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Message: <blockquote data-quote="schporto" data-source="post: 3629061" data-attributes="member: 5967">I'm going to go back to the original question actually.  What would I want?  Or what do I think it should do?Note this is how I like my setup.  My players come with paper and dice.  I use a laptop to track initiative, and display initiative and maps to players on a TV.  I think it should be more of a toolset and shared libraries.  I like the Unix philosophy in these regards.  Smaller tools that can plug together to make more elaborate systems.  So a player can load up the character generator portions.  This will allow them to create a character (or advance one), print it out, and send a standard file to the DM.  The DM then can load a desktop, and load in add-ins.  The add-ins could be:PC-Trackers - handles handing out loot to players, tracking exp, allows for making 'secret' rolls (i.e. disable device, spots that they don't need to know about etc).Combat Tracker - handles in combat stuff.  Spell effects, initiative, HP tracking etc.  Oh and give me an undo feature that allows for "Undo last spell effect", "Undo all effects for 1 round" etc (the one banned item in my game is the Amulet of second chances from MIC because it is too difficult for me to track).NPC Tracker - allows for a character sheet and notes.Map - Allows for a DM and a players map.Text Boxes - DM Text and Players text.  I.e. Show the players what the gray boxed text says while you read it (or paraphrase it).Adventure Tool - This loads a series of encounters with a DM's map.  As the DM clicks on the Map different areas are revealed to the players, with the corresponding text and any images.  Encounters are loaded into the Combat Tracker.Some future type tie-ins with <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/surface/default.aspx" target="_blank">Microsoft Surface</a>  would be cool.  Combine that with the UI from Troika's Temple of Elemental Evil.  Heck have Microsoft Surface also recognize dice rolls from different players, and provide some instructions back to them (i.e. Bob, Joe roll reflex saves from the wizard's fireball!).But whatever the software does - let me break out of it.  I must be able to suddenly decree a blue bolt, or allow a player to do something against the rules if I deem it is appropriate in this case.  In other words - the software must understand Rule 0. For what it's worth Vascant's <a href="http://www.rpgattitude.com/" target="_blank">NPC Designer</a> does some interesting bits along these lines (well for NPC design).  It doesn't load all the player classes when it starts.  It looks through directories for them, but then it just runs the interpreted code when you ask for it.  This to me is a good feature that seems to be heavily requested.-cpd</blockquote>

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