Blog, news and articles
Development Diary #31
Hey Fellow Downtimers! After a long winter break, we're here again. We were so preoccupied with designing and developing the app that I was completely left behind writing the Dev Diary ...
Development Diary #30
Hey Fellow Downtimers! The current app store approval process has taken much longer than usual, but we can finally say:Downtime Manager version 2.8 is officially available!The content of the version can be read in DevDiary # 29 (link), but in short:changes in the subscription system...
Downtime Sessions of the Fanatics #2
Prologue Even the busiest party members may suddenly be able to put together a weekend together to play D&D. Well, it happened to us in early October (that was or very-very-late-summer game weekend). What was special now was that we managed to finish the game with...
Downtime Sessions of the Fanatics
Prologue Even the busiest party members may suddenly be able to find a weekend to play D&D together. Well, it happened to us in early October (that was or very-very-late-summer gaming weekend). The thing which made it special was that we managed to finish the game...
Downtime Sessions for the Lost Mine of Phandelver
Downtime Session inspirations for the Lost Mine of Phandelver By EvilDM The following pages contain inspirations on how to add great downtime sessions to the Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign. Since you are the DM, you can alter the adventure however you want, make time shorter or...
Development Diary #29
Hey Fellow Downtimers! Downtime Manager 2.8 is with the QA team now, so you can expect it to be released pretty soon. Let’s see what we’ve been working on in the past weeks!Spoiler alert 🙂Tokens for D4 (free tier) users: we listened and actually heard tons...
Development Diary #28
Hey Fellow Downtimers! Let me start with the most important part: Downtime Manager version 2.7 is officially available! As I mentioned in my last diary entry, we’ve started implementing „advanced” features. Here is a brief summary of what version 2.7 contains:Hidden Downtime Action: DMs can now set...
Development Diary #27
Hey Fellow Downtimers! First, without any further ado: Downtime Manager version 2.6 is officially available! A brief summary of what it contains:Downtime Action Requirements. You can now add Skill- and Ability checks or completion of another Downtime Action as a requirement. UI improvements and bugfixes. We fixed...
Development Diary #26
Hey Fellow Downtimers! After two weeks of silence, I'm here again! Sorry for the lack of news; we had to retreat a bit with the other Fanatics to think about the future of the app. After several hours of friendly discussions, we could finally outline the...
Development Diary #25
Hey Fellow Downtimers! I'm back from vacation! It was good to have some adventures in the wilderness with my own party (i.e. hiking and relaxing on the beach with the family), but I already lacked the creative work 😊So, what has happened in the last two...
Development Diary #24
Hey Fellow Downtimers! Igor v9 is on vacation, so it's me, EvilDM this time.So what are we working on?Version 2.5.I promise it's coming very soon, we're doing some last-minute updates and tweaks, mostly based on user feedback.What will it contain?Party Vault: a shared place for...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #12
Adventures in the Library I just to love to use libraries in my adventures! They make such a great place for mysteries, magical duels and secret rendezvous...
Development Diary #23
Hey Fellow Downtimers! First, the good news: Downtime Manager version 2.4 is available! Okay so now I have to make a confession. We had to change the contents of this version at the last minute due to an unexpected technical problem. So this is how it looks like:...
The Duchy of Valkland
The events in the debuting Solo Season of Downtime Manager, "Season 1: A wizard in need" take place in the Duchy of Valkland. So here's a little backstory for this small city-state and its Academy. Enjoy![edgt_separator class_name="" type="full-width" position="center" color="" border_style="dotted" width="" thickness="" top_margin="" bottom_margin=""]Valkland...
Development Diary #22
Hey Downtimers!First, thanks to EvilDM for popping in last week! I'm back from the wild (it was terrific), it's time to grab the pen again 🙂 Allow me to write a few words about another development in the upcoming 2.4 version: The Party Vault. It must have...
