The online 4e D&D group I DM brought a concern to me stating that they would like some sort of interaction between our live sessions.  As is stood, we were meeting roughly every 4-5 weeks for a ~3 hour session.  It was very easy to lose momentum and feel a tad lost and out of practice when it came time for us to play a live session.

At first, I began thinking of a few ways to handle the situation. As previously mentioned, I have a server running that allows my players to log in and use the D&D Character Builder without having to buy their own subscription. Some of my players are Linux users and are unable to use the builder anyways. If I left Gametable running on there, we could exchange emails and move our players accordingly on the Gametable map throughout the day. There were concerns right away that managing combat via email would be a hassle and I had to agree thus it was decided we would advance the plot/story line between the live sessions and save the meat & potatoes for when we’re all together online.

But Google Wave is in the preview stage (pre-beta) and is invite only. So I said to my group at the last live session:

It would rock if we all had Google Wave to manage this stuff. I think it would work perfectly for it.

And then one of my players spoke up:

Yeah I’ve got enough invites for everyone here.

Whaaaaaat?! Turns out he had a slew of them and immediately sent out the invites. It took a couple days for them to arrive in our inboxes but within minutes, we all had our accounts set up and were exchanging test waves.

Without going in to how Google Wave works (see this link for a video on that), I firmly believe it`ll allow us to keep the campaign flavor going even between live sessions.

Do others here do campaign work between sessions? If so, what medium do you choose to use?

Sorry, there are no more invites available.

Recently, I came across a new tool that helps me, as the DM, organize and manage my encounters without having to click through several screens worth of info that I just simply don’t use.

Behold! The DM Encounter Helper made by “Insideru”, a D&D enthusiast seen on several message boards.
(Click all the pics for an enlarged version)

And that’s it. Just unzip and run the application. Nothing to install. There are no other screens. Quick and simple. Let’s check out a pic of it fully populated and in mid-encounter. Keep in mind, this is just random data I  made up. Numbers may not add up or be realistic.

Woo. What can we see here? This encounter pits our PCs, seen on the bottom, against 4 magical ceiling mounted Crossbows of equal stats. Crossbow 1 is already taking 5 ongoing fire damage. C3 is bloodied, marked, and blinded. Crossbow 4 is toast, Jamlamin and Belgar are both bloodied. The Initiative order is on the right hand side.  Everything is right there. No screens to flip through. The colored boxes next to the end of the Crossbow data are a big help. The blue one is used to copy Monster data from one creature to another. So if I wanted to have a 5th Crossbow with the same stats, I could click the [+] sign there and drag the blue box down to the blue box of the new blank field..and BLAM! This works great for minions.

Since the players keep track of their damage and HP, I only need to be concerned with the baddies. When they take damage, I simply enter the damage value in that blank box and press enter. The damage dealt is subtracted from their current HP and a new current HP value is shown. If they are bloodied, the program knows and colors their current HP red. If dead, its black and they are moved to the bottom of the Initiative list separate from the others.

For status effects, right click the orange button and choose what you want. To remove an effect, right click and and de-select the item from the list.  Right click on the gray area in the program to bring up a basic menu allowing you to load and save an encounter as well as some log options. Oh. You can also set it Always On Top.

Check the “Keep PCs” box before hitting the Reset/New button to remove only monster data. If you’re interested, you can enter the XP value for each monster and the program will calculate XP per PC for you.

While there are some limitations as to how many monsters/PCs you can have listed, I now fully rely on this program for helping manage my encounters.

To grab the program, hit this link:

http://www.czaralex.com/dmeh_v0.5.0.zip

]]> http://www.czaralex.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=682 5 http://www.czaralex.com/blog/?p=662 http://www.czaralex.com/blog/?p=662#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:40:44 +0000 Czar http://www.czaralex.com/blog/?p=662 Perhaps you’ve seen them around the RPG Blogger’s Network. People are making their own multi-level D&D maps. As I’m just about to get in to face to face sessions, I really wanted to `woo` my players, some of which are completely new to D&D.

