Mediating Skill Checks and out of combat actions in FG2

[lordsoth]

I'm curious how all you expert FG2 GM's mediate the plethora of out of combat actions in a text only game. I've noticed that it takes time to reply to skill checks, questions, and general actions (even those that might initiate combat) in FG2.

I've considered adding more structure to the interaction and exploration aspects by using the combat tracker, but I don't want to over do it. I find that NPC dialog isn't that bad in a text only game, but when characters first enter a room it can get chaotic and I find that I often miss some skills check requests simply because I'm looking up a rule or flipping through the module.

Anyone have some suggestions?

Thanks

[krag]

Write out everything in the story tab first, you can make things draggable so alls you have to do is drag a pre-written "this is what you see" so your players can read it. Also make sure to hold control and drag stories onto where you need them on the map, I make a story file per room, and I have pushpins everywhere for my own track keeping. After that, you shouldn't need to look up too much.

And remember, as the DM, you make the ultimate decisions about things, not the "rules". Make quick decisions about things, and stick with them. Your players shouldn't argue with it too much, as that is what's expected.

"For the sake of game-play resuming and with few interruptions, I am going to make rulings that may go against what the ruleset states."

Thats what I tell all my new players.

[Trenloe]

Educate your players to do one request to the GM at a time - ask then to wait for the result/your feedback before doing something else. Or, they cancel their previous outstanding request and do a new one.

Get the players to use the "Act" chat mode (hold down CTRL key while pressing enter) for the things they are doing - this will make it easier for you to scan back through the chat log to see requests.

Use the "Halt" icon (right-click in chat window and select the hand icon) when you want people to stop making requests when you need to look something up. This won't stop players adding to the chat window, but it is an indication to give you time. use the prompt icon when it is OK for people to resume typing.

And, as krag mentions above, have a lot of the text you plan to use ready to go. This can be in story entries or can be in a text/word document that you can copy/paste into FG.

In the end, ask your players not to bombard you with requests. If they see that you are typing something (the speech bubble appears at the top right of the player chat window when the GM is typing) ask them to hold off doing anything until they see the result of your typing. It is a full on job being a FG GM using purely text chat - go at your own speed, use the halt icon a lot, ask the players to slow down - you have to enjoy it as well, not feel like you're constantly under pressure.

Another option is to use text chat for all of the in character stuff, but use voice (like the FG teamspeak server: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?17071-Voicechat!-Community-TeamSpeak3-Server) for out of character communications, gaming questions, actions, etc.. This will make it a lot easier on the GM - you don't have to prepare as much as you can verbally describe the places people enter, etc. and the amount of typing you have to do will be drastically reduced. Still use FG text chat for character communications, NPC chat, role-playing, etc. to keep the immersion.

[Griogre]

I just wanted to second Trenloe's comment about using the "Halt" icon in the chat window and in using the chat window slash commands and chat right click icons in general. They were made with "text only" games in mind.

One thing I found when I was a player in a text only game, was that when the GM was busy adjudicating something, the players would often do roleplaying between themselves and often that was some of the funnest times.

As a GM I'd suggest you make some hot keys with text saying GM things like: "Everyone, make a perception check." You don't have to do all these ahead of time, but as you find yourself typing in the same thing, over and over make a hotkey of the text by dragging it down on the hotkey bar (and just in case you don't know already, there are 96 hotkeys, not just 12).

[Trenloe]

As a GM I'd suggest you make some hot keys with text saying GM things like: "Everyone, make a perception check." You don't have to do all these ahead of time, but as you find yourself typing in the same thing, over and over make a hotkey of the text by dragging it down on the hotkey bar (and just in case you don't know already, there are 96 hotkeys, not just 12).
This is a great recommendation.

Reminds me that if you use the party sheet, depending on what ruleset you are using, the GM an make skill rolls for all of the players at once - very useful if you want to make bulk perception, sense motive, knowledge, etc. skills quickly and easily. Some people don't like this though - as the players might like rolling their own dice, even if they're doing it in the tower and don't see the result.

[lordsoth]

Thanks everyone those are some great suggestions