Play
Open a compatible story and keep its story in focus.
Adventures in Mapping
Cairn
Automatic Mapping for Interactive Fiction.
macOS 26.2 or later
Ready to play
Bring a story. Find your way.
Cairn is a native Mac player for compatible text adventures from your own collection.
- Requires
- macOS 26.2 or later
- Plays
- Z3, Z4, Z5, Z7, and Z8 stories
- Bring your own
- Game files, manuals, hint files, and other materials are not included. Add compatible copies from your own collection.
- 01
Choose a compatible story file from your own collection.
- 02
Play in a clean, distraction-free environment.
- 03
Watch Cairn map the world as you discover it.
Cairn 2.5 overview
See the whole adventure workspace.
Follow a story from your library into play, watch the map grow as you explore, and keep your manuals, images, and hints close at hand.
Map
Watch rooms and connections appear as you discover them.
Keep context
Attach your manuals, images, and spoiler-safe hints to each story.
A complete play desk
Keep the game materials with the game.
Attach manuals, maps, feelies, artwork, and spoiler-safe hint files from your own collection. Cairn keeps references close without turning the game into a browser tab collection.
Z-machine interactive fiction
Modern where it helps. Faithful where it matters.
Play
- Z3, Z4, Z5, Z7, and Z8 story support
- Automatic map tracking
- Inventory bar and keyboard movement
- Separate map and transcript views
Keep context
- PDF and image materials
- Incremental InvisiClues
- Saved games and transcripts
- Library score and move history
Support
Lost in the dark?
For questions, bug reports, or feedback, email support@ducat.dev or start a topic in GitHub Discussions.
Helpful bug reports include:
- Cairn version or build
- macOS version and Mac model
- The story and command in progress
- What you expected to happen
- Relevant screenshots
- In-game backup files that help reproduce the issue
Future support
Cairn's public roadmap covers additional formats, devices, graphical support, and sound. Plans are directional and may change.
The path is open
Return to the underground.