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Visibility Rules
Visibility rules determine what the GM can see privately and what players can see in Player View.
Local VTT is built around a private GM View and a filtered Player View. The GM can prepare, hide, reveal, and manage scene content without exposing private information to players.
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The GM View is the private control view.
The Player View is the shared player-facing display.
The GM View may show:
- Scene controls.
- Layer controls.
- Hidden tokens.
- Fog editing shapes.
- GM-only drawings.
- Effects being prepared.
- Tool settings.
- Private scene setup.
- Save indicators and campaign controls.
The Player View shows only the player-safe version of the scene.
When a scene is shown to players, Local VTT sends a filtered version of the scene to Player View.
This filtered version is designed to exclude GM-only data and hidden content.
This means players should not see private scene controls, hidden tokens, hidden layers, or GM-only preparation content.
A scene must be sent to Player View before players see it.
Opening or editing a scene in GM View does not automatically mean players are seeing it.
This lets the GM:
- Prepare a scene privately.
- Adjust fog of war.
- Place hidden tokens.
- Review drawings or effects.
- Check the map before revealing it.
- Choose the exact moment to show the scene.
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Scene layers can affect what appears in GM View and Player View.
Common layers include:
- Map.
- Grid.
- Fog of War.
- Effects.
- Drawings.
- Tokens.
- Foreground.
- GM.
- Dynamic Lighting.
- Objects.
Some layers are active now, while others are reserved for future features.
Layer visibility can be used to hide or show entire categories of scene content.
Individual scene items may also have visibility controls.
Items that can have visibility settings include:
- Tokens.
- Fog shapes.
- Weather masks.
- Animated effects.
- Drawings.
- Templates.
An item may be visible to the GM, Player View, both, or neither depending on its settings and layer visibility.
Tokens can be visible or hidden from Player View.
Use player-hidden tokens for:
- Hidden enemies.
- Secret NPCs.
- Traps.
- Invisible creatures.
- GM-only markers.
- Future reinforcements.
- Objects players have not discovered yet.
A token must be player-visible before it can appear in Player View, but fog of war may still hide it.
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Fog of war can hide player-visible tokens.
In fully hidden or partially revealed fog modes, a token appears in Player View only when:
- The token is player-visible.
- The Tokens layer is player-visible.
- The token overlaps a player-visible revealed area.
This prevents players from seeing tokens through unexplored fog.
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Fog shapes can have GM and Player View visibility controls.
Use fog shape visibility when:
- Preparing reveal areas ahead of time.
- Temporarily disabling a reveal or hide area.
- Keeping fog editing helpers private.
- Testing Player View visibility.
Fog shape order can also affect the final visible result when reveal and hide shapes overlap.
Drawings can be GM-only or player-visible.
Use GM-only drawings for:
- Private notes.
- Secret paths.
- Planned enemy movement.
- Trap reminders.
- Prep markings.
Use player-visible drawings for:
- Shared annotations.
- Tactical marks.
- Environmental damage.
- Direction arrows.
- Highlighted objectives.
Templates can be visible to players when the GM wants to show an area of effect.
Use player-visible templates for:
- Spell placement.
- Cone or line effects.
- Area targeting.
- Tactical discussion.
- Ongoing visible zones.
Use GM-only templates for planning, hidden effects, or private measurements.
Effects can be visible to the GM, Player View, or both.
Use player-visible effects for:
- Weather.
- Fire.
- Smoke.
- Lava.
- Magical fields.
- Environmental hazards.
- Visible spell effects.
Use GM-only effects for:
- Hidden hazards.
- Prepared reveals.
- Testing effect settings.
- Private encounter setup.
Weather masks control where weather effects do not appear.
Weather masks are not the same as fog of war. They do not reveal or hide the map from players.
Use weather masks to remove scene-wide weather from areas such as:
- Indoor rooms.
- Caves.
- Covered bridges.
- Shelters.
- Roofed areas.
Grid visibility can affect how players read the map.
Show the grid when:
- Tactical movement matters.
- Players are counting spaces.
- Physical minis are used on a display.
- The map does not already include a grid.
Hide the grid when:
- The map already has a printed grid.
- The scene is cinematic.
- The map is regional or abstract.
- The table is using gridless play.
Dice results can be shown or hidden from Player View depending on dice display settings.
Use GM-only or hidden dice for:
- Secret checks.
- Random encounter rolls.
- Hidden enemy rolls.
- Private preparation.
Use Player View dice results for:
- Public rolls.
- Dramatic moments.
- Shared table outcomes.
- Player-facing combat rolls.
Turn Order can show player-facing indicators in Player View.
Player View turn indicators may show:
- Active turn.
- Upcoming entries.
- Round information.
- Player status.
- Linked token or avatar details.
Use Turn Order visibility settings to decide how much encounter information players should see.
Player View display modes can override what players see.
Use Hold when you want to pause or hide scene updates while preparing.
Use Blackout when you want the player-facing display to go dark.
The waiting screen appears when no scene is currently shown or when the shown scene is unavailable.
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If players see something they should not:
- Check item Player View visibility.
- Check layer visibility.
- Check whether the wrong scene was sent to Player View.
- Check fog shape order.
- Use Hold or Blackout while fixing the scene.
If players cannot see something they should see:
- Confirm the scene was sent to Player View.
- Check Player View is not in Hold, Blackout, or waiting screen mode.
- Check layer visibility.
- Check item visibility.
- Check fog of war.
- Confirm tokens are inside revealed areas when fog is active.
If the GM cannot select or edit something:
- Check whether the relevant layer is visible in GM View.
- Check the layer list for hidden or collapsed sub-layers.
- Check whether another selectable item is on top.
- Use the layer list to select the item directly.
Before showing a scene to players, confirm:
- The correct scene is selected.
- The scene has been sent to Player View.
- GM-only tokens are hidden from Player View.
- Player tokens are visible where intended.
- Fog reveals only the correct areas.
- Drawings and templates are visible or hidden as intended.
- Effects do not reveal private information.
- Dice display settings match your table preferences.
- Turn Order display settings show only what you want players to see.