Realm Works and Hero Labs - GM Tour

[daplunk]

Keep seeing questions pop up in social media asking for recommendations on digital tools that Dms can use. Made a video to give new GMs an idea of what can be achieved with Realm Works and Hero Labs.

You can check it out below.

Daplunk's Realm Works and Hero Lab Videos - The Playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV5XWfKkFpk6_sDYWWKwvP8zs_qVSrzoM)

Realm Works and Hero Labs - GM Tour (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-and-hero-labs-gmdm-tour.html?m=1)
Realm Works - A Player Tour (https://youtu.be/2wAWC_L6yoM)
Realm Works and Hero Labs - Working with Monsters (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-and-hero-lab-working-with.html)
Hero Lab - D&D 5e Player Tour (https://youtu.be/Nk5QO5IS3N8)
Realm Works - Timelines (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfHFIIMi7pA)
Realm Works - Prepping a Module (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-prepping-module.html)
Realm Works - Creating Worlds (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-creating-worlds.html)
Realm Works - Playing Sound at the Table (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-playing-sounds-at-table.html)
Realm Works - Managing Merchants and their Wares (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-managing-merchants-and.html)
Realm Works and Frostgrave - Does Realm Works Work With Tabletop Wargames? (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-and-frostgrave-does-realm.html)
Realm Works - Forgotten Realm (Faerun) Interactive Map (https://youtu.be/PdcI87ZgeKs)
Realm Works - Working with Tags and Custom Categories (https://youtu.be/gQghEOM3244)
Realm Works - Where to Begin!?! (https://youtu.be/_y6-riuI71U)
Realm Works - Working With Maps (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-working-with-maps.html)
Realm Works - How to Setup Campaign Journals (https://youtu.be/rzPlQrKIlcY)
Realm Works and Hero Lab - How to Manage Encounters and Combat (https://youtu.be/xQD3AFi3q3Q)
Realm Work and Hero Lab - Managing a Massive Combat Encounter (https://youtu.be/8V2_vylk_t8)
Realm Works - GM Discussion About Player View (https://youtu.be/x71otL0OOxE?list=PLV5XWfKkFpk6_sDYWWKwvP8zs_qVSrzo M)
Realm Works - Using It As A Digital Spell Book or Digital Player Hand Book (https://youtu.be/WYOdbUyRB-U)
Hero Lab - How To Install And Configure The D&D 5e Community Pack (https://youtu.be/BbuvAJ70x3w)
Realm Works and Syrinscape (https://youtu.be/qCuJQa2AAZI)
Realm Works - Game Sessions and Using Reveal History (https://youtu.be/FRgRTRUiZ48)
Realm Works - How to Export a Realm (Full or Partial Export) (https://youtu.be/kfL2gGSBBqQ)
Realm Works - Importing a Shared Realm (https://youtu.be/_RKJqTiDAV8)
Realm Works - How to Copy a Realm (https://youtu.be/x3bdbdrWxEo)
Realm Works - Integration With Spotify (https://youtu.be/peWlYyvOFxU)
Realm Works - Using Storyboards (https://youtu.be/esuNEMuK65M)
Realm Works - Creating Random Tables (https://youtu.be/_X2lIyXgkNk)
Realm Works - Using Inspiration Pad Pro To Generate Random Table Results (https://youtu.be/CjDaqDNQxcI)
Realm Works - Linking To Donjon From Realm Works To Display Random Table Results (https://youtu.be/5VavUnoAB-M)
Realm Works - EightBitz's XML Transformation Script (now with GUI and Word support) - Print or Spell Check your realm! (https://youtu.be/PsJjkFnrNEw)
Realm Works - How To Get Pictures From PDF Into Realm Works While Maintaining Transparency (https://youtu.be/E5guLLTrTmY)
Realm Works - Bulk Moving Articles To Different Categories (https://youtu.be/TwKcRH6KdSE)
Realm Works - Data Entry (Tables) (https://youtu.be/_rfK_IkYKoI?list=PLV5XWfKkFpk6_sDYWWKwvP8zs_qVSrzo M)
Hero Lab Editor - Create Spells (https://youtu.be/m4LhJJZ3f6E)
Realm Works - Linked Web View (https://youtu.be/dTiSXf3gUCI)
Realm Works - Scan for New Links (https://youtu.be/ornpFHJRHVo)
Realm Works - World Almanac, Story Almanac and Mechanics Reference (https://youtu.be/TQP7IEzzxC0)

Video's From Other Users - We love videos of Realm Works... Show us your Realm!
Lee Smith - Home Brew world of Lerchanth (https://www.facebook.com/TheMadCarto...75433601366515)
LeeSmith - How To Enter Modules (https://youtu.be/jDeEQFomZ3A)
Exmortis - Intro I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHwCum2TsG8)
Exmotis, the missing quote:
"Nothing entered into Realm Works has no use, or is wrong. Everything can be moved, copied, re-categorized, and thus re-used. Can't stress enough, how you can just start working, and learn, then go back and update early work with what you learned along the way. U1 looked substantially different V1, then it does now, probably in a V5 state. Just dive in and go for it!"

