GM Tyranius Giantslayer (Inactive)

Game Master Tyranius

I can barely handle one 6 year old...

And we just have a pair of dogs....

I can barely handle a 28 year old...

I'm guessing Christmas, Family, and Star Wars are demanding a lot of time from everyone. Kraygan's been barreling ahead, but I don't want to keep pushing if others want to get some words in.

That is what I am assuming also.

Just shifted to a Christmas schedule so my part-time job now has me pulling nearly twice the hours to cover for everyone leaving for the holidays. Took a four hour nap when I got home!

Sorry, hosted a Christmas party this weekend, attended another along with last minute shopping and sick kid Sunday. Trying to clear out a few jobs this morning then will be catching up.

So what do you all use to create your chronicles digitally?

I have tried a few ways but it does not come out good at all and I usually just end up printing it all out, hand-signing each and every one of them and scan them in to emails.

I have Adobe PDF but have not figured out a way to extract just the chronicle page to fill in the areas before I upload to Google Drive.

Trying to pick your brains for your tried and true methods as I think it looks a lot cleaner.

There are free sites you can google to extract a single page from a PDF if you want to go that route.

I usually print out one chronicle (I need one for myself anyways) and sign the bottom part and initial along the side. Sometimes I even fill in the XP and PP since that's usually the same for everyone. Then I scan it in and use Adobe and a few text boxes to fill in the gold, day jobs, etc. And the printed copy gets used for my own character. That way you don't print out a bunch of copies and then just toss them because you no longer need them after you scan them.

Some people do it all electronically so they don't have to print anything but I like to have my actual signature on there and, like I said above, you need a copy for your own character anyways. That's the easiest way I've found to do it over the years.

So what do you all use to create your chronicles digitally?

Adobe Reader has a "snapshot" tool (you need to activate it under "Show Edit Tools"). I set the page to 125%, take a snapshot, then paste it into a Photoshop template I have that already has my signature and basic information.

If you don't have Photoshop, you could paste the snapshot into any basic paint program and output a jpg, then edit that in a PDF program of your choice. Nitro PDF works pretty well, and there might be a free version of it that can handle basic text editing.

I used to do what EF did, but do not own a scanner, so it was tedious to go to Staples to have the pages scanned to a thumbdrive.

Now I use GIMP, import the page, export it as a PDF, then edit it in an editor. (I use the free version of Nitro)

Hmm. Might have to try Nitro. See how it works. Will download both GIMP and Nitro tonight and experiment with them.

On a side note also. I am reading through the House on Hook Street Module and curious if anyone here wants to play it.

Why not just send pictures of them? Print and sign as usual, photograph them, and send the pics via email.

Also works great with all your chrons: Take a picture of them with your smartphone and upload to a picture galley. You know, have folders for characters. Label them by char name and Chron #. You should be able to access them from web or mobile device.

@Painlord: I've done that with some of my PFS characters. I created folders for jpegs of chronicles in google docs and created a link to them in my Paizo character sheet alias. All accessible through my phone.

Also works great with all your chrons: Take a picture of them with your smartphone and upload to a picture galley. You know, have folders for characters. Label them by char name and Chron #. You should be able to access them from web or mobile device.

I also do this as a digital backup of my chronicles and even link to the Google Drive folder on that character's profile, but I prefer scanning to a PDF rather than taking a picture as a JPEG.

Why not just send pictures of them? Print and sign as usual, photograph them, and send the pics via email.

I really prefer it when GMs send me the chronicle as a PDF. I have had a few send me pictures/JPEGs and the problem is that they print really slowly (and are usually off-white in color) so you either have to wait five minutes at the printer or find a free website and spend a few minutes converting them to PDFs. It just adds a bit of hassle on the player's end if you do it that way unless you are, as the GM, willing to convert it for them before you send them out.

This also still requires you to print out six-or-so chronicles and waste paper, which I thought was what the GM was trying to avoid. If you can fill them out without printing (or by only printing one that you need for yourself anyways like I do), you can eliminate a lot of waste.

I really prefer it when GMs send me the chronicle as a PDF. I have had a few send me pictures/JPEGs and the problem is that they print really slowly (and are usually off-white in color) so you either have to wait five minutes at the printer or find a free website and spend a few minutes converting them to PDFs. It just adds a bit of hassle on the player's end if you do it that way unless you are, as the GM, willing to convert it for them before you send them out.

