Creating a module that is like the ones for sale...how to?

[TheoGeek]

It's my completionist OCD...

This may have been answered before, and I have seen some posts that peripherally address it, so maybe I'm just dense.

But I have a bunch of old hardback D&D books (MM, MM2, Fiend Folio, Greyhawk Adventures, etc) that have some pretty neat monsters in them. I'd like to convert them to 5E and create a 5E Fantasygrounds module that I can use for my own personal games that is like the ones you can buy - with different sections that mirror the books.

And I'd REALLY like to use NPC Engineer to enter the text because I don't like messing with XML if I can avoid it. That, and I've really come to enjoy how easy NPC Engineer makes it.

To that end, I've entered a couple of monsters and used NPC Engineer to make an FG module. That worked swimmingly.

Then I used FG to create a new campaign with the intent of adding said monsters, background text, encounters, etc to it. That works pretty well too.

Because I'm just testing out the waters with this, I haven't really cared about layout/organization/etc. But now that it seems like it could work, I wanted to ask "the pros" what the best way to go about doing this is.

Any help would be greatly appreciated - for any phase of this process! What would make my life easier later, etc...

Also, I have zero intention of selling/distributing this, so it *should* be OK?

Thanks a ton!
Jeff.

[Zacchaeus]

I'm not sure what the question is. If you are using NPC Engineer it will create the module for you. All you need do then is open that module in any campaign you are running to access the monsters.

[TheoGeek]

Yes, and that works perfectly, but I'd like to add encounter tables, etc, and then export it into a module so I can import that into any campaign I run.

Or maybe I'm thinking about it wrongly...

[Zacchaeus]

You would need to create two modules. The first in NPCEngineer to create all your monsters. Then you would need to create a new campaign and create the encounters in that using your monster module. Once you've created the encounters export them to a module and then you would need to open both that and the monster module in the campaign(s) you are running.

[TheoGeek]

OK, that was my main question. I was trying to figure out a way to cram them all into one module, but if that's not possible, this solution is workable. And FYI - teh fact that something like this is even possible is way cool. :)

[LordEntrails]

Also, check out the Adventure Module guide in my signature. It doesn't address the use of NPC Engineer, but it give a good layout for general module creation best practices.

[Andraax]

OK, that was my main question. I was trying to figure out a way to cram them all into one module, but if that's not possible, this solution is workable. And FYI - teh fact that something like this is even possible is way cool. :)

Well, in the new campaign where you're making your encounters, you can drag and drop all the monsters from the module created by NPCEngineer to make local copies. Then, when you export from that campaign, you get all the monsters and the encounters together in one module.

[Trenloe]

Yep, as Andraax says - create copies of the base module NPCs in your new "modules making" campaign. Close the original module so you don't get confused which NPC is from which source, and then build your encounters etc. in this module making campaign. Then export NPCs, Encounters, etc. from this campaign into a module. This will give you once self-contained module.

[TheoGeek]

Excellent! Thanks so much for the help!

And yes LordEntrails, I am checking out your guide. :)

[Maasq]

So many things for me to add one day.
I'm not sure whether to be enthused or overwhelmed.

I haven't had a bug report in a couple of days, though, so I might be about to move on to the Spells module. I've been saying this for roughly a month, so those of you holding your breath best take a couple of big ones. Wonder if I could get enough backers on Patreon to quit my teaching job and program full time? hahaha! (full discolsure: I don't have a Patreon profile, so this is just pie in the sky thinking).

:)

Maasq

[L. R. Ballard]

Wonder if I could get enough backers on Patreon to quit my teaching job and program full time? hahaha! (full discolsure: I don't have a Patreon profile, so this is just pie in the sky thinking).

:)

Maasq

It could happen. One of my favorite Skyrim modders, Gopher, has a Patreon account. Right now, he's making over $3,300 American dollars a month from regular donations. But he produces video content daily and has been since 2012 or before. He has approximately 450,000 subscribers. It has taken him a while to get there.

Realistically, a Patreon account could supplement one's income. Though with D&D-related content, one may be unable to promise specific deliverables. For example, I couldn't open a Patreon account and promise to convert old adventures to 5e. That kind of promise would violate the DMs Guild agreement.

[TheoGeek]

I haven't had a bug report in a couple of days, though, so I might be about to move on to the Spells module.
Maasq

OK...TINY bug report. Sometimes when entering formatted text in the description field, it will generate XML like this:

Gablin</link>
<p><i>Gablins are awesome!</p>
<p>Gablins actually aren't awesome, but they think they are, and they tell everyone about it!</i></p>

FG does not like that, it complains:

"Database Error: A XML parse error occurred processing file Monsters_NPCs:db.xml - Error on line 123: Error reading end tag."

I don't know XML well, so I checked the Gablin XML against an online XML parser, and sure enough, it also erred. It wants the </i> to occur before the </p> on the first line of descriptive text and a <i> to appear after the <p> on the second line of descriptive text.

Right now, I'm manually adding an "unformatted period" at the end of a paragraph if the formatting continues to the next paragraph, but it would be nice to not have to do that.

Regardless, GREAT work on an awesome tool. I've used this thing far more than I though I would!

[damned]

It could happen. One of my favorite Skyrim modders, Gopher, has a Patreon account. Right now, he's making over $3,300 American dollars a month from regular donations. But he produces video content daily and has been since 2012 or before. He has approximately 450,000 subscribers. It has taken him a while to get there.

Realistically, a Patreon account could supplement one's income. Though with D&D-related content, one may be unable to promise specific deliverables. For example, I couldn't open a Patreon account and promise to convert old adventures to 5e. That kind of promise would violate the DMs Guild agreement.

Yep - as L. R. Ballard suggests these things are possible but take a lot of effort and a long time.
This is very much a niche market within an niche market.
There are not very many people earning full time wages from the RPG industry.
But it could certainly earn you some Jim Beam and Diet Pepsi (?) money though?

[Maasq]

@ Theogeek - working on that issue as we speak. (not literally as I only have 1 set of hands, but you get the gist... :) )

@L.R. & Damned - you make some good points there. I might look into Patreon and have a think to see if there's anything I could offer; 'how-to' videos on my software? Something else value-added I haven't thought of yet? I wish I was an artist :)

I'd rather keep the core program free for everyone, with donations from those who want to and are able to. I think this is a fantastic community and I'd like to believe I am giving something to that community. That's worth a fair bit in my currency.

Maasq

[L. R. Ballard]

@L.R. & Damned - you make some good points there. I might look into Patreon and have a think to see if there's anything I could offer; 'how-to' videos on my software? Something else value-added I haven't thought of yet? I wish I was an artist :)

Maasq

My advice to you is to keep doing what you've been doing: making an excellent utility that helps the FG community. I've advised you before simply to work on the aspects of the program that you enjoy working on. Do the things that you find interesting and likely helpful, and let the gold pieces fall where they may. You'll probably be happier if you don't feel pressure to work on something.

That said, you may benefit from revising your priorities in view of finanical backers. A lot of NPC Engineer users are probably GMs who use the utility to help them prepare their games. Some use the utility perhaps to make PCs. Perhaps releasing a survey will help you to understand who uses the utility and for what purposes. Then you can conclude whether your priorities align with those who are likeliest to offer financial support.