Sylvia GM’s Public Alpha is coming by Sunday, 18 October

Sylvia GM’s Public Alpha is coming by this Sunday, 18 October.

In my last post, I explained the move to SRD Lite so I could get a useful first release into people’s hands while continuing the full spell suite afterward. The selected 96-spell launch set has now been brought together in the current build.

Final checks are underway for combat, campaign progression, saving and reopening games, the installed app, packaging and release contents.

What you can do

Sylvia is a free Windows 11 app for playing solo tabletop campaigns with an AI game master.

You choose a model, set up a campaign and write what your character tries to do. Sylvia runs the scene, plays the other characters and decides when the rules need to be involved. The game engine resolves supported mechanics and records the result, which Sylvia then uses in her narration.

For the first Alpha, the focus is SRD Lite, adventures in Severed Lands and the No Ruleset option. SRD Lite uses the SRD 5.2.1 core with the selected 96-spell roster and explicit adaptations. Work on the wider spell suite stays in the project for later releases.

SRD combat also uses a map and positions for movement, range, targeting and area effects. Precise positioning matters during combat. Exploring, talking to people and ordinary roleplay don’t require moving around a map.

Making your own material

Builder is a separate conversation inside Sylvia. You can use it to create rulesets, settings, adventures, player characters and companions.

You describe what you want, answer its questions and review what it makes. Completed content is validated and saved to your local library, where compatible campaigns can use it. Ruleset authoring also includes tools for running saved test scenarios and correcting problems.

You can start with the included material and come back to Builder when you want to change or create something.

Models and the first release

The app is free. You supply the model connection, through a supported hosted service, account connection or a local model server that you already run. Any provider charges or subscription limits are separate.

This is a Public Alpha, so there will be rough edges and more work after release. The immediate goal is a first version people can sit down with, run a campaign in and give useful feedback on.

I’m also preparing a more practical introduction to Sylvia, covering the first campaign, what happens during play and how Builder fits in.

The walkthrough and the release download will be linked from Sylvia’s page when available:
https://pneuma-io.dev/sylvia-gm/