Rob Bowes's page

For the past few years, we've been creating and refining a new digital tool for RPGs on a scale that has never been done before. Early this year, we did a highly successful Kickstarter to help fuel our efforts, raising nearly $200K. We're proud to say the wait is nearly over. Realm Works debuts in a matter of weeks!

In a nutshell, Realm Works is the campaign management tool that every GM has dreamt about. That sounds like marketing hype, doesn't it? So we'll instead show off what Realm Works can actually do and let you draw your own conclusions. We've put together a new website specifically for this purpose, with an array of resources to whet your appetite.

* For an immediate look at the product in action, check out the Realm Works Virtual Tour. This short video demonstrates some of the amazing things Realm Works can do.

* Extensive details about the product, including numerous screenshots, will be found within the Realm Works product website.

* A more in-depth look at exactly how things work is provided in our initial set of Realm Works Tutorial Videos. These tutorial videos are primarily intended to introduce new users to how the product operates, but they're also a great resource for anyone who wants a closer look.

Many of you will be familiar with us as the creators of Hero Lab. Realm Works integrates smoothly with Hero Lab, yielding an incredibly powerful one-two punch for Pathfinder GMs. However, Realm Works is game system neutral. In other words, it's not specifically tied to any game system, so you can use it with any and all RPGs you run.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be expanding the information provided on the website as we approach the official V1.0 launch. Answers to important details like pricing will similarly be announced soon. So keep an eye on our discussion forums, Facebook page, and Twitter feed for further details.

Get ready to transform the way you run your games!

The Realm Works Kickstarter is now rocketing towards its third stretch goal, and this one is of significant interest to fans of Richard Pett and Frog God Games.

If we reach the third stretch goal, we'll be including the entirety of The Blight, an upcoming Adventure Path for Pathfinder from Frog God Games. Richard Pett’s Twisted City - The Blight, is planned to be 12 districts of a city with 12 adventures, providing an Adventure Path with 12 meaty installments.

Between is a temptation too great for some; a land of plenty (and danger) on the doorstep, rich in possible wealth and with the draw of Between Vessels—curious objects that retain memories, feelings and even souls—the reasons for venturing into the land are numerous, and have drawn many. The Illuminati, using the funds of the royal family, have struck again and again into this new empire, and those very incursions threaten to undo the Blight. Constant incursions into Between from the Blight have weakened the fabric of the wall that separates the two places. There are those who wish the levee to break, who would revel in the chaos and madness of life and souls that would happen should a fracture burst and a tidal wave of Between pour into the city. There are also those who have a conscience, who oppose the Illuminati and the royal family as much as they safely can in the face of such power. They know nothing about the levee, but they have their suspicions. And into this world come the PCs…

If you want to get your hands on this epic AP, you'll need to check out the Realm Works Kickstarter.

Once again, we're going to be offering FREE Hero Lab licenses at PaizoCon to all GMs running official games. These volunteers put in an immense amount of time and effort for the enjoyment of others, and we'd like to recognize that dedication. Simply stop by our booth in the Dealer Room during PaizoCon, present your badge for identification, and collect your "thank you" gift.

For GMs who already use Hero Lab, you're welcome to bequeath the free license to someone else - perhaps as a prize at the game you're running? - and we'll see what else we can come up with as a reward for you. :)

For all you Mac users who have been dealing with Fusion, Parallels, or VirtualBox to run Hero Lab, PaizoCon will mark an important milestone. We're going to be previewing the upcoming native Mac version of Hero Lab for the very first time. No, it's not quite ready for release, but it's almost finished. And PaizoCon attendees will be the first to see it in action!

Lastly, we've teamed up with Paizo to provide free character creation stations at PaizoCon. Stop by at any time to update your character in Hero Lab, print it out, and take it to your next game.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone again this year. Stop by the booth, say hello, and take a peek at everything Hero Lab can do.

For those of you who don't recognize the name, we're the company that develops Hero Lab, as well as a couple other digital tools for tabletop gamers. We're hard at work on a new product specifically designed for use with RPGs, and we're actively looking to add a new developer to the team. Since this site is one of the best places to find serious RPG players, and many of you are also computer jockeys, I figured this was an ideal place to get the word out.

The key requirements for the position are two-fold: C#/.Net development experience and a passion for creating digital tools for RPGs. Complete position details will be found at the URL below.
Complete Position Details

Our upcoming product will introduce a revolutionary way of creating and sharing RPG content, plus a whole lot more that I can't divulge publicly yet. If you're a seasoned developer and a project like this sounds intriguing, you'll find the specifics about how to apply at the link above. And if you know someone else who might be interested, please don't hesitate to spread the word.

FYI, Lone Wolf Development is located in Silicon Valley (San Jose to be precise).

Thanks!

Since this is a recurring question here on the Paizo forums, I wanted to provide a quick status update on our efforts to port Hero Lab to the Mac.

We just completed the biggest phase of the overall porting process. All but one of the major risks and uncertainties have now been resolved, and we're pretty confident that the remaining one can be solved as well. We still have a lot of refinement work to do and a huge amount of testing. However, we're pretty much out of the woods at this point and the Mac port should be a reality around summer.