For my setup, I took a map that already had two levels to it. Here’s a small segment of it:

Booyah. Two levels. Thinking ahead, if I were to cut that upper walkway out, I’d have a blank 4×4 block underneath it. I busted out the GIMP and went to work. To “show” what was under the walkway, I copied the walkway itself, pasted a new instance of it in the image, rotated it 90 degrees, and lined it up. Blam:

Its important to mention here that you need TWO saved copies of your intended map. One will be for the bottom level and the other for the top level (more as needed as you map may vary). Sure, the edges look a little rough and non blended. Big deal. They don’t have to be. You’re going to cut this newly revealed passage way and you can take those non-blended edges off as you cut.

Repeat that copy/paste process as necessary for any area on the map you may want to “reveal”. You may have to get creative and copy from different areas on the map and then paste it where you need it. In my opinion, it doesn’t have to look perfect. D&D is about imagination, anyways.

When I had all the editing done, I printed out two copies of my map, one of the bottom level file and one of the top level file. I then set to work using my hobby knife to carefully cut out the parts from each map copy and laying them in their proper piles. I had to refer to the digital copy of the maps several times as I was dealing with 9 different 8.5×11″ sheets per map and found myself asking “Is this a top or bottom part?” for various map items/rooms.

After everything was cut out, I glued the bottom level parts to some poster board. Nothing special. The 50 cent stuff you get at Wally World. I then glued the upper level to a $5 piece of foam board acquired at the local craft store. Using my hobby knife, I cut out the top level from the foam board using several strokes over each line to cut all the way through.

I did a little measuring and decided I wanted the top floor 2 inches above the bottom. With a $1.50 1/4″ wooden dowel rod I bought at the local hardware store, I cut off 5 support pieces in that length.  Using hot glue, I attached them on the underside of the upper level in spots to promote good balance and what not.

The map has two sets of stairs to get to the top level (or down from it). On the underside of the steps, at the top where they begin, I cut a slit with the hobby knife and folded the steps down. They’re still attached to the top level but now are angled properly. I had to add a 1″x1″ square in front of one of the steps as the elevation of the top level left a bit of a gap in from of the step where it would normally touch the bottom floor. Oh well.

Here’s the finished product:

Of course, now that I have the pictures to stare at, I can see some areas that need a little touch up. No worries. Nothing a little glue and hobby knife action won’t fix! Also, I had other uses for this foam board before this so please ignore the printed white letters you may see. I’m tempted to make some walls but just aren’t that creative. Suggestions for that?

Hello. D&D hotline.

Yes.. I…I…just want to end it all.

Sir, please stay on the line with me.

Okay.. so its not like that. But I read today in my WOTC RSS feed that there is going to be a test run for a few days of a new service.. the D&D Hotline.

Here’s part of the text from the official page.

If you have a question about running 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, whether it’s a technical rules quandary, or would simply like to improve your DMing skills, here’s your chance to speak directly with the folks at Wizards of the Coast! Expert DMs—including R&D’s Mike Mearls and Rob Heinsoo—will be on hand to field your calls on the DM Hotline.

I wonder if WOTC is testing the waters to see if there would be a need/market for a (wo)manned line available for those playing a little 4e that get stuck. Could WOTC be using data, such as are people calling with game mechanic questions, or just asking how to improve their game play?

If its becomes a dedicated line with scheduled hours, how much would YOU pay to call such a service?

My online 4e D&D group plays roughly one Saturday night a month from 9pm – midnight. In that time, we normally have 2 combat encounters that seem to advance the story line. Recently, I was able to throw in a Skill Challenge that didn’t suck (as my first attempt, months ago, bombed).

A couple sessions ago, we had the opportunity to play two consecutive nights in a row, for the first time. The group agreed to play but requested that the second night of our double header be free from combat. *GULP* …3 hours…no combat?! What’s a DM to do?!

