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Character Sheets

You've covered many of the elements of a table top roleplaying game very well. We have: Maps Figures Dice Communications Graphic Aids What we don't have are junk food and character sheets. I don't think you can help us with the pizza, but the ability to customize a form, beyond the very very basic character notes in the journal would really help this GM with making sure the character records are kept up to date and that the players have them. Allow the GM to set up a character sheet template and save it as an asset in their allocated space. The GM could then create character sheets based on that template and assign ownership to players, allowing both the GM and assigned players the ability to modify it.
I was thinking about this one earlier. I think I'm going to have to agree. The ability to create a form and attach it to tokens, characters, and maybe even players (contact info or other information the GM might want to gather from his/her players). This feature would definitely remove a lot of the headache involved with tracking this information.
If you click on a created character in the journal section you do get a bio/description area to fill out. including a GM only see section. Lots of the info you might desire could be stored here. I just dont know the character limit. Granted its not a character sheet, but its workable...
Yeah, it's workable for the time being. A character sheet/form feature is definitely a nice to have down the road feature or if they add the ability to extend features through an API or something it could be done by users. It'd be kinda cool to create a nice looking html form character sheet for a specific system and pass it around to whoever needed it. Just have to be careful with what's allowed and clean the input real good - don't want anyone screwing up our new sandbox/tool :)
It can also be something very free form, basically a blank say fillable PDF that has nothing in it which, as mentioned above, could be saved as a template for other games. one of the things about using virtual tabletops and the like is that its done because you cannot be in the same place as the other players. As a GM it would be handy to have the character sheets easily available without having to have the players email you everytime there is a change. I would agree that they could be saved under the GMs space. while not critical its one of those really really nice features.
A character sheet is something that interests us, but the problem is these vary GREATLY from system to system AND can be an area of legal trouble with some of the... larger game companies. We're talking about it, though.
I think something very basic would be best. A black form where you add fields and name them yourself.......... or if nothing else allow us to upload character sheets into a character sheet tab and restrict access to either gm, that characters player, or everyone.
I think a simple but generic template format may be a good idea. Not everyone could create those templates, but to be honest, how many different templates are needed per system? I'm thinking about something like: ... with the x/y values in em.
ok, I hate this software. Another try: (template) (value y=10 name ="m") (text x=10 value="Movement"/) (input type=numeric min=0 max=20 x=30 width=8/) (text x=40 value="in"/) (/value) (img src="http..." width=10 height=10 x=50 y=2/) ...
Not trying to promote my own idea heavily, but I find that is has best way to implement this type of feature without making templates for all games, legal copyright issues, etc. while still allowing for a decent amount of custom "sheets". Posted everything here: <a href="http://community.roll20.net/discussion/162/features-i-would-like-to-seewould-even-make-me-pay-for-this-program-#Item_1" rel="nofollow">http://community.roll20.net/discussion/162/features-i-would-like-to-seewould-even-make-me-pay-for-this-program-#Item_1</a> but did a copy-paste of the character sheet idea "Player Character Sheets" (longer read) Now before you start to think that this is against what this program is suppose to be, hear me out on this first. I will try to explain this the best I can from both sides (as I don't know their system layout/coding language) as this would be the biggest task for things I would like added. In the character edit section, you can have a "character sheet" and I use this term loosely as nothing is predefined. When making a sheet it starts blank and you would select a "add field" option or something similar. From this, you enter a field name, tag (explained in a bit), value, description, and possibly type (if desired, explained later). Lets put this into an example for BAB. Name: Base Attack Bonus, Tag: BAB, Value: 3, Desc: added bonus to attacks, Type: Modifier. Now that we would have a BAB field in the character sheet section on a given character, we can view it at any time (allowing central management of characters) but we can use this in rolls. If we have a character with a name of Ladreth and we wish to set up an attack roll macro, we would type something like /r 1d20+Ladreth:BAB+Ladreth:STR:mod. This example assumes we have set up a STR field similar to BAB (ex: Name: Strength, Tag: STR, Value 14, Desc character str, Type: Stat) Now lets go over this a bit more. 1d20 (same) + Ladreth:BAB (This references the field with the tag BAB from character Ladreth and adds it to the roll) + Ladreth:STR:mod (this one is similar at first, get value of field with tag STR from the character Ladreth, but has the mod option. This applies an possible use for the type option of a field where is auto calculates the mod value since it is of type stat). Later, if a field value is updated, the macro is automatically updated since it is only a reference, not a "hard coded" value, so updates are only needed in the "character sheet". Example for a Skill field(Name: Hide, Tag: hide, Value: 7 (alternative macro value: 4 + Ladreth:Dex:mod), Desc: Mod to hide checks, Type: Skill) So for implementing, you would need to have adding in macros for rolls to access the DB used for the campaign and get the relevant value. The tag entry could be used in the code additional for checks (again, no idea of your code, but similar to html/JS tags for field values). Now how does this not impose more rules and take away from the freedom of the system? As explained, everything is a simple field with a name, tag, value, desc, and type. Nothing about this imposes any rules onto characters, it only adds to the ease of having the values at hand and for quick reference in chat, rolls, macros, quick DM check for the character, etc. All fields can be used as the GM/players wish for their system, not just one system. One thing that is grey area with this is the type option, though it could be left out and done later with user define types (a lot more work).