I'm guilty of this. I prefer Jpegs because they are a more universal format, but I admit that I don't often need to print them because I rarely play live PFS games.

This also still requires you to print out six-or-so chronicles and waste paper, which I thought was what the GM was trying to avoid. If you can fill them out without printing (or by only printing one that you need for yourself anyways like I do), you can eliminate a lot of waste.

Paizo needs to step into the modern age and accept digital chronicles in live games. I've heard the reasoning behind why they want hard copies, but they haven't convinced me. I think it's a waste of paper to print them.

I have also had problems with photos of the chronicles as they usually print a bit smaller or come out pretty distorted.

I wish paizo would give you a fillable chronicle on a seperate document. Just make the areas that normal GM's fill out be fillable (XP; Prestige; Gold; Day Job) and lock the rest.

I would be up for it.

Side Note: Traveling all day tomorrow, so posting will be sparse.

Side Note Part 2: I will be travelling/vacationing to/in Aruba (don't hate me) from Dec. 28 through Jan. 1. I have no idea about the wifi situation, and haven't made any international data provisions as of yet, so posting may be fairly sparse next week as well.

I'm not sure if I'll join House on Hook Street, but I'm very tempted to. It seems like it hasn't been PFS sanctioned yet (which is ok with me), so how would you handle character creation?

I'm not sure if I'll join House on Hook Street, but I'm very tempted to. It seems like it hasn't been PFS sanctioned yet (which is ok with me), so how would you handle character creation?

Has not been sanctioned yet, so I would handle character creation as the last few have. Since Dragon's demand there has been the alternate method of character creation outside of normal PFS standards similar to an AP. The last 5-6 modules have kept this going so I would assume after reading this one that it would also as the level range is from 6-9.

When they do sanction the parts for PFS characters to only run small portions of each chapter I would assume the level ranges would look like this:

Chapter 1: Level 5-7
Chapter 2: Level 6-8
Chapter 3: Level 7-9

Basically I would just go with the alternate method of a fresh character at level 6 to start it. Get the chronicles when it gets sanctioned similar to this Giantslayer.

Also Happy Holidays Everyone!

I'll back out of Hook Street so I can continue to cut back my games. Of course I'm also busy with holidays over the next couple days.

@Van: Enjoy Aruba!

Note: I'll be in Florida from January 9-18 measuring traits on our teosinte field(s). The hotel should have wifi but I'm usually dead tired. I'll remind all my games when it gets closer.

First off, Happy Holidays everyone!

Second, I'm guessing Tektite isn't the only one with plans that might tie them up over the next week. I will be heading out of town myself around the 29th to the 1st, but should have access through my phone to post.

@Van- Have a great time in Aruba. So jealous!

@Jorgan- And Florida. Man I really need to leave Iowa. All I have is snow covered corn. :) Enjoy and have fun!

@Kraygan- Have a blast at your random location. Hehe

Heh, I'm going to Palm Springs, CA to visit family.

Wish you were here.....

Wish you were here.....

Jeebus, that's gorgeous.

If I were there, I'd be the drunk guy down by the pool with a assload of empty mai tai and marguerita glasses around him.

There are a ton of those guys around.

Been a rough day. Will get a post up in the AM.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Sounds good. Have a good evening.

Back now! Thanks for everyone's patience.

All inclusive resort on a tropical beach at New Years = Not much ability for posting.

Understandable!

As a note, my trip got moved up to January 5th so I'll be traveling on Tuesday and might not post in any of my games. I'll make an announcement in each of my games tomorrow. When we're down there we're out in the fields all day unless it's raining so my posting will be slower until I get back, but I don't know when that will be. This year we haven't been buying return tickets ahead of time; we just work until we finish and then hop on the next plane home we can catch. But it will probably be for at least a week.

Sounded amazing Van! Super Jealous.

@Jorgan- Sounds good. Have fun in Florida. Maybe when you come back all the snow will be gone :)

@Everyone- Awesome job on dealing with the army of orcs. Torgan's cheap ale made them drunk and slow to react. They didn't even have a chance with the invisibility as their perception was abysmal.

@Tektite: I think we were all busy. Personally, I spent my New Years poolside at this place in Palm Springs. Unfortunately, my wife got stuck at work and couldn't join me there, so I was a single parent with my daughter, who has no idea that you aren't supposed to race around a lazy river like it's the Indianapolis 500. I came back needing a vacation from my vacation.

