THE REALITY MACHINE

Download the beta.

Free, for Windows 10/11 (64-bit). About 150 MB. Two minutes from download to your first campaign.

⬇ THE REALITY MACHINE SETUP (.EXE)

Version 1.2.0 beta · Windows 10/11 x64 · ~150 MB

What "beta" means here

We'd rather set expectations honestly than surprise you mid-session. The core game — campaigns, the combat engine, all twelve classes, multiplayer — is playable today and we play it ourselves constantly. It is also still beta software:

Expect rough edges. You'll occasionally find a feature that narrates instead of resolving mechanically, or UI that lags a step behind the rules. We fix fast — most reported issues ship within days.
Saves should survive updates — but bring a sense of adventure. We work hard to migrate campaign and character data across versions; during beta we can't promise every update is painless.
Windows only, for now. The app is built on cross-platform foundations; macOS and Linux builds are on the roadmap once the beta stabilizes.
SmartScreen warning. The beta installer isn't code-signed yet, so Windows may show "Windows protected your PC." Click More info → Run anyway. Code signing is planned before the 1.0 release.

Set-up in four steps

INSTALL THE APP

Run the installer. Everything lives locally — your characters, campaigns, and settings are stored in an encrypted database on your machine.

GET A CLAUDE API KEY (THE AI DM'S FUEL)

Create a free account at console.anthropic.com, add a small balance ($5 goes a long way), and copy your API key into the app's settings. The key never leaves your machine — the app talks straight to Anthropic. Only needed for AI features: manual character building and joining multiplayer sessions work without one.

CREATE A CHARACTER

Build one by hand with the full creator — abilities, skills, gear, and subclass choices — or let the AI generate a character woven into your campaign's world.

START A CAMPAIGN — OR JOIN ONE

Solo: create a world and go. Multiplayer: one player hosts and funds the session, sends encrypted invites, and the party connects peer-to-peer. Players can take turns funding across sessions.

What does a session actually cost?

Whatever the AI actually uses — no markup, no subscription. The app shows a live cost meter for the session, and you can dial the model and narration verbosity up or down to fit your budget. Terse narration on an efficient model makes for very cheap evenings; cinematic narration on the top model costs more and reads like a novel. You choose, per campaign, and you can see the number the whole time.

Playing free: only one player per session funds the AI DM. Everyone else joins with no key and no cost — forever. Character building without AI is also completely free.

Version history

Every released build and what changed — so you can see what we've fixed and shipped. Only the latest build is supported; prior installers stay available briefly in case a fresh release misbehaves.

V1.2.0 · 2026-08-28 · FIRST PUBLIC BETA
  • ▸AI Dungeon Master with narrated campaigns, persistent worlds, and story arcs — solo or encrypted peer-to-peer multiplayer.
  • ▸Deterministic combat engine — every die engine-rolled with the math printed to the log.
  • ▸All twelve classes with subclasses and signature systems working mechanically.
  • ▸Magic items: identification, attunement, curses, in-combat use, and DM-minted unique items that persist across campaigns.
  • ▸Post-battle shared loot pool with per-player claims.
  • ▸Character creator with auto-calculated sheets, equipment store, PDF export — also free in the browser.
  • ▸DM cost controls: model selection, narration verbosity, live session cost meter.

Found a bug? Tell us.

Beta feedback is the whole point. Include what you were doing, your class, and a screenshot if you can — dice math, ability names, and combat logs make bugs easy to pin down.

Feedback channel: therealitymachinefeedback@gmail.com