realm works vs d20pro?

[st00ji]

not sure if this is actually even a match up.

bit of background, im running a face to face game with a regular group, and have a huge dungeon crawl on the horizon. i have been casting around for a way to get the maps up on a screen to make everyones life easier.

it seems like d20pro will do what i want, but i thought i would ask the opinions of others before i commit my cash. i own and love herolab so realm works gets a few bonus points there being from the same developer - but from reading what i can find on their website, it seems more of a campaign management tool - im not even sure if it will do what i need? does anyone have any experience with it?

i have had a bit of a play with maptools but i have very limited time for prep (newborn twins if you please... thanks wifey!) and it seems like maptools requires a skillset i have no time or interest in developing. d20pro on the other hand seems pretty easy to use.

mainly i want to be able to display a map as the party moves about. if it can track initiative and how many rounds of certain buffs etc have to run that'd be great too. all the other stuff realm works seems to do sounds cool but is mainly just bonus material for me.

i dont think i'll go as far as actually running combats through it though - my group love their minis and i cant imagine they will want to give them up too easily.

your thoughts appreciated!

[Chemlak]

Realm Works is not a VTT (virtual tabletop). It is designed (intentionally) for campaign management, not to actively play on. It is also extremely good at what it does.

If you're looking for a way to map using technology, then you're looking for a dedicated VTT application (I would suggest taking a peek at Roll20, too), as they incorporate fog of war, dice rollers, and a host of other features.

In short, if you want an application to use for your battle maps, use a VTT. If you want a tool to manage campaign information, use Realm Works.

[KainPen]

d20pro and HeroLab are about to have a kickstarter soon to promote there partner ship and the next version of d20pro, the devs from herolabs will be working on it along with the d20pro staff. So there may be some realworks plugin coming soon to d20pro. You can already imporat hero labs characters to d20pro.
There are a few errors that don't match up and need to be fixed. I guessing this imporat will be seamless after this this kickstarter.

running combat through d20pro is easy and speeds up the game a lot. My group regular gets through 3-5 high level encounters in a night and at low levels 4-8 so if you want a faster paced games use the combat in the system.

[Liz Theis]

Chemlak hit the nail on the head. Our intention with Realm Works is not to create another VTT tool.

Realm Works' first priority is campaign management for GMs, with the ability to share vastly more than just the current map where the PCs are adventuring. That's why we call it "Fog of World" instead of merely "fog of war". The Virtual Tour video and detailed info on the website should provide many examples of the things that players gain access to beyond just the current map that most VTTs provide.

Our expectation is that many users will leverage a VTT, such as d20pro, as a companion tool to Realm Works, using the VTT to play out individual encounters. I hope that clarifies things!

[Doug Davison]

You can check out Fantasy Grounds as well. It does the items you mention very easily, has some fully loaded Pathfinder compatible modules and loads of material from the d20 PFSRD available for drag and drop usage and combat.

Here are some user created videos that showcase some of the features.
http://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Videos

[Chemlak]

Ooh, thanks, Liz.

To expand on my previous answer a little (which reminds me, I really must send in that Realm Works testimonial):

I'm currently restricted to online play, due to circumstances beyond my control.

My current desktop setup for gaming is to have open Realm Works, Hero Lab, OneNote, Roll20 (in a browser window) and Campaign Cartographer.

Roll20 and RW are the two most-used, with me following the progress of my plotlines (there are at least 4 happening concurrently) in RW, and Roll20 being used for battle maps, chat, and dice rolling.

Essentially all character interaction occurs in Roll20, which I use to track basic combat info (mostly hit points). Conditions and abilities are tracked in Hero Lab.

Realm Works is used (with one exception) to track everything else: where the PCs are in the world, NPC attitudes, local environment, local laws, maps (non-battle), pending encounters, possible plot flows, and (perhaps most importantly) what the PCs know (through Fog of World), you name it: if it's information about the campaign world, people, places, events, it's in RW. The one exception is the campaign timeline, which I'm currently doing in OneNote, at least until LWD sort out the RW calendar tool.

And I know for certain that I'm not leveraging RW to the fullest.

I also know that I could not effectively game without a separate VTT to handle tactical play and chat.

It's taken a lot of work to get my campaign in Realm Works to the state it's currently in, but right now I wouldn't want to GM without it, online or not.

[LazarX]

lonewolf-liz wrote:

Chemlak hit the nail on the head. Our intention with Realm Works is not to create another VTT tool.

Realm Works' first priority is campaign management for GMs, with the ability to share vastly more than just the current map where the PCs are adventuring. That's why we call it "Fog of World" instead of merely "fog of war". The Virtual Tour video and detailed info on the website should provide many examples of the things that players gain access to beyond just the current map that most VTTs provide.

Our expectation is that many users will leverage a VTT, such as d20pro, as a companion tool to Realm Works, using the VTT to play out individual encounters. I hope that clarifies things!

I hope you take a serious look at Roll20 which seems to be rapidly becoming the standard for PFS groups in our region of the country.

[thraxxis]

Hail and well met Pathfinders,

This is an exciting time on the digital frontier of RPGs. I tip my hat to Lone Wolf Development for leading the way with Realm Works. The "Fog of World" system is ground breaking for campaign management. I foresee it growing the already sizable footprint of Hero Lab as the campaign creation/management software suite for the RPG industry.

Like many of you reading this thread, I've been following Realm Works since it was first announced because I understood how awesome it would to use it with a VTT to get tactical battle management along with campaign management.

As the lead dev of d20Pro, I've been pushing LWD for a couple years now to open up Realm Works to allow a VTT to *inter-operate* with. Once Realm Works gets fully established in its own right, I'm confident that Rob and his crew will make their half of a bridge to connect VTTs.

So d20Pro, Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, MapTools, and those VTTs yet to manifest can connect to Realm Works. The gaming goodness potential here is enormous!

As for a given group's VTT of choice, each product has it's strengths and weaknesses. I suggest you test drive them all and see which works best for your group's requirements. There are also good reviews and comparison charts I've seen out there. Happy hunting!

Best regards and good gaming,
Mat Morton aka GM Thraxxis

[OG3]

Big fan of Roll20 but I would kill to have my stat changes and conditions reflected on the fly for my character so my macros are accurate. If HeroLab played well with Roll20, i'd be a happy camper.

[st00ji]

slightly belated, but thanks for all your input folks! some food for thought :)

[Bronco Six]

I am currently running a GURPS campaign that is on its 67 session and run Roll20 on one monitor and Realm Works on an adjacent monitor ( Both 32" ) plus various other .pdf readers. I am patiently waiting for player access via the web to my world and know it is coming soon ( in a few more weeks ). Oh what a happy GM I will be. To think that RW and R20 will be integrated sends me over the moon!

[Nifty Butterfinger]

I'm playing at being a necromancer today and do hereby resurrect this thread from the dead in order to ask the following questions:

1. What is the current [Aug 2018] state of using Realm Works/Hero Lab with the various VTTs out there?

2. Where does Paizo stand on selling content for Realm Works?

I ask these here because I just recently re-discovered my Realm Works program and am not up to speed on the most current developments

Thanks guys!

NB

[GM Rednal]

1) I don't think Realm Works - which I also own - has much integration with Virtual Tabletops. It can be used as one if you set it up right, but it's better as a reference for the GM behind their GM screen, and maybe with the player version up on a laptop for them to check things.

2) Realm Works' digital marketplace isn't really up and running yet - unless something's changed very recently - but I think the plan is to sell stuff once it is.