Cergorach
The Laughing One
Before voting in the poll above, please read the first post.
These are some ideas i've been playing with, don't interpret these as promises, because they are just ideas for now and depending on the time i have they can be realised or not. I'm interested in what people think of these ideas, have specific suggestions, additional ideas, etc. Don't be a stranger and post what you think!
Customizable Rules System (CRS)
With so many D20 and OGL products out there, people have a hard time integrating everything they want into one consistent rules system or campaign setting. The group i'm currently playing with is not using Prestige Classes, but we do use a lot of feats and spells not in the core books. The stuff we do use is spread out over a couple of dozen books, that's thousands of pages worth of information, but we only use a fraction of that information for the rules in our games. Compiling a comprehensive catalog of all the spells, feats, rules, etc. we do use is a lot of work and that got me thinking, why not create a CRS? I was already thinking up ways to create a good OGC rules database (with feats, spells, monsters, etc.), why not use it right away to make it do something useful? Like dynamically generating a rulebook with all the rules you and your players want to use.
Customizable Campaign Setting (CCS)
That got me thinking even further, there are so many source books with good campaign options that integrating those into one campaign setting is also a lot of work. Just like CRS, CCS would enable DMs and players alike to put their own setting together. If, for example, you want to use the Gods of the Tree (Green Ronin; BotR) with Airships and Doom Striders (BastionPress) in a basic campaign, the CCS would produce a campaignsetting document with all the seperate ideas woven into one document.
Customizable Adventure (CA)
Most modern adventures already have notes detailing how to make an adventure compatible with higher or lower level parties, but this still requires some manual labor (adjusting the stats). Automatic statistic generation would be simple for a database driven tool, what would be even more interesting would be alternate story arcs, is the bad guy really a bad guy, or just misguided? Alternate endings, different encounters, etc.
How would it work?
OGC would be stored in an online database, users would be able to browse through all this content. Users would be able to make profiles (that can be stored on the server), each profile would be a different campaign setting, rules setting, or adventure that could be customized to the users wishes. Profiles could be shared between different users, popular profiles could be posted for beginning DMs/players for an instant setting/system/adventure. OGC would be available in modular pieces, feats, classes, spells, monsters, etc. are simple and straight forward pieces. But a combat or magic system would need to be made more modular. A user would be able to add each individual piece to his prefered profile, some pieces don't fit together (i'll need to figure out a system of dependecies), the user will be notified which pieces don't fit together and which of the pieces he'll want to use for this profile. Another method (maybe a combination of the two would work best) would be to use a question and answer system that guides the user through questions and dependant on the answers asks other questions (do you want to use Prestige Clases, if yes: which ones, if no: go to next question), the end result would be an customized rules system, cmpaign setting, or adventure.
The real power of this system would be when the 'different' systems are used together, a CRS profile linked to a CCS profile would mean that the campaign setting would incorporate things like classes, monsters, items, etc. in the setting. A CRS profile linked to a CA profile would indicate what options could be used and make apropriate adjustments dependant on the CRS profile.
Status?
Well, this system would be big and the content for it would be even bigger, it would be a LOT of work. Spells, feats, (prestige) classes, monsters, etc. can be easily added. More complex things, like new rules, would entail more work. I'm planning on starting with what's in the SRD, the OGC from UA and the OGC from some other sources (such as Green Ronin's BotR).
Chances are that i'll start with small pdfs that can be grouped together to get the rules you'll want. See also Books in binder format, opinions needed. (aka. Why does Psion hate landscape PDFs?)for presentation of the final product made by this system.
These are some ideas i've been playing with, don't interpret these as promises, because they are just ideas for now and depending on the time i have they can be realised or not. I'm interested in what people think of these ideas, have specific suggestions, additional ideas, etc. Don't be a stranger and post what you think!
Customizable Rules System (CRS)
With so many D20 and OGL products out there, people have a hard time integrating everything they want into one consistent rules system or campaign setting. The group i'm currently playing with is not using Prestige Classes, but we do use a lot of feats and spells not in the core books. The stuff we do use is spread out over a couple of dozen books, that's thousands of pages worth of information, but we only use a fraction of that information for the rules in our games. Compiling a comprehensive catalog of all the spells, feats, rules, etc. we do use is a lot of work and that got me thinking, why not create a CRS? I was already thinking up ways to create a good OGC rules database (with feats, spells, monsters, etc.), why not use it right away to make it do something useful? Like dynamically generating a rulebook with all the rules you and your players want to use.
Customizable Campaign Setting (CCS)
That got me thinking even further, there are so many source books with good campaign options that integrating those into one campaign setting is also a lot of work. Just like CRS, CCS would enable DMs and players alike to put their own setting together. If, for example, you want to use the Gods of the Tree (Green Ronin; BotR) with Airships and Doom Striders (BastionPress) in a basic campaign, the CCS would produce a campaignsetting document with all the seperate ideas woven into one document.
Customizable Adventure (CA)
Most modern adventures already have notes detailing how to make an adventure compatible with higher or lower level parties, but this still requires some manual labor (adjusting the stats). Automatic statistic generation would be simple for a database driven tool, what would be even more interesting would be alternate story arcs, is the bad guy really a bad guy, or just misguided? Alternate endings, different encounters, etc.
How would it work?
OGC would be stored in an online database, users would be able to browse through all this content. Users would be able to make profiles (that can be stored on the server), each profile would be a different campaign setting, rules setting, or adventure that could be customized to the users wishes. Profiles could be shared between different users, popular profiles could be posted for beginning DMs/players for an instant setting/system/adventure. OGC would be available in modular pieces, feats, classes, spells, monsters, etc. are simple and straight forward pieces. But a combat or magic system would need to be made more modular. A user would be able to add each individual piece to his prefered profile, some pieces don't fit together (i'll need to figure out a system of dependecies), the user will be notified which pieces don't fit together and which of the pieces he'll want to use for this profile. Another method (maybe a combination of the two would work best) would be to use a question and answer system that guides the user through questions and dependant on the answers asks other questions (do you want to use Prestige Clases, if yes: which ones, if no: go to next question), the end result would be an customized rules system, cmpaign setting, or adventure.
The real power of this system would be when the 'different' systems are used together, a CRS profile linked to a CCS profile would mean that the campaign setting would incorporate things like classes, monsters, items, etc. in the setting. A CRS profile linked to a CA profile would indicate what options could be used and make apropriate adjustments dependant on the CRS profile.
Status?
Well, this system would be big and the content for it would be even bigger, it would be a LOT of work. Spells, feats, (prestige) classes, monsters, etc. can be easily added. More complex things, like new rules, would entail more work. I'm planning on starting with what's in the SRD, the OGC from UA and the OGC from some other sources (such as Green Ronin's BotR).
Chances are that i'll start with small pdfs that can be grouped together to get the rules you'll want. See also Books in binder format, opinions needed. (aka. Why does Psion hate landscape PDFs?)for presentation of the final product made by this system.
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