KEN's Realm Works PLAYLIST (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZUHdc6zU4DwXXkvmBXQ9Yw)
kbs666 - Using Realm Works and Hero Lab to Build Encounters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBXnZGMohIc)
kbs666 - Adventure organization in Realm Works (https://youtu.be/0BUTbtTVXtI)
kbs666 - Tags and Custom Categories in Realm Works (https://youtu.be/vkM1ViPN5S4)
kbs666 - Getting Started with Realm Works (https://youtu.be/QfBaRrhxaS4)
kbs666 - Relationship System and Viewer (https://youtu.be/BjhgJIDbo2k)
kbs666 - Pathfinder Knowledge Checks and Monsters (https://youtu.be/BDB-xPktmC4)
kbs666 - Managing Names (https://youtu.be/jpZLa1nKJow)
kbs666 - Smart Images (https://youtu.be/WRHLUZZSWtA)
kbs666 - Custom Views (https://youtu.be/Id5lOcZQehE)
kbs666 - Smart Images in Encounters/Tactical Maps (https://youtu.be/NtsYmPMObTg)

Other Links
Realm Works IRC Chat (https://kiwiirc.com/client/irc.rizon.net) - Use Channel: #realm-works
Realm Works Facebook Fan Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/207294946148092/)

Videos Not Specifically About Realm Works - But They Can Be Used To Supplement The Realm Works Experience
What Software Can You Use To Create RPG Maps? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiOqn_xVThg)
CC3+ / DD3 - How To Create A Basic Dungeon Map (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWOGrjgL4yk)
MapTool - Virtual Table Top Software For The Physical Table (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSs3r5V2vPM)
Perspectives 3 - How To Create Isometric Dungeon Maps (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/cc3-perspectives-3-how-to-create.html)
Dungeon Designer 3 - How To Add A Floors Mask (Use of TRACE) (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/dungeon-designer-3-how-to-add-floors.html)
Magic Set Editor - Creating Player Handouts (Cards) (https://youtu.be/I1a-JuUGJhA)
TokenTool - Creating Tokens For Your Game (https://youtu.be/UWq9f_FxmnU)
CC3+ / CA3 - Creating Pictures Of Player and Non-Player Characters (https://youtu.be/5ckpsWRX7n0)

[ibecker]

Thank you for putting this together! It's a nice overview of the two products and how they interact.

[BJ]

How very cool! Thank you for sharing. :)

[King Chicken]

I am so happy someone took the time to do this. It was an invaluable sales pitch for new users, and an excellent resource that gave ideas to current owners.

I'm already making changes to some things to make this cross-platform work better. Pins in smart images, making sure I'm linking portfolios in encounters, that kind of stuff. I suffer from horrible scale creep when I get started, so I start with a Pathfinder module and before I know it, I spiral out into entering the entire world of Golarion into the database. You know what always gets me? I want every link to work when I write or enter the content, then before I know it, I'm not even looking at the module anymore, I'm entering the backstory of a town in another country. Because the links keep expanding!

I liked the layout, going to see if I can crib some organizational strategies from the video.

Thanks again for taking the time.

[daplunk]

:)

This is obviously just how I use it. Would love to see more examples of how people do things differently.

[MNBlockHead]

What a great resource. Thank you for doing this!

[daplunk]

Added 2 more videos now to show some of the monster creation methods.

Realm Works and Hero Lab - Working With Monsters (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-and-hero-lab-working-with.html)

[Dhrakken]

This rocks, as a new RW user, this is invaluable! Thank YOU!!!

[AEIOU]

Thanks, Daplunk. Exactly what users have requested for two years -- real hands-on tutorials with explanations rather than slick marketing that focuses on features without context on how to use effectively. You rock!

It would be great if BJ made a series of videos of start-to-finish creation of people, places, things, rules, mobs, alternate names, maps, containers, then show how to find those things using sorts and alternate views, and finally tie them all together to create a short adventure or scenario with storyboard, timeline, relationships, stories, read-alouds, DM text, HL use at the table, etc. How does LWD envision their product being used to its fullest? Post each to a forum directory for community comments and "I'd do that this way" conversations.

[BJ]

I have had that thought AEIOU, it's on my list of items I'd like to do but it may be a while before I can get to it. :)

Thanks again Daplunk!

