diff --git a/e2e/maps.spec.ts b/e2e/maps.spec.ts
index 9fced83..ad8b9d6 100644
--- a/e2e/maps.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/maps.spec.ts
@@ -64,6 +64,30 @@ test('maps: zoom controls scale the canvas and fit resets', async ({ page }) =>
   expect(await scaleOf()).toBeCloseTo(fitZoom, 5);
 });
 
+test('maps: place a token from a planned encounter via the palette', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: '+ New campaign' }).first().click();
+  await page.locator('input[data-autofocus]').fill('Enc');
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create' }).click();
+
+  // A planned (not-yet-started) encounter with a monster.
+  await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Combat' }).click();
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: '+ New encounter' }).first().click();
+  await page.locator('input[data-autofocus]').fill('Ambush');
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create' }).click();
+  await page.getByLabel('Name').fill('Bandit');
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Add', exact: true }).click();
+
+  await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Dashboard' }).click();
+  await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Maps' }).click();
+  await page.locator('input[type="file"]').setInputFiles('public/pwa-512x512.png');
+
+  // The palette's Encounter section surfaces the planned encounter's combatant.
+  await expect(page.getByText('Encounter', { exact: true })).toBeVisible();
+  await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Bandit/ }).click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId('map-token')).toHaveCount(1);
+  await expect(page.getByTestId('map-token')).toContainText('Bandit');
+});
+
 test('maps: place a party token from the palette', async ({ page }) => {
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: '+ New campaign' }).first().click();
   await page.locator('input[data-autofocus]').fill('Party');
diff --git a/src/features/world/map/MapCanvas.tsx b/src/features/world/map/MapCanvas.tsx
index 8eba361..a73467f 100644
--- a/src/features/world/map/MapCanvas.tsx
+++ b/src/features/world/map/MapCanvas.tsx
@@ -173,24 +173,32 @@ export function MapCanvas({ view, viewportHeight = '70vh', readOnly, playerFog,
   const zoomCentered = (factor: number) => setVp((v) => zoomToPoint(v, factor, size.w / 2, size.h / 2));
   const fit = () => { if (natural) setVp(fitViewport(size.w, size.h, natural.w, natural.h)); };
 
-  if (!view.image) return <p className="text-sm text-muted">No image.</p>;
-
+  // NOTE: always render the outer container (even with no image yet) so the
+  // ResizeObserver attaches. In the networked player view the map image arrives
+  // late over WebSocket; if we early-returned, the observer never bound, `size`
+  // stayed 0, fit() never ran, and the map showed at 100% instead of fit.
   return (
     <div ref={outerRef} data-testid="map-viewport" data-zoom={vp.zoom} className="relative overflow-hidden rounded-lg border border-line bg-surface" style={{ height: viewportHeight, touchAction: 'none' }}>
-      {!natural && <p className="p-3 text-sm text-muted">Loading map…</p>}
+      {!view.image
+        ? <p className="p-3 text-sm text-muted">No image.</p>
+        : !natural
+          ? <p className="p-3 text-sm text-muted">Loading map…</p>
+          : null}
 
       <canvas ref={canvasRef} className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 h-full w-full" />
 
       {/* pointer surface (below tokens so token drags win; tokens are small) */}
-      <div
-        className="absolute inset-0"
-        style={{ cursor: interactive ? 'crosshair' : 'grab', touchAction: 'none' }}
-        onPointerDown={ixDown}
-        onPointerMove={ixMove}
-        onPointerUp={ixUp}
-        onPointerLeave={() => { if (interactive) onLeave?.(); }}
-        onContextMenu={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
-      />
+      {view.image && (
+        <div
+          className="absolute inset-0"
+          style={{ cursor: interactive ? 'crosshair' : 'grab', touchAction: 'none' }}
+          onPointerDown={ixDown}
+          onPointerMove={ixMove}
+          onPointerUp={ixUp}
+          onPointerLeave={() => { if (interactive) onLeave?.(); }}
+          onContextMenu={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
+        />
+      )}
 