A basic idea/solution is to have macros associated with a character that can be edited (whether a DM fills or a player) and are different from the base ones and allow a player to upload a pdf/txt file attachment so a DM can audit his character in game.
1336033336
Mr G
KS Backer
No need to make templates for any game. I just need the ability to attach PDFs of my own making to characters and the job is done for me. The ability to attach any kind of file at all (Excel, Word Doc, etc) would be the icing on the cake.
PDF attachments or generic fillable sheets would work. Also another thing with this is this allows GMs to have pre-mades. Pre-make a bunch of characters, create the campaign, hand out the URL and it's good to go. These should be assignable to the players and the player should be able to drag and drop the PC image onto the table as a token they own.
1336046420
Orphansmith
KS Backer
Marketplace Creator
I second the notion of attachable PDFs. The tokens already can keep track of health, focus and such, so a PDF with all the other information would be nice. Perhaps a PDF with information tagged to a character and/or token and then the ability to adjust the number of adjustable numbers above the token? I can see certain situations where you'd want maybe one or two of them, and others (FATE/Storyteller) where you made want multiple little bubbles.
A read only PDF would not allow for record keeping very well.
1336047094
Mr G
KS Backer
Hi Ken :-) For me that's not so important. In my current game world (iTabletop) the PDFs are there for reference only. I expect the players to maintain their own offline copies just as you would in an FTF game. Of course, if the VTT allows any file type to be attached (Open Office Doc, Word, etc), well, away you go. Being able to attach a read only PDF is better than nothing and means you don't have to convert everything to a graphic to share it with players. In my current VTT I have rule summaries, diary handouts, briefing notes, lists of treasure, all manner of stuff.
Yup, I'm all for being able to attach files and what not, and I understand the thought that character sheets can be maintained offline, but.. my players are scattered around the world, and I want their copy and my copy of the character sheet to match. I can currently do that via Dropbox, but being able to do it within roll20 would be much simpler for the group.
