# Aethera VTT: your first campaign

A screen-only tutorial series based on the verified guide. These are scripts and shot instructions, not rendered videos or generated audio. No face camera or recording of the creator's voice is needed.

## Production brief

Use the actual application and the supplied original maps. Record a clean practice world with fictional accounts. Keep invitation links, account credentials, unrelated browser tabs, and GM answers out of player-facing shots. Use a separate GM lesson for spoilers. These scripts follow the September 6 guide update; rehearse the actions again on the version viewers will use before recording.

Each lesson teaches one result. Show the destination first, demonstrate the clicks, then pause on a practical checkpoint. Record at a readable desktop resolution; crop or zoom to the relevant control instead of leaving a full-screen sheet too small to read. Hold on a new panel for about two seconds, and longer for a review or a checkpoint. Trim loading waits with an explicit "After processing" caption rather than implying they were instantaneous.

Read the narration with a licensed synthetic voice, or use it as on-screen text split into short sentences. Pronounce VTT as "vee tee tee" and GM as "game master." Add captions from the final audio timing; do not publish guessed subtitle timestamps. Use clear contrast, keep captions away from action buttons, and make the clips understandable with sound off. A cursor highlight and restrained zoom are enough; no animated presenter is required.

The following durations are editing targets. Rendered footage, narration, caption synchronization, and a final playback review remain production work.

## 1. What are we making? (45-60 seconds)

Shots: open on `21-ready-table.png` or fresh footage of the dock with Ari and Nessa. Show the three original maps. End on the campaign promise from guide chapter 2.

Narration:

"You can run your first adventure without mastering every button. We are building Willowmere: a river village with a dark beacon, a broken bridge, and an apprentice who needs help. A world holds your campaign. A scene is one location. An actor stores a character, and its token is the piece on the map. We will prepare three places, add a player, share a brief, and rehearse the table. The included game can finish without combat. Start by deciding why your characters want to help the village."

On-screen checkpoint: **World = campaign home. Scene = location. Actor = character. Token = map piece.**

## 2. Create a private world (75-100 seconds)

Shots: Worlds > Create World; name; System & Modules; World defaults; Review. References: `01-worlds.png`, `02-system.png`, `03-world-defaults.png`, `05-review.png`. Show the five wizard steps, including the ones where no changes are needed.

Narration:

"Choose Create World and name it The Lantern at Willowmere. This walkthrough uses D&D SRD with 2024 rules. Keep modules empty. Keep Aethera Core Monsters selected and turn off the other optional starter packs. Keep the starter scene. In World, add the description, keep the world Private, and save those details. Set a square grid: 64 pixels per cell, 5 feet per cell. Start with Bright day, keep global illumination, and turn fog off for practice. Leave the extra player permissions off and skip invitations for now. At Review, request the authoritative plan, read it, check its review box, and apply once. Wait for the table to open."

On-screen checkpoint: **Correct world name. Starter scene present. Saved.**

## 3. Put the dock on a scene (75-100 seconds)

Shots: Scenes > Create Scene > Browse maps > World assets; upload selection and confirmation; processing; Use map; grid settings. References: `06-upload-map.png`, `07-create-scene.png`.

Narration:

"In Scenes, create 01 - Willowmere Dock. Choose Browse maps, then World assets. Upload the dock PNG and confirm the upload. Wait for processing; use Refresh if the accepted file has not appeared yet. Choose Use map on its thumbnail. Open Adjust size or grid. These maps are 1,536 by 1,024 pixels, with 64 pixels per square: 24 squares across and 16 down. Check the cell size even if you set world defaults. Keep the scale at 100 percent and the offsets at zero. Use Daylight, Public visibility, and GM preview, then create the scene. Public here refers to people in your world."

On-screen checkpoint: **1536 x 1024 pixels / 64px cells / 24 x 16 squares.**

## 4. Make a readable practice table (60-75 seconds)

Shots: scene actions > Configure > Lighting; disable fog and token vision; activate with one confirmation; Fit. References: `08-scene-lighting.png`, `09-tabletop.png`.

Narration:

"Each scene has its own lighting settings. Open the dock's action menu, Configure, and Lighting. For this exercise, keep global illumination on, darkness at zero, fog off, and token vision off. Close the window and wait for saving. Preview changes what you inspect; Activate moves the group. Read the confirmation and activate once, then use Fit. The Live label shows the active scene. Prepare the bridge and chapel the same way, but keep them GM-only with navigation hidden until the party reaches them. A wall drawn in a PNG does not automatically block movement or sight."

On-screen checkpoint: **Readable map. Correct grid. Live opening scene.**

## 5. Actor first, token second (60-90 seconds)

Shots: Actors > Create actor or folder > New PC; name; Attributes; Token; close; drag directory row onto map. Record Ari's practice values, then show the guided D&D option separately. `11-character-sheet.png` shows the completed D&D example, Bryn.

