, animated undead, elemental servants, or summoned allies. Choose "Summon" from the template dropdown when creating a character. Summons use a full stat block (HP, AC, attack bonuses, and special abilities) and appear alongside your PCs in the Party tab. The GM and AI narrator treat them as party members.
Enter a brief concept description for your character and Flash Forge generates key details — personality traits, backstory highlights, and descriptive content — in seconds. You can edit everything it produces before submitting to the GM.
After claiming a PC or Summon, an edit button appears on the character card. Make any changes — updates sync automatically back to the GM's campaign.
The Lore Library shows all lore cards your GM has marked as shared — world knowledge the GM wants you to access during play. This includes NPCs you've met, locations you've visited, plot hooks, item descriptions, factions, and more.
Filter cards by Story Arc to focus on content relevant to the current storyline. Use the search bar to find specific NPCs, locations, or items by name or description. Click any card to expand it and read the full details.
Yes. A cached snapshot of the Lore Library is available in the Player Hub (offline mode). You can browse the last known state of shared lore even when the GM isn't currently broadcasting.
Yes - hover a stat, save, skill, or attack to get a Roll/Edit popover, or use the Rollables tab in the dice tray. See the 3D Dice Tray section for details.
The Chat tab shows multiple conversation channels:
Click the new message button in the Chat tab and select who to include. You can message the GM privately, message another player, or create a group conversation. Private messages are tagged with a lock icon so everyone knows they're not public.
Red badge numbers on chat tabs indicate new unread messages. Private chat tabs show unread counts for messages you haven't seen yet.
Yes. If you've claimed multiple PCs, use the character dropdown above the chat input to choose which character is currently speaking. Messages display that character's name instead of your player name.
The player dice tray (Dice tab) supports d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d100 with a 3D physics simulation. Select any combination, set a +/- modifier, and press Roll. Results are broadcast to the chat feed so everyone sees them. The tray has three tabs - Dice, Rollables, and Saved Rolls - and you can drag it by the bar at the top.
On the Dice tab, Advantage rolls twice and keeps the higher result, Disadvantage keeps the lower - both rolls are shown. You can also do this from any stat roll: Shift-click for Advantage, right-click for Disadvantage (on a character-sheet roll popover, a Rollables row, or a Saved Rolls row).
The Rollables tab automatically lists every roll your claimed character(s) can make - ability checks, saves, skills, initiative, and attacks - pulled from your character sheet and grouped by character. Click any row to roll it; no need to build the dice by hand.
Saved Rolls holds custom rolls you have saved, grouped by the character they belong to, plus a "Personal" group for rolls not tied to a character. Click a row to roll, the pencil to edit, or the trash to delete (with a confirmation).
Yes. Hover a stat, save, skill, or attack on your sheet and a popover appears with the dice notation, a Roll button, and an Edit button. Roll fires the 3D dice and broadcasts a labeled result.
For a calculated stat (save, skill, initiative) you can either Save as Custom Roll (a separate entry in Other Rolls) or Save to [stat] (override the value on your sheet). Editing a weapon or spell attack updates that attack's bonus directly on the sheet. Define brand-new rolls (like damage) in the Other Rolls section of your sheet - they then appear in Saved Rolls.
Toggle Private Roll mode to roll dice only you can see - a "PRIVATE" label appears in your own log and the result is not broadcast to others. Useful for secret checks.
The dice and modifier are saved; advantage/disadvantage and private/public are not. Choose advantage/disadvantage each time (Shift-click / right-click), and private vs public follows the dice-tray toggle at the moment you roll.
Yes - choose from eight visual themes (Cobalt, Rust, Oak, Jade, Royal, Void, Magma, Blight) or use the custom color picker to make your own.
The Party sidebar displays:
Use the speaker toggle at the top of the Party sidebar to enable or disable AI narration audio. When enabled, the GM's narrated text plays automatically as speech through your speakers. Each NPC and narrator can have a distinct voice assigned by the GM for a more immersive experience.
Yes. When the GM is running the VTT battle map, the current turn is highlighted in the initiative tracker bar at the top of the map view. Your character's token also receives a visual indicator when it is your turn to act.
When the GM broadcasts the live battle map, players see:
Yes. Pan by clicking and dragging, zoom with the mouse wheel or +/− buttons, and reset the view with the "Fit to Screen" button. Moving your personal view does not affect what the GM or other players see.
Click any token to view information about it. Clicking your own claimed character's token opens a full detail panel showing your stats and conditions. Clicking other tokens shows a read-only overview from their lore card.
Yes, but player annotations are local only and are not visible to the GM or other players. Use the drawing tools to mark your own range estimates, track threatened areas, or plan your next turn. Your personal drawings persist until you clear them.
No. Token movement is controlled by the GM. Players cannot drag or reposition tokens — this ensures the GM maintains full control over the game board state.
The Player Hub is ZapGM's offline mode for players. It activates automatically when a broadcast session is not currently live — either because the GM hasn't started yet, the session has ended, or the connection was lost. From the Player Hub, you can browse a cached snapshot of the campaign without a live connection.
The Player Hub provides read-only access to:
No. The Player Hub shows a cached snapshot from the last live session. Content does not update until the GM goes live and you reconnect to an active broadcast.
When the GM starts the broadcast, a "Join Live Session" option becomes available. Click it to switch from the Player Hub to the real-time Broadcast Feed and reconnect to the session.
No. Once you have claimed a character in a campaign, that campaign appears as a shortcut on your ZapGM home page. You can return at any time — even when the GM is offline — to browse shared lore, edit your characters, and create new ones. When the GM starts the next broadcast, you are automatically included in the live session. The initial invite link only needs to be used once.