Metamodule

[drempel]

Been using FG now for over a year now, and one thing that I think would make my life easier, and probably others is the concept of a meta module. Right now, I have this campaign that I export that I call "Rempbrew" and it's the base for any campaigns or adventures I run. It's a combination of my own hombrew things and things I've duplicated from other FG sources (like kobold press, frog god games, etc). Thought being that I just want to import a single module when designing a new area for my players instead of having to hunt down everything and load it while designing (I know that it'll ask to load for most things during play if I click a link while DMing and the module hasn't been loaded, this is for designing...or on the fly play and I need to do a quick search for some monster or something).

I'm fairly certain this functionality doesn't exist, where you can load a module that loads other modules automatically for you, meaning if I want a single module, I have to duplicate all the entries I care about in my Rempbrew module and export it which is tedious (it's nice that the assets are available outside a module, meaning that I can just duplicate a image entry or npc entry and the tokens and maps/art still work with my exported module...so long as the original source is installed).

What do you guys think? Wouldn't it be nice to just load "my games base" module once, and it pulls in the DMG, PHB, XgtE, TCOE, MM, Tomb of Beasts 1 and 2, Deep Magic, etc, etc, etc instead of hunting them all down each time?

[Zacchaeus]

If you think you are going to need all of that during play then load them up in your campaign. Unless you are playing in Classic memory isn't so much an issue and you can have a lot of modules open if you need them.

But YMMV; I tend to play published modules so anything I need to change I do during prep and not in the middle of a game.

[LordEntrails]

What modules are opened with a campaign are stored in an xml file in the campaign folder. You can just create a template campaign with everything open you want. Then whenever you create a new campaign, do it by copying the template campaign folder in your folder browser with FG closed. Then open FG and open the campaign and it wil have all your stuff loaded.

Given that most people don't create campaigns all that often, not sure how much need there is. But, add the suggestion to the Wish List in Mr Z's signature and see how popular the idea is :)

[drempel]

My flow is create adventures and export as modules to load into various campaigns. When I'm creating adventures, I'm either loading every source book ahead of time like you say and ALSO load them into campaigns with the modules (or try to remember what the dependencies for the adventures were and only pull those in if they aren't already, or just do the "oops I clicked something something that isn't there and say "yes" load it).

Or I spend the time copying everything into a "this is my base" and only ever worry about loading that in.

They all aren't great solutions. They all do work, I mean...there's always a way to do something...hell there's ways to play D&D online and in person WITHOUT fantasy grounds, but fantasy grounds exists because it makes those experiences better in some way, "just do this" isn't really something someone asking for a way to improve efficiency and workflow for them really wants to hear, they probably already know that's an option ;).

I'm asking for something better than "go through the hundreds of modules and source books you have created or purchased from the store and dmsguild every time you want to create a module or start a campaign, hunting or using search to just load the ones you always use for inspiration and/or because they are core books" I already do that.

I'd like to just do it once.

(And yeah, it looks like I'm around 190 modules, with maybe 10-15% of those my own. The rest are investments from Smiteworks Store or DMSGuild. And a large amount of them aren't used in the creation process, but enough of them are that it's a little painful)

I mean event a "Load the Core rule books" meta module would probably just help everyone out a little bit, and some people a lot more. But ideally the meta module (or module of modules or whatever you want to call it) should be able to be created by the user. "This is my base, this is what inspires me....this is what I draw from, click once and get to work".

I'll go try the wishlist I guess in a bit.

[similarly]

I guess if you're doing a whole bunch of different one-shot games with different players, that would be an issue.

For me, I've been playing the same campaign for almost a year now, and it could probably take ANOTHER year (potentially) to get all the way through it): It's a mashup of Lost Mine of Phandelver, Waterdeep Dragon Heist and Dungeon of the Mad Mage.

[drempel]

One shots, or creating base adventures for putting into various campaigns (exporting as a module and then loading into existing campaigns, then tweak it as needed in said campaign for the players involved). Also if you are doing conversions of PDF adventures in FG this comes up a lot too.

Dropped it into the idea thing. Sometimes, you create a lot of campaigns depending on how you use FG.

https://fgapp.idea.informer.com/proj/fgapp?ia=136353

[Zacchaeus]

When you first start a campaign you do have the Campaign setup screen which does allow you to select a bunch of modules - including all the Core rules. It won't of course load anything that's non-Smiteworks.

Another thing - which might have been mentioned before - is to create a dummy campaign and set it up the way you want it with all of the modules you want open etc. You can then close that and inside the campaign folder you'll find a file called modulestate.xml. You can copy this into any other new campaign and whatever choices you made will be available in that campaign as well.

[ColinBuckler]

I am running several 5E games and have created a separate campaign just for NPC's. When I create a new NPC I just add it to the NPC campaign and export that for use in my other campaigns. This way you build up a list of standard NPC's such as guards ..etc that are modular/reusable. Yu can also give them parcel entries with items if your players are murder hobo's and loot everything in sight.

You can create player guides using this method as well?

From your original post it sounds like you are already doing this and I personally think this is currently the best/easiest method available.

If the players are struggling with this may be its a training issue for the players and the solution may be to have a 10-15 minute session with them explaining how to manage modules and open/close them? Maybe announce the the players you are now leaving region X and entering region Y and that the should consider opening another module.

[LordEntrails]

190 modules loaded... I would never attempt such. That's just too much info for.me to search through for what I want. Plus it has to make browsing the assets folder horrible.

If I were you, I would reconsider the need.

[Moon Wizard]

Yes, I would expect that you would encounter performance issues at 190 modules. The software is built to run as a tabletop with some data lookup and automation; but at 190 modules, you're using it more like an encyclopedia. That's not what the software is really built to handle.

As @LordEntrails mentions, I would re-evaluate what you really need.

Regards,
JPG

[Trenloe]

I don't think the OP is loading all 190 module. Their issue is searching through 190 modules to find the ones they always activate. As per their FG wishlist request: "I have around 190 modules (and growing) in my library and hunting for what I want can take some time (even with search). "

I think the term "metamodule" is a bit misleading. This is more of a favourites types of functionality - tag a module as a favourite for a ruleset and then maybe have an option in the campaign setup wizard to "Load all favourite modules for this ruleset". Just an idea of one way to do this...

[LordEntrails]

Some favorites or sets of common modules to load would be nice... :)

[Nylanfs]

We have a way in PCGen to make a x.PCC file (which is what tells the program what files to load for a certain book) to load certain other x.PCC files. This way the GM can make a file that loads the campaign books and hand out to the players and tell to just load that. Which is kind of what they are looking for it sounds like.

[BaneTBC]

DiabloBob made an extension to do just this, load a pre-set selected number of modules (including for the players) but one of the updates broke it. Hoping it comes back around to working again as it was very useful and stopped my players from the "um, it says it's not loaded" responses when they check something.