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Hello everyone,

I am creating a Palladium universe ruleset for the Fantasy Grounds Unity platform and I wanted to know what areas are your (GMs) greatest pain points and could use some automated help from a VTT platform.

I have limited experience in the GM area but it seems to me that the first point of pain is character creation so that is my starting point but I want to know the war stories that would have been greatly helped with some automation. The more input I get the better I can make the experience.

Automation Wishlist

1. Character Creation

2. Auto updating character sheet w/ tabs for basic info, combat bonuses, psionics, magic, equipment, etc.

3. Opponent tracker (basic bonuses/damage/MDC/map token

Thanks,
HarpoMa

--edits: additions to the list.

I'm not sure you can do that much automation without running afoul of IP rights. It is fine in your private game, but publicly publishing it might be a problem.

Kraynic wrote:I'm not sure you can do that much automation without running afoul of IP rights. It is fine in your private game, but publicly publishing it might be a problem.

I know that Palladium is looking to make a FGU ruleset so I'm not worried about IP rights. I'm certain I will be able to get that sorted. I'm really interested in what people want so that it fill the need rather than blinding building functions that no one wants.

So do you have any items you wish were easier to do and could be done in a more automated way?

Harpo

Kraynic wrote:I'm not sure you can do that much automation without running afoul of IP rights. It is fine in your private game, but publicly publishing it might be a problem.

Since PB is actively looking for material for FG and has some sort of agreement with them I don't think it is a problem.

However, automated character creation is a fools errand in Rifts. There are too many races and OCCs to make it effective. A great place to start is an auto updating character sheet that has tabs for basic info, combat bonuses, psionics, magic, equipment, etc.

I would love a basic opponent tracker that I can enter basic bonuses, damage, MDC, maybe a token for the map.

Regarding the OPs priority list:

HarpoMa wrote:Hello everyone,

1. Character Creation

2. Auto updating character sheet w/ tabs for basic info, combat bonuses, psionics, magic, equipment, etc.

3. Opponent tracker (basic bonuses/damage/MDC/map token

1) Character Creation
I agree with Warshield73 that trying to automate character generation is problematic.
- Each rulebook for Palladium games has different Skill lists and values.
- Every OOC has different numbers of skills and special rules for that OCC.
- Veteran GMs likely have their own custom rules which would be excluded.

Instead, adding a few pregenerated Characters and NPCs would help new players/GMs get started without preventing veteran GMs from using house-rules and homebrew content which a fully automated system would reject. Stick with a fill-in generic character sheet populated manually. Experienced GMs and Players will prefer it and players new to Palladium should really have their GM present when making a character.

2) Updating Sheets / Records
I guess the idea is as your Players use attacks, a combat record updates Attacks/Actions remaining, damage taken/remaining, using ammunition/PPC/ISP so you as GM don't have to worry about keeping track
- Warshield mentioned character sheets that auto-total combat bonuses
- Specifically for Attacking
a) Automating the attack with a button would be great. Noting if it uses Ammuniation, PPE, ISP, what the Bonus to the attack roll is and any special modifiers that apply; such as which Defense rolls apply (see item b)
Ex: a character might have a melee weapon, gun and psionic options. It would be great if a character sheet offered not only the roll, but a place to enter the description of the attack so you don't have to lookup page 139 of whatever rulebook you are using. Since abilities/weapons vary between each rulebook, even for the same ability/weapon, I'd leave it to GMs to type it in.
b) Auto-prompting for Defensive rolls (Dodge and Parry, whether normal or Automatic) as well as Roll with Punch/Impact, calling a Simultaneous Attack or Entangling, etc. LOTs of options. The system would then have to deduct the Action/Attack from the Defender if applicable and note if they forfeit their next actoin in as a consequence of using that option.

3) Opponent Tracker
- seems basically the same as #2 but with emphasis on NPC/monster sheets instead of players.

There is also a discussion he OP may want to read from October 2020
https://palladiumbooks.com/forums/viewt ... 0&t=168801

HarpoMa wrote:Hello everyone,

I am creating a Palladium universe ruleset for the Fantasy Grounds Unity platform and I wanted to know what areas are your (GMs) greatest pain points and could use some automated help from a VTT platform.

I have limited experience in the GM area but it seems to me that the first point of pain is character creation so that is my starting point but I want to know the war stories that would have been greatly helped with some automation. The more input I get the better I can make the experience.

Automation Wishlist

1. Character Creation

2. Auto updating character sheet w/ tabs for basic info, combat bonuses, psionics, magic, equipment, etc.

3. Opponent tracker (basic bonuses/damage/MDC/map token

Thanks,
HarpoMa

--edits: additions to the list.

In this context what does 'VTT' and (FGU) mean?

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:

HarpoMa wrote:Hello everyone,

In this context what does 'VTT' and (FGU) mean?

VTT - Virtual Table Top
FGU - Fantasy Grounds Unity

So I'm looking for Palladium/Rifts GMs that have any stories / situations where they could have used some automation in either their VTT games or paper gaming to make their jobs easier. What is a really painful aspect of Rifts/Palladium gaming that you could have used some help.

Harpo