Shopping in a tabletop roleplaying game can be a moment of pure joy or a session-grinding chore. It’s the tangible reward for a dangerous quest, a chance to express a character’s personality through their purchases, and an opportunity for world-building. However, it can also bring an exciting adventure to a dead stop, bogging the game down in bookkeeping and indecision.
A new web app, Lootrion, aims to solve this pacing problem by moving the shopping trip out of the session itself. The system-agnostic tool allows game masters to create bespoke marketplaces and shops for their campaigns, which players can then browse and use to buy items between games.
The idea for Lootrion came from the creator’s own passion for the hobby and a desire to deepen the tabletop experience. In a statement, he described the app’s philosophy,
It is not a character sheet. I really really like pen-and-paper and analog storytelling and only use technology to enhance this experience. Lootrion was conceived as something that will deepen the experience at the table with other people. Expand on it and hype players and DMs for the next session.”
The journey to creating Lootrion is a story of community and resilience. The founder, a teacher in Bosnia where TTRPGs are not widely available, discovered a passion for Dungeons & Dragons six years ago and started a group that still plays weekly. His enthusiasm even led him to introduce the game to his students.
A pivotal moment came when he posted online about the difficulty and expense of importing a Player’s Handbook. The global TTRPG community responded overwhelmingly. “From all over the world (one week before Christmas) D&D books started pouring in,” he explained.
Every day another delivery. Every package another restored ion of faith in what really loving something and wanting to share that love can bring.”
Having taught himself to code to support his family, he found himself facing unemployment in early 2025 after losing a long-term freelance gig. Instead of despairing, he channelled his energy and skills into his passion project.
I will try to pour my time into the one thing that brought me so much joy over the past 6 years. The result, after nine months of dedicated work, is Lootrion.
The app allows GMs to build campaigns, populate marketplaces with items, and even drop in rumours or world details for players to discover. The goal is to keep players engaged with the world and their characters, even when they’re not at the table.
Lootrion does face potential hurdles. The app requires users to create an account, a point of friction for some. It’s not quick either, as GMs must first enter the world, then create a marketplace, and then populate it with shops and add items to each.
Furthermore, its use of AI-generated art for items may prove unpopular with a segment of the TTRPG community that is vocally critical of the technology’s use in creative fields.
Lootrion is launching with a free basic tier, with the hope that server costs can be managed. A Patreon has been established for users who wish to support the project and upgrade to tiers with higher limits. In a nod to his roots, the creator has also made a generous offer: teachers running D&D for their students can receive a free upgrade.
