Extracting Chronicle Sheets for online play

I've been GMing monthly "unofficial" PFS2 games for my friends since December in order to get some practice before running actual PFS scenarios by the time PaizoCon comes (basically, I've assigned them OP numbers so that I could get GM credit when running PFS2 scenarios for them).

One problem I've had is creating the Chronicle Sheet for them. Apparently, the Organized Play webpage has a long-standing bug that prevents GMs from downloading the Sheets directly from there.

The remaining option is to extract the Sheet from the scenario PDFs, but they're edit-protected, which means I have to go through a few hoops before I can get a final product:
- convert to image format
- extract the Chronicle Sheet page
- convert to PDF
- fill out for each character

The end result is a bit fuzzy in terms of image quality. I was wondering if there was a better way to proceed?

I use PDFSAM (just google it, SAM means "split and merge") to extract the last page of the scenario evrey time. Works like a charm :)

You can "extract" the chronicle page* directly if you "print to PDF." It creates a separate file with just the chronicle sheet. Then open it using Adobe Acrobat or other free PDF (I use FOXIt reader) to add text boxes. As you complete the sheet for each player, again print it to PDF so it flattens the text boxes into the image. Then you can send the file using email or Discord. The quality is just as sharp and clear as the original. Good Luck!

*be sure to select current page not all

There are a fair number of free pdf printers, that's usually the best version of you want the highest quality combined with a small file size (about 120kb).

My current pdf printer is 7-pdf printer, not exceedingly simple to set up, but it had the options I wanted (particularly the file size). Personally, I am not happy if I get a grainy chronicle sheet, but some GMs just don't have the tech skills or are aware of better options.

I think the OP might also be conflating the problem with downloading the GM Boons (which is a known issue) and chronicles. There's never been a way to download the chronicles from the Org Play webpage -- that's also been via printing out (either physical or print-to-pdf) the final page of the scenario.

Also, any game for which you use PFS rules and issue a chronicle is an "official" game and you should report them so that you can get credit for running them.

(The more precise distinction would be "Private" game (a game you organize yourself and choose players for.) vs a "Public" game, where anyone can sign up to play.)

Button by button guide to fill out a chronicle sheet with foxit. By a druid For druids. Linky

(i am lazier and use save rather than print, for file management. But if you want to secure the document that works easily enough)

I use the DocHub extension in Google Drive (which is also convenient because that's where I'm sharing my Chronicles from).

No loss of resolution, no flattening of text into images, you can fill out whatever you need in 3 different fonts of any number of colors, you can whiteout and draw shapes like boxes, and you can insert images (like a mossy cobblestone for a certain stew).

Handy for both GMing and filling out your own player Chronicles from other GMs.

The only "problem" with saving over printing to PDF is the form us open to edit with the former (unless you intentionally protect it) and with the latter, the text boxes are flattened into the image so they are no longer selectable or able to be edited. I'm not saying YOUR players will, but I know of some who have changed the chronicle after receiving it. YMMV

Players being able to select text is a feature, not a problem, I came to that conclusion after thinking about how people that need to use screen readers might be able to read their chronicle sheets. Of course, it also offers other benefits, for example, players can copy the text of boons into their online character sheet (though that is admittedly rare with recent releases).

Of course, you can always add additional security, but I find it hard to justify it these days.

My work flow is usually
1) print to PDF the last page
2) fill it out with a PDF editor (Foxit in my case)
3) save that
4) print to PDF the filled in one

I used to stop at step 3, but for a large number of players, when they went to print the PDF it wouldn't print the filled in values. I'm not sure why. Printing the filled out chronicle to PDF before distributing them fixed that problem. It would be nice to be able to skip that step though.

The only "problem" with saving over printing to PDF is the form us open to edit with the former (unless you intentionally protect it) and with the latter, the text boxes are flattened into the image so they are no longer selectable or able to be edited. I'm not saying YOUR players will, but I know of some who have changed the chronicle after receiving it. YMMV

Org play no longer operates on the assumption that we can prevent people from cheating. Flattening text into images imposes only a trivial amount of difficulty editing the chronicles.

All it really does is punish people who use other record keeping systems, and make chronicles unreadable by people who use screen readers or similar adaptive technologies.

Of course, you can always add additional security, but I find it hard to justify it these days.

As is always the case, if someone really wants to cheat, they will find a way, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't make it difficult for them. A secure chronicle contributes to that. YMMV

I can (and do) literally edit Chronicles using Windows Paint.

There is zero difficulty.

Sebastian Hirsch wrote:

Of course, you can always add additional security, but I find it hard to justify it these days.

As is always the case, if someone really wants to cheat, they will find a way, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't make it difficult for them. A secure chronicle contributes to that. YMMV

There are two competing desires here. People want secure chronicle sheets. People need accessible chronicle sheets.

Need flat out trumps want in this instance, especially since the need requires little additional effort, and the want has had 10 years of testing and proven itself completely ineffective at it's stated intent.

To be fair, all my process does it make the data I enter match the data on the page. If your reader is such that it can decipher the chronicle name, etc. it should be able to decipher the flattened text I entered. If not, then its not much use anyway. The file type after the process is identical to the file type before it.

I'm not going to tell someone else how to manage their chronicles, but I will share how I do it if someone asks. I will not issue one that is not secured. YMMV

Even the unflattened ones sometimes don't show up for some people in some readers, especially ones on phones. If that happens I just screenshot it and send it in paint.

To be fair, all my process does it make the data I enter match the data on the page. If your reader is such that it can decipher the chronicle name, etc. it should be able to decipher the flattened text I entered. If not, then its not much use anyway. The file type after the process is identical to the file type before it.

I'm not going to tell someone else how to manage their chronicles, but I will share how I do it if someone asks. I will not issue one that is not secured. YMMV

It flattens it into an image.

The chronicle sheet, as presented in the original is text.

Screen readers cannot read images. If the text is not selectable, the screen reader cannot read it.

And unless you are using a checksumming process with digital watermarking, yours is no more secure than any other.

A flattened image is certainly more secure than one with editable text boxes, but I would agree that it doesn’t make them truly secure. Nothing is uncheatable. I’m just saying it is more secure than the alternative. If/when I have a player who needs a reasonable accommodation, i will be happy to provide it. Just like when I ask for a reasonable accommodation for my disability.

I think the only realistic solution here is to put Chronicles on the blockchain.

GM: "Audit time! Hand over your Chronicles, everyone."

Player: "Sorry, I don't have mine."

GM: "Why not?"

Player: "My Dogecoin ate them."