GI JOE RPG Launch
Page 1 of 2 12 Last
  1. #1

    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Ballston Lake, NY
    Posts
    736

    How To Use Storybook

    There were subtle, underlying changes made to Story and Reference Manual / Book that make them usable in a different and useful way.
    These changes are what Moon Wizard, Zacchaeus, and others have been talking about, but I missed what they were saying.
    So here goes my explanation.

    Here's my host game campaign. It's what players connect to for weekly play.
    gm_view.jpg
    The Book - Campaign is what I create by clicking the Campaign button on the Books list inside my game campaign.
    This is not a module that I created outside of the game campaign, then exported, then referenced in my hosted game session.
    In Book - Campaign I created a Missions chapter. I have one that is shared with the players (Gather the Crew). I have one that's private to me, the GM (Gather the Crew (GM)).
    The other pages in the other chapters are shared, because it's the running lists of known NPCs, etc. I created these pages directly in the campaign book and can update them as I go. I don't need simple story entries for them any more.
    The green boxes are to show how I got to the Book - Campaign.
    The yellow boxes show a mission that I want to share with the players. I'll update this as the story unfolds. After I add the page, I share it on the Story list.
    The red boxes are to show the GM only stuff. I don't want to share this with players.

    Here's the player's view.
    player_view.jpg
    They don't see the current session's Book (this threw me). So they can't load it like referenced modules. They won't see the nice layout that the GM sees.
    They do see the story entries, however.
    The yellow box is the mission I shared with them.
    The player doesn't see the GM version of the mission.
    They also see the other pages in the game session Book that I shared. (green box)


    So, I don't need to create separate campaigns where I create game modules and export them to reference in the game campaign.
    I do all that directly inside the game campaign I host for our weekly game.
    The down side is they don't have the storybook layout. They only have the Story version. To give them storybook presentation and navigation, I would need to create it as a module outside of the game session.

    I hope this helps others understand how Storybooks are used, and the direction SmiteWorks is going with this.

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Serfass View Post
    ...To give them storybook presentation and navigation, I would need to create it as a module outside of the game session.

    I hope this helps others understand how Storybooks are used, and the direction SmiteWorks is going with this.
    The semi-related question I have is once the Storybook IS exported to a module, can it be changed edited?

  3. #3
    Trenloe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    33,985
    Quote Originally Posted by FundPirate View Post
    The semi-related question I have is once the Storybook IS exported to a module, can it be changed edited?
    If the module is not exported as Read Only then the story entry can be edited within a specific campaign, the base data in the module itself can't be edited.
    Private Messages: My inbox is forever filling up with PMs. Please don't send me PMs unless they are actually private/personal messages. General FG questions should be asked in the forums - don't be afraid, the FG community don't bite and you're giving everyone the chance to respond and learn!

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Serfass View Post
    There were subtle, underlying changes made to Story and Reference Manual / Book that make them usable in a different and useful way.
    These changes are what Moon Wizard, Zacchaeus, and others have been talking about, but I missed what they were saying.
    So here goes my explanation.

    Here's my host game campaign. It's what players connect to for weekly play.
    gm_view.jpg
    The Book - Campaign is what I create by clicking the Campaign button on the Books list inside my game campaign.
    This is not a module that I created outside of the game campaign, then exported, then referenced in my hosted game session.
    In Book - Campaign I created a Missions chapter. I have one that is shared with the players (Gather the Crew). I have one that's private to me, the GM (Gather the Crew (GM)).
    The other pages in the other chapters are shared, because it's the running lists of known NPCs, etc. I created these pages directly in the campaign book and can update them as I go. I don't need simple story entries for them any more.
    The green boxes are to show how I got to the Book - Campaign.
    The yellow boxes show a mission that I want to share with the players. I'll update this as the story unfolds. After I add the page, I share it on the Story list.
    The red boxes are to show the GM only stuff. I don't want to share this with players.

