The DM Panel

Session-running interface for D&D. The DM shouldn't read — they should glance.

Year 2026
Venue Web Application

Impact Snapshot

Role

Cross-disciplinary creative technologist

Audience

Project-specific audience and collaborators

Stack

React Development, UX Design, Information Architecture

Outcomes

  • Session-running interface for D&D. The DM shouldn't read — they should glance.

Measured Signals

  • Timeline: 2026
  • Team members credited: 1

Description

During a session, you don't have time to read your prep. You need to glance at it and get what you need in under three seconds. The DM Panel takes a markdown file with structured session prep — PCs, NPCs, locations, encounters, factions, secrets — and renders each element as a scannable card. Key features reduce cognitive load during live play: a randomizer that eliminates decision fatigue, a pin system for frequently-used cards, full-text search, and HP tracking as the only mutable state. Each session starts with a fresh file import. No account, no cloud sync, no state that persists between games. Prep is a markdown file. The panel is a lens.

Technical Details

  • Single-page app with markdown file import
  • Modular prep format with Want/How NPC pairs
  • Layered sensory cues for locations
  • Why/Wrinkle/Stakes encounter structure
  • Randomizer, pin system, full-text search
  • HP tracking as only mutable state

Team

  • Justin West Designer / Developer

Capabilities

React DevelopmentUX DesignInformation Architecture

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