Running Downtime Sessions – Tips and Tricks – Volume 5
Volume 5: Asynchronous Storytelling In this series, we are unearthing the arcana of managing downtime sessions and activities in your campaigns. Downtime sessions are those that detail the between adventure activities that the characters get up to. Forging weapons, acquiring lands, or any of countless options....
Development Diary #21
Hello there,It's EvilDM now, Igor v9 is spending his well-deserved holiday with his family, hiking in the hills.So first of all, thank you for all the feedback we've received! It's been quite overwhelming in fact. We've spend a lot of time sorting bug reports, feature...
Development Diary #20
Hey Fellow Downtimers! First, an announcement: Downtime Manager version 2.3 is available! The version successfully passed the tests and went through the release procedure!After that, we started the development of version 2.4, the content of which you voted for in the Roadmap and which you can read about...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #11
Adventure on the Beach The beloved seafront, home of many family gatherings and childhood memories is in danger! There are some unexplained disappearances at the frequented vacation spot of the largest town nearby. The party is asked to investigate by the municipality, since more than 10...
Development Diary #19
Greetings, Downtimers! Great news: we are running the last tests on version 2.3, so it will be released soon!As for the content, I wrote about „Rate Homebrew” (likes, adds) two weeks ago (see DevDiary #17), here are the other major improvements:Leaderboard: you can see the...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #10
Long Journeys, Short Stories The Missing CaravanWhen the team arrives to Lakeburgh from Whitekeep after a two-day trip, they find out that the caravan that left Whitekeep the day before they left did not arrive. The case is quite interesting because there was no fork on...
Development Diary #18
Greetings, Downtimers! Now that the DEV team is putting the final touches on the soon to be released, version 2.3 (see last week Dev Diary for details), I was able to start working on the next tasks (a.k.a. version 2.4) that you voted for in the...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #9
Hello there, Downtimers! Here are a few adventure hooks straight from our brewery, I hope you'll like them!The siegeAfter asking for shelter for a few nights in the castle of a local landlord, our adventurers find themselves right in the middle of a siege. Without any...
Development Diary #17
Greetings, Downtimers! You voted, we listened! As you can see under "Roadmap for new features and updates", we have started creating the ‘Homebrew uploaders’ leaderboard”. First we need to clean up the database a bit so that we can show nice leaderboards based on:Likes: how...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #8
Hello there, Downtimers! Here are a few adventure hooks straight from our brewery, I hope you'll like them!DevelopmentThe leaders of two cities have decided to make trade easier and improve their relationship. The almost-impenetrable, treacherous mountains between the two dwellings caused a lot of problem in...
Development Diary #16
Greetings, Downtimers! Another interesting week is behind us, so let’s see what we have for you today!This was the most exciting development phase so far - at least for me!First of all, 2.2 was the first release which got its content entirely from YOUR votes!...
Development Diary #15
Greetings, Downtimers! Great news: we’ve started the final testing phase for the 2.2 update of Downtime Manager!We discussed the new features in our previous update here for your reference: Development Diary 14). This one is shaping up to be a pretty major update, as you...
Development Diary #14
Greetings, Downtimers! I want to begin today’s update by thanking the community for all your continued support for Downtime Manager! We’re thrilled that so many of you are checking out the Feature Roadmap and voting for your preferences!We’re happy to continue adjusting the features to react...
Development Diary #13
Greetings, Downtimers! We have reached the end of another exciting week. Today we’ve implemented all the features planned for version 2.1. Thank you for making your preferences heard by voting on the roadmap of feature updates! We’re dedicated to making this app the best it can...
Thomas’s Mystical Cauldron: The Old Man and the Stew
The true origin of the Cauldron is unknown. Hundreds of theories have arisen over the years each more fantastical than the last. Some say Thomas conjured it from another plane of existence, others claim he created it himself from the armor of slain enemies. Whatever...