Let me throw out my idea for a very general character sheet thing: The character sheet is a basic table with rows and sections: Rows have a row name and one or more value fields associated with them (to a set maximum number of fields). Each value field has a "placeholder" value, which can be the purpose of the field, default value, some arbitrary string. Sections can contain any number of rows. Sections can have either a defined set of rows, or have a template row and allow instances of the template to be added and removed from the section. A section cannot have both a template and a defined set. The GM has the template for the character sheets. He defines the sections in the sheet and picks whether the section is predefined or has a template. For predefined sections, he creates a row and assigns it a label, the number of fields it has (if this isn't a property of the section), and the placeholder values for the fields. For template sections, he defines what placeholders the template row values and labels have. Both GMs and Players can create instances of the character sheet. The instance looks to the template to see what it should look like. For predefined sections, the user can enter values into the value fields (which removes the placeholder text). For template sections, the user can add a row to the section, edit the row's label, edit the values in the value fields, and remove the row. Example to help explain: Template: [Predefined Section: "Attributes"] - Row: "Strength", Value Fields: "Base", "Mod", "Temp" - Row: "Dexterity", Value Fields: "Base", "Mod", "Temp" - Row: "Wisdom", Value Fields: "Base", "Mod", "Temp" - Row: "DC", Value Fields: "Base", "No DEX", "Flat" [Template Section: "Weapons"] - Row: "Weapon Name", Value Fields: "Damage Die", "Modifier", "Damage Type", "Desc" [Predefined Section: "Skills"] - Row: "Perception", Value Fields: "Ranks", "Mod", "Armor", "Total" - Row: "Escape Artist", Value Fields: "Ranks", "Mod", "Armor", "Total" - Row: "Disable Device", Value Fields: "Ranks", "Mod", "Armor", "Total" Instance: [Attributes] Strength: 10, +0, 15 Dexterity: 14, +2, 12 Wisdom: 13, +1, DC: 10, 10, 10 [Weapons] Sword: 1d6, +0, slashing, great sword of antioch Dagger: 1d4, +2, peircing/slashing, [Skills] Perception: 2, +0, +0, 2 Escape Artist: 0, +0, +0, 0 Disable Device: 12, +10, +0, 14 :)
Adding in a bunch of logic for character sheets seems counter to what this app is trying to do. I do love the idea of attaching a PDF or other file format to tokens/characters as being very useful. Right now I've been doing it with handouts but its clunky.
All I'm really looking for is a thing where I can place labels and fields on a page, and have both the GM and assigned players edit the data in those fields. It would be great to have those labels and fields on a layer over lapping a graphic :D
The simplest thing to do would be to accept some URL and iframe it. That way, you could e.g embed a Google docs spreadsheet: <a href="http://www.blogjer.com/2009/04/20/how-to-embed-google-docs-into-html-pages-or-blog-post/" rel="nofollow">http://www.blogjer.com/2009/04/20/how-to-embed-google-docs-into-html-pages-or-blog-post/</a>
I dont really see the point of having Character sheets within this feature... first off every game has a different setup and procedure... it would be a coding nightmare. Second every character sheet is going to need to be stored in your vault and take up space, the more complex that sheet the more space used. Next any info needed by the GM can be added by the GM to the character under the journal... Its like the GM's own private notebook for keeping info on all his campaigns players. Last this is a virtual table top, if i had players coming over to play a campaign in RL, you better believe they are bringing their character sheets. GMs really have no need to look at a player's character sheet constantly. There are some situations where this might be plausible, different game types etc, but if im running a campaign i have any critical information i need before the game starts. Its rare i need to look at any of my players sheets beyond the initial creation.
I dont really see the point of having Character sheets within this feature... first off every game has a different setup and procedure... it would be a coding nightmare. Second every character sheet is going to need to be stored in your vault and take up space, the more complex that sheet the more space used. Next any info needed by the GM can be added by the GM to the character under the journal... Its like the GM's own private notebook for keeping info on all his campaigns players. Last this is a virtual table top, if i had players coming over to play a campaign in RL, you better believe they are bringing their character sheets. GMs really have no need to look at a player's character sheet constantly. There are some situations where this might be plausible, different game types etc, but if im running a campaign i have any critical information i need before the game starts. Its rare i need to look at any of my players sheets beyond the initial creation. I have these feelings a lot. I'm not saying we won't ever do character sheets... but there's a reason they aren't high on the WE GOTTA DO THIS RIGHT NOW priority list. Thanks for the commentary-- much appreciated.
It depends on the campaign. survival/horror games knowing exactly what the characters have on them is a big part of the game. I do agree that this isnt a must have, but a nice to have feature.
1336067033
Mr G
KS Backer
If I can frame my dropbox web folder in a Roll20 page I can live with that. Would still love to be able to attach and display PDFs though. Makes my life a lot easier for handouts and all that good stuff.
An easy way to do character sheets would be if external webpages can be viewed as a handout. Then people could just use Mythweavers or whatever they like.