[AEIOU]

Thanks, BJ. I strongly feel that showing people why they can't live without RW would be more effective than telling them what it can do. I'm sure you're not at a loss for great ideas. If only the days were longer....

[daplunk]

Happy to make some more. I figure the content market is going to attract some fresh blood so having these available will certainly reduce some of the question and answer time that will most certainly follow.

Any other ideas in what should be covered?

[MNBlockHead]

Would would be interesting is to have videos that walk through material on the content market, that discusses the thinking and decisions that went in to how the content was entered and organized. These would serve as both instructional/demo videos and advertisements for content available in the CM.

[daplunk]

Not something I can do unfortunately. But hopefully LW are watching.

Their forum presence has certainly increased significantly this last week indicating to me that a milestone has been completed.

[kbs666]

I would assume most if not all of the people who authored the realms for the CM, besides maybe the LWD folks, are restricted from talking about their work by NDA's.

I have thought off and on about doing a series of videos showing how I use RW and HL to build adventures but I've never really been sure if any one would watch them.

[daplunk]

Honestly I didnt start out making this for people who already had the tool. I just wanted a quick way to respond to the "are there any good D&D5e applications for DMs" posts that make their way around the inter-webs. But with that said I am getting quite a few hits and positive feedback from people in this forum. Look's like other's are certainly interested in seeing how others use the tool.

[Dhrakken]

You know, after watching your videos; what really struck me is how much time it must have taken you to enter all that data. I'm not going to lie, as a new user that is barely scratching the surface, the task ahead of me feels truly daunting.

Hurry up content market and take my money already!

[daplunk]

I had a pregnant wife who wasn't moving far and a job that ran out of work for a while lol. But yes... If I can buy this stuff on the content market I absolutely will.

[BJ]

I have thought off and on about doing a series of videos showing how I use RW and HL to build adventures but I've never really been sure if any one would watch them.

I suspect many people would watch them. It's quite valuable to have "how to videos" that show how to operate the programs. It eliminates a great deal of confusion over a seemingly daunting task. ;)

You know, after watching your videos; what really struck me is how much time it must have taken you to enter all that data. I'm not going to lie, as a new user that is barely scratching the surface, the task ahead of me feels truly daunting.

Once you get the hang of it all, it's quite easy!

[Barwickian]

I use pretty much the same set-up as you for my Pathfinder/Runelords game, daplunk, although I didn't know the map-as-navigation-bar trick (thanks, that's going to make Saturday's session easier to manage).

I've got 8 players. The ability to integrate enemies into Hero Labs, click a button and have initiative rolled automatically is a great time-saver.

Unlike you, I do release info to the players for use between sessions, and I write a running campaign diary based on the game session reveals and a few notes made during the session - this serves as a point of entry that hyperlinks to relevant material they've uncovered during the campaign.

[Barwickian]

You know, after watching your videos; what really struck me is how much time it must have taken you to enter all that data. I'm not going to lie, as a new user that is barely scratching the surface, the task ahead of me feels truly daunting.

Hurry up content market and take my money already!

While I share your desire for the content market, it's mainly so I can get a damned good look at how others have organised their content.

Like daplunk I have a huge amount of information in my various realms. All I can say is that it's much easier if you have PDFs to cut and paste from. You quickly learn keyboard shortcuts to ease the process, and the very act of going through information, cutting and pasting it, doing little bits of reorganisation in Realm Works, actually serves as prep time - you remember a lot of it.

Some of the pain is in working out how you're actually going to organise the content. That you really learn by doing - I scarcely touch the plot and relationships windows, for instance, preferring a slightly more traditional structure of storylines combined with containers for places, people and things - the hyperlinks tie everything together.

Since I'm more interested in setting and background, and since my players know the rules system pretty well, I've concentrated more on getting setting details into RW than game mechanics.

It *can* be a pain. It is, after all, a form of data entry. There are times I don't want to do it, and times I enjoy it. So long as I keep a couple of steps ahead of the players, I can happily go off and play a computer game instead of prepping.

Initially, getting in the background information took a few weeks of solitary effort. Since then, I've just kept adding to the plot information as necessary. I try to keep a few sessions ahead of the players.

For example, my players have just reached the Graul Farm in Rise of the Runelords - I've got that and Fort Rannick already in Realm Works, and once I stop typing here I'll add some more plot entries from the rest of the Hook Mountain Massacre. I doubt I'll get that chapter finished this evening, but you never know. You get quicker the more you do it.

[dentaa]

Awesome!!!!! Thank you!!!!

[Dhrakken]

While I share your desire for the content market, it's mainly so I can get a damned good look at how others have organised their content.

