Parties
The player characters at your table — assembled by receiving live party sends from each player's app, or by importing JSON from the clipboard when you need a fallback.
What a party is
A party is a named roster slot inside your campaign: which player characters you're running with tonight. The live sheets stay on the players' devices; you keep a reference copy for initiative, damage, and GM rolls in Play.
Players send; you import. The app relays party JSON when you're receiving — it doesn't spy on live rolls during the session.
The party list
On Edit campaign, expand Parties. Each row shows name, member count, and Edit / Delete. Footer: Add party.
There is no roster-level party export on the GM side — players send you party data; you don't push parties back through the app.
Receive from players (recommended)
Receive from players
Import (clipboard)
When players are ready to hand off sheets, open the party editor and use Receive from players in the Players section:
- Tap Receive from players. The app shows a large 5-letter code and expiry time.
- Share the code verbally (or any channel you like). Each player enters it on their campaign row via Send to GM.
- Each submission lands in an Incoming list as a one-liner, e.g. Player Bob sent Alice, Theo.
- Tap Import on each row you want in this party, or Dismiss to ignore it. Nothing merges automatically.
- Tap End receive when everyone has sent (or when the code expires).
While receiving or resolving imports, the editor focuses on the incoming queue — you won't see the full existing party roster table until that work is done. Pending collision chips still show in the panel header.
Both sides need network access and the same RpgMeister website. Session codes expire after about 30 minutes.
Player-side steps: Player Guide » Sharing the party with your GM.
The party editor
Add party or Edit opens:
- Identity — Name and Description (table nickname, scheduling notes, etc.). Hidden while import work is in progress.
- Players (or Import players while receiving) — normally a table of imported characters with remove per row; during receive, the incoming queue takes centre stage.
Fallback in the Players section: Import (clipboard) — reads a player's party export JSON from your clipboard. You can combine multiple imports before the session; only one party is active during Play.
Footer: Save party or Discard. Saving persists the party and the campaign (and writes per-character storage for imported PCs).
Import collisions
Party import is not the same bulk overwrite dialog as NPCs. When a character collides with one already in the party (same key, or same name with a different key), they land on an approval queue:
- Overwrite — replace the existing roster entry with the imported sheet.
- Skip — leave the existing entry alone.
A warning chip shows how many characters are pending until you decide. Success snackbar echoes the incoming summary (or a warning if approvals remain).
Remind players to Save Campaign before sending so the payload isn't stale.
Common mistakes
- Importing before the player saved. Send and export both use saved state on the player device.
- Expecting auto-import. You must tap Import on each incoming row.
- Leaving the approval queue hanging. Resolve Overwrite/Skip or you'll wonder why the roster count is wrong.
- Expired session code. Start Receive from players again for a fresh code, or ask the player to use clipboard export.
- Expecting two parties active in Play. Pick one party in session setup; swap by returning to setup, not by magic.
- Empty party name. Save validates — name the party something you'll recognise in the Play dropdown.
- Importing a caster without reading their powers. Skim powers in the import preview or have the player walk you through each one before session one. See the Powers guide.
See also
- At the table — pick the party in Play setup.
- How it works — live exchange and clipboard fallback.
- Player Guide » Campaigns — player send workflow.