TabletopKit

Build visionOS board games whose synchronized state changes flow through TabletopAction and render with RealityKit. The availability matrix below owns version details.

Contents

• Workflow
• Route by Task
• Core Decisions
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Workflow

1. Confirm visionOS availability, TabletopKit capability, and whether the experience needs local, shared, or SharePlay-backed play.
2. Model stable identifiers, seats, equipment, and table geometry before rendering entities.
3. Express state changes as tabletop actions with validation, turn ownership, and deterministic outcomes.
4. Connect interactions and RealityKit representations without making rendered entities the source of truth.
5. Verify reset, reconnect, late-join, undo, and multi-participant behavior.

Route by Task

• Read core implementation details for setup, tables, equipment, seats, actions, interactions, RealityKit rendering, and Group Activities wiring.
• Read extended TabletopKit patterns for custom actions, dice simulation, card layouts, state bookmarks, observers, and network coordination.

Core Decisions

• Keep game state and equipment identifiers deterministic across participants.
• Validate custom actions before mutation and keep turn/seat authority explicit.
• Use TabletopKit interactions for tabletop semantics; use RealityKit for presentation and effects.
• Treat SharePlay transport, reconnection, and late joining as lifecycle states, not happy-path callbacks.

Common Mistakes

• Skipping seat claim. Players must call claimAnySeat() or claimSeat(_:) before interacting with equipment. Without a seat, actions are rejected.
• Mutating state outside actions. All state changes must go through TabletopAction or CustomAction. Directly modifying equipment properties bypasses synchronization.
• Missing custom action registration. Register every custom action with setup.register(action:) before use.
• Not handling action rollback. Actions are optimistically applied and can be rolled back if validation fails on the arbiter. Implement actionWasRolledBack(_:snapshot:) to revert UI state.
• Ignoring discarded actions when available. Implement actionWasDiscarded(_:) when local action queue pressure matters; it is called for local actions that cannot be enqueued.
• Using wrong parent ID. Equipment parentID in state must reference a valid equipment ID (typically the table or a container). An invalid parent causes the piece to disappear.
• Ignoring TossOutcome faces. After a toss, read the face from outcome.tossableRepresentation.face(for: outcome.restingOrientation) rather than generating a random value. The physics simulation determines the result.
• Testing multiplayer in Simulator. Group Activities do not work in Simulator. Multiplayer requires physical Apple Vision Pro devices on a FaceTime call.

Review Checklist

• The centralized platform/availability matrix is applied
• TableSetup created with a Tabletop/EntityTabletop conforming type
• All equipment conforms to Equipment or EntityEquipment with correct state type
• Seats added and claimAnySeat() / claimSeat(_:) called at game start
• All custom actions registered with setup.register(action:)
• TabletopGame.Observer reconciles confirmed, rolled-back, discarded, and bookmark-reset outcomes with the current snapshot
• EntityRenderDelegate or RenderDelegate connected
• .tabletopGame(_:parent:automaticUpdate:) modifier on RealityView
• GroupActivity defined and coordinateWithSession(_:) called; multiplayer described as Group Activities/SharePlay synchronization
• Group Activities capability added in Xcode for multiplayer builds
• Debug visualization (debugDraw) disabled before release
• Device notes state Simulator is single-player only; multiplayer requires 2+ Apple Vision Pro units on FaceTime

References

• TabletopKit patterns -- extended patterns for observer implementation, custom actions, dice simulation, and card overlap
• TabletopKit networking and state -- multiplayer GroupActivities coordination, bookmarks, undo, and debugging
• Apple Documentation: TabletopKit, Creating tabletop games, Synchronizing group gameplay
• Simulating dice rolls, Implementing playing card overlap
• WWDC24 session 10091: Build a spatial board game
• Core implementation details -- setup, API wiring, and focused implementation recipes moved out of the entrypoint.