Calamus

Calamus

Roleplaying Game Companion

83 ratings
40 reviews
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

Released
January 15, 2020
Updated
February 16, 2024

Features

Calamus screenshot #1 for iPhone
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Calamus screenshot #10 for iPhone
iphone
ipad
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About

Create expansive battlemaps with hand-drawn tiles for tabletop RPGs. Design custom character tokens and host real-time games where players can move their own pieces. Engage in robust chat, sending messages as yourself or any in-game token.

✓Create large battlemaps
✓Dozens of hand-drawn tiles
✓Custom PC, NPC, FOE tokens
✓Host real-time games
✓Player character movement
✓Robust in-game chat
✓Send messages as tokens
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What users say about Calamus

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What's New in Calamus

2.70.401

February 16, 2024

Some users were having issues with deleting tiles from their map staying deleted. This build should fix the issue moving forward. Also, this build fixes an issue for people trying to resubscribe. Full patch notes: https://trapstreetstudios.com/theCalamus/patchnotes

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15

Subscriptions & In-App Purchases

Calamus Player Only

Allows you to join other people's games.

$0.991 Month
How to cancel Calamus subscription ⁉️

User reviews

Disappointing

I’ve really wanted a Map Maker for iOS for designing maps, and this app looked really promising. It has nice icons and looks really pretty. It wasn’t too difficult to start making maps… but then I made a mistake. It is so difficult to correct a mistake (there is no undo option??) its clunky with apple pencil, its missing assests like columns even with a subscription. I wasted an hour trying to make a map that I had to keep restarting because the walls would erase when I was trying to remove an object. I don’t reccomend this app
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Well worth the cost

Let me preface this by saying I don’t leave reviews. I’m not even involved in social media nor have I ever been - in my opinion it only serves to cut out the human element. With that out of the way let me begin.
I’ve been playing AD&D for over 30 years and I’ve explored most of the relevant apps out there. Hands down, this one is, in my opinion, one of the best. As far as the complaints regarding the implementation of subscriptions, people don’t stop to think about the time and effort the developers put into maintaining the app. Yes, the options available in the free version are limited but nowadays that’s the norm. In this case, a 1-year subscription costs $29.99 which works out to be less than $3.00/month.
That being said, if you are someone who looks to create your own scenarios and battle maps, the variety of unlocked content made available makes it well worth the cost. If you are someone who prefers spending less time customizing, you have the option to create randomly generated rooms. It just depends on how much time you choose to spend creating your map. I will say I felt there was a small learning curve to figuring out some of the mechanics but it didn’t take long to grasp.
As far as any complaints about customer service, the negative reviews couldn’t be further from the truth. I had a complication regarding my subscription so obviously I contacted the developers. I received a response and resolution to the issue in less than 24 hours. The way I see it, you can’t ask for better customer service - especially in this day and age. 5 out of 5 stars and deservedly earned.
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Beware Unable to cancel my subscription

I’ve been wanting to cancel my subscription for some time now. The app appears to intentionally prevent that. I went under options and clicked on manage subscriptions. This takes you to their website, which is fine. However the link takes you to an about us type of section that has nothing to do with your subscriptions. Furthermore nowhere on the website was I able to find anything remotely close to managing subscriptions. It is also not listed in the apple subscriptions. So beware that you may have this issue. I just reached out to apple to look into this. Canceling a subscription should not be that difficult to do. Which is why this feels intentional.
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It’s okay but…

If your looking for an easy map maker to throw some maps together this is perfect, but since the “free mode” it has gone downhill, there are things locked that shouldn’t be, torches, bookshelves, a lot of the plants. the wall selection is…. Bad, it only has cobblestone, wood, and brick (locked without subscription), and the floors are okay, there’s plenty of options, except you can’t use the dock without a subscription, even tho I’ve used it before, and where are the desert themed items, you have tomb things but not anything related to the most notable tombs ever? And no steering wheel or crows nest without paying, I know you need to get money to keep your app running but I would much rather watch an add every 30 mins than try to fight with not having a steering wheel or torches in my pirate ship, and don’t even get me started on logging in, I like the concept or having a rune password, but once I put it in it shouldn’t freeze and not let me in, and final thing, when I save a map that has water, when I go in to crop it to make print it on to pages, the water turns a light blue instead of the color I need, if you could fix these problems this game could easily rival any map making software
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Fix your app

