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Nickademus
January 17th, 2015, 01:31
The Kingmaker AP has a system for exploration using a hex map. While I'm sure this could be accomplished with an image and the drawing tool or some tokens, has anyone made anything for FG that resembles this system?

Oberoten
January 17th, 2015, 09:30
Actually looking into making some hexes like this for playing Warhammer Mighty Empires over FG. Stay tuned and something useful might turn up. :)

Oberoten
January 17th, 2015, 12:39
8745

Something like this perhaps?

kane280484
January 17th, 2015, 14:13
This is how I've handled this, the hex-shaped tokens that I might remove when party explores region. It's fastest option and quite easy-to-use.

8750

damned
January 17th, 2015, 14:23
so you remove the hex token to reveal the map beneath?

kane280484
January 17th, 2015, 14:25
Yes, that's it. There's a hex grid on the map of course.

lachancery
January 17th, 2015, 15:03
I do not have the technical skills to create extensions, so I've been managing with what was available:

I have been running the Kingmaker AP for a while on FG (into the 4th book now). I've been using the enhanced layer extension. I don't use a FG grid on the regional map; I use the one from the image. The unexplored areas are masked. When the players have fully explored a hex, I unmask the exact shape of the hex. When they claim a hex in their kingdom, I add a transparent hex shaped token on the middle layer. When they build roads or farms, I add a token in a corner of the hex. When the players have discovered a feature in the hex, I unmask a token I have put in the map (same token as displayed in the AP book).

I found a Kingmaker Excel spreadsheet that have the formulas to keep track of Kingdom's stats. I have shared the spreadsheet on my Dropbox with the players, and I save the file under a different name each month to keep track of Kingdom stats.

I don't want to share images here of what it all looks like as it would include spoilers (and copyrighted images). PM me if you would like my files, and I'll share them with you.

Nickademus
January 17th, 2015, 18:04
I appreciate the offer lachancery. You are doing things the way I imagined they would be done. Alas, what I am doing is not Kingmaker and of a different scope so that method is not applicable for me. Thank you for the insight though.

I do have another question for you and kane. Doesn't the addition of so my tokens on the image cause FG to become overloaded? I would think having a grid of a 100+ hexes each with a token would be too many assets at once.

kane280484
January 17th, 2015, 18:44
I haven't noticed any problems. If those tokens were related to combat tracker, then maybe it'd cause issues, but neither I nor my players complained about something working slowly. FG didn't crashed for a single time.

lachancery
January 17th, 2015, 20:31
Same as Kane; haven't noticed any issue. The performance issues I have encountered were by littering the image directory, the NPC & story tabs with too many entries. For the first two books of Kingmaker, I was doing it all in the campaign. It was becoming very sluggish and I reset my main campaign at the beginning of book three, redoing only the entries I needed. That was a major pain. That was last year though, and I don't know if I would encounter this problem with FG today.

Since book 3, I have started making adventure modules so I didn't keep each book's stuff in the main campaign. If I had one performance related suggestion for a long-lasting campaign, it would be to use adventure modules right from the beginning.

That approach has its downsides too: my pointers get lost when I edit an adventure module that the players are playing in. I lose my masks, token placements, etc.

Nickademus
January 17th, 2015, 21:10
I already use adventure modules (and even global wilderness and accessory modules). I have indeed noticed the problem with masks, tokens and pointers. Though I do have two questions about that approach:

Do the pointers, masks and tokens get lost when you close and reopen a module or just when you rewrite the module file?
Can you put pointer pins on an image from a module linking to content from another module (i.e. none of the assets are from the current campaign lists)?

I'm considering splitting an adventure module into static elements (things like maps that won't change) and dynamic elements that I would be updating as I continued to prepare the adventure. I ran largely sandbox-style games, so it is impractical to have all the content of a global module done at once.

Blackfoot
January 19th, 2015, 07:04
I realize this is a bit off the original topic but the thread has gone here so...

Would it make sense to make the modules after you were finished with a section maybe? Then delete the section from the campaign? For example in our Legacy of Fire campaign.. we have completed book 1 and I have books 2 and 3 built in to the campaign... could I now make a module out of book 1 so I can clear it out but still have access to it if something from book 1 comes up again?
This seems like it's going to be problematic... I tend to avoid the modules because they can be a bit tweaky... for the reasons lachancery sited.

damned
January 19th, 2015, 08:08
in my experience it is best to create the module in a blank campaign used specifically for the purposes of creating the module.
you prep and export book1.
you keep any NPCs and maps and background story needed for 2 (or 3) and delete the rest and prep book 2.
etc

you open these export modules in your actual campaign and close them off when finished with them.

Nickademus
January 19th, 2015, 20:20
Would it make sense to make the modules after you were finished with a section maybe? Then delete the section from the campaign?

That is an approach to archiving instead of deleting. If you choose to construct a game inside the base campaign then I highly recommend this route.

I personally tend to make thing modular both for reusing pieces and just out of habit from my programming past.