Thankfully, the second night of the double weekend session did not take place, as I was not only unprepared but had some other plans pop up.

Are Skill Challenges my only option? I’d rather not spend 3 hours reciting pre-written story line stuff.  I suppose I could do a series of Skill Challenges if I crafted them properly.  A series of puzzles?

What do some of you folks do? .. Or as a player, what would you want to see?

Props are something I’ve always wanted to include in my sessions but playing online only can make that hard so I’ve decided to have props wherever possible and to keep this cheap but entertaining.

Behold the wares! (fine.. -I- called them amazing)

Two healing potions: $1.19 per vial at AC Moore Craft Store, Fruit Punch flavored Crystal Light drink mix.

Tunic scrap from cultist of Bane: $0.70 for the fabric in Wal*Mart’s reminant bin, $1.54 for the red fabric paint, $0.35 for the foam brush (Check hardware for the brush, not crafts)

Pouch of gold coins. $6.50 for all the gold foil wrapped chocolate coins. $0.50 for a yard of black toole mesh, $0.30 for the spool of gold ribbon. (comes to $1.50 each pouch)

Map back to the baddie’s hideout. Cost of printer ink/white paper. Parchment design was from the D&D Map-A-Day archives and drawn by my artistic friend Jordan Cain of o3visuals.

After the session, I’ll report back on how the party liked the props..and if any chocolate coins were left when it was time to pay the ferryman to use his boat

Well.. I did it. I decided to run a Skill Challenge. Early on in my 4th edition campaign, I tried one and it bombed.. hard.. like this.

(okay..enough pictures)

Back then, I tried the skill challenge example where you try to convince someone to do something for you..using bluff, intimidate, and diplomacy checks. The group at the time was very new, some new to D&D, others just unfamiliar with the other players present. I vowed never to do them again.

But then, some months later, the group got to a point where I may be able to throw in a skill challenge and it just might not do the ol` crash`n`burn.  After making their way through a seeekrit underground passage that hasn’t been touched in centuries, the party found themselves in the middle of a thick forest. In fact, the door that acted as the exit from the passage was intertwined with branches and vines and required some hacking to remove. Then I announced to the party:

“Skill Challenge time, comrades”

Silence over the headset (remember, I play online here).

I decided to do the tag-team group leader approach outlined in the DMG. The ranger took the lead. We rolled initiative and I described the scene and rules to the party.

Now that you’re out of the passage, the forest around you is dense and its hard for you to get your barrings given all the twists and turns you made underground in the dungeon. You`ll have to pass this skill challenge to find your way out of the forest and arrive at some familiar landmark.. road..trail. Something like that.

Endurance, Perception, and Nature checks are key skills and Jamlamin (the ranger) will make those at the top of each round. You`ll use any skill in your arsenal to try to give him a stackable +2 to his roll. If you use a skill other than the aforementioned 3, describe to me in detail why and how you’re using it.

I was blown away by the next 5 rounds of this.

• Someone used an Arcana check to feel the flows of magical force throughout the forest to get his barrings.
• Another used a Religion check to pray for divine guidance.
• Our Cleric rolled a Heal check to help patch up people’s scrapes and abrasions received while slashing their way through the woods.

The best of the evening was a Diplomacy check.. Yes.. lost in the woods, and let’s roll diplomacy. His argument was that his Dragonborn Pally has been called in to mediate several boarder and land disputes that have arisen between various waring factions. He wanted to look around to see if any of the local geographical features once crossed his desk on a map that was a part of a boarder dispute. Could it be more of a History check? Sure.. but c`mon. Rule of Cool here! Excellent thinking. In fact, I gave him a +2 to his own roll because it was so clever.

I told him I’d like to see his reasoning behind a bluff check in the woods but everyone was just about tapped for clever ideas all around.