Development Diary #12
Greetings, Downtimers!We’re back with one more update before the official launch of Downtime Manager 2.0! But worry not, we have even more feature updates coming soon, and users can vote on which we should prioritize on our website!Version 2.1 is uploaded and will be available...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #7
Some Short but Sturdy Adventure Hooks Guardian The birthday gift of the dwarf king is ready! Hefthyn – or Guardian in the common tongue -, the indomitable warhammer has been forged. The warhammer is covered in mystic runes that protect it from harmful magic, but also prevent...
Running Downtime Sessions – Tips and Tricks – Volume 4
Volume 4: how to run downtime sessions effectively In this series, we are unearthing the arcana of managing downtime sessions and activities in your campaigns. Downtime sessions are those that detail the between adventure activities that the characters get up to. Forging weapons, acquiring lands, or...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #6
It's been a while since we came up with adventure hooks or side-quests for you! Today we give you four! The fair There’s a large fair in the nearby town every year. Artisans and merchants from far and wide offer their intriguing curios and collectibles making the event...
Development Diary #11
Hello Adventurers!We’re back with our promised weekly development update. This is a short one as we’ve been using the past week to fine tune and sharpen the edges of our lethal Downtime Manager app.For those of you in the know, Downtime Manager is available on...
Thomas’s Mystical Cauldron: The Butler
The Butler did it! A trope that is as old as storytelling itself because who would suspect betrayal from the faithful servant? The support Alfred offers Bruce Wayne as Batman or the heroics of Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings as he aids...
Development Diary #10
Hello Adventurers!We did it. We are ready. Completed, tested, repaired, retested, packaged. We’ve prepared the latest iteration of Downtime Manager 2.0 and sent it out into the wild. That means we’re just waiting for the various app stores to approve the listings and we’ll be...
Development Diary #9
Hello Adventurers!We’ve got more great news for you today! We’ve put the polish on the final development of Downtime Manager 2.0 and we’ve begun the steps necessary to wide release! Each store for applications has their own challenges we must overcome, but we’re confident that...
Running Downtime Sessions – Tips and Tricks – Volume 3
Volume 3: How to integrate Downtime Sessions into your campaign In this series, we are unearthing the arcana of managing downtime sessions and activities in your campaigns. Downtime sessions are those that detail the between adventure activities that the characters get up to. Forging weapons, acquiring...
Running Downtime Sessions – Tips and Tricks – Volume 2
Volume 2: How to run Downtime Sessions? In this new series, we will unearth the arcana of running downtime sessions. In each article, we’ll offer up some exciting tips and tricks, dos and don'ts, and help you expand this often overlooked activity of the TTRPG. With...
Development Diary #8
Greetings adventurers!We’re on the cusp of the next level for the Downtime Manager app! Just a few more tasks and we’ll have enough XP to level up and go live!Here’s what we’re up to:You know how when you put a sofa together and you...
Running Downtime Sessions – Tips and Tricks – Volume 1
Volume 1: The Basics In this new series, we will unearth the arcana of running downtime sessions. In each article, we’ll offer up some exciting tips and tricks, dos and don'ts, and help you expand this often overlooked activity of the TTRPG. With well-thought-out downtime activities,...
Development Diary #7
Hey Downtimers, greetings from the lab!We’re pretty busy with fine tuning the official release of Downtime Manager (DTM) as you saw from our last update!While we are working on making what we have even better, we’re still actively thinking about what will be coming next....
Simple Monsters Made Interesting: the Dryad
Simple Monsters Made Interesting is a series where we take an underutilized or generic creature and flesh them out into something more than their stat block to give you some inspiration for your games. Today, we’re taking a walk in the woods to find a...
Development Diary #6
Hey DMs & Downtimers, greetings from the forge!We’ve been pretty busy lately, fine-tuning the app as we prepare the final version for the official launch! Unfortunately, that meant that regular updates fell by the wayside, but here I am to remedy that situation!What we’ve been...
