I'm starting a new Kingmaker campaign, and I'd like to have everything organized for once. I'm wondering are there any good tools out there, and which is the best? Anything RPG specific?
Thanks!
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I'm starting a new Kingmaker campaign, and I'd like to have everything organized for once. I'm wondering are there any good tools out there, and which is the best? Anything RPG specific?
Thanks!
Pathfinder Combat Manager. Search the boards here for the link or google it. For a free software it if fantastic.
The only program I use is Okular, which is basically Adobe reader for Linux. But that only when I really need to look something up that I forgot to print or write down.
http://www.questkick.com look pretty impressive. Got my name on their invite list already.
I use a google site with the pathfinder template (just search for "pathfinder" in templates when you create the site).
It gives your players somewhere to store their character sheets, backstories, inventories, and party inventory.
Also it gives me somewhere to store my GM handouts, a list of NPCs they have met, and links to useful resources (d20pfsrd.com)
And it has message boards for announcements, OOC chat, and online RP.
And you can allow all players to see the info or restict it as needed. it is invaluable especially since I play online via TS3 and roll20.net these days.
*EDIT* oh and also it is pretty easy to set up and its 100% free.
I don't use much if any software, I use Scrye for my iPad which is a PFSRD app.
Otherwise I'd check out obsidianportal.com
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Quest Kick looks absolutely beautiful. Will have to keep my eye on that.
Pen&paper with a laptop for looking up rules/spells. Like Lincoln said, we have found adding more devices tends to decrease attention to the game.
We do have a large whiteboard we have character names written on, and put initiative results on, along with normal AC for the GM to see easily.
Players that have buffs we ask to create index cards for the buffs, so they can be handed to other players to easily track buffs/penalties in combat. We do use the conditions cards as well.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Quest Kick clearly looks to be the nicest one, so hopefully it comes out soon.
I use mostly note paper and index cards now, and I've dabbled with google docs. I just find myself flipping through papers trying to look stuff up, and it makes encounters take too much time. Definitely need to get organized.
for games of mine we use a collection of things:
myth-weavers.com for sheets, roll20.net for the rolling/placement/initiative/ambient music/other twiddly knobs, and skype for the talking, since the mic chat in roll20 is a bit wonky it seems.
Roll20, mostly. Also, the PRD website. I have built a nifty character sheet template in Google Docs, that I copy for each of my players. And of course, Adobe Reader! And Notepad++.
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Herolabs to build and keep track of characters, Obsidian Portal to keep track of the Story and events, and a Kingdom building spreadsheet to keep track of our Kingmaker kingdom.
Herolab is expensive IMO, but having Paizo officially back them makes it more likely that 3PP add their material to it, unlike some other character generators.
Obsidian Portal has been amazing for nearly four years, but is soon getting replaced in our game by Realm Works, since the way you can lay out and connect information in the latter application is the way I already develop my storylines and adventures on paper. Also having it made by the same company as Herolab ensure they will work together well.
That being said, Obsidian Portal is still great and probably a better fit for the group on a budget.
There are a ton of different Kingmaker kingdom building spreadsheets out there, the one we use is priceless in our game. I really like the Ultimate Campaign changes and Ultimate Rulership additions, but if the Herolab software (still being worked on) isn't as comprehensive, we are staying with the old spreadsheet, since it is easy to use and track stuff in once you get used to it.
Dot
Pen&paper with a laptop for looking up rules/spells. Like Lincoln said, we have found adding more devices tends to decrease attention to the game.
We do have a large whiteboard we have character names written on, and put initiative results on, along with normal AC for the GM to see easily.
Players that have buffs we ask to create index cards for the buffs, so they can be handed to other players to easily track buffs/penalties in combat. We do use the conditions cards as well.
SECONDED
This is a pen and paper game. KEEP IT ON THE TABLE
I use facebook for a private group page to keep everyone informed when folks will be late, handouts, etc.
And i record the sessions using Audacity, which is a space hog, but its free and has terrific functionality
Ad thats about it. The facebook group is very popular (even if facebook itself is not ! Other social media like google+ and obsidian portal are available)
Use of electronic gadgets are not allowed at the table. , except for the GM.
I play my games online.
1) Skype for communication.
2) Google Docs for character sheets. We mandate all players keep their sheet visible to the group and editable by the GM.
3) MapTool for running the game. I found that using things like hidden tokens for my notes, I can do all of my campaign preparations in it. I tried Roll20 before, but I find MapTool's interface faster and intuitive.
In my experience, be wary of fancy-looking programs, especially if they cost money. Often the best looking programs for managing RPG games are either not flexible enough to be useful or are too unwieldy because they try too hard to do everything. It's one reason I'm not a fan of Hero Lab.
My friend and I absolutely refuse to approve any character sheet made by Hero Lab. We had too many problems with players using it and accidentally ending up with impossible characters.
I used pdf's with fog of war to show where the PC's had explored and which hexes were claimed in their kingdom.
