The Palentir News

[Tokuriku]

As some of you already know, I have opened a new website called:


The Palentir (https://thepalentir.com/)
It is yet another site to help the FG community.
The specifics of the website can be found here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7950) and here (https://thepalentir.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=1&forum=1).

This Thread is for all relevent news pertaining to the website as they arrive so you might expect things to pup up from time to time like a small rss feed. I know it may seem like promotion and it is just that. I just want to make sure people don't miss on a few oportunities that come up.

[Tokuriku]

*****

The Polls have now been opened to everybody!

So if you are just passing trough and are not registered on the site yet, you will still be able to use the polls. Since your opinion is important to us, we would like for you to participate in these polls. Make yourself heard!

We also encourage you to register to the site to give your opinion on Maps, Downloads and Articles by providing Comments. By rating these on their usefullness, you will help others find those things more easily. Your opinion really matters to us and will help us grow and serve the community better so do participate!

[Tokuriku]

ThePalentir.com is looking for individuals who want to provide text or files to the FG community. Everybody is welcomed.

If you have a map, a picture or something you think other people might want to use in their campaigns, send it to: [email protected] and it will be reviewed. If it is satisfactory, you will receive the "provider" title on this website and will be able to upload your creations to the website for safekeeping.

If you are a writer and have something to say about roleplaying games in general, a system in particular, FG. You are also welcome. Those who send a good text to the address above will receive a column where they can express themselves at their desired intervals and receive monthly front page time. Be it advice, opinion, tips, tricks, how-to, review, etc... anything is accepted as long as it's interesting!


Come on and try your hand and help others with your ideas!

*****

[Tokuriku]

It seems we have had a slow week and only one new arrival has reached our shores. It is a Camp Site (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=20&cid=14) wich is an experiment at a way of making maps that I've never used before. I hope you find it to your liking!

A last minute addition is also a Space Map for your Sci-Fi campaign. It is specifically designed for Star Wars but I'm sure you'll find another use for it if you play another setting. The Devaron Sector (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=21) is here for your grabbing.

I do not know if I should continue in this vein or not, so do give your opinion with comments or rating.


Also, the poll this week:
"Some people seem to be using FGII either for nicer graphic presentation or as GM aid to keep track of a campaign even when gaming on tabletop. We are curious to know exactly how many people do use it that way."
Even if you are not registered, you can participate to the poll so make yourself heard!

[Tokuriku]

This week, we have again a few new maps and a great new download availlable.

First, a nice Hideout (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=22&cid=17) for a classic D&D gameprovided by Samael.
Then, we have a Crash Site (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=23&cid=18) for your Sci-Fi game. It is the sliced view of a cavern complex where a spacecraft's ****pit has crashed trough the outer walls of the mountain where the complex itself is situated. It is a very good starting point for any Sci-Fi Exploration adventure!

Also, I am proud to announce that we officially now Host the famous "The Box (https://thepalentir.com/modules/wfdownloads/singlefile.php?cid=1&lid=3)" (Modified) hack for FGII originaly made by Dachannien from the FG forums. It seems that we encountered some problems for his personnal submission of the hack so I have provided a modified version in the interim that places "The Box" itself in the sidebar on the right just over the "Token Box".

In the hopes that we can have a lot of other of these hacks that I consider essential to the FGII software from their creators!

We send our hearthfull thanks to Dachannien for accepting that we distribute his work.


*****

[Tokuriku]

This week has seen very few changes, professional pbligations have kept me away from the drawing board and the Key board.

We do still have 2 nice publications from our faithfull Samael:
A Chaos Camp (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=25&cid=19) and a Cultist Camp (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=26&cid=4) for use in your Warhammer Campaign.

Also, we are finalizing the details on a regular Editorial that Foen will be publishing about how to make a custom ruleset from scratch. It will also look at the more specific tasks involved in such a venture. It is still to be decided if it will go in the "How-to" Section or the "Letters from the Wise" section. Being a recurent article, the later is now the prefered choice. Having seen the work done by Foen, I strongly suggest that you keep an eye out for it!

[docplutonium]

Great Job!

Your efforts are really sincerely appreciated.

Keep up the great work
Doc

[Tokuriku]

This week, we have a new map and a GREAT treat!

The map in question is a Cavern Entrance (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=27&cid=5). What I really like about it is the fact that it has a lot of obstacles to play with be it in a ranged fight or a melee one. It has proved to provide very dynamic battles in my groups and so I felt it could be popular with the community.

Next, the big thing!
Our resident Foen has published the first 2 installments of his ruleset creation tutorials: Anatomy of a Ruleset 1 (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=14) and 2 (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=15). It goes in depts and explores all the details of the sometimes mysterious and very complex task of creating your own ruleset and demystifies it. believe me when I say THIS is the bible on the subject. We have already received Just go to the links and download the PDFs!

For those not yet registered and that have maps they have created and want the community to profit from their work, please register and apply for a provider status!

Also, please take part in the polls even if your not registered as they really help us greatly catter to the needs of the community. It will take you under 10 seconds but will be really worthwhile for you and everyone else. The poll this week is: Without counting the GM, what do you believe is the ideal number of players for a game of FGII. If you have comments, please post them here! Multiple selections are possible. Here is the direct link to this Poll (https://thepalentir.com/modules/xoopspoll/index.php?poll_id=8).




