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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 25, 2005 9:36:07 GMT -5
Been browsing the web for cool useful tools and sites and came across this: www.randomrpg.com/To quote the site: "This site is a free resource for roleplaying game ideas. As a GM or DM, you will find the ideas especially useful when you are stuck for ideas for your next campaign or next story. Here you can quickly find ideas for all different RPG aspects" Ideas include: Encounters, Stories, Weapons, NPCs, GM Tips, Traps, Riddles, Creatures and Items. This site also features a thriving community and forum.
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Church
Level 3 GM
Dragostea din tei
Posts: 853
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Post by Church on Jul 25, 2005 14:42:14 GMT -5
Heh, I saw that a little while ago, was gonna send you the link.
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 26, 2005 6:32:38 GMT -5
Yet another site that really really makes me want to GM from behind an LCD.
Some of this software I and finding is making it feel like you would be able to turn your laptop on, point it at the players, hit go and then go sit with them and let the pc run the game. It would be like playing a computer RPG with 4-6 people.
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Post by ThardonBlackfist on Jul 26, 2005 10:27:05 GMT -5
I could have sworn I sent that to you for an interesting stuff release.. I guess not.. I've had that bookmarked for ages...
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Post by ThardonBlackfist on Jul 26, 2005 10:31:11 GMT -5
I've thought for years that Pencil and die RPG would be hugely increased by a group of players with laptops networked. some enhancements include, silent DM conversations in IM, secret stat rolls without the DM asking you your stat. The DM having complete control and knowledge of your char sheet, as well as the ability to modify and alert you of changes. Just imagine, during a game of WHFRP, you are acting with the party, something occurs to give you insanity points. completely silently it's rolled, added to your cheet and a note flashes on your screen telling you you now have a fear of round objects. The player then begins playing that fear immediately and as it should be, the other players have no idea what why or how.. it hugely reduces the problem of mixed OOC and IC information. as well as largely removes the 'favorite dice' problem.
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 26, 2005 12:29:00 GMT -5
It is possible that I did receive this a long time ago in an interesting stuff. I usually put out about 4 pages of links (.doc format) every one and have done like 30 of them now, many links tend to get forgotten. Always planned on going back to see what I had forgotten about and never did. It was new to me again if that was the case.
About the Laptop thing. I worry that if everyone was sitting infront of a PC that you would loose some of the social aspects of the game. Too much PMs and less actual person to person interaction. Also there is just something about a character sheet that needs to be physical. I also disagree about the dice... favourite dice is part of roleplaying and so is tossing bad ones across the room. I'm not going to toss a laptop because of a bad roll (actually knowing me maybe I would) and I am also not going to blow on my laptop, yell Bobsi! and hit enter, it's just not right.
I can see some advantages to this method but I think you would loose some of the people feel that makes pen and paper gaming so much fun. We could all just go on neverwinter nights and I could run a game and it would be the same and that is definately not like the horror a PC feels when you ask for a Spot check and they roll a 1 in front of everyone who know knows as well as they that they missed something (unless the DM is evil like me and just asks for random spot checks:) )
I think having the DM with the tech and the players with dice and pencil would be best. Plus the DM could always pass notes or the PC over for anything like that. Dm could still have digital copies of all character sheets and a number generator to make those secret rolls. A passed note that says you are scared of round things works just as well.
This is becoming quite the post... but I'm not done yet...
The other big reason I want a PC infront of me to game is the multimedia aspect. I would love to have a selection of mp3s with battle sounds, victory cheers, town chatter, bar songs, etc. As well as a graphics library of mobs and places. I will never forget playing DarkSun and using that flip book and turning to the page with the three sweating dudes and saying "It's Hottttt". Think of just fliping your notbook around with a pic of a desert complete with wavy heat animation, a shot of the sun blaring down, a closeup of a nose with sweat dripping off it, etc.
Last point - this goes with the other software I linked - note taking. Its the one thing I am loath to do in a game and always should. I hate pausing the action to take notes. I am a slow ass writer (especially if I want to be albe to read it later), with a laptop I can quickly type up notes and combine them later.
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Post by ThardonBlackfist on Jul 26, 2005 15:16:16 GMT -5
I have to disagree with much of your negatives there. I will however stand with you on MOST of the die rolls. Dice are an integral part pof the game as we always knew it.. but I see many of the other aspects differently.. for instance, IM would ONLY be allowed between player and GM, not between players. There is no reason for the GM not to be aware of any and all conversation between players.
I honestly feel that an added level of secritive information between the players and GM would allow for 'truer' role-playing. There's no reason that after a session or during breaks people couldn't discuss things OOC, but during the game there is a certain thrill and depending on XP system benifit, to being able to play out your character more completely without ooc information ruining the effect. I can think of MANY experiences were even without intending to players have messed up good RP concepts by letting OOC information get in the way. As I grow older and more experinced in various forms of On-line RP, I more and more relish the ability to take on a character more completely and 'become' that character, with out RT or OOC getting in the way.
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 27, 2005 7:36:26 GMT -5
Perhaps. The best way to really test out the system and see how it plays out is to do just that play it out. Would still have real dice and real character sheets though. One note I forgot about character sheets is the actual character creation process. This should aways be dice pencil and paper. Random PC generation on PC is too impersonal. By writing things out on a sheet you think about what you are doing and get that first 'feel' for the character. So now we just need players, time and PCs I did think of one other advantage to this system though - technically you could do the videoconverance thing pretty easily and Thardon could actually play in one o' my Warhammer games again.
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Post by ThardonBlackfist on Jul 27, 2005 16:29:11 GMT -5
I've got the most bandwidth Rogers has to offer. so in theory it IS completely possible...
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 28, 2005 7:49:33 GMT -5
But yet again the vital component of a laptop or PC at my gaming table is missing.
Have the WiFi network all set up and waiting for it too.
Note: this is definately making me re-think the potential purchase of a new desktop or HD DLP....
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Post by ThardonBlackfist on Jul 28, 2005 9:57:17 GMT -5
just a note and not in anyway a ad or suggestion to shop there (I've not been to impressed so far) but the new The Source by Circuit city stores do seem to have some cheap computer options.. with a quick scan my only big complain with the lap tops I saw were they only had 256M RAM...
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 28, 2005 10:13:59 GMT -5
Probably go with a local Mom & Pop, as in the owner still lives with his , for purchasing new hardware. Usually get the best deals and don't end up with propriatary crap. Best prices I have seen lately (non M&P) have been Tiger Direct, that place has some real deals at times if you look for them. www.tigerdirect.ca/indexca.asp?If I remember correctly you can pick up the stuff in Missasauga if you don't want to pay shipping too. I know a few IT guru's here that get all their stuff through them now.
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Post by ThardonBlackfist on Jul 28, 2005 10:37:19 GMT -5
tigerDirect is just opening up a new shop near me and I am indeed hoping it opens soon so I can take a good look see.. I don't like buying electronics online.. too many hassles if there's a problem once it's shipped..
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Post by Gilvan Blight on Jul 28, 2005 10:46:06 GMT -5
Actually their return policy is damn good, pretty much no questions asked. May loose out on the shipping though. I personally haven't used them but our local geeks swear by them.
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Post by ThardonBlackfist on Jul 28, 2005 10:53:24 GMT -5
but that's the problem, I don't want to return something, I want to walk back into the store, pistol whip the sales clerk and walk back out with new or fixed equipment. It was great with this laptop at Best buy. the battery wouldn't charge on it, I walked in a few days after I bought it, got a totally new laptop AND got a refund because the price had dropped even further in the three days since I bought it...
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