Direction 1 — Docked Vertical Strip (Expert Path)

Compact strip permanently docked to Foundry's right panel. Always visible, zero chrome, ambient authority. Expert-first; novice learns through Learning Bridge.

← Canvas / Map area →
Scrying Pool ● Live
M
Marcus Live
Sofia Hidden
J
Jake Muted
A
Alex Rejoining
?
Player 5 Offline
Direction 1 — Docked Strip Key behaviours:
  • Hover row → action rail slides in from right
  • Right-click → context menu (fast path)
  • Strip always open; no toggle needed
  • Strip → Director's Board via footer CTA

✓ Zero extra chrome; ambient state overview always visible
✓ Expert path natively; strip teaches itself on first hover
✗ Requires docking API support in v14
✗ Competes with Foundry's native right panel
◈ Scrying Pool: Sofia visibility updated

Direction 2 — Floating Strip (ApplicationV2 Default)

Strip as a small floating ApplicationV2 window. Draggable, resizable, position persisted. Keyboard shortcut to open/close. Default open state true.

← Canvas / Map area →
🔮 Scrying Pool ● 4 live
M
Marcus
Sofia
J
Jake
A
Alex
Direction 2 — Floating Strip Key behaviours:
  • Opens with keyboard shortcut (single chord)
  • Draggable titlebar; resize from edges
  • Position/open state → GM User flag
  • Stays on top of canvas; can be minimised

✓ Zero footprint until opened; no panel conflict
✓ Standard ApplicationV2 pattern — trivial to implement
✗ GM must remember shortcut; discoverability gap
✗ Occludes map when open at wrong position

Direction 3 — Avatar-Only Condensed Strip

Ultra-compact vertical strip showing only 32px avatars with state rings. Click to expand to a full-detail popover. Maximum density, minimum screen real-estate.

Collapsed state
M
J
A
?
On avatar click → popover
Sofia
Not visible to others
Direction 3 — Avatar-Only Key behaviours:
  • Strip width: 44px — near-zero footprint
  • All detail in popover on click/hover
  • State ring + icon only — no text labels
  • Works inside Foundry AV strip space

✓ Absolute minimum screen real-estate
✓ At-a-glance state by ring shape/colour
✗ Copy/state labels hidden by default — accessibility concern
✗ Popover adds click cost for every action

Direction 4 — Director's Board as Primary Surface

Director's Board (Level 2) promoted as the main GM control surface. Compact strip becomes a secondary summary-only view. Board-first = more information density per action.

🔮 Director's Board
Scrying Pool · 5 participants · 3 visible
M
Marcus
● Live
👁
S
Sofia
✕ Hidden
🚫
J
Jake
🔇 Muted
👁
A
Alex
↺ Rejoining
👁
?
Player 5
✕ Offline
Direction 4 — Board Primary Key behaviours:
  • Board is default open surface for GMs
  • Card click = toggle visibility
  • Hover → card-level toggle icon
  • Compact strip = read-only summary

✓ Optimal for bulk operations (Level 2)
✓ Video thumbnails can live here
✗ Heavier to open than strip for single-player changes
✗ Board should remain Level 2 opt-in — making it primary changes the product story

Direction 5 — Rich Row Strip with Inline State Labels

Wider strip showing avatar + name + full state label + action. Maximum information at a glance. Best for novice GMs who need copy to orient them.

🔮 Scrying Pool 5 participants
M
Marcus Visible to all
Sofia Not visible to others
J
Jake Camera off (player choice)
A
Alex Rejoining view…
?
Player 5 Disconnected
Direction 5 — Rich Row Strip Key behaviours:
  • Row height 36px (vs 32px) for two-line label
  • State copy uses player-facing vocabulary
  • Action label is canonical: "Hide from table"
  • Best combined with novice primary path

✓ Self-teaching — no tooltip or docs needed
✓ Canonical copy reinforced in GM strip
✗ Wider strip (240–280px) — larger screen footprint
✗ Copy density may feel verbose at 8+ participants

Direction 6 — Player View: VisibilityBadge & First Encounter

The player's experience: badge on their own video tile; first-encounter explanation; ongoing state legibility. This is what Sofia sees.

State: Active (visible)
👤
Visible to all
State: Hidden (first encounter)
👤
Not visible to others ?
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State: Reconnecting
👤
Rejoining view…
Direction 6 — Player View Key behaviours:
  • Badge: position:absolute bottom-left of tile
  • Fade: 300–500ms on player's own tile only
  • First encounter: pulsed badge + "Got it" panel
  • Badge always clickable for state explanation
  • Audio never affected by any state change
  • Copy: dignity-first vocabulary throughout

✓ Player always informed; never blindsided
✓ "Got it" sets firstGMActivation (not dismiss)
✗ Badge must not obscure face at 24px tile size
Consider: bottom-left vs bottom-right placement based on AV grid layout testing