How to use Arcana in Tome?
One of the biggest highlights of the 1.7 update is the arrival of Arcana in Tome, the storytelling software. Their goal? To simplify navigation during your role-playing sessions by gathering all your key information in one place.
By inserting Arcana at different points in your narrative, you can prepare multiple paths for your players and keep track of their actions at any time.
The Different Elements of Arcana
With this update, Arcana integrate into your scenes more seamlessly than ever before. But that’s not all! The major improvement is that all available actions are now accessible from the palette on the left side of your screen.
Here’s a closer look at the different types of Arcana you can add:
Choice
The first option remains unchanged: Choices are still here to help you store simple yes/no answers.
You’ll find three buttons: “Yes,” “No,” and “Other.” The last one is perfect for handling unexpected twists during your session. Of course, you can customize it to fit your needs.
For example, a Choice might represent whether the group decided to help the Thieves’ Guild—a decision that could have major consequences.
Role
Roles answer the question “Who?” You can add multiple characters—usually player characters (PCs)—to the list. This makes it easy to assign actions performed by your players as the session unfolds.
For instance, a Role might represent which character acts as the contact for dealings with the Thieves’ Guild. That player will then be approached by the guild at key moments in the adventure.
Want to learn more? Check out our full guide on using and assigning roles in Tome.
Count
The Count, as its name suggests, helps you keep track of numerical data. It’s especially useful during sessions if you want to manage stats or resources.
For example, the Count can track the group’s reputation level with the Thieves’ Guild throughout the game. This could determine how easily they can convince guild representatives to help them—or even unlock special quests.
Destiny
Destiny is a brand-new feature that lets you measure the quality or intensity of an action.
For example, Destiny can record how stealthy the players were during a particularly challenging mission for the Thieves’ Guild—a detail that might have consequences later in the story.
Add Comments for Better Clarity
Want to add notes to a Role, Destiny, or Counter? Now you can!
When you insert an Arcana into a scene, you can attach a comment. It will appear both in the scene and in the global Arcanes dashboard, accessible from the palette on the left.
Preparing Your Campaign with Tome
To make the most of Arcana, follow these two steps:
- When preparing your story, create an Arcana and insert it from the Grimoire into every scene where players can make a decision that affects its value—and into every scene where that value might have consequences. For example, add a reputation Count for the Thieves’ Guild in scenes where reputation could change, and in scenes where a higher (or lower) reputation might alter the narrative.
- During the session, simply update the Arcana’s value as needed. At every insertion point—and in the Arcana dashboard—you’ll always see the correct value! For instance, giving players a reputation score of 7 in one scene means that same score will appear in all scenes where the Arcana is inserted, as well as in the dashboard.
Arcana are a powerful new feature that saves you time while giving you a clear overview of your campaign’s events.
Ready to give them a try?
