Making tabletop RPGs easier and quicker to play...

[Appify]

I'm designing a web app to make RPGs easier and more accessible. I've been introducing a lot of people to Whitewolf (fairly simple system), but even so people are intimidated by the time it takes to create a character and the books full of rules.

Any suggestions for things that could be made easier? The basic concept so far is:

*An online character sheet that comes with a built in wizard/tutorial (like starting a video game), and where you can click on stats for the appropriate rolls (so you don't have to memorize them).

*A story app for designing and saving story assets (characters, locations, maps, pictures, etc). Eventually, I'd also like to set up a resource-sharing site where GMs can give, trade, or sell story assets they've developed.

*A game session, which loads the characters and the story, allows for private messages, GM requested rolls, automated combat (and other) rolls, and applying effects (bonuses, penalties, etc).

The idea is that, unlike Virtual Tabletops, you wouldn't need to memorize books because in-context helps built into the character sheet or story assets would contain all the info you need for game mechanics. These apps could be used to play games over the internet, or just as an aid to reduce set-up and chart-examining in live games.

Any additional RPG pet-peeves or rough spots I should address in the app?

(If you like the idea so far, vote for it here, and I can win $5,000 to develop the app!)

 

[kitsune9]

For new players who don't play rpgs - the app needs to have a "functional" character sheet in about 10 - 15 minutes which is about the time for character creation through most video games. There needs to be several modes that determines the speed of character creation. I don't play WW games, so I'll use Pathfinder as my examples:

1. Quick and Dirty - A new player chooses fighter, cleric, wizard, rogue (base 4 classes), chooses human, elf, dwarf, or halfling (base 4 races), pick skills (app automatically assigns points), and have a very small selection of feats (1 - 3 per class). The player picks some weapons and the app assigns "adventuring equipment" to round out the character. For spellcasters limit their spell lists to about 10 spells for 0 and 1st level spells each. The number of spells and number of feats is up to you.
2. Detailed - players who are experienced in playing the game, then get the full system of the books at their fingertips.

I think you're hitting the next stage of the evolution of VTTs in that rule effects and mechanics can be done to monsters and characters. The GM clicks on a monster's attack and rolls the dice. He picks the target (a paladin). The dice roller rolls, compares the Paladin's AC and if hit, it rolls the damage. The paladin's character flashes that it just took damage and hp are deducted.

What will make this even palatable is the ability to use very crunch heavy or complex rule systems that will make management a breeze, but was stuff that would have been tedious bookkeeping in a traditional tabletop. Examples are - detailed resource management of food and water, encumbrance, optional bleeding, shock, and trauma rules, ongoing complex diseases and curses, death spiral mechanics combined with fatigue, madness systems.

Granted, a lot of this comes across as "video gamey", but for players who don't have the luxury of having face-to-face games or want to run complex systems without having to resort to their calculator, the apps can do it.

Good luck with your endeavor.

 

[Stormonu]

I'll add to kitsune9's points:

0. I don't want to think about it. A way to choose a theme or template for you that picks a chain of abilities for the player (possibly randomizing race as well). Besides super-fast character generation, This is good for semi-random NPC generation and for those who just want to try out something they haven't played before. If the chosen options can changed or adjusted after the inital burst of creation, all the better.

For ex., one option may be "Pirate - level 5". (This is all hypothetical, and I don't have my books, so don't bother trying to optimize this) After the race is chosen or randomly selected, it assigns ability scores, selects 3 levels of Rogue and 2 levels of Ranger. It picks the Dual Wielding combat style, 1st level feat Great Fortitude, 3rd level feat Combat Expertise and 5th level feat Improved Disarm. It assigns skill points and purchases your gear with 5th level wealth resources.

When its all done, you can go back and switch out anything you don't like. Voila - a character in under a minute.

 

[Appify]

Quick & Dirty Characters

Yes, I think that's an important feature for character creation speed - auto creation. There's a few ways to do this:

1) Simplest: common templates, premade characters. Just select the character.

2) A detailed wizard -- actually steps you through the process of creating the character, just with in-context helps (so you don't have to flip pages), and values auto-populated wherever possible.

3) A general wizard. Ask a few simple questions, hook people up with a character (pre-made template).

4) AI generated character - I.e. the app has rules for how character classes advances and uses points, and randomly assigns some of the options to give each generated character a certain amount of individuality.

As for keeping track of points - health, mana, fatigue, money, food (I'm a Whitewolfer mostly, so I hadn't even thought of that... thanks!) that would be another big feature. There's an interesting article on virtual RPGs and tracking points (Geek Ken: The problem with using virtual tabletops for D&D). Clearly, many points sytems would have to be more than a number on the page; they'd need some kind of visual indicator.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Janx]

taking the template concept, imagine that each template is really an entire build of a PC level 1-20. Pick a template, and you don't assign feats/skills, etc, you get what the Template gives.

The template is really just an overlay of the game's existing rules, just pre-deciding everything for you.

In some ways, this is what D&D was in the pre-3E days. Pick a class (and kit in 2e), and you get what you get.

Here's a more radical idea. Make an RPG that WORKS for the App in the format of a VTT or as a VCS (Virtual Character Sheet).

All the existing tools are the tail chasing the dog. Trying to make an app to support a complex ruleset chock full of exceptions and stuff.

Instead, design the RPG to work simply and easily as a managed game/character in the app.

the plus side is, you're not locked into copyright issues on rule content. You also get to avoid the finicky rules that complicate writing the app. Simply write rules that work with your data model and code.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Here's an idea- maybe not for this app- but for something that would help DMs & veteran players alike: a Character Randomizer.

You enter Race, level & starting class, and the program randomizes all the mechanical details.

It has to follow the rules, of course, so no 1st level Fighters running around with Craft Staff, for instance. And things like choice of weapons or spells should be weighted towards mechanical optimization. But the character should be modifiable by the DM or player using the app.