Each round, the Ranger rolled endurance to simulate the hacking of the brush to get through the forest while the rest of the party did supportive actions to guide the group in the right direction.

While I won’t be including Skill Challenges in every session, I’m certainly more open to trying them again in the future.

If you run Linux or Mac OS and still want to use the character builder, there’s one way I can think of.

Yes… it requires a buddy running Windows.  Sorry :\

Convince your friend to set his Windows system to accept Remote Desktop connections. You can then sit in front of your *Nix/Mac system but still access the character builder via the remote screen. Save your character/sheet and email it to yourself.

No friends with Windows boxes? (Or ones that`ll let you do this?) Sign up at Amazon’s Cloud Services. You can set up your own virtual Windows box and Remote Desktop in to it. The cost is around 15 cents an hour of uptime and pennies for traffic to and from it. I fiddled around with one last month for about an hour and spend 18 cents. You can then shut down the Windows instance at any time. If the instance is not running, you don’t get charged.  But now you’re ending up having to pay more to use the character builder than a normal Windows user.

This has been tested with Linux users and my Windows box and works just fine, though it would be great to have it work natively under a non-Windows operating system.

I did some searching and so far, this Remote Desktop method seems like the only way out there right now. Any tricks we’re missing? Does a trick like this make buying a DDI subscription more appealing to those holding off because they don’t run Windows?

Then I saw the new anti-piracy measures.

Purely mechanical items, such as powers and feats, appear only as list items accompanied by brief descriptions and/or flavor text; the mechanics of these items appear in the D&D Character Builder and D&D Compendium.

Oooooh. Is that how its done? So when it came to the Powers section, it showed the Power’s name (with properly color coded background), the flavor text,

In to your enemie’s mind, you inject naked images of their grandmother.

and then a clickable link to the Compendium entry that would have the entire power as listed in a book. Clever..yes. Will it stop pirates? Heck no. Popular D&D pirate mesage boards are already full of requests asking for people with DDI accounts to please (Yes, pirates use the magic words) provide the missing content.

And it`ll only be a matter of time until someone delivers. After all, the Eberron guide is already scanned and available.

Soon after, the party heard a scream coming from outside. When they rushed to investigate, they found that one of the townsfolk had began to mutate..growing in size. He chucked a water trough at the group and combat began. I sprinkled around the map 8 other townsfolk. I told the party that they looked sick as well and may begin to mutate at any moment. My idea was to have the large creature attack the party while the townsfolk would become zombie`ish minions. The group is level 4 and I gave the minions an AC of 13. Nothing hard to fight. But just an annoyance.

Then the cleric of the group asked me a question..

Is there a way we can stop them from turning?

How interesting..  I suppose I hadn’t thought of that. My plan was to have 1 creature turn each round.  Time to utilize The Rule of Fun!

Sure can! Here’s how it`ll work. Each round, one of the townsfolk will turn and begin to attack you. If you reach them and make a successful Heal check, you`ll be able to prevent them from turning.”

Then the cleric asked

Is there a way I can tell which order they`ll turn in?

Oo! This was getting good.  I responded by stating she could roll Perception to scan the battlefield and visually check the status of the nearby townsfolk. I set a rather high DC for it as the map was somewhat large and there were a few outlying townsfolk that may be hard to see.

She all but rolled a natural 20.

So the battle became 4 party members against the Cursechanged Beggar and the cleric running from one end of the map to the other..several times over. If I kept proper track, only one was lost when she was unable to reach it in time.. and another died when a fellow party member mercy killed a townsfolk who hadn’t changed yet..but was about to.

To finish the encounter, the cleric ran back from saving her last citizen and promptly Crit`ed the main baddie, dropping him to the dirt.

When the session was over for the evening, everyone commented on how they enjoyed the extra element that was added to the encounter instead of  it just being an exchange of weapon blows. In fact, I’ve reworked the next few encounters now to add some extra challenges/obstacles to the fight!