1336070306
Deightine
KS Backer
Sheet Author
Well, there is a fast workaround for making this happen, without adding to server load--it's already going to be handling a lot on the backend anyway: Offload the work. Add a single text box to the character page that allows for inserting a link redirect to an outside website. I host all of my games out of Google Docs right now. Why? Because I can edit and do all of the work on the fly, and they can see it and cooperate in the process. So why not just put a specific space in for adding those links? Make it say "Link to Character Sheet: " where is the one that the DM feeds in, and if clicked, opens a new tab. Let the Google Docs website or DropBox do all of the work. Then, in the Help section, put a short written tutorial for how to make a Google Docs file "Viewable by anyone with the link." and show people where to paste the link to make it happen. Almost no work on the Roll20 server side past the initial additions of the text box, the variable it feeds, and some help text.
1336070626
Deightine
KS Backer
Sheet Author
Hell, it just occurred to me, I could put together a short knowledge base for using gDocs for this kind of thing if anyone wanted to know how. All you really need to have in order to house complex character sheets is a single repository to store all of the actual files (thus the attachable PDFs comments by folks above), but that adds to the server weight here at Roll20. If free solutions for this already exist, its just a matter of helping people figure out how to do it.
Good idea Christopher. Let some other service handle the load (storage & processing). As long as it's easily accessible on the "tabletop" for all involved. It could be useful to have private links, i.e. assign a link to a particular character/player that only s/he & the gm have access to. Some of my players are very private when it comes to their character sheets especially if they are playing a rogue or something and the other players don't need to see any secret details about the character. And as for this: Last this is a virtual table top, if i had players coming over to play a campaign in RL, you better believe they are bringing their character sheets. GMs really have no need to look at a player's character sheet constantly. There are some situations where this might be plausible, different game types etc, but if im running a campaign i have any critical information i need before the game starts. Its rare i need to look at any of my players sheets beyond the initial creation. Very short-sighted. There are going to be any number of play-styles and gm-styles put to use with this product. As a GM, I want access to character sheets when planning future sessions and campaigns because I generally have my players add things like backstory, motivations, friends, allies, etc to their sheets that I can draw from to pull them even deeper into the story. And in RL campaigns, I keep the character sheets - players don't take them home (though they sometimes take copies to add story, etc). Now, I do agree that during a session character sheets will be less referenced than some quick notes (except maybe by the players themselves to add/remove things from inventory, add notes, etc), but just because YOU won't do this type of thing doesn't mean that no one else will either...
1336072906
Deightine
KS Backer
Sheet Author
The functional concern of being able to check a CS is that sometimes a game runs really long... and we forget what is in an inventory, or the specifics of a particular piece of character information, which can turn a "This game should take 6 hours." into "Oh, you have a flying carpet? When? Twenty sessions ago... oh yeah. Well, uhm, let me look something up." followed by a 30 minute game and everyone looking at each other awkwardly because nothing is left to the session. I ad-lib in those moments, but not everyone can do that well. I've found that centralizing that material (but keep it private from other players) makes it so much easier to pass information between GM and player. I usually keep all character sheets for my table games as well, but its a layover from playing with players early on that I couldn't trust not to tweak their character numbers at random to cheat... so at the least, I always had a copy. Now, I just look at a gDocs revision history. Lack of trust is no longer a concern if something seems odd. There is a silent agreement between the player and GM that the CS will remain untainted by manipulation; and between players that they will be allowed to keep some secrets to keep the game more interesting. So if character sheets -were- more fully incorporate into the site, the divisions between who can see what, and when, could get a bit... convoluted. It'd be a developmental nightmare, especially if you are system-agnostic.
