THE SOVEREIGN TABLE · AI PLAYTEST

1. Install Potluck from https://trypotluck.ai/ for your operating system.
2. Install Node.js 24 LTS from https://nodejs.org/en/download.
3. Extract this entire ZIP into a folder you can write to. Do not run from inside the ZIP.
4. In Potluck, download/load a model suitable for your computer, then enable Settings > Connect tools.
   This game was tested with qwen3-4b-instruct-2507-q4 on a Mac. Other hardware/model combinations are not yet verified.
5. Launch the game:
   Mac: open Start-Mac.command. If it is not executable, open Terminal in this folder and run bash Start-Mac.command.
   Windows: open Start-Windows.cmd.
   Linux: open a terminal in this folder and run sh Start-Linux.sh.
   Any system: open a terminal in this folder and run node launch.mjs.
6. Your browser opens http://127.0.0.1:4192. Keep the launch window and Potluck open.
7. Choose Use local Potluck, check the connection, and start a campaign.
   Demo remains an explicitly labeled option but does not test AI rulers.

No npm install, source build, cloud inference account, or per-turn token purchase is needed.
The model download is separate and can take time and disk space. AI uses your computer's resources.
This is an early playtest, not a signed desktop installer. Follow your operating system's normal trusted-app review; do not disable system security.

TRY THIS
Choose France in 1992. Send Britain a trade proposal. Ask Council to build a two-quarter sanctions coalition with Britain against Russia. Review the coalition under Initiatives, negotiate and confirm, then advance turns.

SAVES
Your campaign is saved in the .data folder beside these files. Keep that folder when updating the playtest. No developer saves, credentials, or model weights are included. Credentials are read only from your own Potluck configuration by the local game server.

TROUBLESHOOTING
No local model: open Potluck, load a single-machine model and enable Connect tools, then refresh the game connection.
Port busy: close a previous game launch window and try again.
Older Node.js: install Node.js 24 LTS, reopen your terminal, and try again.
Game stopped: relaunch it; your saved campaign should resume in the same browser and address.
Closing: stop the game in its terminal with Ctrl+C. You can close Potluck separately.

FEEDBACK TO SEND ROB
Your OS, model name, scenario/country, turn number, and what you expected versus what happened. Please do not send gateway keys or Potluck configuration files.
