A few simple GMing questions

[BradYounie]

I'm prepping to run my first session using FG and I have a couple questions about how to best handle certain things.

I know FG handles combat really well with the map and tokens and such. I ran a test battle with it. Very fun. But do GMs always use those features for every combat? That would put the onus on me to get a nice map for each encounter. When I normally run a tabletop game, I don't always have maps. I often just describe. Do GMs do that with FG, too?

Next question: does anyone have tips for handling a split party? We plan to be connected for audio using Skype. So, we'll be talking and using the chat window. I expect to have characters start separate and come together. They may also split from time to time in the campaign. Is there anything that could make it work smoothly from an FG standpoint?

[damned]

Hello BradYounie it totally depends on your style of GMing. You do more Theatre of the Mind and thats cool. You can just do it in the Combat Tracker - exactly the same way. Another option is to have a cool generic image - doesnt even have to be a map - and you can drop the tokens on there so as to keep the continuty of interface going for your players.

Here is a "map" I used in a dungeon world game I ran. Im collecting lots of images like this for use in that style of game - sets the scene and lets me layout rough positions but isnt strictly tactical.

https://www.fg-con.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/dungeon-world-screenie-20160123.jpg

[Zacchaeus]

You might also find this (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?28564-Marching-Formation-Extension) extension helpful for generic 'theatre of the mind' type encounters.

You can also just click on 'new image' to get a bland gray 'map' and draw a grid on that and then use it for encounters.

Splitting the party is a little more difficult but you can share things with just one or more players by dragging and dropping on their portraits and then handling descriptions etc with whispers, or with prepared story entries. I don't use Skype but if there is a facility like there is on Teamspeak to create different channels you could have all your players in a different channel and handle the conversations that way.

[damned]

If you think the images in the Marching Order extension are useful I can make larger (eg covering more area) versions of them for general use...

[BradYounie]

If you think the images in the Marching Order extension are useful I can make larger (eg covering more area) versions of them for general use...

I'm not familiar with this extension. Can you tell me where to get it?

[Trenloe]

I'm not familiar with this extension. Can you tell me where to get it?
You'll find extensions (and modules) listed in "sticky" threads at the top of the relevant system forums. The main list is in the CoreRPG forum here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20320-FG-3-0-CoreRPG-Extensions

[Ellspeth]

Hello BradYounie it totally depends on your style of GMing. You do more Theatre of the Mind and thats cool. You can just do it in the Combat Tracker - exactly the same way. Another option is to have a cool generic image - doesnt even have to be a map - and you can drop the tokens on there so as to keep the continuty of interface going for your players.

Here is a "map" I used in a dungeon world game I ran. Im collecting lots of images like this for use in that style of game - sets the scene and lets me layout rough positions but isnt strictly tactical.

https://www.fg-con.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/dungeon-world-screenie-20160123.jpg Nice image Damned, I have used similar visuals in the Roman Britain game and have found they can be incredibly effective in setting the atmosphere, players seemed to like them as well.1344613447.Given my experience prior
to discovering this amazing hobby, I tend to seek out the theatrical options. A tip for the others though, the angle of the image is important in deciding if it will be an effective map.

[Zacchaeus]

I'm not familiar with this extension. Can you tell me where to get it?

I linked it in my post. Note the word 'here' is in a different colour and if you mouse over it, it lights up and if you click it it takes you to the relevant post.

[BradYounie]

I linked it in my post. Note the word 'here' is in a different colour and if you mouse over it, it lights up and if you click it it takes you to the relevant post.

D'oh! And I totally overlooked it. Must've failed my Notice roll.

Thanks. I'll check it out.

I'm going to be running a new game I'm designed (I'm a publisher). I'm using CoreRPG at the moment. ..not a new Riley based on it, but just a character sheet template using it and MoreCore.

[damned]

Hi BradYounie are there any generic additions to MoreCore that you would like to see?

[demonsbane]

Nice image Damned, I have used similar visuals in the Roman Britain game and have found they can be incredibly effective in setting the atmosphere, players seemed to like them as well.

Really, I like very much this approach.

[BradYounie]

Hi BradYounie are there any generic additions to MoreCore that you would like to see?

The only thing I can think of offhand that I wish it had was the ability to link one items text box with another.