Regarding the Orc navy army: I didn't expect that plan to work nearly half as well as it did. Excellent narration of the event Tyr.

@Tektite: I think we were all busy. Personally, I spent my New Years poolside at this place in Palm Springs.

Holy Smokes! That looks awesome.

Yeah, we were sans kids, so as the days went by the Bloody Marys in the morning, Mojitos in the afternoon, and Whiskey in the evening began to diminish my posting faculties.

I think I just found a perfect character portrait for Kraygan.

I think I just found a perfect character portrait for Kraygan.

That does fit quite well.

Hope everyone had a good holiday!

Will push this evening. I got called in for some training this weekend.

I can see the gameplay posts piling up but I hope someone was able to bot me to keep things moving. I thought I was going home tomorrow but the short story is that plans have changed and I am now staying down here the rest of the week and likely heading back Friday.

We've been putting in 9+ hour days in the field to finish as quickly as possible and when we get back to the hotel I'm usually too exhausted to post; when I have posted the past week, I felt a certain obligation to put priority on my GM posts so I just haven't had time to keep up with you guys.

Thanks for your patience and at the very least I'll be back to normal posting by next weekend or so! If I have energy one of these nights I'll try to catch up.

It's fine. I remembered you said you would be incredibly busy.

That sounds incredibly complicated. Science the shit out of that! :)

Get some sleep man, don't lose any over us hehe

So my wife just led me to a wonderful new app on the phone. It is called Camscanner. It allows you to take a picture of a sheet of paper (chronicle) and it auto crops it and lightens it making it readable. It then auto converts it into a PDF and uploads it to Google drive for you. All from your phone.

Very nice! I'll have to check that out.

Looks like I just got some orders to attend a roughly 4-5 month school. It should not affect my posting rate by much, if at all. The only thing is that I will not be able to post as much in the mornings and it will all be in later afternoon / evening. Travel days will be probably once a day on the couple days I have to do that as I have to drive to Virgina, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

I hope it doesn't mess with your availability too much. This is my favorite game. :)

I was going through the loot list to clean it up a bit. I applied and cleared out the list of recent purchases made at Castle Firrine for everyone except Vanderhoff (who hasn't added his purchases to his character sheet).

Items Vanderhoff purchased were:
potion of spider climb 300
elixir of tumbling 250
scroll of align weapon 150
scroll of sound burst 150

On a related note, I think I should remind everyone again that we have supplies on the loot sheet that we could be using, particularly now that we seem to be fighting atop the narrow wall. Among our loot we have two scrolls of call lightning and one of summon monster IV. Jorgan has though spells on his list, though I think he would need to make caster checks for them. He's also sort of stuck behind Torgan, and a ranged attack might be worth the attempt.

Or, since EF has been busy this week, maybe we just put him on healing duty with a wand.

Should not mess with my availability at all. These schools that I have to do anymore are by far more relaxed. I will have the afternoon / evenings free and weekends off.

Sorry for the MIA. Snow days this week combined with a slide off and wrecking the front of my truck has kept me AFK this week.

Let's focus on what's really important: hope the truck is ok!

I'm back in Madison now but after waking up at 2 am and traveling all day I won't be posting anything tonight. We're heading to Indiana tomorrow morning for the three-day weekend but I should have some time to catch up on my games in the next few days.

Wait... Are you the two out-of-towners that Bramnik mentioned?

Good news! Iron gods and Giantslayer were just sanctioned. I have the off with chronicles and will start working on them tomorrow. I will pop a link in here if you want chronicles for it to let me know which characters to apply it to.

Looks like Book 1 is level 2-4
Book 2 is level 5-7

Also there is a bonus chronicle sheet that comes with the first chronicle you attach to a character which gives you a GIANT boon. The boom evolves the more Giantslayer chronicles attached to the character so keep that in mind.

Just saw that too. I'll need to get chronicles around for my old Iron Gods group, although we abandoned the AP after book 2. I really needed to downsize my game load and decided it just wasn't my thing.

I'll review my characters tomorrow and decide where I want to apply these and get back to you tomorrow.

Good news! Iron gods and Giantslayer were just sanctioned. I have the off with chronicles and will start working on them tomorrow. I will pop a link in here if you want chronicles for it to let me know which characters to apply it to.

Looks like Book 1 is level 2-4
Book 2 is level 5-7

I'm good, thanks. If it saves you any time, I don't need the chrons. I just appreciate you running this and running it so well. :)