---
title: "Manual — How Storywright Works"
description: "How the Drafting Table, Session Tracker, story arcs, and player journals work together to run a tabletop RPG world, plus a glossary of Storywright terms."
doc_version: "1.31"
last_updated: 2026-07-13
---

# The Storywright Manual

Plain-text Markdown mirror of [storywright.io/manual](https://storywright.io/manual).

## The Drafting Table

NPCs, places, factions, items, and lore as one linkable item type. Type a name in any field and a name they've heard before pops up. Each item carries a visibility flag: mark a place public and players see it; keep an NPC GM-only and players never know it exists until you decide.

## The Session Tracker

The surface you open while the game runs. It pulls up tonight's objectives, the likely NPCs, and the locations in play. GM-only notes sit beside the public scene. When the session ends the notes are already linked and on the session page.

## Story Arcs

Plot threads marked active, complete, or cold, linked to the people, places, and sessions they touch. Players only see the arcs and objectives you've shared.

## Player Journals

Every player gets a rich-text journal in their own voice, and can pin annotations to NPCs and places they've met. They see only what you've shared. Players also set character goals that flow up to the GM to weave in and pay off later.

## The Recap

Storywright drafts the recap from your linked notes; you edit, approve, and publish. Published recaps become each player's "previously on…" briefing.

## Export

Full JSON export of every item, session, journal, and link — on every plan, Free included.

## Glossary

- **Drafting Table** — the cabinet of linkable entities (NPCs, places, factions, items, lore) behind the GM screen.
- **Entity / item** — a single record in the Drafting Table; every entity is the same item type and can link to any other.
- **Session Tracker** — the in-game surface that pulls up tonight's objectives, likely NPCs, and locations, with one-keystroke search.
- **Story Arc** — a plot thread tracked as active, complete, or cold across many sessions, linked to what it touches.
- **Player Journal** — a player's private, rich-text log plus pinned annotations on entities they've met.
- **Character goal** — what a player's character is chasing; surfaced quietly to the GM to weave in and pay off later.
- **Recap** — a session summary drafted from the GM's linked notes, then edited, approved, and published by the GM.
- **Briefing ("previously on…")** — the pre-session read each player gets before the next game, assembled from campaign memory.
- **Visibility** — the per-item public/GM-only switch that decides what players can see.
- **GM (Game Master)** — the person running the campaign; the only paid seat. Players are free on every plan.
- **System-agnostic** — ships no rules, stat blocks, or dice, so it works with any tabletop RPG.
- **VTT (virtual tabletop)** — map/token/dice software like Foundry or Roll20; Storywright is not one and sits beside it.

## Sitemap

- [Home](/index.md)
- [Pricing](/pricing.md)
- [FAQ](/faq.md)
- [Sessions](/sessions.md)
- [Manual](/manual.md)
- [Contact](/contact.md)
- [Storywright vs World Anvil](/compare/world-anvil.md)
- [Storywright vs LegendKeeper](/compare/legendkeeper.md)
- [Storywright vs Notion](/compare/notion.md)
- [Guide: session recaps players actually read](/guides/session-recaps.md)
- [Full site index](/sitemap.md)