Like daplunk I have a huge amount of information in my various realms. All I can say is that it's much easier if you have PDFs to cut and paste from. You quickly learn keyboard shortcuts to ease the process, and the very act of going through information, cutting and pasting it, doing little bits of reorganisation in Realm Works, actually serves as prep time - you remember a lot of it.

Some of the pain is in working out how you're actually going to organise the content. That you really learn by doing - I scarcely touch the plot and relationships windows, for instance, preferring a slightly more traditional structure of storylines combined with containers for places, people and things - the hyperlinks tie everything together.

Since I'm more interested in setting and background, and since my players know the rules system pretty well, I've concentrated more on getting setting details into RW than game mechanics.

It *can* be a pain. It is, after all, a form of data entry. There are times I don't want to do it, and times I enjoy it. So long as I keep a couple of steps ahead of the players, I can happily go off and play a computer game instead of prepping.

Initially, getting in the background information took a few weeks of solitary effort. Since then, I've just kept adding to the plot information as necessary. I try to keep a few sessions ahead of the players.

For example, my players have just reached the Graul Farm in Rise of the Runelords - I've got that and Fort Rannick already in Realm Works, and once I stop typing here I'll add some more plot entries from the rest of the Hook Mountain Massacre. I doubt I'll get that chapter finished this evening, but you never know. You get quicker the more you do it.

Totally get where you're coming from and I too have noticed with just a few days of data entry, I have gotten a lot better and through watching many videos, have learnt a lot of tricks. I mainly want the content market for the mechanics and potentially the setting; I fully intend to enter the plot/adventure myself as I do agree; it's a good form of prep. Plus I'm running 6 PC's who are mythic through Reign of Winter which was intended for 4 PC's and no mythic so I have to do a lot of rewriting/restructuring anyway.

[Gord]

That was one great video. I am in awe of the data and organization you have put in place. My data files are getting large but I can't imagine the size of yours.

[Exmortis]

Very nice mate!

Finally back in town and can watch a video, internet at the lake is very spotty and it can be a chore to read email.

One thing these videos do, is show those who are new, or even little wary about using RW, a little booster to get going.

One thing that can not be stressed enough, is how forgiving RW is, you can always re manipulate the data entered, and nothing is a waste of time.

Very good stuff, keep it coming!

[daplunk]

Hi guys,

New video focused on timelines.

Realm Works - Timelines (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfHFIIMi7pA)

[daplunk]

And one on entering a module from PDF into RW.

Realm Works - Prepping a Module (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Hd01xZwfM)

[Dhrakken]

And one on entering a module from PDF into RW.

Realm Works - Prepping a Module (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Hd01xZwfM)

Oh this one I can't wait to see!

[daplunk]

It's probably the most boring one so far to be honest. I tried to show how i enter a PDF in using a very small adventure but its still going to be long winded. Need to do some actual video editing perhaps to show snippets of the process instead of the start to finish.

[King Chicken]

I know I posted before, but that was 3 videos ago. Doing gord's work. Much appreciated.

[Asandir]

It's probably the most boring one so far to be honest. I tried to show how i enter a PDF in using a very small adventure but its still going to be long winded. Need to do some actual video editing perhaps to show snippets of the process instead of the start to finish.

Actually I got quite a lot out of it.

[salcor]

daplunk,

I must commend you, your videos are amazing. I was wondering if you could provide some advice, perhaps you can do it in another video. So I am starting to enter in Rifts world information to use with Savage Rifts. The information for the world is spread through out 40+ books. I like how you set up the prefixes based on the information in the modules. How would your recommend doing prefixes for world building based information. Like in your Faerun second, how to you prefix the different cities and nations in the Forgotten Realms?

Salcor

[daplunk]

Thanks :)

I've not actually tried to build my own world yet but I can see what you're asking. I'm in the process of fleshing out the map of Faerun actually. Let me have a look at that and see if I can create a useful video.

[daplunk]

Actually... i might have a crack at setting up a whole universe and showing how I would set it up. People might find that useful.

[Asandir]

Actually... i might have a crack at setting up a whole universe and showing how I would set it up. People might find that useful.

Yes. Would like to see your thoughts on it.

[daplunk]

Ok spent yesterday putting more of an actual world together. Video can be found HERE (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-creating-worlds.html).

I found i didn't use alot of Prefix's. My preference would be to use the folder structure instead and use prefix's when you want to sort something in a specific way.

[mazzy]

I purchased Realm Works about 3'ish months ago after I finally dove into the DM chair. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting started with it though I am a huge fan of all that can be done with it. It was just difficult for me to decide how to get started, I know there were tons of posts saying 'just start inputting' but that just doesn't work for me :(

Seeing your videos and getting a glimpse of how someone has set theirs up though has helped tremendously! I actually spent some time yesterday evening inputting data from the campaign I'm running and though I'm sure I'll be tweaking how I've organized stuff at least I have taken that critical step forward.

