DM Genie or DM's Familiar? Which one should I buy?

[soulcatcher]

Correct me if I am wrong but the same person owns the copyrighted name PCGen and Code Monkey Publishing.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but *I* am the lead coder, and *I* am the one who makes the bulk of the decisions about the direction the code takes. I listen to a broad number of people, but for the most part, the buck stops at me for PCGen's code issues and direction.

I have *no* ties to CMP. I barely ever *hear* from anyone at CMP, and normally when I do, it's someone from CMP telling me that they like some such feature that got added. So feel free to continue your illusions that PCGen is dangling at the ends of CMP's threads, but it just ain't true.

Devon Jones
PCGen BoD
Code Silverback

 

[reveal]

/threadjack

So... Anyone got any relevant suggestions in answer to my question?

 

[Kershek]

I highly recommend DM Genie. It's a great program and Janik the developer really listens to suggestions and implements them quickly. Several times, it has taken only one person to suggest a feature and he puts it in.

Even better, there is an active community on the DM Genie forums that answers questions people have about the program. And if they don't know, Janik will answer.

 

[soulcatcher]

/threadjack

So... Anyone got any relevant suggestions in answer to my question?

Sorry. What exactly are you looking for in a DM's suite? All of them have various strengths and weaknesses.

Do you use any other software already?

Devon

 

[reveal]

Sorry. What exactly are you looking for in a DM's suite? All of them have various strengths and weaknesses.

Do you use any other software already?

Devon

Well, I'm going to try DM's Familiar this weekend. I want simplicity and DMF seems to have that. Unfortunately, I find GM Gen too bulky for my tastes but then maybe I'm not using it properly.

Here's what DMF does for me that I really like:

- I can set up creatures easily by filling out a form. This includes PCs and new Monsters.

- I can quickly drag and drop said creatures on to a combat table. It will automatically roll initiative for the monsters I drop.

- I can set up spell duration and it will let me know when it is over.

- I can set up new spells by filling out a form.

- It has a built in dice roller.

I really liked the look and feel of DM Genie, but it seemed there was no way to just build a combat with your PCs and then quickly input the monsters to fight. It was like you had to pre-build all your encounters and I don't want to do that. Maybe I missed something, so I'll look through their forums.

 

[reveal]

I highly recommend DM Genie. It's a great program and Janik the developer really listens to suggestions and implements them quickly. Several times, it has taken only one person to suggest a feature and he puts it in.

Even better, there is an active community on the DM Genie forums that answers questions people have about the program. And if they don't know, Janik will answer.

I finally figured out how to add people to combat. I may give it a try this weekend.

 

[DMFTodd]

Dmf

DM's Familiar is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'm a little biased though.

Since both products (DM Genie and DM's Familiar as you originally requested) have free demos, I think the thing to do is to download both and see which one fits with the way you want to do things, which program seems the easiest to use, etc. Janik and I took different approaches to how we do things. See which approach works best for you.

If you have specific DM's Familiar questions, I can answer those.

 

[reveal]

DM's Familiar is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'm a little biased though.

Since both products (DM Genie and DM's Familiar as you originally requested) have free demos, I think the thing to do is to download both and see which one fits with the way you want to do things, which program seems the easiest to use, etc. Janik and I took different approaches to how we do things. See which approach works best for you.

If you have specific DM's Familiar questions, I can answer those.

I've been setting up DM's Familiar and found it quite useful. DM Genie is nice but you have to be so danged specific in things. For example, I like the flexibility that DMF provides when it comes to inputting information about the character. I don't have to provide a certain amount of experience or figure out exactly how many skill points a person has. I can just plug in numbers and go.

I'll test it out this weekend and see how it works at the table.

 

[rom90125]

I've purchased both DMF and DMG and after using both extensively during the past two years, I would catagorize the applications as such:

DM Familiar is a great app for the DM that is based in PnP and wants a little extra at his/her fingertips during the session, or a DM who is using DnD management software for the first time. DMF provides everything needed to assist the DM with the basics of DnD 3.x without alot of overhead or fuss.

DM Genie takes this paradigm to the next level and is a progression on the capabilities and complexity of DMF. DMG provides more options for the DM ranging from the basic (character creation) to the complex (VB scripting for 'automated' feats). DMG also has a robust list of 'add-ons' such as a built-in weather generator, treasure generator, and campaign editor that supports text hyperlinks and image 'hot spots' (not to mention the very-cool feat editor). The learning curve for using DMG 'out of the box' is quite steeper than DMF.

I like both products, but I'd go with DMG. I am a DM that embraces DnD management software and IMHO I think DMG provides a far greater feature list.

Well, that is my two-cents.

 

[reveal]

I used DM's Familiar at the table this weekend. Everyone agreed that it sped up combat, except for that time I clicked the wrong button and erased all initiatives in the middle of combat.

Anyway, it worked GREAT! I was able to easily keep track of combat and spell duratons, quickly look up spell descriptions and rules and set up different enemies quickly if needed.

Overall, a fantastic program. I will be purchasing this in the middle of the month when I can afford it.