The very original design of my RolePlayingMaster software was to make it capable of providing the best possible computer assistance/automation for tabletop play - for those who want to use it at the table.
I'm very interested in opinions or suggestions for this, from those interested in computer assistance for in-game play
The design for such a beast of a program is pretty different from software that's primarily designed to produce static statblocks of characters and creatures. There's a whole bunch of issues to consider, and I liken using RolePlayingMaster more to NeverWinterNights for in-game management, rather than other software available, as follows:
- Whereas NWN gives you an animated 3D world, RolePlayingMaster is 2D (assuming you choose to use the BattleMap).
- They both take you from the starting point of character/creature/adventure generation, through to in-game play, working out *all* the mechanical modifiers for you.
- NWN is a complete 3D world, able to geographically determine things like AOO possibility, whereas positional uncertainty in RPM means you take the option manually.
- Thay both offer a scripting and modifiers environment, so that all items/magic/feats/abilities etc can be programmed in. For example, having the "Cleave" feat means nothing more than a text note to a plain character generator, whereas it should prompt for an extra attack to a new target in a good in-game manager.
- Whereas NWN gives you a fairly locked-down world (in terms of feats and spells etc), RolePlayingMaster supports open D20 expansion with completely open ability to add modifiers and scripts.
- They both automate mechanics (initiative, processing next character/creature, determining success, determiing damage). Whilst this is a hidden "black box" in NWN, RPM shows you the numbers and modifiers at every step, allowing you to make adjustments, or use real dice rolls.
Hopefully this paints enough of a picture on my personal thoughts for how to get maximum computer assistance, without giving up the flexibility of tabletop play that isn't really available in a defined game like NWN.
Here's an example taken from my tests in my current version, which I'm about to release:
- A party member casts "Bless" by selecting all friendly creatures in the list and then choosing the Bless spell as the action.
- For a harmful spell, typically you would press "Done" once for each target which would accept the details of an automatically calculated saving throw (you may review the save modifiers, and enter real rolls if required). This spell, however, has "automatic" saves. If you were casting "Fireball", the damage window would pop up for each target. I haven't yet put in "OnDamaged()" scripts for creatures, so that cold-based and fire-based creatures would automatically make the correct damage adjustments to something like fire.
- Each target affected by a spell with duration (in this case - Bless), would have a condition created, set to last for the duration of the spell, which incorporates the modifiers (in this case +1 morale to hit, and for saves).
- The bless morale modifiers automatically appears in subsequent attacks and saves.
- As time progresses (time automatically increments from round to round), the bless effects will automatically be deleted (after appearing in a popup expiry list).
- The bless effect appears in individual creature "Status" descriptions (along with other spells, or conditions such as dying, entangled, paralyzed,...). You can bring up the "Creature Conditions" window at any time, and get detailed descriptions of the condition (or spell effect - whatever).
So, what do you think? The description is long, but the actuall process is only a handful of mouse clicks and/or key presses. Assuming that all this can be made to flow smoothly at the gaming table, is this type of approach the best way to implement NWN-type automated game flow, but still serving the flexibility of turn-based tabletop play?
I'm thinking that this would be a great help to those newbie groups starting out with D&D/D20, and also to DMs managing anything above a very simple encounter.
If you want to try it out, I should have a download update within a couple of days with full time management that you can test run.
If you're able, feel free to make any comments about the way the scripts and modifiers are implemented. The modifiers system is reasonably set (being the simplest way to implement mechanics), but RPM has a lot of flexibilty in *how* best you can set up the scripting system.
I'm always interested in making it as simple as possible for anyone to enter simple scripts against things such as items, feats, or abilities (where scripts can't be avoided).
Regards,
I'm very interested in opinions or suggestions for this, from those interested in computer assistance for in-game play
The design for such a beast of a program is pretty different from software that's primarily designed to produce static statblocks of characters and creatures. There's a whole bunch of issues to consider, and I liken using RolePlayingMaster more to NeverWinterNights for in-game management, rather than other software available, as follows:
- Whereas NWN gives you an animated 3D world, RolePlayingMaster is 2D (assuming you choose to use the BattleMap).
- They both take you from the starting point of character/creature/adventure generation, through to in-game play, working out *all* the mechanical modifiers for you.
- NWN is a complete 3D world, able to geographically determine things like AOO possibility, whereas positional uncertainty in RPM means you take the option manually.
- Thay both offer a scripting and modifiers environment, so that all items/magic/feats/abilities etc can be programmed in. For example, having the "Cleave" feat means nothing more than a text note to a plain character generator, whereas it should prompt for an extra attack to a new target in a good in-game manager.
- Whereas NWN gives you a fairly locked-down world (in terms of feats and spells etc), RolePlayingMaster supports open D20 expansion with completely open ability to add modifiers and scripts.
- They both automate mechanics (initiative, processing next character/creature, determining success, determiing damage). Whilst this is a hidden "black box" in NWN, RPM shows you the numbers and modifiers at every step, allowing you to make adjustments, or use real dice rolls.
Hopefully this paints enough of a picture on my personal thoughts for how to get maximum computer assistance, without giving up the flexibility of tabletop play that isn't really available in a defined game like NWN.
Here's an example taken from my tests in my current version, which I'm about to release:
- A party member casts "Bless" by selecting all friendly creatures in the list and then choosing the Bless spell as the action.
- For a harmful spell, typically you would press "Done" once for each target which would accept the details of an automatically calculated saving throw (you may review the save modifiers, and enter real rolls if required). This spell, however, has "automatic" saves. If you were casting "Fireball", the damage window would pop up for each target. I haven't yet put in "OnDamaged()" scripts for creatures, so that cold-based and fire-based creatures would automatically make the correct damage adjustments to something like fire.
- Each target affected by a spell with duration (in this case - Bless), would have a condition created, set to last for the duration of the spell, which incorporates the modifiers (in this case +1 morale to hit, and for saves).
- The bless morale modifiers automatically appears in subsequent attacks and saves.
- As time progresses (time automatically increments from round to round), the bless effects will automatically be deleted (after appearing in a popup expiry list).
- The bless effect appears in individual creature "Status" descriptions (along with other spells, or conditions such as dying, entangled, paralyzed,...). You can bring up the "Creature Conditions" window at any time, and get detailed descriptions of the condition (or spell effect - whatever).
So, what do you think? The description is long, but the actuall process is only a handful of mouse clicks and/or key presses. Assuming that all this can be made to flow smoothly at the gaming table, is this type of approach the best way to implement NWN-type automated game flow, but still serving the flexibility of turn-based tabletop play?
I'm thinking that this would be a great help to those newbie groups starting out with D&D/D20, and also to DMs managing anything above a very simple encounter.
If you want to try it out, I should have a download update within a couple of days with full time management that you can test run.
If you're able, feel free to make any comments about the way the scripts and modifiers are implemented. The modifiers system is reasonably set (being the simplest way to implement mechanics), but RPM has a lot of flexibilty in *how* best you can set up the scripting system.
I'm always interested in making it as simple as possible for anyone to enter simple scripts against things such as items, feats, or abilities (where scripts can't be avoided).
Regards,