Narration:

"Create a New PC and call it Ari - Practice. Follow the guide's practice values, then check the Token tab: one square wide and one square high, with the nameplate always visible. Close and reopen the sheet to check that your details saved. Now drag Ari from Actors onto the map. That creates a scene token for the stored character. Right-click it and use Show resources to change HP; check the same value in the sheet. For D&D, the guide also walks through Create character, starting scores, species, background, class, and the final review. Check the finished character's equipment, features, and resources with your GM."

On-screen checkpoint: **Ari exists in Actors and appears on the map.**

## 6. Bring in a player and assign Ari (90-120 seconds)

Shots: Worlds > world name > Players; enter fictional existing username; Player added; World link. In a separate context, show the player's view. GM: Invitation Links > Accepted players, then actor permissions. References: `13-add-player.png`, `14-actor-ownership.png`.

Narration:

"Ask the player for their exact existing Aethera username. In your world's setup, open Players, enter that username, keep the Player role, and choose Invite player. Wait for Player added to the world, then share the ordinary World link. You can also send a Player invitation link; they sign in and accept it to join. Next, assign the character. In Settings, People and permissions, Invitation Links, find the number beside the accepted player's name. Open Ari's action menu and Configure permissions. Keep the actor ID already filled in. Choose User ID, enter that player's number, choose Owner, and Save ownership. This grants control of Ari without changing the player's world role."

On-screen checkpoint: **Own account. Own actor. Own token.**

## 7. A handout without the spoilers (60-90 seconds)

Shots: Journal context menu > Import JSON into folder; select the two supplied files; GM notes GM-only; player searches the directory. References: `17-private-journal.png`, `18-player-handout.png`. Avoid exposing GM body text in the player lesson.

Narration:

"The starter pack includes separate GM notes and a player brief. In Journal, right-click an entry and choose Import JSON into folder. If the directory is empty, create one blank entry to reach that menu. Import the GM notes file once, then the player handout file once. Open your notes and choose Edit journal to update them. A new GM journal starts private; a new handout starts shared. Check the actual visibility every time. In the player's account, Welcome to Willowmere should open, and searching for the GM notes should return nothing. A title alone does not protect a secret."

On-screen checkpoint: **Player brief readable. GM notes absent from player view.**

## 8. Rehearse movement, dice, and a scene change (90-120 seconds)

Shots: player Select tool; drag Ari one square; Chat Log > Public > /roll 1d20; GM and player views; reveal bridge, activate, verify; recover through ordinary World link when needed. References: `16-player-roll.png`, `20-bridge-live.png`.

Narration:

"Before game night, let one player practice. Can they see the correct map, open their sheet, and drag their token one square? In Chat Log, keep the composer Public, type slash roll, space, one d twenty, and send. Check the result in both browsers. Then rehearse the bridge. The GM makes it Public, shows its navigation, and activates it. The player should follow automatically. Return to the dock and try again. After a lost connection, the player should catch up to the Live scene on reconnect. Place the existing hero actors on each new map and check control. Resolve any disagreement before game night."

On-screen checkpoint: **Both views agree. Player can move, roll, read, and reconnect.**

## 9. Run the adventure (75-100 seconds, GM lesson)

Shots: private GM run sheet; dock, bridge, chapel maps; a simple three-card overview. Clearly label this clip **GM lesson: adventure spoilers**.

Narration:

"Start with Nessa's missing beacon lens. Give the party the bridge lead freely. At the bridge, let players cross carefully, repair the gap, take the longer route, or invent something sensible. Orrin points them toward the chapel. There, Tamsin is using the lens to help stranded travelers. The party can rescue them, restore the beacon, or organize a way to do both. Describe the situation, ask what characters do, clarify the risk, and roll only when uncertainty matters. Take turns hearing from every player. The run sheet includes manageable setbacks and several endings. You can describe each person normally; acting or a special voice is optional."

On-screen checkpoint: **Clear problem. Multiple approaches. Visible consequences.**

## 10. Make session two easier (45-60 seconds)

Shots: GM session-record template; follow-up leads; ready-to-host checklist. End on the link or location of the complete guide and player handout.

Narration:

"End by asking what changed and what the party wants to do next. Record their promises, rewards, relationships, location, and unresolved jobs. Willowmere can remain a home base: next time, repair the warning posts or investigate a strange light beyond the marsh. Prepare the destination the players chose. Reuse people and places so their earlier choices matter. Add one VTT feature at a time, and test it with a player before using it live. The complete guide includes the maps, adventure, handout, and troubleshooting checklist, so you can pause here and build at your own pace."

On-screen checkpoint: **Record consequences. Ask the next destination. Prepare one session.**

## Final edit check

- Every shown button matches the version used for recording.
- No clip shows a failed action as a successful one or omits a necessary confirmation.
- Text and cursor remain legible at normal playback size.
- Captions match final audio and explain anything needed without sound.
- The publicly shared player material contains no GM answers or private links.
- The guide's recovery steps and current limitations remain accessible beside the videos.
- A beginner can pause after each checkpoint and reproduce that result.