Unseen Servant: Live Games

[GreyWolfVT]

Well heck with my podcast kinda dead it gives me something else to do where i can't act like myself. Only difference I don't have to share "DM Wisdom"

[Scott308]

A couple notes on using Fantasy Grounds:

If you run using FG, you really should use their character sheets. Die rolls are integrated, so if you attack somebody, you click and drag to the target and the system will do the math and determine if you hit or miss. You then can do the same for your damage. For spells, the same thing happens. For spells requiring a saving throw, it will be adjudicated automatically so you know if they save or not. The combat tracker is really nice, as well. You can see where everyone is slotted based on initiative and how everyone's health is. For PCs, you can see exactly what max hp and wounds taken are. For PCs and enemies, you get a general indicator- wounded or heavy-- to let you know how the bad guys look.

The major drawback to FG is that for players to do anything, both they and the DM need to be signed into the program. This means for character creation, it has to be coordinated. If the DM isn't available, nobody can even access their characters.

[dmw71]

If you run using FG, you really should use their character sheets. Die rolls are integrated, so if you attack somebody, you click and drag to the target and the system will do the math and determine if you hit or miss. You then can do the same for your damage. For spells, the same thing happens. For spells requiring a saving throw, it will be adjudicated automatically so you know if they save or not. The combat tracker is really nice, as well. You can see where everyone is slotted based on initiative and how everyone's health is. For PCs, you can see exactly what max hp and wounds taken are. For PCs and enemies, you get a general indicator- wounded or heavy-- to let you know how the bad guys look.

Well, this sounds intriguing. I'm cautiously optimistic.

The major drawback to FG is that for players to do anything, both they and the DM need to be signed into the program. This means for character creation, it has to be coordinated. If the DM isn't available, nobody can even access their characters.

This is helpful to know. If I do go this route, this is something that I will need to formally plan for.

[Monsieur Rose]

I'm interested in participating in these shenanigans. Sign me up.

[dmw71]

I'm interested in participating in these shenanigans. Sign me up.

Invite link sent.

[GreyWolfVT]

I'm always interested in doing this again as I asked in the original topic so when is our next game Dave?

[dmw71]

I'm always interested in doing this again as I asked in the original topic so when is our next game Dave?

Unless you consider the time spent thinking about the game, I haven't even started any formal work on it. Yet.

However, I did come up with what I think is a pretty cool idea, that will result in a fairly large overall plan, taking a starting group into the higher levels. I would love to have the characters ultimately reach the fourth tier of play (e.g. levels 17-20) at the end, but I'm not sure if I have the chops for that. We'll see. But, beyond having this general idea, I have no specific plans for how to build from point A-to-Z.

That's kind of where I am now.

And, I'm thinking it might make sense for me to building out point "Z" first, then either:

• Build backward (Z, Y, X, W...)
• Or build towards it (Z, A, B, C...)

The main thing is, building the entire story as a series of progressive challenges that are all at least loosely tied together, will a considerable amount of work as all of these plot points will need to be at least roughly outlined out ahead of time.

Even after each of these challenges (and there will be a LOT of these) are mapped to a general outline, each of them will need to be fleshed out into actual, single-session sized adventures. Including maps.

So, I'm actually approaching this as being a series of related one-offs that continue to build from simple to complex; from beginning to end.

It's going to be a lot of work, but I think it will ultimately be worth it.


Now, in terms of actually running/playing this game --

If my plan is to at least roughly plot out the course of events -- from the start to finish -- just having this general outline in place could potentially be enough to get started. If the plan is to try and play once per month, I could use the time between sessions to work on the next piece. I'll just need to make sure I can work that fast. The last thing I want is to rush development and leave myself less prepared than I want to be, or scrambling to finish and "cheat" just to have something ready to go.

It might make sense that I keep things on relative radio silence until I have the outline in place, and the finale developed, and at least the first few sessions already in place so I give myself a bit of a cushion.


But, again, I haven't started to work on anything formal; I'm just stewing over different ideas and performing general brainstorming, so this is all still very much in the early developmental stage.

But, knowing the end --

(Note: It's not developed at all, but I have a strong general idea about what point "Z" ultimately will be. Creating it, and everything that goes into it, will still be a lot of work.)

-- and what I will ultimately be building toward, is a pretty big first step.

Just don't expect any formal movement (e.g. actual game sessions planned) for some time yet.

And, actually, I just heard a couple days ago that the release of Fantasy Ground Unity will almost certainly be pushed from its originally targeted December 2019 launch date. Nothing is final, but here is what they shared with their backers (of which I am one):

"We won't decide this until mid-December, based on the state of the Beta at that time. It's looking like January or February 2020 is our new target release date."

So, if I was ultimately hoping to move the game to FGU, it might make sense to actually start the game on FGU.

Which would mean this series of live games wouldn't start until sometime early next year. That should give me plenty of time to accomplish the minimum I want to have ready before I formally kick this thing off and start running things.


Now, just keep your fingers crossed that FGU will run on my laptop.

[Enoch]

I would totally be down for that sort of bounty-hunting campaign! (On an off-note, this seems to have generated enough interest to deserve its own thread (unless this is also the 5e Hard Mode game you posted about)!)

[dmw71]

(On an off-note, this seems to have generated enough interest to deserve its own thread (unless this is also the 5e Hard Mode game you posted about)!)

I had the whole bounty hunter idea well before I was aware Hardcore 5e existed.

I like the Hardcore rules (a lot) in theory, but I would definitely want to test them outside of a formal campaign. Maybe a series of encounters might be enough (not even a full, formal one-shot adventure)?

I suppose, if the Hardcore rules work in a quick test, the two could be combined? I mean, bounty hunting is not the safest line of work and should be deadly.

[Enoch]

I'm not necessarily suggesting they be combined, just that I didn't see a thread specific to the bounty hunting campaign.

[Rex]

I would be up for a encounter or two to test the hardcore rules. I am thinking of eventually giving them a try once my FTF game gets back running and we finish the current story arc we are playing. I have been working on an idea for a bronze age campaign and the hardcore rules should fit in fine.