I look forward to watching the rest of the videos you've shared and any new ones you post!!

[daplunk]

I was so overwhelmed when i first started. I put it down and left it for a year. It wasn't until Hero Lab support came out that I went back to it. So glad i did! Nothing else i tried came even remotely close.

[AEIOU]

It's never done. And that's ok. I'm going through a few thousand entries now as I standardize and ensure I have sources identified. Dive in and spend as much or as little time as makes your games enjoyable.

[BoomerET]

Looks like I'm in the same boat as a few of you. Just felt overwhelmed by it all.

So, I decided to take the plunge (thanks to daplunk), and just started taking baby steps.

First by entering NPC's names, and I'm going to build from there.


Dave

[MNBlockHead]

This is why instructional and demo videos for RW is critical. It is difficult for many people to get started using only print guides. I almost gave up on RW when I first got it and had to make a huge investment of time into watching the gen con videos, reading the PDF guides, and spending a lot of time on the forums. But what was the most helpful was meeting with DMs who were RW users in my area to share how we use RW. The screen caps that some users shared on the forums were also very helpful.

It would have been SOOOO nice to have these videos when I started. Daplunk is doing a great service to the user community with these videos and I am sure that many people who may have given up on RW will give it a go and stick with it because these videos exist.

[salcor]

The world building video was great, pretty much what I was looking for. Faerun is a world similar in history to Palladium Rifts. It is a pretty big undertaking, but after your videos it is encouraging me to take the plunge.

Salcor

[daplunk]

Really can't wait for the ability to copy realms. I've got so many modules copied into a single realm which means I've got 3 copies of Neverwinter, 3 copies of winter deep, etc. They all contain information specific to the module though and I like having the information stored with the module chapter content. But this video has really made me rethink all that. Slowly merging all the duplication into a single article and consolidating all the unique information from the official modules. Should be an awesome resource once I'm done.

[Bidmaron]

Can we sticky this?

[mazzy]

I second the sticky motion!

[rob]

Would would be interesting is to have videos that walk through material on the content market, that discusses the thinking and decisions that went in to how the content was entered and organized. These would serve as both instructional/demo videos and advertisements for content available in the CM.

That's a lot easier said than done! But it's a really good idea!

There are two primary problems that I see. First, there's a huge chunk of time involved in putting together high-quality videos. Second, I can honestly say that the thinking behind it all is deeply ingrained at this point, so it would actually be quite hard to identify the very long list of things and then explain it all.

Probably the best compromise I can think of would be for me to do an online seminar where I cover some basics and then field questions from users. I assume those questions would flag the majority of aspects that I just take for granted at this point, and then I could answer them. Obviously, the seminar would be recorded and then made available for everyone to watch afterwards.

This would yield something less formal, so the need for polish, along with the corresponding multiple takes and edits, would be obviated. It would also ensure that I cover lots of areas where I might not otherwise think about them.

The big gotcha with this approach is scheduling. Some of our most avid and insightful users are scattered across the globe, ranging from the States, to Europe, to Down Under. I would vastly prefer something that could be attended by the vast majority of those folks. That's one thing that I have no even decent solution for at this point. :(

[daplunk]

Schedule a Skype Group call? Schedule it in and I'll certainly set my alarm for the middle of the night to attend. Would be better on a weekend given we would all need to come from different time-zones. Less chance of conflicting with work schedules that way.

And if you need active passionate users to do some beta testing... well just let me know.

[MNBlockHead]

Or, at the next Gen Con have a panel with some LWD staff, some content owners, and some power users/independent contractors talk about how they build their realms and prepare the content for the content market.

[Viking2054]

I think it would be preferable to add another top level forum for tutorials and request for tutorials. Then you could put in some 'official' tutorials and some user made tutorials. Add in a few themed question threads or requests threads that could be turned into tutorials either from users or from LWD staffers.

Anyway, giving us a separate forum or two for 'Tutorials' and 'How To' requests would at least streamline the forums and searching the forums. Those threads deemed most helpful by the users and LWD could then earn sticky status in the Tutorials forum.

[daplunk]

I'll just add a reply into the Tips and Tricks sticky that already exists.

[rob]

Or, at the next Gen Con have a panel with some LWD staff, some content owners, and some power users/independent contractors talk about how they build their realms and prepare the content for the content market.

That's 10 months from now. Probably 11 months by the time someone can get the recording cleaned up and posted after we get back from the show. Everyone would greatly benefit by having something much sooner than that. :)

I'm pretty sure we'd do the GenCon seminar anyways, even if we have a bunch of resources on our website, but I don't think anyone wants to wait a year to see that recording.