We've already got a huge number of users who have offered to help with Beta testing, so a big thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help!

We'll keep everyone posted as we continue to make progress towards release. In the meantime, may the dice be with you...

Just over a month ago, Hero Lab became the official character management software tool for the Pathfinder RPG. We've been hard at work developing a solid plan for how best to support Pathfinder, as well as beginning to get that plan implemented. The following is a summary of the plan, including pricing and release dates for a bunch of Pathfinder content over the next couple months.

Core Pathfinder RPG Package

The core Pathfinder RPG game system is where everything begins for Pathfinder players using Hero Lab. The content currently provided within the core package will be expanding beyond what is currently provided. The core package can either be selected as the free game system included with the initial purchase of Hero Lab ($30) or added to an existing Hero Lab license ($20). A complete list of all the material in the core package is provided below.

Currently included content:
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
* Player content from six Pathfinder Adventure Paths - Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, Second Darkness, Legacy of Fire, Council of Thieves, Kingmaker
* 20+ common PC and NPC races, including the Drow, Tiefling, Hobgoblin, and many others
* Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play
* Character Traits Web Enhancement (same as the Basic Traits from the Advanced Player's Guide)

Content to be included in the near future:
* Gamemastery Guide
* Pathfinder Chronicles: NPC Guide
* Player content from the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path

All the "future" content listed above will be incorporated via free updates for existing Hero Lab users.

General Details About Add-On Packages

In addition to the existing Bestiary package, we'll be creating a number of optional Pathfinder add-on packages for Hero Lab. These add-on packages will incorporate content from one or more supplements for the game, conveniently available in a ready-to-use state, with all of the material professionally entered and maintained by Lone Wolf Development.

Note that all of the material within these optional packages can also be manually entered by users, so the only component needed to fully utilize the Hero Lab data files is the core package for the game system.

Advanced Player's Guide Add-On Package

The Advanced Player's Guide add-on package encompasses everything from the mammoth new Pathfinder supplement of the same name. This package includes the new base and prestige classes, the new archetypes and custom abilities for classes, alternate racial abilities, racial favored class bonuses, and hundreds of new feats, traits, spells, equipment, and magic items.

The APG add-on package is not yet completely implemented, but the majority of the material is in place. In the interest of enabling Pathfinder players to utilize the APG content at the same time the book releases, Paizo has authorized us to release the APG add-on package early. On August 5th, we'll be releasing the APG add-on package to coincide with the official release of the APG book at GenCon.

This initial release will include the most critical elements of the new APG book, but not everything. In the weeks following GenCon, the remaining material will be incorporated and made available as a free update to anyone who purchases the package early.

Although the work involved in implementing this massive tome is extensive, we realize that this will be viewed as a "core" book by most players. As such, we're keeping the price as low as possible to make it accessible to the bulk of Pathfinder players. Price: $9.99. Availability: August 5th, 2010.

Bestiary Add-On Package

The Bestiary add-on package will remain unchanged. With all of the monstrous races from both the Pathfinder Bestiary and the Bonus Bestiary, this is an extremely useful resource for GMs that want to quickly setup encounters or customize monsters. Price: $14.99. Availability: Now.

Player's Companion Races #1 Add-On Package

This package incorporates all of the material from the first three Player's Companion supplements focused on races: Elves of Golarion, Dwarves of Golarion, and Gnomes of Golarion. Price: $4.99. Availability: September 2010.

Player's Companion Races #2 Add-On Package

This package provides the content from the following three Player's Companion supplements focused on races: Orcs of Golarion, Halflings of Golarion, and one additional (as yet unannounced) book. Price: $4.99. Availability: September 2010.

This package will initially only include content from the Orcs of Golarion book. When the Halflings book is released, the additional content for that book will be added as a free update. The same will occur when the third book is released.

Player's Companion Regions #1 Add-On Package

This package includes all material from the first three Player's Companion books focused on regions: Osirion, Land of the Pharaohs; Taldor, Echoes of Glory; and Qadira, Gateway to the East. Price: $4.99. Availability: September 2010.

Player's Companion Regions #2 Add-On Package

This package spans the content from the second three Player's Companion books focused on regions: Cheliax, Empire of Devils; Andoran, Spirit of Liberty; and Sargava, the Lost Colony. Price: $4.99. Availability: September 2010.

Adventurer's Armory Add-On Package

This package incorporates all of the material from the Adventurer's Armory supplement for Pathfinder. Price: $4.99. Availability: September 2010.

Bundled Discounts

For Pathfinder fans that want to purchase many of the above add-on packages, we'll be offering discounts when multiple packages are purchased together. The specifics have not all been finalized, but expect to be able to purchase both Races add-ons at a discount, as well as both Regions add-ons at a discount. Additional bundling options are being worked out and will be announced by the time these packages are released.

Additional Packages in the Future

We're still working out the details regarding all the Campaign Setting supplements for Pathfinder, but they should generally follow the above model. Details on those packages will be released in the near future. In addition, as the Pathfinder catalog continues to grow, we'll be creating new add-on packages to incorporate the new material.

-Lone Wolf Development Staff