I'm happy to share them, just message me with an email.
i am gonna start using my little netbook at dnd, not for replacing the actual pen and paper aspect, but it saves me room and lets me create nifty little pages that condense all my bnouses so i know what to add when to what rolls.
Good idea. Especially remembering temporary bonus in combat is difficult.
I play my games online.
1) Skype for communication.
2) Google Docs for character sheets. We mandate all players keep their sheet visible to the group and editable by the GM.
3) MapTool for running the game. I found that using things like hidden tokens for my notes, I can do all of my campaign preparations in it. I tried Roll20 before, but I find MapTool's interface faster and intuitive.
In my experience, be wary of fancy-looking programs, especially if they cost money. Often the best looking programs for managing RPG games are either not flexible enough to be useful or are too unwieldy because they try too hard to do everything. It's one reason I'm not a fan of Hero Lab.
My friend and I absolutely refuse to approve any character sheet made by Hero Lab. We had too many problems with players using it and accidentally ending up with impossible characters.
Exactly this. Good advice.
In my experience, be wary of fancy-looking programs, especially if they cost money. Often the best looking programs for managing RPG games are either not flexible enough to be useful or are too unwieldy because they try too hard to do everything. It's one reason I'm not a fan of Hero Lab.
My friend and I absolutely refuse to approve any character sheet made by Hero Lab. We had too many problems with players using it and accidentally ending up with impossible characters.
Example please? Unless you blatantly ignore it's validation it's hard to come up with 'impossible' characters. While I admit that Hero Lab isn't perfect and it can get pricey but despite its (few) drawbacks is an excellent tool. If you can learn to use it's customization features then it is even more powerful. It has an active development team and they quickly add new material when it is released and squash bugs in the software at a good pace.
Hero Lab is how I was able to wrap my head around more complicated parts of the game like Eidolon evolutions and Words of Power. I don't own all of the licenses for HeroLab but I fully support and enjoy the software.
Not taking character sheets generated by Hero Lab is distasteful in my view. I hope you at least tell people what format you want submissions in and don't use it as a 'secret' screening method.
I use my kindle for portability. Because I don't want to have back problems lugging around a bunch of rulesbooks. Also index cards. Serious, it is the best thing you can ever buy. I use it for monster stats, initiative tracker, NPC facess... you name it. Best 48 cents you can spend.
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This is a pen and paper game. KEEP IT ON THE TABLE
No.
I use Brain 1.0.
...My friend and I absolutely refuse to approve any character sheet made by Hero Lab. We had too many problems with players using it and accidentally ending up with impossible characters.Example please? Unless you blatantly ignore it's validation it's hard to come up with 'impossible' characters. While I admit that Hero Lab isn't perfect and it can get pricey but despite its (few) drawbacks is an excellent tool. If you can learn to use it's customization features then it is even more powerful. It has an active development team and they quickly add new material when it is released and squash bugs in the software at a good pace.
Invalid archetype combinations, granted too many bonus feats, allowed same-type bonuses to stack, and created a lot of unnecessary bloat, like listing a class's standard armor proficiencies as feats.
Of course, I specify what format I want. Is it really so wrong to demand my players take it upon themselves to ensure the correctness of their character rather than rely on a program to do it for them?
Is it really so wrong to demand my players take it upon themselves to ensure the correctness of their character rather than rely on a program to do it for them?
It can be. I work 12 hour shift rotations. I have little time for for prep work, and anything that allows me to short-cut that is welcome. Also- new players can & do find all the number crunching confusing, difficult and intimidating. If it can be simplified by a program, so they can get to the fun faster, easier and in a less overwhelming way, its all for the better. We invented computers to help eliminate the drudgery of paper work after all. This IS the 21st century.
Is it really so wrong to demand my players take it upon themselves to ensure the correctness of their character rather than rely on a program to do it for them?
Nothing wrong about that.
Be wary of people who tell you that you are playing the game "wrong". Every group has their own style and preferences, and chooses different houserules, software, etiquette, etc. accordingly.
I find that making one's own character sheet without something like Hero Lab helps a person to more fully understand their character mechanics in game. Reading through your abilities/feats/spells and actually writing them down yourself can be very helpful.
We invented computers to help eliminate the drudgery of paper work after all. This IS the 21st century.
Just because it's the 21st century doesn't mean that actual books have no place in our lives, or that we can't write things down with pencils. Going through the process of character creation via pen/paper (or typing into a computer document) has advantages that many people prefer. Choosing this doesn't make these people "less advanced".
An analogy: I prefer classes where the instructor writes on the board, instead of flashing a powerpoint in front of us. It forces the instructor to slow down enough to write the equations, so I can follow the math. (I also like when these class notes are posted online. I don't hate technology.)
I also object to your description of character creation as 'the drudgery of paperwork'. Making characters is fun!
Let's just agree that using certain software or technology isn't "better" just because it's newer. We can also point out that rejecting anything but pens/paper isn't "better" or more true to the game just because it's how this genre was originally played.