    Here's the player's view.
    player_view.jpg
    They don't see the current session's Book (this threw me). So they can't load it like referenced modules. They won't see the nice layout that the GM sees.
    They do see the story entries, however.
    The yellow box is the mission I shared with them.
    The player doesn't see the GM version of the mission.
    They also see the other pages in the game session Book that I shared. (green box)


    So, I don't need to create separate campaigns where I create game modules and export them to reference in the game campaign.
    I do all that directly inside the game campaign I host for our weekly game.
    The down side is they don't have the storybook layout. They only have the Story version. To give them storybook presentation and navigation, I would need to create it as a module outside of the game session.

    I hope this helps others understand how Storybooks are used, and the direction SmiteWorks is going with this.
    I will have to read this properly when I get back to my PC next week.
    Last edited by Jiminimonka; August 4th, 2024 at 09:56.
    Savage Rifts© on Fantasy Grounds Store
    Ultimate Edition Fantasy Grounds - ONLY ON Linux
    Twitch Channel

  5. #5
    riiight ok thanks, so effectively you are 'publishing' it using the read only mode

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Ballston Lake, NY
    Posts
    736
    If you're asking if a module that was exported can be edited and updated then exported again, yes.

    If you're asking if an exported module can be edited in a different campaign it's loaded in, yes, as Trenloe said. Just don't check the read only option when you export.
    Note that those changes are local to that campaign. If you open the module in a different campaign, those changes won't carry over.
    That includes story entries, maps, images, NPCs, and items.

    This is a nice feature when running the same module for different groups. You can make notes and adjustments for each group and not affect the module or other campaigns.

  7. #7
    Trenloe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    33,985
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Serfass View Post
    If you're asking if a module that was exported can be edited and updated then exported again, yes.
    @36FundPirate - to clarify this statement... the key thing is that you create a module within an FG campaign and export the data from that campaign into a module. You can go back into the campaign, update the data (edit, delete, add new records, etc.) and then export the module again. You may read on the forums about "module making" campaigns, these should be campaigns that you don't use for playing, but use them for the data that will create your modules. Use one module making campaign per module.
    Private Messages: My inbox is forever filling up with PMs. Please don't send me PMs unless they are actually private/personal messages. General FG questions should be asked in the forums - don't be afraid, the FG community don't bite and you're giving everyone the chance to respond and learn!

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Nashville, TN
    Posts
    237
    Quote Originally Posted by Trenloe View Post
    @36FundPirate - to clarify this statement... the key thing is that you create a module within an FG campaign and export the data from that campaign into a module. You can go back into the campaign, update the data (edit, delete, add new records, etc.) and then export the module again. You may read on the forums about "module making" campaigns, these should be campaigns that you don't use for playing, but use them for the data that will create your modules. Use one module making campaign per module.
    I may be mistaken, but editing a module that way (and the creating a new module from the new campaign) would break all links in the stories, NPCs, classes, table, etc., that are specific to the original module. You would need to replace all links from, using the links from the current campaign.

    Atleast, that is what has happened to me when I attempted that.

  9. #9
    Zacchaeus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    21,334
    Quote Originally Posted by claedawg View Post
    I may be mistaken, but editing a module that way (and the creating a new module from the new campaign) would break all links in the stories, NPCs, classes, table, etc., that are specific to the original module. You would need to replace all links from, using the links from the current campaign.

    Atleast, that is what has happened to me when I attempted that.
    Trenloe said that you should use a campaign specifically for creating modules (if that is what you want to do). Going back in and editing that creation campaign and re-exporting to the same module won't break any links to anything in the exported module.
    If there is something that you would like to see in Fantasy Grounds that isn't currently part of the software or if there is something you think would improve a ruleset then add your idea here https://www.fantasygrounds.com/featu...rerequests.php

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Nashville, TN
    Posts
    237
    My apologies. I misunderstood what he was trying to relay.

Page 1 of 2 12 Last

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
DICE PACKS BUNDLE

Log in

Log in