Board type

A plot outline, a scene list, a timeline — where order matters more than relations, things read better lined up than drawn as a picture. A node type made as a Board type lays its nodes out as cards, in order inside named groups, so you can see the order your story runs in. A part gathers several chapter groups one level up: “Part 1” holds “Chapter 1” and “Chapter 2”.

Say “The Seal Cracks” is the second card of the “Chapter 1” group in Part 1 on your Events board. The number 1.1.2 appears before its name and marks where it sits in the story.

Opening the board

In the World area of the sidebar, node types with the icon are Board types. Press the name to open the board. If the type has pinned cards, pressing the name expands a list instead; press All at the bottom of it.
Use the switch at the top right, Board or Table, to see the same cards two ways.

In the sidebar, open a board's ⋯ and choose Open on the left or Open on the right to open it straight in that pane, so two boards can sit side by side.

Adding a part, group, or card

Adding from inside the board creates the item right there, with no window.

Press New card at the bottom of a group, New group at the end of a part's row, or New part at the bottom of the board.
Type a name in the field that opens. Press again to keep adding more.

To set the name and position first, choose New part, New group, or New card from Add in the board's header.

Editing names and text on the board

Edit the names of cards, groups, and parts right on the board. The section text shown under card and group names is editable in place too, so you can refine the plot without opening the node's screen.

Press a name, edit it, then press Enter or click outside. Press Esc to go back to the original name.
Press the section text and the cursor lands where you pressed. It's the same text as that section on the node's screen.

Opening a part, group, or card as a node

Parts, groups, and cards are each nodes with their own name and text. To read what you wrote in a part, or a card's other sections, open it on the node's screen.

Hover over it, and Open appears at the bottom right of a card or group, or at the end of a part's header.
Press Open to open that node's screen.

Reordering cards

Hover over a card and a handle appears just outside its left edge. Drag the handle to where you want the card. It can go to a group in another part too, and its number changes to match where you drop it. Groups also reorder by dragging the handle on their header. Move a group to another part and its cards go with it.

Moving by number

On a long board, typing a number is faster than dragging far.

Choose Move to number in the ⋯ of a card, group, or part.
Type the number to move to and press Enter. To move “The Seal Cracks” to the front of Part 2's first group, type 2.1.1.

The number of digits sets the level: 3 is a part position, 1.2 a group position, and 1.2.3 a card position. Type 1.2 for a card, for example, and that card becomes the second group in Part 1.

Numbering a card

Cards without a number collect under No order yet at the bottom of the group.

Press the card's ⋯.
Choose Set number to give it the group's next number, or Clear number to remove it.

A group's ⋯ has the same two rows.

Board cards are also what other nodes' section progression entries and property start and end link to — linking “Event 1.1.2” to an entry in Vincent's progression, for example.

Choosing the text and properties a card shows

A card shows its number and name, with one section's text and a row of property chips below. Choose which section and properties to show under View, left of the switch.

Under Content, pick the section that cards and groups show. If you don't pick one, the type's first section shows.
Under Card properties, turn on the eye for each property you want shown as a chip.

Pinning a card you open often

Choose Pin to sidebar in a card's ⋯ to pin the card under its board type in the sidebar, where a card you open often is one press away. Its place in the board's order stays the same.

Viewing as a table

Switch to Table for a table with parts as the top rows, their groups indented one level, and cards in the rows below.

Set the columns under Table columns in View, left of the switch.
For a select or node relation column, use Sub-columns › in the column header's ⋯ to spread out one column per value. Scanning cells to see who appears in which card is covered in Sub-columns.
Select several nodes to pin or delete them at once. The checkbox on a part or group row selects every card under it. Send just the selected nodes to a file with Export › on the bar.

A new board starts with one unnamed part, and groups sit inside it.
A card created without a group goes into the board's last group.
When a part's groups run wider than the screen, scroll sideways with ← → at the end of the part's header, or hover over that row and use the ← → keys.
Deleting a part or group sends the cards inside it to the Archive too.
Point the agent at one group and it searches only that group's cards — “Find the cards in the Episode 2 group where Raon shows up.”
Sharing a single card is covered in Sharing the World.

FAQ

How is a Board different from a Graph?

A Board lines nodes up as cards inside parts and groups, showing the order that events, scenes, or a timeline run in. A Graph draws nodes as points and relations as lines, showing who characters and factions are tied to. You choose one under Kind when you create the node type, and you can't change it afterward, so decide whether order or relations matter more.

Should I plot the story on a Board or a Canvas?

If you need chapter order and numbers, plot on a Board. Each board card holds its place in the story as a number, like 1.1.2, and you can link that card to a character's section progression entries. To place cards freely and join them with connectors to sketch the flow, use a Canvas. A board card placed on a canvas shows its board name and number too.