What are some relatively simple ways that Paizo can support and nurture its Virtual Table Top players? The Game-Mastery sets aim to make face-to-face play efficient and beautiful, but as an exclusive VTT player I find these products make me sort of jealous. Primarily, I feel we're missing out on some great mapping fun with the flip mats and tiles! Why shouldn't VTT players be able to use Maptool's Tables functionality to play with Crit and Fumble decks? (okay, I already do that, but it isn't easy)
In this thread it has been discussed that Pathfinder can support Virtual Table Top gaming by increasing the availability of digital maps for its modules and APs. It looks like a great first step.
Making PDFs available (and free to subscribers) is another thing that already endears Pathfinder to the VTT community. For those who don't know, it's easy to fire up Adobe Reader and copy just the images of maps and portraits without text. This can save hours and hours of prep time. Recent developments in the fantasy gaming world have conspired to make Pathfinder the highest-quality source of PDF modules that can be decomposed in this manner. Advantage: Paizo.
In my opinion, an important missing ingredient is a well-organized resource like d20srd.org. Note that because that site uses a standardized URL for spells and other rules, it is simple to reference them from within an HTML compatible VTT (like maptool). Good VTT support necessarily must include a similar rules reference with identical functionality. I know this is in development, but I feel the need to stress the need for standardized URLs — no incomprehensible PHP strings please!
What are some other things, ranging from the simple to the whimsical, that we could ask of Pathfinder to better support VTT players?
All I really care about is maps that don't look blurry when I zoom in a bit. And ideally I also would like a "player's version" of the map (presumably as a different layer of the image) without secret doors, etc. And I would like a pony.
(Note: I don't really use VTT software, but I play in play-by-post/email games which require the same kind of digital maps.)
All I really care about is maps that don't look blurry when I zoom in a bit. And ideally I also would like a "player's version" of the map (presumably as a different layer of the image) without secret doors, etc. And I would like a pony.
You can already get a version without key or secret doors by selecting the image in Adobe Reader version 8 and copying it to your favorite image program. I've had some trouble doing this with Pathfinder #1 and #2, but all of my other Pathfinder PDFs work fine in this way.
You can already get a version without key or secret doors by selecting the image in Adobe Reader version 8 and copying it to your favorite image program. I've had some trouble doing this with Pathfinder #1 and #2, but all of my other Pathfinder PDFs work fine in this way.
Oh! Then never mind. I only have the hardcover version of Shackled City (which didn't come with any .pdfs), so I didn't realise. Note that there are sometimes things on the key that I might want my players to see, but I can easily add those in myself.
Still waitin' for that pony, though.
What are some other things, ranging from the simple to the whimsical, that we could ask of Pathfinder to better support VTT players?
Well the biggest thing I would like is no maps that use 10ft squares. I use a projector system at my game table and I can't display the map with 10ft squares and it totally messes things up. So then I am forced to go back to drawing a map the old fashioned way.
I have these beautiful maps that I as DM get to look at, but my players are stuck looking at a my awful hand drawn battle map. I have money and time invested in a projector system and I have to wait for the community to create a usable map for a product I have already paid for. Makes me a little frustrated.
Give me maps at 5ft squares I would be really happy. Even if I have to special download the image I would be totally happy with this option. Nothing I have read so far makes me think that a 5ft square map could be that big compared to a 10ft square image. Even if it is 1T drives cost next to nothing so hard drive space is a thing of the past.
You can already get a version without key or secret doors by selecting the image in Adobe Reader version 8 and copying it to your favorite image program. I've had some trouble doing this with Pathfinder #1 and #2, but all of my other Pathfinder PDFs work fine in this way.
There is a great free tool I found that works quicker and easier than trying to keep the old version 8 of Adobe around. Its called the Some PDF Image Extract tool. It extracts all the images from a PDF at one time. Makes life way easier when getting all the images out of an AP.