I downloaded this app yesterday and played around with it, I need a way to make maps for my d&d campaign's with friends so I downloaded this app to hopefully make it easier. I will say it's a lot easier than some websites I have visited (probably because I am on mobile) but my problem with it is that every couple of second this app makes me re-type my password, sometimes I can't even place a couple tiles because right after I typed my password it asked me to again, I checked the reviews to see if this was a problem for other people and sure enough it was. The developers reached out to them and told them they would fix the problem but that was 3 year's ago, it's not quirky and unique to give us a runes password if you make us typenit in every 2 second's, I mean it seems like the whole point of the game isn't the maps it's just your password. If you like sliding your finger across the screen a lot of times in a minutes this is the app for you.
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Developer apps

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

40 issues

No undo option

Bug

Walls erase when removing objects

Bug

Rune password login issues

Bug

Water turns light blue when saving/cropping

Bug

App repeatedly asks for password

Bug

Pop-ups are disruptive

Bug

Download issues

Bug

Support issues

Bug

Map saving issues

Bug

App crashes

Bug

Broken text formatting

Bug

Tabs do not work

Bug

Program freezes while placing tiles

Bug

Login issues after canceling subscription

Bug

Pinch and pull zoom doesn't work

Bug

Erase button in wrong menu

Bug

Forced password system

Bug

Locked out if away from app for too long

Bug

Not designed for mobile user experience

Bug

Maps don't save properly

Bug

App never loads

Bug

Never got to do much of anything

Bug

Non-functional, never makes it past loading screen

Bug

Monetization model kills it

Bug

Forced subscription after idle period

Bug

Limited variety of items

Bug

Cannot download saved maps

Bug

App asks for subscription after payment

Bug

Free app with subscription service

Bug

Too complicated login process

Bug

Freezes when adding players

Bug

Rune password is confusing

Bug

Subscription is a big problem

Bug

Keeps locking, requires frequent passcode entry

Bug

Slowdown on larger maps

Bug

Text is incredibly small

Bug

Menu screen swipe function doesn't work

Bug

Cannot figure out rune password

Bug

Slow learning curve

Bug

No simple tutorial

Bug
✨

Requested Features

18 requests

Add undo option

Feature

Improve Apple Pencil support

Feature

Add more assets like columns

Feature

Add desert themed items

Feature

Add steering wheel and crows nest

Feature

Add fungi for underdark maps

Feature

Allow watching ads instead of subscription

Feature

Fix water color issue when saving/cropping

Feature

Improve login process

Feature

Add more variety of items

Feature

Allow downloading saved maps to device

Feature

Implement a one-time purchase option

Feature

Add more content

Feature

Change rune password system to typed password or tap option

Feature

Add more VTT features

Feature

Provide a simple tutorial

Feature

Allow maps to be exported as PDFs

Feature

Allow maps to be printed

Feature

FAQ

What is Calamus?

Calamus is a companion app for tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. It allows you to create detailed battlemaps using a variety of tiles, design custom character tokens, and host games where players can interact in real-time.

What are the key features of Calamus?

Key features include the ability to create large battlemaps with numerous hand-drawn tiles, design custom tokens for player characters, non-player characters, and foes, and host games that allow players to move their own characters in real-time. It also offers a robust chat system.

Is Calamus free to use?

The application is free to download and use, but it does offer in-app purchases. This means you can enjoy the core functionalities without initial cost, with optional purchases available for additional content or features.

What tabletop RPGs is Calamus compatible with?

The app is designed as a companion for tabletop roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. Its flexible map and token creation tools can be adapted for use with many other RPG systems as well.

How can I use Calamus in my RPG sessions?

You can use Calamus to visually represent your game's encounters by building detailed battlemaps and placing custom tokens for all participants. Hosting a game allows players to see and move their characters in real-time, enhancing immersion and tactical gameplay, while the chat feature keeps communication organized.