[rob]

I think it would be preferable to add another top level forum for tutorials and request for tutorials. Then you could put in some 'official' tutorials and some user made tutorials. Add in a few themed question threads or requests threads that could be turned into tutorials either from users or from LWD staffers.

Anyway, giving us a separate forum or two for 'Tutorials' and 'How To' requests would at least streamline the forums and searching the forums. Those threads deemed most helpful by the users and LWD could then earn sticky status in the Tutorials forum.

That sounds like a pretty reasonable suggestion, regardless of what else we do. I'll talk to BJ about it.

[rob]

Schedule a Skype Group call? Schedule it in and I'll certainly set my alarm for the middle of the night to attend. Would be better on a weekend given we would all need to come from different time-zones. Less chance of conflicting with work schedules that way.

It looks like the maximum size of a Skype group call is 25 people. That ought to be enough. I guess we can look to set something up and then ask people to "book a virtual seat". If we end up with more than 25 people, then we create a waiting list and add those folks a few minutes into the group call if anyone doesn't show up at the start. That should probably work. I'll talk to BJ about it.

[ibecker]

It looks like the maximum size of a Skype group call is 25 people. That ought to be enough. I guess we can look to set something up and then ask people to "book a virtual seat". If we end up with more than 25 people, then we create a waiting list and add those folks a few minutes into the group call if anyone doesn't show up at the start. That should probably work. I'll talk to BJ about it.

Google "Hangouts On Air"/"YouTube Live" may be a better choice than Skype: you can have more than 25 people participate, as well as a live chat stream for questions/discussions. Additionally, the resulting video can be edited & made available easily on YouTube.

(Full Disclosure: I'm an engineer at Google. The above represents my personal opinion; I do not claim to represent my employer.)

[rob]

Google "Hangouts On Air"/"YouTube Live" may be a better choice than Skype: you can have more than 25 people participate, as well as a live chat stream for questions/discussions. Additionally, the resulting video can be edited & made available easily on YouTube.

(Full Disclosure: I'm an engineer at Google. The above represents my personal opinion; I do not claim to represent my employer.)

Nothing personal, but I'm not very keen on Google Hangouts. To be honest, I'm also not a big fan of Skype, but I prefer it over my last experience with Google Hangouts. That being said, this may be a special case requiring an exception. :)

I use Skype for work regularly with a live chat stream while sharing computer screens. Is there something I'm not aware of regarding Skype that won't work the same with a larger size group?

I've never tried recording a Skype session, so that may be a significant point of concern. Is anyone here highly knowledgeable about Skype that can comment on this subject? Will recording the Skype session be a problem?

[ibecker]

Nothing personal, but I'm not very keen on Google Hangouts. To be honest, I'm also not a big fan of Skype, but I prefer it over my last experience with Google Hangouts. That being said, this may be a special case requiring an exception. :)

No problem, Rob - we can still be friends. :) I actually haven't used Skype in ages - I was just offering an alternative in response to the limitations mentioned here.

[MNBlockHead]

Twitch seems to be the place to go to these days for streaming these kinds of things. No experience presenting on Twitch, just as a consumer.

As for presenting, I've always liked Adobe Connect. I use Google Hangouts daily for internal communications at work, but would never trust it for any external facing (customers/public) presentations. We use Join.me for sales presentations, training, and troubleshooting. Works great, but never used it for large numbers of attendees.

[daplunk]

New video up tonight guys. Played around with sound and music. This is more of a discussion piece though as I still can't find a way to manage the sound as efficiently as I would like.

Would love to hear suggestions and ideas if anyone is doing something that works!

Realm Works - Playing Sound and the Table (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-playing-sounds-at-table.html) NOTE: Volume might be an issue, sorry some of the sounds are loud!

Also put one up about Campaign Cartographer 3+ if that's of interest to anyone. I'm currently using it to create maps that I'm loading into Realm Works so it's kinda relative to this crowd.

Campaign Cartographer 3+ - Software to create RPG Maps (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/software-to-create-rpg-maps.html)

[Asandir]

New video tonight up guys. Played around with sound and music. This is more of a discussion piece though as I still can't find a way to manage the sound as efficiently as I would like.

Would love to hear suggestions and ideas if anyone is doing something that works!

Realm Works - Playing Sound and the Table (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-playing-sounds-at-table.html) NOTE: Volume might be an issue, sorry some of the sounds are loud!

Also put one up about Campaign Cartographer 3+ if that's of interest to anyone. I'm currently using it to create maps that I'm loading into Realm Works so it's kinda relative to this crowd.

