Understand the table in two minutes

A virtual tabletop, or VTT, is the shared play surface. You describe what is happening, players say what their characters do, and you use the map, tokens, notes, and dice to help everyone picture it.

• GM (game master): the host who prepares locations, portrays the world's characters, and makes rulings using the agreed game rules.
• Player: a participant who controls their own character. Give ordinary participants the Player role.
• World / campaign: the saved home for your group, scenes, characters, and notes. Aethera's launcher calls it a world; other screens may call it a campaign.
• Scene: one prepared location or view inside that world. A village, a bridge, and a chapel can be separate scenes.
• Map: the picture used as a scene's background. A picture of a wall is just artwork until you add a VTT wall that blocks sight or movement.
• Actor: a character or creature's stored information, including its sheet. A token is the piece representing that actor on a scene. Creating an actor and placing its token are separate steps.
• Grid: the overlay used to line up tokens and measure distance. Pixel size describes the image; feet or other units describe the game world.
• Journal: written information such as a player handout or your private session plan.
• Fog: the system that hides unexplored areas. Learn the basic scene and token workflow before adding it.
• Session: one meeting to play. A campaign is the story that continues across meetings.