For instance, my attributes are modifiers to skills and skill levels are number of dice rolled. I can already add the dice to the skill, but I'd love to tell a skill's text box to use the value of Strength. That way if I change my strength value, all the values for strength based skills change accordingly

[damned]

Hi BradYounie its probably not generic enough for MoreCore - and its probably beyond my coding ability too :)

[BradYounie]

Hi BradYounie its probably not generic enough for MoreCore - and its probably beyond my coding ability too :)

That's fine. It all I could think of. But I'm working around it fine. I love more core. It made things so much better

[BradYounie]

Hi BradYounie are there any generic additions to MoreCore that you would like to see?

I can't think of anything right now. I just went in and played around to see if there's anything missing. You did a great job with it! The only I got annoyed with today was that I had added a ton of items to the Items window and then wanted to make the entire group of items public, but I couldn't. I had to go into each one and make it public. Took a while. I don't know if that's something you can tweak in MoreCore, but that's something, and it's generic.

Other than that, I can't think of anything. If I run into something that would help, I'll let you know.

[BradYounie]

Hi BradYounie are there any generic additions to MoreCore that you would like to see?

How about the ability to create a copy of an NPC, or an Item. I know you can drag the same NPC to the combat tracker multiple times to create a bunch of the same NPC. But what if you want to create a new NPC that is mostly like an existing one, but with just a couple tweaks. It would be way easier to copy and modify it than to build another from scratch.

Just a thought.

[Trenloe]

How about the ability to create a copy of an NPC, or an Item.
This is already built into the standard CoreRPG ruleset. Click and drag a NPC in the NPC list and immediately drop it in the same location - this will create an exact copy of the NPC. The same for items.

[BradYounie]

This is already built into the standard CoreRPG ruleset. Click and drag a NPC in the NPC list and immediately drop it in the same location - this will create an exact copy of the NPC. The same for items.

The one thing I didn't try. Thanks :)

[BradYounie]

Hi BradYounie are there any generic additions to MoreCore that you would like to see?

I just ran the character creation session for my new game's playtest campaign, and thought I'd mention the things we found awkward. This isn't a complaint or anything (we loved CoreRPG and MoreCore especially), but you wanted ideas for improvements, and I figure hearing our experience might give you food for thought.

1. I've added three categories of data on the Attributes/Skills page: Date, Attributes, and Skills. Skills are long and cause lots of scrolling, which is not a problem. However, all three columns take up only half the width of the page, so that some of my skill names get cut off when we add dice to them. They asked if there was a way to make the columns take up the full width of the page. There isn't, of course.

2. The Inventory page does a great job of automatically calculating and updating the total weight carried (kudos for that), but nothing is automated for cost. All the players had to keep track of their purchases manually. I understand that could be tough considering you've got multiple coin types, and such, but it's just something to be aware of.

3. My game uses Aspects, and during character creation, players must swap one of their aspect stories with another player, and that other player will create a new one for the person they swapped with. FG has no way of handling that so we did via Facebook message and things like that. Clearly, this is a core FG thing, and not really in the purview of an extension, but it's one of the few things we stumbled on.

I think that was it. Not much, really, and all of it is minor. We had a great time, and although all the players but one were newbies at FG, they got the hang of it very quickly and we had a fun time making our characters and getting ready for the game.

Again, I'm not saying these are anything that should be (or could be) done in an extension, but I figured it could be good food for thought.

Take care.

[damned]

1. Not something that can be done dynamically but I could write an extension that would do that. I think someone changed it the other way to give three columns...
2. Thats all CoreRPG for weights etc. I dont know if any rulesets will deduct costs at this time?
3. FG doesnt share Char Sheets... can you explain the process in a little more detail... can players see all the others players aspects for example?

[Nylanfs]

3: He's talking about something like FATE

[BradYounie]

3. FG doesnt share Char Sheets... can you explain the process in a little more detail... can players see all the others players aspects for example?

Like in FATE. Each player writes a brief story about his first adventure (made up before game begins). Then player1 gives his story to player2. Player2 writes a brief story about how she played a supporting roll in player1's adventure then gives it to player1. Player 2 gives her first adventure to someone else and so on.

In this way all characters have some kind of initial relationship

[Nylanfs]

You can do this with notes that are passed between the characters I imagine.

[Trenloe]

Already been discussed here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?30321-FATE-Simulating-the-Aspect-Worksheet