D&D 5E Out of the Abyss OOC

[Yavathol]

Just read today's journal CB, that does sound like a strange omission - you'd think the starter set would have a url for the basic rules in very big print!

Still, its great that you've got another DM in the family, and that its encouraging a 9 year to practice her writing

I'll be very curious whether the other group does things very differently, or has an easier time of it with their party. IMHO the trouble we've now gotten into is that we've potentially blocked our way out with quaggi, and at this early stage the party hasn't completely agreed whether the priority is to get out, get revenge or get all our stuff. Having the NPCs really helps, but in regular play (less in PbP) makes it harder for the DM..

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Thanks for the kind words, [MENTION=33284]Yavathol[/MENTION].

To confirm, I don't see a URL to the basic rules in the game rules that came with the boxed set. Lucky for Claire and Sophia Grace, their mother has the PHB and can additionally point out where on the web to go to look at the 5e basic rules. Though, yes, it seems like it'd be a good thing for WotC to include the web address in reprintings (the boxed set Claire owns says first printing July 2014). Re: the NPCs, I rather think they're trickier to deal with in PbP than at a live table (due to mapping), but perhaps that's just me. While they're useful for information, they are not intended to be used for combat, which is why I've had them hunker down for the most part.

 

[GlassEye]

Re: the NPCs, I rather think they're trickier to deal with in PbP than at a live table (due to mapping), but perhaps that's just me.

It is possible to map in different fashions that relieve some of the burden on the DM and put some responsibility into the hands of the players. For example, upload a map into Google Drawings, add tokens for characters and monsters, and have the players responsible for moving their character's token when it is their turn. Aside from spreading around some work that is normally all placed on the DM it has the benefit of an updated map after each player's turn presuming each player does their part. The link stays the same and is easy enough for each player to include in their post, much like their character stats.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Maybe.

I personally detest Google applications. They're useful in theory but fantastically slow to load in practice. We could try it for a encounter, with the caveat that we'd discuss its worth after the fact (and likely a single veto would send us looking for alternatives).

Alternately, we could attempt bitsie or whatever the name of the application is that Tailspinner uses...though I note that I attempted to use it eight months ago as DM and gave it up as a bad job. Too high a learning curve, it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do, I hated the file architecture, and the site is prone to crashing or resisting players' attempts to moving their icons.

I'm more open to this if we can drum up a file sharing site that will permit me to easily upload my Excel map. If you guys have a non-Google or non-bitsie suggestion, I'm interested. Who here does NOT have access to MS Excel? While not dispositive, access is a factor.

 

[industrygothica]

Maybe.

I personally detest Google applications. They're useful in theory but fantastically slow to load in practice. We could try it for a encounter, with the caveat that we'd discuss its worth after the fact (and likely a single veto would send us looking for alternatives).

Alternately, we could attempt bitsie or whatever the name of the application is that Tailspinner uses...though I note that I attempted to use it eight months ago as DM and gave it up as a bad job. Too high a learning curve, it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do, I hated the file architecture, and the site is prone to crashing or resisting players' attempts to moving their icons.

I'm more open to this if we can drum up a file sharing site that will permit me to easily upload my Excel map. If you guys have a non-Google or non-bitsie suggestion, I'm interested. Who here does NOT have access to MS Excel? While not dispositive, access is a factor.

I personally think what you're doing with the maps is just fine. If you're looking for something different for whatever reason, I always used MapTool by RPTools. At it's core, it basically does the same thing you're doing with Excel, but easier. You can import your map as a background image and overlay a scalable grid on top of it, or you can build the map in layers with various images to actually have doors that open and close and such. You can also keep track of PC and NPC statistics right there in the same package by associating a type of stat-block for each PC/NPC icon. I think you can even attach notes to objects, such as door hardness or a disable device DC.

I still believe in "if it ain't broke...", and your method doesn't seem to be. But like I said, if you're looking for something else for whatever reason, there's something for you to look at.


-IG

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I'm content with what I'm doing, but if others are experiencing frustration with the maps, I want to know about it. It's our game, not just my game.

 

[Yavathol]

I'm happy with the mapping, and appreciate that updating the map using excel is the most time consuming part for CB, but I wouldn't be able to use my mobile if the players were responsible for their positions. I'd suggest maybe using dropbox to share the file?

 

[CanadienneBacon]

GE, are you having trouble viewing the map in the IC? Let me know. If the suggestion to do something different is out of concern for my time, I appreciate the thoughtfulness but am content with the current arrangement. If, however, the suggestion arises from player difficulty, that's entirely a different matter and one I'm keen to fix.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I'm an inherently curious person. I played a little bit this morning and created a test map. I would like each of you to click the link sometime in the next 48 hours, and tell me whether you can move the brown recluse spider on the bridge. Can you move it?

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1A_0jSyaq54s2U_sBMOJW71oAvyGfpY0BFXUvZ-wvZw0/edit?usp=sharing

 

[GlassEye]

Concern for your time and effort are part of it but there are personal reasons as well. I've mentioned previously that I have difficulty reading the labels. I have also played in games where the player has more agency and I've really enjoyed it and was looking for a way to connect more with this game. If everyone else is happy with things as they are then that's fine, we can continue as we were.