I put the character sheets for my campaign into the "biography" box in the character journal thingies. Playing "Spirit of the Century", so that is just a couple of dozen short lines of text. When I use Roll20 to run "ForeSight", "HindSight", Hero System, GURPS, or whatever I or the player of each character will design the character using one of the spreadsheets I prepared before or an official character-generation program, and e-mail the results before the game. If convenience dictates using Roll20 rather than some other program to read the sheets, I will export the sheets as PDFs and attach those. It's a solved problem. We've got character sheets.
sorry if someone has already suggested this, we have not played a game yet just fooled around with the software but one of my players has started useing the cards deck to show a basic form of his character sheet. i believe he has it on the back of the cards. simple but seems to work
sorry if someone has already suggested this, we have not played a game yet just fooled around with the software but one of my players has started useing the cards deck to show a basic form of his character sheet. i believe he has it on the back of the cards. simple but seems to work You know, when build something and put it out there, you know people are going to use it in different ways than you'd expect. But even with that knowledge, this caught me by surprise. Talk about "stretching the system". :-)
1336077270
Pax
KS Backer
Honestly, I think the ability to link an external URL as a handout would be more than enough. Then you can stick a PDF on Dropbox and link to it, provide a Google Spreadsheet template for your character sheets, link to a Google Docs file, link to an Evernote page, or whatever. As background, my group has used shared Evernote notebooks to keep the master reference copies of character sheets in place, as well as functioning as a sort of wiki of information the GM adds or players make notes of. (This is true of our in-person games as well as online ones.) So external URLs as handouts would sync nicely with our existing process. :)
Using external URLs to link to character sheets runs counter to the stated intention of creating an integrated program that eliminates the need for gaming groups to orchestrate multiple apps/online hosting solutions/skill sets in order to play online. It's fine for those who are already using that setup, and who are already comfortable with it, but this is supposed to be a solution for the people who don't want to bother with the complexity of that setup, isn't it?
1336087409
JJ
KS Backer
No need to make templates for any game. I just need the ability to attach PDFs of my own making to characters and the job is done for me. The ability to attach any kind of file at all (Excel, Word Doc, etc) would be the icing on the cake. Bingo.
I didn't see this in an earlier post, but what about integration with PCGen? It already has all of the rules for many, many popular gaming systems built into it and it has an API. (example, when using OpenRPG for gaming, you can click "attack with primary hand" and it auto rolls the attack and damage rolls in OpenRPG). By "outsourcing" this functionality to a highly used app like PCGen, you don't have to make any chnanges when new games are developed or changes are made to existing systems. Just a thought.
1336100126
Phil
KS Backer
PDF integration would get my vote, not only for character sheets but for rule books too.
1336102321
Mr G
KS Backer
Lots of good points here. I'm a business analyst in real life (boooo!) and I see I'm guilty of the cardinal sin of business analysis, which is solutionising, i.e. "I want to attach PDFs to characters". So, I'll take a step back and start with my requirements. Now the solution to my requirements might be attaching PDFs, or it might be providing links to an external solution, or it might be allowing a Roll20 room to contain an embedded website or webfolder, or it might be "we don't want to go down that road, tough luck". Anyway, here's my list of requirements, staring with the over-riding non-functionals ;-) A. Non-Functional Requirements: 1. I do not want to have to manually switch to another application. Roll20 calling embedding through API another application is fine, but I do not want to have to fire up another application and then start looking for what I want and then have to email it to people or tell them where to find it. In short, I am looking for an embedded solution that allows me to access my campaign material from within Roll20. 2. I do not want to have to retype content from my existing digital resources. 3. Ideally I want to be able to use my digital resources in their current format. If not, conversion to PDF is okay, having to convert to some sort of graphical format is not okay. 4. Provision of facilities to edit the various resources is NOT required as part of this solution. This will be handled outside of Roll20 using existing software (Open Office, PDF Editor, etc). B. Character Sheets Background: All of the characters in my game have character sheets. These sheets are invariably in digital format already (we've been using VTTs for years), usually an (Open) Office type document converted to a PDF for easy sharing. User Story A: As a GM I want to be able to reference any of my players characters sheets while a Roll20 game is running so that I can keep tabs on player abilities and capabilities allowing me to anticipate problems and difficulties on the fly. User Story B: As a player I want to be able to reference my character sheet during the game so that I know why my character is capable of, how many hit points I have, and so on. C. Campaign Record Keeping Background: I maintain records of shared party funds and accounts, gear and equipment acquired by the party, and a blog of the campaign's exploits, among other things. Again, these are already held in