Great Job!

Your efforts are really sincerely appreciated.

Keep up the great work
Doc
Thank you very much docplutonium!
I can't even start to tell you how gratefull I am for your input. From the numbers from the site, I see that some people are actually using it but this kind of encouragement is rare. Any comment is more then welcomed be it positive or negative if it is constructive :)

[Master]

I like the idea of the site and I have registered. I plan on uploading my generic token pack. The site is a bit hard to navigate though.

[unimatrixzero]

Wicked stuff guys!!
Keep it up. And keep those Foen articles coming!:) I know the community can be a lil quiet when it comes to feedback but take it from me.. loads of people will relish this contribution that u are making!

Once again--awesome stuff!

Uni

[Tokuriku]

This weeks' additions are few but at least one is still of unbelievable value.

The map this week is an Underground River (https://thepalentir.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=31). Very effective with a combat breaking up while progressing from one side to the other :D

We also have a new addition to the "Anatomy of a Ruleset". The third instalment of the series: Anatomy of a ruleset - Chapter Two (2 of 2) (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17).

Have fun!

[Tokuriku]

After a long one week absence, here is the news for the 2nd week of May.

First things first, ThePalentir.com (https://thepalentir.com/) has opened the submissions for maps and downloads to all its members! Yes, now, you don't need to be on a provider's list to be able to make yourself seen. Take that chance and help us help the Fantasy Grounds community. The details of this can be found in this article:
Submissions Now Open! (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=24)

The Poll for this week is: Podcast? (https://thepalentir.com/modules/xoopspoll/index.php?poll_id=10) Do you listen to RPG related podcasts?
Remember that you do not need to be registered on the website to be able to make yourself heard.

Next, since it's been 2 weeks since the last News update, there are a LOT of new articles provided by a couple of Wise ones. Here are the titles of the articles and their links. Please go there for the details.


From Foen:
Anatomy of a ruleset - Chapter Three (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=22)
Anatomy of a ruleset - Chapter Four (1 of 2) (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=23)

From Oberoten:
What makes or breaks a GM? (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=19)
The unspoken contract... (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=20)
The good, the bad, the not so memorable... (https://thepalentir.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=21)



This is all for the new arrivals for this week.
See you next week!

[Tokuriku]

Let me welcome you to the new incarnation of "ThePalentir.com (https://thepalentir.com/)"!

For those of you who are new here, know that this site is dedicated to procure you with resources for the Fantasy Grounds Virtual Table Top game from Smite Works. This is a community site where everybody can contribute to help others find what they need to make their games run more smootly. The Palentir name comes from the fact that this artifact lets you see all that is within it's realm and thus here you can have a view of all that is possible in the Fantasy Grounds game.

For those who are veterans of this site, let me first ask for your forgiveness in pulling the old site out and putting this one in but I believe it will be for the best for this new CMS (Community Management System) has more capabilities and is much more flexible then the old one. Our goal is to procure you with a functional site on November 1st where user contributions will be accepted but before that date, expect to see some usable content. Thank you again for your kind understanding!

[Tokuriku]

Here is the update for the First week of September.

We have first added some functionality to the site. All text areas have now the option to be edited with a "Rich Text Editor". Just click the link under the text areas to have access to some interesting editing tools to personalize your text. You can have more options by visiting your account profile and choosing a the "DrupalFull" setting of the Toolbar option of the Rich Text Editor section.

Also, the Library is now open! It will be the place where all the tutorials and related articles will be grouped into "Books" to help make the search process and find new gems of wisdom as painless as possible.

[Tokuriku]

Although not much seemed to have moved in the past two weeks, something has indeed changed!

As a Beta test ground, 2 users have been granted the title of "Publisher" enabling them to upload files on the server. Also, they are now able to publish in the "Library" for permanent, easy to find tutorials.


For those interested in becoming a publisher, of a book or simply a small one page tutorial, please contact the administration at: [email protected]

The next undertaking we are tackling now is the implementation of an image gallery serving as a place to exchange images and maps for Fantasy Grounds II.

[Tokuriku]

This is a small news update... nothing big but might ne interesting.

This video tutorial is divided in 2 parts:

The first one is about how to get the basic template to start your customization process and where to place it so that Fantasy Grounds II can find it.

The second part is about the software used for customizing the files that are in the ruleset. I will show you a great little application called Notepad++ that really helps get the job done. For those veterans that have never seen what it looks like, I really suggest taking a look at this video too.

This (https://thepalentir.com/?q=node/20) is the page where the video can be found.

The file is a bit big compared to what the other tutorials will be. I tried to compress it as much as possible but it's about 12 minutes long and 34mb. Please leave me comments on ThePalentir.com website to improve the quality of my next tutorials. All constructive feedback is more then welcome!

[Tokuriku]

Great news for all the people who want to contribute to ThePalentir.com!
We now have Gallery module installed and as promised, user contributions will be allowed starting November 1st. In the meanwhile, only the "Official" publications from the staff of ThePalentir.com will be available but prepare your stock of your best maps for launch date!

[Tokuriku]

The title says it all!

You can now submit Maps and Images for reviewing at ThePalentir.com (https://thepalentir.com/).
Make sure to include the following information in that format in the text with you image.

Map Size: 1000 x 500 px
Grid Size: 50 x 50 px
File Size: 240 kb

Have fun and please contribute!