HOUSTON, Texas – April 28, 2026, 11:00 AM CST – ThreatGEN announces the imminent release (prior to May 31) of AutoTableTop™ version 2.1, delivering the most significant capability upgrade since the platform’s version 2.0 launch in October 2025. This release introduces a three-stage timeline system, free-form participant roles, AI-controlled participants, and exercise-type terminology enforcement – capabilities that bring AutoTableTop™ closer to replicating the dynamics of a real-world incident without adding cost or complexity.
Building on the foundation established with AutoTableTop™ version 2.0, which eliminated the cost and scheduling barriers of traditional tabletop exercises, version 2.1 focuses on exercise realism, role flexibility, and intelligent automation.
Three-Stage Timeline System: Pre-Incident, Incident, and Recovery
AutoTableTop™ version 2.1 introduces a structured timeline that mirrors how real incidents unfold. Every exercise can now move through three distinct stages: Pre-Incident, Incident, and Recovery. Each stage has configurable turn counts and its own activation rules for participants:
- TimelineStatusBar displays the current stage, turn progress, and T+/– scenario time in real time
- TimelineStateSlideout provides a detailed panel with stage progression, transition history, and participant activation status
- TimelineAgent is a new LLM-powered agent that evaluates stage transitions using an 8-priority activation rule set, ensuring exercises progress naturally based on participant decisions
- Per-stage participant activation lets facilitators control exactly which roles are active during each stage through simple checkboxes in Settings
- Stages can be enabled, disabled, or reconfigured independently, giving facilitators full control over exercise pacing
Free-Form Participant Roles: Any Title, Any Scenario
Previous versions required participants to choose from a predefined list of roles. AutoTableTop™ version 2.1 removes that constraint entirely. Participants can now hold any job title, such asCISO, SOC Analyst Level 2, VP of Operations, Pipeline Safety Officer, or anything else that fits the exercise.
- Role Templates offer curated suggestions organized by scenario type (cyber, crisis management, pipeline safety) for quick setup
- Explicit Stage Activation ties each participant to specific timeline stages via Settings checkboxes, replacing the previous automatic category-based system
- Facilitators retain full control over who participates at each phase of the exercise
AI-Controlled Participants
For teams that need to simulate a full incident response table but lack the headcount, AutoTableTop™ version 2.1 introduces AI-controlled participants. Each AI participant can be configured with a personality, expertise level, communication style, and decision-making tendency which produce realistic, context-aware responses during the exercise.
- A new PlayerAgent generates responses as each AI-controlled participant, maintaining character consistency throughout the exercise
- AI participants activate per-stage alongside human participants, following the same timeline rules
- Ideal for small teams, training environments, or exercises where specific stakeholder perspectives (legal, communications, executive) need to be represented without additional personnel
Exercise Type Terminology Enforcement
Consistency matters in exercises that span cybersecurity, crisis management, and pipeline safety. Version 2.1 adds exercise-type terminology enforcement that ensures all AI-generated content uses the correct vocabulary for the selected exercise type.
- Forbidden and required term lists for each exercise type prevent terminology cross-contamination
- Mid-prompt reminders reinforce correct language throughout AI responses
- Facilitators and participants stay in context without manual corrections
Multi-Player Enhancements and UI Improvements
Version 2.1 delivers a range of quality-of-life improvements for facilitators and participants:
- Designated Facilitator System: one participant controls all LLM interactions, with creator fallback for backward compatibility
- Real-world and in-game time tracking: T+/– display relative to incident onset keeps all participants oriented
- Progress visualizations: stage progress bar, turn indicators, and transition history at a glance
- Team Settings tab: consolidated controls for Designated Facilitator, AI Participants, Role Slots, and Join Settings
- Zero frontend errors: reduced from 10 to 0 through comprehensive code quality improvements
“Version 2.1 is about making exercises feel real,” said Clint Bodungen, President and Founder of ThreatGEN. “The timeline system, free-form roles, and AI participants let organizations run exercises that mirror the actual pace and complexity of incident response, without the overhead of coordinating a dozen schedules or hiring a facilitator.”
Looking Ahead
The AutoTableTop™ 2.x roadmap continues to expand platform capabilities. Upcoming releases will introduce voice narration controls, downloadable exercise reports from the dashboard, enhanced network diagram analysis, asset manager platform integrations, scenario creation powered by current-event intelligence, a scenario manager for organization-specific scenario libraries, SSO/OAuth authentication, and ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue scenario integration.
AutoTableTop™ Pricing
Standard Edition – $3,000
- Single facilitator login
- Unlimited exercises and scenarios
- All core features including 2.1 timeline and AI participants
- Professional support
Enterprise Edition – Contact Sales
- Multiple users and organizations
- On-premises and air-gapped deployment options
- Priority support
About ThreatGEN
ThreatGEN offers state-of-the-art cybersecurity simulation products that foster and enhance security discussions. The ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue platform provides an immersive, gamified experience from both cyber defense (Blue Team) and hacker (Red Team) perspectives. AutoTableTop™ complements this by offering automated incident response exercises, leveraging Generative AI to deliver limitless scenarios across various industries, all with minimal preparation time and effort.
For more information:
- Company website: threatgen.com
- YouTube channel: ThreatGEN on YouTube
- LinkedIn: ThreatGEN on LinkedIn
- X (Twitter): @threatgen_rvb
- Discord: ThreatGEN Discord Server
Media Contact: ThreatGEN sales@threatgen.com
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