digital format. User Story: As a player or GM, I want to be able to reference the record keeping resources of the campaign, so that I can make informed decisions as to who has what items of equipment, how much ready cash the party has at hand, what happened last week/month/year, and so on. D. Game Handouts Background: Most RPG games by their nature contain a wide variety of player handouts including such things as picture of locations, people, or places, clues, maps, journals, diaries, newspaper clippings, letters, etc. Some are suitable for presentation in a graphical format (mug shot of an NPC) and some are not (multi-page document). User Story A: As a GM I want to be able to present handouts as above in more or less real time to my players as they become relevant (or remove them when they are no longer relevant or are lost). User Story B: As a player I want to be able to refer back to handouts that have previously been presented so that I can keep track of what's going on, piece together a plan of action, or try and figure out what the hell is going on if I'm playing Masks of Nyarlathotep. E. Campaign Reference Library Background: As virtually all of our gaming has taken place using VTTs over the last three years, we have an extensive library of digital reference material including, rule books, supplements, cheat sheets, "how to" articles, clarifications, etc. User Story: As a player of GM, I want to be able to access the campaign "library" from within a Roll20 session so that I can maintain my immersion at the table while checking rule 17.2.1 or whatever. Hope that helps! :-)
I haven't seen the term "User Story" in years. XD
Mr G. has it pegged. I want both the players and myself to be able to concentrate on the storytelling and companionship rather than the mechanics of where to go to get this information and what to configure or set up to make this other functionality work. I NEED character sheets that both I and my players can access and edit. If Roll20 doesn't offer this capability in an embedded fashion, I have to go outside of Roll20 to get it. If I have to do that, and have to instruct my players to do that, then (for us) it doesn't matter how simple and elegant Roll20 is, because our experience is going to be the sum of Roll20 and our outside apps. Roll20 offers video and audio chat because those features were deemed important to the activity of roleplaying and story telling. The team could have easily left those out, and those that agreed to their importance could have used external audio and video chat programs for those needs. But that's a hassle. *I* believe that character records are nearly as important to roleplaying games as video chat. Right now Roll20 offers character notes that only the GM can edit, and with very limited formatting. I do not think this will meet user's needs. Not just mine, but nearly everyones. It seems to me that that the vast majority of users will end up managing their character records in some digital fashion external to Roll20. This adds complexity to the overall user experience and seems counter-mission for Roll20. Cheers,
1336135377
Deightine
KS Backer
Sheet Author
User Story A: As a GM I want to be able to reference any of my players characters sheets while a Roll20 game is running so that I can keep tabs on player abilities and capabilities allowing me to anticipate problems and difficulties on the fly. User Story B: As a player I want to be able to reference my character sheet during the game so that I know [what] my character is capable of, how many hit points I have, and so on. That is a very astute way to phrase the background of this entire discussion. Players and GMs have different needs... however, unfortunately, there isn't a clear divide on what those needs are. The CS need to be in the same place, with access from both players and GM; and it needs to be easily and universally accessible from within Roll20... but not necessarily require Roll20 do the heavy lifting. I think that's why I lean toward the link-out-to-another-site idea. That way we get to pick our sites to link to, and if one goes down, we can switch to another, and all we need to move is the link in Roll20. Then that link from Roll20 works just as well in linking the player, as well as the DM, to the same file. It seems to me that that the vast majority of users will end up managing their character records in some digital fashion external to Roll20. This adds complexity to the overall user experience and seems counter-mission for Roll20. As a DM, I shoulder more of the work than the rest of my players, because I have to balance the construct of the game at any given moment... but that also means I have more understanding of the mechanics (at least I need to) and probably more management skills related to the materials. We aren't helpless (although, Amont, I'm not saying that you're suggesting we are), and we don't entirely need someone to automate away all of the hard work, as it were. Just to make us comfortable enough to be able to run our games in an online environment. I think Mr. G got to that pretty well by noting "Ideally I want to be able to use my digital resources in their current format. If not, conversion to PDF is okay, having to convert to some sort of graphical format is not okay." I am 100% with that notion... I imagine a lot of us will be moving other VTT games over to Roll20, less so than new DMs will be starting here, who would need a lot of hand-holding tech. How many newbs do you think threw 25+ dollars into the hat to get into this closed beta? I don't suspect a large number; the people that get excited when they see this are probably primarily veterans. The early adopters who set the ground for the ones coming later. I could be wrong... but I doubt that. But were I one of the developers, handholding/babysitting would be a nightmare that regularly woke me with cold sweats.