Campaign Cartographer 3+ - Software to create RPG Maps (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/software-to-create-rpg-maps.html)

MadCartographer and I were talking about CC3+ the other night on the IRC. Going to go checkout your video now.

[BJ]

I think it would be preferable to add another top level forum for tutorials and request for tutorials. Then you could put in some 'official' tutorials and some user made tutorials. Add in a few themed question threads or requests threads that could be turned into tutorials either from users or from LWD staffers.

Anyway, giving us a separate forum or two for 'Tutorials' and 'How To' requests would at least streamline the forums and searching the forums. Those threads deemed most helpful by the users and LWD could then earn sticky status in the Tutorials forum.

I think that's a fantastic idea! I'll work on getting it implemented! In the mean time we've made the thread a sticky one.

Thanks again for making these videos, they're a great help! :)

[daplunk]

Thanks BJ :)

[wurzel]

MadCartographer and I were talking about CC3+ the other night on the IRC. Going to go checkout your video now.

I have been using the Campaign Cartographer stuff for more than ten years, although not too often due to the technical limitations of the software. These limitations have almost vanished with the CC3+ version which runs a lot faster and is more stable than the older versions. Big city maps are still an issue as obviously there is a size limit for the FCW files, beyond which you run into the dangerous land of endless loops. But for your everday village or dungeons, for detailed country maps and adventure areas, it is a simple to use (simple after getting used to the way it works, that is) and powerful tool.

There are many mapping styles for different tastes, and the cartographer's annual subscription delivers many more ideas every month. And it is easy to extend it with your own style elements. For the money you get a fully functional CAD tool which is a lot more than any map drawing tool can offer.

No, I don't get money for advertising it. As mentioned there are still some bugs. But from my long lasting experience the software is getting better with the years and that is all I need. It is not one of those packages that vanish from the market after a couple of months.

[daplunk]

The + made all the difference for me. I used to want to throw the PC through a window after 30 minutes of using it.

Now... it just works, I'm picking up new tips and tricks all the time. Quite enjoy using it.

Especially with the content market coming in Realm Works... because you can legally sell the maps you make which is awesome.

New CC3+ Video - How to create basic dungeon maps (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/cc3-dd3-how-to-create-basic-dungeon-maps.html)

[MNBlockHead]

You're making CC3+ videos now as well. Cool. I put in a bunch of time to learn the program when I got it but I rarely fire it up. I just find it too much work. But I'm looking forward to seeing your videos. Maybe they'll inspire me to start using CC3+ more.

[MNBlockHead]

Watched the video. Do you ever create at-table battlemaps with CC3+ I would love to see your process. Do you have to take the exported JPEG and go through the process of resizing in another graphic tool?

One thing I like about Dugeonoographer is that that they make it easy to print at proper battlemap proportions without needing to manipulate the image outside of the tool.

Also, do you ever keep you CC3+ files in RW? Not just the exported JPEG/PNG files for smart maps etc, but the actual FCW files. I'm thinking it would be easier to keep things organized in RW, but worry about bloating my realm with what can be very large files.

[daplunk]

Haha I made a video almost immediately apparently just for you MNBlockHead.

http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/maptool-virtual-table-top-software.html?m=1

This one shows me taking the map I just made and putting it straight into MapTool. I don't attempt to use Realm Works as a VTT. Currently I store everything on Google Drive. But if I was going to sell content on the market I could certainly add a foreign object snippet and add the *. fcw file or even save the MapTool campaign file and embed that straight into Realm Works. Will have to test that.

Does anyone know if Fantasy Grounds has a pre made map file?

[BoomerET]

What do you mean a pre made map file?

I'm vaguely familiar w/ FG (having written community extensions and converters for it)

There aren't any maps built in (besides tools for on-the-fly), but usually part of modules, or you can import your own of course.

[daplunk]

So in MapTool you can save a campaign file that contains all your maps. Technically I could create the campaign file with all the maps and LOS stuff built in and then embed that file into Realm Works. That could then be sold on the market.

So I wonder if the same thing is possible with Fantasy Grounds. Content providers could sell content that is ready and prepped to be used with popular VTT solutions.

[BoomerET]

@daplunk,

Yes, in Fantasy Grounds you can create a .mod file that contains all your maps, text, vision blocking, etc.


Dave

[daplunk]

New Video: Realm Works: Managing Merchants and their Wares (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-managing-merchants-and.html)

[Exmortis]

I have uploaded my first ever youtube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHwCum2TsG8

Intro I - What I have done with RW from a canned adventure stand point.

Audio is a bit low, seems that gets a bit reduced in the production to YouTube so will enhance that for my next video.

Let me know what you think, with advice I will create Intro II as a demo of my campaign worlds in RW.