       {/* tokens: DOM positioned in screen space (no CSS scale → labels stay crisp) */}
       {natural && (
diff --git a/src/features/world/map/TokenPalette.tsx b/src/features/world/map/TokenPalette.tsx
index a4d3b6b..2093307 100644
--- a/src/features/world/map/TokenPalette.tsx
+++ b/src/features/world/map/TokenPalette.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
+import { useState } from 'react';
 import type { Character, Combatant, Encounter, MapToken } from '@/lib/schemas';
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/Button';
+import { Select } from '@/components/ui/Input';
 import { KIND_COLOR, baseSpec, unplacedPcs, type TokenSpec } from './tokens';
 
 export type { TokenSpec };
@@ -14,7 +16,12 @@ export function TokenPalette({ characters, encounters, existingTokens, onPlace,
   onClose: () => void;
 }) {
   const pcs = characters.filter((c) => c.kind === 'pc');
-  const activeEnc = encounters.find((e) => e.status === 'active') ?? encounters.find((e) => e.combatants.length > 0) ?? null;
+  // Any encounter that has combatants — planned OR active — can supply tokens.
+  const withCombatants = encounters.filter((e) => e.combatants.length > 0);
+  const [encId, setEncId] = useState('');
+  const selectedEnc = withCombatants.find((e) => e.id === encId)
+    ?? encounters.find((e) => e.status === 'active' && e.combatants.length > 0)
+    ?? withCombatants[0] ?? null;
 
   const hasPc = (id: string) => existingTokens.some((t) => t.characterId === id);
   const hasCombatant = (cb: Combatant) => existingTokens.some((t) => t.combatantId === cb.id || (!t.combatantId && !t.characterId && t.label === cb.name));
@@ -58,11 +65,28 @@ export function TokenPalette({ characters, encounters, existingTokens, onPlace,
           )}
         </section>
 
-        {activeEnc && activeEnc.combatants.length > 0 && (
+        {selectedEnc && (
           <section>
-            <div className="mb-1 truncate text-xs font-medium text-ink" title={activeEnc.name}>{activeEnc.name}</div>
+            <div className="mb-1 flex items-center gap-1">
+              <span className="text-xs font-medium text-ink">Encounter</span>
+              <Button size="sm" variant="ghost" className="ml-auto h-6 px-1.5"
+                disabled={selectedEnc.combatants.every((cb) => hasCombatant(cb))}
+                onClick={() => onPlaceMany(selectedEnc.combatants.filter((cb) => !hasCombatant(cb)).map((cb, i) => baseSpec({
+                  label: cb.name, color: KIND_COLOR[cb.kind], kind: cb.kind, hp: cb.hp, combatantId: cb.id, col: i, row: 1,
+                  ...(cb.characterId ? { characterId: cb.characterId } : {}),
+                })))}>+ All</Button>
+            </div>
+            {withCombatants.length > 1 ? (
+              <Select className="mb-1 h-7 w-full text-xs" value={selectedEnc.id} onChange={(e) => setEncId(e.target.value)} aria-label="Encounter">
+                {withCombatants.map((e) => (
+                  <option key={e.id} value={e.id}>{e.status === 'active' ? '● ' : ''}{e.name} ({e.combatants.length})</option>
+                ))}
+              </Select>
+            ) : (
+              <div className="mb-1 truncate text-[11px] text-muted" title={selectedEnc.name}>{selectedEnc.status === 'active' ? '● ' : ''}{selectedEnc.name}</div>
+            )}
             <ul className="space-y-1">
-              {activeEnc.combatants.map((cb) => {
+              {selectedEnc.combatants.map((cb) => {
                 const placed = hasCombatant(cb);
                 return (
                   <li key={cb.id}>
diff --git a/vite.config.ts b/vite.config.ts
index 47e359c..0b33327 100644
--- a/vite.config.ts
+++ b/vite.config.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
     tailwindcss(),
     cspPlugin(),
     VitePWA({
-      registerType: 'prompt',
+      // autoUpdate so a fresh deploy is fetched + activated without a manual
+      // hard-reload (the old 'prompt' kept serving the stale cached bundle).
+      registerType: 'autoUpdate',
       includeAssets: ['favicon.svg'],
       manifest: {
         name: 'TTRPG Manager',
@@ -51,6 +53,10 @@ export default defineConfig({
         globPatterns: ['**/*.{js,css,html,svg,png,woff2}'],
         // SRD data chunks can be large; allow them to be precached.
         maximumFileSizeToCacheInBytes: 6 * 1024 * 1024,
+        // Take over and drop stale precaches as soon as a new build is live.
+        skipWaiting: true,
+        clientsClaim: true,
+        cleanupOutdatedCaches: true,
       },
     }),
   ],