I'm not at all opposed to Roll20 linking to an outside resource. In fact, one of my suggestions has been to allow all if not most of our materials to be stored in our own online locations independent of the Roll20 server. Regardless of what is or is not done with character sheets, this would be a really nice capability to add. Not really sure what the make up the beta testers has to do with this :) A system agnostic tool cant possible automate away all the hard work, and of course, shouldn't try to. No one suggests hand holding, Most of us probably are ABLE to trouble shoot firewalls and router ports. Roll20's greatest asset though is it's ease of use and stability. ... Regarding Character Sheets, as a GM I want: 1. to easily store, review, and edit information regarding the characters in my game. 2. to allow other players to do the same regarding specified characters 3. to be able to format that data in a way that I design 4. to have all the above seamless to the players. 1. The "easily" part is important as it affects the flow of the game. My PDF editor, my word processor.. they aren't task specific to online collaborative roleplaying. This tool could be. The Roll20 Devs have already proven they can crank out elegant stuff, I'd like to see their efforts here. :) 2. The players should be allowed to have an active part in the creation and maintenance of their own characters records. The info doesn't need to be "on the map", but it does need to be "in the room" 3. We aren't talking about a lot of automation to do calculations and the like. We aren't talking about anything where copyright rules should be a concern. Just a simple form editor that allows a GM to create his/her own character sheets in order to meet the needs of his or her system of choice. 4. This is a biggie. Many of the folks that I intend to game with are in fact new to the activity. I'm trying to grow the hobby in my own small way. The more barriers there are for them to be able to do what I need/want them to do, the less likely it is that they will. This follows the same philosophy as the player invite system. Make it as easy as we can.
1336145198
Deightine
KS Backer
Sheet Author
Odd, must have misinterpreted something you said in regard to adding complexity to the system, in the opposite direction of your intention. Apologies, Amont. :) Just a thought for the notion of using a form editor... I think that could work, but I imagine it would add a significant amount of data to every campaign, and thus tax the limited storage of the server space. Since some character sheets can be very small, they might just be a simple table of SQL variables, but others could possibly be very large and involved. Also, players are typically comfortable with a more full-width style sheet. If that were the case, I think it may have to jump out and take over the screen the way the Handouts do right now, for people to get comfortable using them. If that were the case, it might not be a bad idea to add a quick-button somewhere at the edge of the map interface that calls up a player's current character sheet. My players look at their sheets a lot, especially while trying to figure out their next move in a combat. Weighing options, all that.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_spreadsheet" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_spreadsheet</a> -- Seems there are a couple of online spreadsheet softwares available "as product" (some even open source), not just "as service".
No need to make templates for any game. I just need the ability to attach PDFs of my own making to characters and the job is done for me. The ability to attach any kind of file at all (Excel, Word Doc, etc) would be the icing on the cake. Hear, hear!
We're watching all of this with interest, by the way. Keep discussing freely, please.
Thank you Mr. G.
1336162205
Deightine
KS Backer
Sheet Author
Guess what? We -have- linking priveleges on the current character sheet... so I just linked my players up, using their bio/info section. To allow linking out to other websites... well, its already there. On the other hand... it opens in the same window. Can we get that changed to default to opening a new tab? EDIT: Just paste the URL into the bio, if you want to try this. But beware and be sure to Open in New Tab!
On the other hand... it opens in the same window. Can we get that changed to default to opening a new tab? I've begun joking with some of the guys in my party that this is "working as intended" when Riley is GMing. He posts traps... and we fall in them.
Guess what? We -have- linking priveleges on the current character sheet... so I just linked my players up, using their bio/info section. To allow linking out to other websites... well, its already there. On the other hand... it opens in the same window. Can we get that changed to default to opening a new tab? I tried putting a link in the bio section of a test character, but it didn't like the HTML. How'd you get this to work?