Development Diary #5
Greetings!It’s me again! WE ARE BACK!We took a seemingly long break, but believe me, it wasn’t intentional...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #5
Today we came up with two ideas (from our very own Igor v9) which can be easily adapted to any character’s circumstances.„But… you should be dead!”This classic theme has been covered by a lot of books and movies, but the possibilities are endless.The character had...
Development Diary #4
Greetings!It's Igor v9 again! I'm back!We (specially EvilDM) already spread rumours on our Discord channel, but here are the developments:We're working on a more versatile and sustainable back-end for our app to better support the upcoming features You've already seen some of the new...
Downtime Journals 3: Weelor
I, Weelor of the House Dimir, The Undying, Slayer of Kara-Thoth, Commander of the Cold Legion and Justicar of the Damned, well aware that most events of my life have been hopelessly misinterpreted by some lost souls who are better at quick judgments than careful...
How to create a freeform (aka. open world, sandbox) campaigns and keep your players entertained for years?
Chapter 1: Why would you want such a campaign? The loud regards of slower thingsHow to create a narrative-driven campaign and keep your players entertained for years?Chapter 1: Why would you want such a campaign?Well, we’ve all been there. We DM’d the awesome official adventures and...
Development Diary #3
Greetings!Igor v9 is upgrading himself (maybe he'll be Igor v9.1?) so it's your favorite Evil DM speaking now.We've made some pretty major decisions in the past days and also started to deploy a more flexible and robust infrastructure so we can turn start implementing:custom...
Downtime Journals 2: Weelor
I, Weelor of the House Dimir, The Undying, Slayer of Kara-Thoth, Commander of the Cold Legion and Justicar of the Damned, well aware that most events of my life have been hopelessly misinterpreted by some lost souls who are better at quick judgments than careful...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #4
Three new side-quest ideas for your one-on-one sessions to play during downtime!Wedding: an old friend of the character's is getting married! She used to be an adventurer, but gave up on the dangerous life a few years ago when she met the love of...
Simple Monsters Made Interesting: the Troll
In this new, and hopefully bi-weekly series we’ll give you some special example background stories to make well-known, and possibly neglected monsters interesting. Do your characters view orcs as easy target? Does a gnoll give them no thrill only faint boredom? Well, here are a...
Development Diary #2
Greetings!I’m not saying it as a complaint, but there are so many ideas and feedback coming from You, dear Downtimers that we can hardly process and re-prioritize. Many thanks! You are awesome!The first feature release is available since last Saturday (Google and Apple ID, mainly),...
Downtime Journals: Weelor
I, Weelor of the House Dimir, The Undying, Slayer of Kara-Thoth, Commander of the Cold Legion and Justicar of the Damned, well aware that most events of my life have been hopelessly misinterpreted by some lost souls who are better at quick judgments than careful...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #3
"Let's make some background wealth"Here comes three adventure hooks from our very own Igor v9! When the character feels that he's famous and a bit wealthy, it's time to create a steady source of income!Taking over the family business: the venture of your family...
Development Diary #1
Greetings!First of all, I want to thank our Downtimers for joining us on this fantastic journey! We were very excited when we published our app, and we are very happy with the feedbacks so far.Our team asked me to write a short Dev Diary from...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #2
Let's make this a recurring thing: we'll post a few new adventure hooks every week for you to use in your Downtime sessions!These are mainly meant to be used during 1:1 sessions between a DM and a Player during downtime, but can be extended to...
Adventure Hooks for Downtime #1
Here's a collection of 7 adventure hooks I used in the past when players wanted 1:1 downtime session between gaming sessions.I really like playing these short adventures, PBEM style, using chat (Discord, Messenger, WhatsApp). Of course our DT Manager app will feature options and tools...
Resources for Downtime
Here's a compiled list of resources we've been using to create DT Manager for D&D. I hope you find it useful, too!...
Results of the Feature Poll on Discord
We have concluded our first feature poll! Please find the results and actions we're planning inside this post!...