I really love Combat Manager.. it's very simple and you can create an encounter in less than a minute. I usually create a lot of enconuters before and then save them. U can load them when you need them.. you can add power to monster in a click.. do u want to add a template to increase the GS on the fly? 1 click. Do u want to create a new random monster with random abilities or randomize some of them?? some clicks.. easy to drink!!
For maps my pencil is my best friends :)
It lists the armor proficiencies as feats because then you can hover over the feat and see exactly what you get. You can hate on Hero Lab all you want, just admit you're hating on it because they make you pay for it and not because it isn't an excellent program.
I don't hate herolab. I don't like it because 1) it costs more than I believe it is worth. I understand it is a complicated program, and does a lot for you, that is great. I don't see it as more efficient than building most characters by hand (for myself personally) 2) From what I have heard (since I don't own it) it has problems with builds, typically more problems the more complex your build is. For me, I would want to use it for saving time on the most complicated of builds, but if those are the ones it cannot handle, then why use it?
Lastly, people say it is great for use at the table. I agree that being able to apply buffs at a click is nice, but if you have the characters with buffs have index cards of "+1 atk, +1 dmg, +2 vs fear" written on them, it isn't much harder to add those yourself. Alternately, we put our character sheets in sheet protectors. I write over the top of it with vis-a-vis wet erase markers. As I get buffs, I just write over the top of my attack/damage/whatever with the new number, and as I lose them I can adjust easily with a napkin handy. At the end, just wipe all the marker off, and you're back to your base stats underneath.
As someone who owns almost every add-on for Hero Lab, here's what I'd like to say about it.
1. Yes, the program is expensive, but it is an investment, and a solid one at that. You don't have to buy everything for it in order to use it, and if you're really feeling the financial pinch over getting it, crowdsource your funding. A friend of mine has a rule about materials that his players want to use. "If I own it and it's on my bookshelf, you can use it in game." His players buy him rulebooks that they really want to use, and they're all happy.
2. Building complex, multi-classed characters is rather easy, as is building single-classed builds. It's rare that I encounter any validation errors, and when they're reported, it's been my experience that they're corrected quickly. I have had zero experiences in not being able to create the kind of character I want.
2A. Invalid archetype combinations create validation errors that you can bypass if you want to, but you have to do so knowingly and willingly. The same holds true to errors in feat calculations. Bonus-to-stack errors often get corrected quickly; I rarely ever see them. Bloat is rather minimal; even listing class-feats only takes up a very, very small percentage of your character sheet's real estate.
3. The buff system is convenient, though other conveniences are certainly possible. Applying spell effects auto adjusts your character as appropriate.
I understand that Hero Lab is not for everyone, but the program works as advertised and is constantly being updated. Plus, the editor allows for you to create home-brewed materials and share those data files with others. If there's any major criticism that I have of the program, it's that the editor could be more user-friendly.
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I too find that Herolab actually fixes the problems of broken builds, errors, and other such stuff. Yes there are a few things that don't compute correctly and still have to be tweaked, but they are usually corner cases and only with specific archetypes.
Does this mean its broken or difficult to use? Not in the least.
What it does do is help newer players to Pathfinder nagivate the complicated pitfalls of designing characters with various archetypes, options, feats, magic, etc, and not incorrectly combine things or take too many feats, etc. We have nine players in our group, and only two of them are experienced enough to reliably build accurated characters that don't require regular auditing. The other 7 including two who only know enough rules to run their specific character, are able to update their character reliably, knowing the red alerts with tell them if they go astray.
Its not perfect, but its a heckuva lot better for inexperienced players than doing it on paper and requiring regular reviews.
I really love Combat Manager.. it's very simple and you can create an encounter in less than a minute. I usually create a lot of enconuters before and then save them. U can load them when you need them.. you can add power to monster in a click.. do u want to add a template to increase the GS on the fly? 1 click. Do u want to create a new random monster with random abilities or randomize some of them?? some clicks.. easy to drink!!
For maps my pencil is my best friends :)
I'd like to more about this- can you link back to it please?
Go to Combat Manager. It's the very first link.
HeroLabs is not flawless. There is no way to memorize a lower level spell in a higher level slot, without the program sticking up an alert. You can also add illegal Metamagic Feats to spells.
Figuring out exactly how to add certain features or feats is also difficult. The lack of dropdown menus for magic items, means that you have to scroll through the whole list of items to find what you are looking for.
I'm not saying that programs like Hero Lab are bad. I'm saying you shouldn't rely on them for the correctness of your character. At the very least, look up the actual feats and archetypes on an SRD to make sure everything looks legit. Of course, if you know Pathfinder inside and out, you'll probably know something's up when the program makes a blooper.
...You can hate on Hero Lab all you want, just admit you're hating on it because they make you pay for it and not because it isn't an excellent program.
And you can fanboy all you want, but my policy goes against all character generators. My friend and I refuse any character sheet generated through Hero Lab and other programs because we had too many players making invalid characters with them.
I think I'm going to stay away from the character sheet generators, but I do need something to help organize my game.