What Electronic Product if Any Does everyone use?

[Gizzard]

I use an old PCGen, although I just found that program that lets you modify the original PHB Character Generator's database. My needs are pretty simple, so its possible that I might be able to get by with that. I also use tons of online random generators and write my own when needed. ;-)

It's a little surprising that with all the character generators available that I'm still looking for the perfect one. I like PCGen a lot for my own use, but it actually does too much (!) stuff; only about half of my players were willing to get through the learning curve on it. And the fact that they have to DL Java and get me to mail them an old version -- its just too much hassle to be considered "user friendly".

Generally, my players send me character stats in the (free) PHB generators format. Some shortcomings (lack of Psionics) dont bug me; we generally dont play with expansion books. Others (the lack of non-basic items) do really cause problems.

The third character gen choice would be E-Tools, but I am wary of that thing:

but I will share another reason I worry about E-Tools: the current number of bugs.

What is Fluid's relationship with WotC/Hasbro these days? No doubt, as a game developer, Fluid would love to sign a deal with WotC to do more work on E-Tools. But, frankly their work on E-Tools was poorly received, as (I believe) was their work on the PowerPuffGirls game. (Hey, it may still sell, but didnt I just see a spate of bad reviews about this title?)

So, given this, will Fluid get add on work? And if they dont, can they afford to devote time to E-Tools? (Answer: absolutely not. Small game developers live hand to mouth, they just cant afford to do patches and add-ons gratis.) Even more grim, if their last two titles dont sell, are they still in business?

Basically, thats why I'm worried about E-Tools future -- its not about the state of the software itself, its about the state of their business deals.

 

[SneakyB]

Check out TheGameHub (http://www.thegamehub.com ). VERY handy for character management. You can't roll up any stats and have to manually add them, but it handles everything else just fine. Some key points :

---All of the info from the Splatbooks is available

---Easy printing of the XML character sheet

---Easy customization for your specific campaign (new races, prestige classes, etc.)

IMO, this is the best FREE character software out there.

 

[Airwolf]

The only electronic tool I use faithfully, besides this board , is HeroForge.

I think this is a great way to create and keep track of characters. LonePaladin created it. Now I use the one that Shannon Greene keeps up on his website. Shannon Greene's Site

I haven't found a DM tool that I really like yet. I have tried several but none have really stood out.

I have not tried E-Tools so I couldn’t comment intelligently on it.

 

[ladyofdragons]

I use DM Genie, I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned it. While it's still a developing product, it's great for in-game play. It also imports PCGen characters, so you can use PCGen to create and DM Genie to run.

So far I've been pretty amazed at this product, it's relatively understandable at first glance, which is the problem I have with most other products. While it does take a bit of time to add things in preparation for a game, it speeds up combat like wildfire. And the developer is always happy to take suggestions for new features, and is very quick with new versions that fix current bugs.

 

[Lalato]

Crystal Ball...

CrystalBall Mac!

I wholeheartedly agree. This program knocked my socks off. If you run a Mac, you should download this app.

Loved it!!!
--sam

 

[Terraism]

CrystalBall Mac!

Love this program. Tighter than PCGen (and works more reliably) and does just enough of the work for me to make it indispensable.

If you use a Mac, BUY this program. It rocks.

NEVER before in my life had I ever had even a teensy desire to own a Mac. Wow - that looks wonderful. [Grumble.] No PC version!

 

[el-remmen]

I am a pen and paper kind of guy.

I do use excell to track XP - but that's it.

 

[caudor]

What licensing rumors are those?

Hum...'licensing rumors' may have been a poor choice of words here.

I've heard that there are talks underway between the maker of PCGen and WotC to get permission to use additional materials currently in PC Gen (i.e. Splat Book type stuff).

I'm not sure if this is true, but I'm hopeful.

 

[kingpaul]

What licensing rumors are those?

Not necessarily licensing rumors, but Anthony Valterra [ulr=http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34364]announced[/url] that WotC and Code Monkey Publishing (founded by the creators of PCGen) were in talks concerning e-rights. Nothing else is known, though conjecture is running rampant.