Getting Started

This page covers installing Realm Lore, your first launch and the layout of the app.

Requirements

• A Mac running macOS 12 Monterey or later.
• Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) or an Intel processor. There's a separate download for each.

Install Realm Lore

1. Download the DMG for your Mac from realmlore.oddomens.com or the GitHub releases page:

   • The file ending in arm64.dmg is for Apple Silicon Macs.
   • The file ending in x64.dmg is for Intel Macs.

   To check which you have, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. The Chip or Processor line tells you.

2. Open the DMG and drag Realm Lore into your Applications folder.

3. Eject the DMG and open Realm Lore from Applications.

If macOS blocks the app

The first time you open Realm Lore, macOS may say it can't verify the app. To open it anyway:

1. Click Done to close the message.
2. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll to the Security section and click Open Anyway next to the message about Realm Lore.
4. Confirm, and enter your Mac password if asked.

You only need to do this once.

Updates

Realm Lore checks GitHub for a new version a few seconds after it opens and every four hours while it's running. When one is found, a banner in the bottom-right corner shows the download progress. When it reads Realm Lore version ready to install, click Restart & Install, or click Later and the update installs the next time you quit.

You can also install an update yourself at any time by downloading the latest DMG and replacing the app in Applications. Your worlds aren't stored inside the app, so they're not affected.

First launch

The first time Realm Lore opens, a short welcome walks you through how it works:

1. Welcome to Realm Lore: what the app is for.
2. Plain Markdown files: every entry is saved as a .md file you can open in other apps.
3. Your worlds, your way: click Get started to begin with the world Realm Lore has created for you, or Import existing world folder… to bring in a world you already have.

Realm Lore creates a starting world called My World. You can add more worlds at any time. See Worlds & Files.

The main window

Sidebar

Area	What it does
World selector	Switch between your worlds.
Add World / Import World	Create a new world or bring in an existing world folder.
Search…	Search across your world. Press ⌘K from anywhere.
Overview	Your world's home page.
Characters, Creatures, Races, Factions, Locations, Things	Wiki entries by type.
Timeline	Your world's history.
Maps	Your maps.
Library	Your books and chapters.
Names	The Name Generator.
Asset Gallery	Images you've imported for portraits and other art. See Wiki Entries.
DnD Tools	Appears when you turn on the D&D tools.
Plugins	Appears when an enabled plugin adds a page.
Trash	Deleted entries you can restore.
Settings	App settings.

You can hide sections you don't use in Settings > General.

When the window is narrow, the sidebar collapses and a tab bar appears along the bottom with Home, Characters, Locations, Factions, Lore, Library and More.

Overview

The Overview page is the home page for the active world. It shows:

• Counts of your Characters, Locations, Things, Lore and Stories. Click any of them to open that list.
• Total words across your chapters, Connections between entries and Timeline events.
• Your writing streak: the number of days in a row you've saved a chapter.
• A Story word goal for the whole world. Type a number of words and Realm Lore shows your progress toward it.
• Recently Updated: the ten entries and chapters you changed most recently.
• Quick Access: a Continue Writing card for your latest chapter, and shortcuts to Characters, Locations, Things, Lore, Library and Timeline.

The Lore list is reached from the Overview page. Timeline events are stored as Lore entries and also appear there.

Build from source

Realm Lore is open source under the MIT License. To run it from the code:

1. Install Node.js 18 or later.

2. Clone the repository and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/OddOmens/realm-lore.git
   cd realm-lore
   npm install

3. Start the app:

   npm run electron:dev

When run this way, Realm Lore keeps its worlds in a Worlds folder inside the project instead of your Library folder.