[BoomerET]

@Exmortis

Is it private, or are you going to share a link with us?


Dave

[mazzy]

@Exmortis

Is it private, or are you going to share a link with us?


Dave

Methinks he forgot to attach his video link in all his excitement :D

[Exmortis]

What? it was there all the time......./looking down

Hey look ground!

[daplunk]

Man it's so much neater having everything in individual realms per module isn't it. Cmon December. First thing I'm going to do is separate all my modules into individual realms.

Video cuts out at the end :( "Nothing entered in Realm Works has..." Curious as hell to know what you were going to say ;)

You are so much neater. Really shows me how much better this tool will be once we have the ability to copy realms and separate everything. I always avoided this to stop having to re-enter the monsters and spells.

[Exmortis]

Video cuts out at the end :( "Nothing entered in Realm Works has..." Curious as hell to know what you were going to say ;)

Yeah that's so darn weird, must have been my headset cutting out.

"Nothing entered into Realm Works has no use, or is wrong. Everything can moved, copied, re-categorized, and thus re-used. Can't stress enough, how you can just start working, and learn, then go back and update early work with what you learned along the way. U1 looked substantially different V1, then it does now, probably in a V5 state. Just dive in and go for it!"

Man it's so much neater having everything in individual realms per module isn't it. Cmon December. First thing I'm going to do is separate all my modules into individual realms.

You are so much neater. Really shows me how much better this tool will be once we have the ability to copy realms and separate everything. I always avoided this to stop having to re-enter the monsters and spells.

That's high praise! thanks very much!

I so hear you on the monster side, I intend to have a realm for each edition of the monster books, so I can just export and import (I own all the PDFs from DrivethruRPG). I will buy all pathfinder mats for RW if I can use them.

Next up for Intro II I will show off my two campaign realms. There I use your style more, with it spread out over the category headers. One look at how large Telon is, will make you shudder. It has been in the works since day 1 RW when I started serious work, my first few realms were "play", if I had known just how powerful RW is, and how much that play could have been transitioned into finished work, I would have kept them and used them instead of deleting them.

That's why I wanted to bring that up at the end of my vid, RW is very very forgiving, just dive in and go!

[daplunk]

New Video: Hero Labs - A 5e Player Tour (https://youtu.be/Nk5QO5IS3N8)

[Exmortis]

New Video: Hero Labs - A 5e Player Tour (https://youtu.be/Nk5QO5IS3N8)

Looked good, for the 3 seconds it took to have your CC3 videos steal me away, sorry man I wont be back to this one for a while!!

[daplunk]

Haha... While not Realm Works specific I must admit im focussing on tools that can all be used to further improve the Realm Works experience. Really looking forward to seeing peoples home brew maps come to life.

[MNBlockHead]

When it rains it pours. With all the great videos you guys are putting out, it would be nice to have more than just a sticky forum, but a simple list of links.

[MNBlockHead]

Hey, look at that there is a play list in the first post in the thread. Sorry, didn't realize you were editing and updating that.

[Bidmaron]

In his timeline video he cannot figure out how to sort navigation view by date. Anyone else crack that code?

[mazzy]

Keep seeing questions pop up in social media asking for recommendations on digital tools that Dms can use. Made a video to give new GMs an idea of what can be achieved with Realm Works and Hero Labs.

You can check it out below.

Daplunk's Realm Works and Hero Lab Videos - The Playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV5XWfKkFpk6_sDYWWKwvP8zs_qVSrzoM)

Realm Works and Hero Labs - GM Tour (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-and-hero-labs-gmdm-tour.html?m=1)
Realm Works and Hero Labs - Working with Monsters (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-and-hero-lab-working-with.html)
Realm Works and Hero Labs - Timelines (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfHFIIMi7pA)
Realm Works - Prepping a Module (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-prepping-module.html)
Realm Works - Creating Worlds (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/realm-works-creating-worlds.html)
Realm Works - Playing Sound at the Table (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-playing-sounds-at-table.html)
Realm Works - Managing Merchants and their Wares (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-managing-merchants-and.html)

Video's From Other Users - We love videos of Realm Works... Show us your Realm!
Lee Smith - Home Brew world of Lerchanth (https://www.facebook.com/TheMadCarto...75433601366515)
Exmortis - Intro I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHwCum2TsG8)
Exmotis, the missing quote:


Other Links
Realm Works IRC Chat (https://kiwiirc.com/client/irc.rizon.net) - Use Channel: #realm-works

Videos Not Specifically About Realm Works - But They Can Be Used To Supplement The Realm Works Experience
Hero Lab - D&D 5e Player Tour (https://youtu.be/Nk5QO5IS3N8)
What Software Can You Use To Create RPG Maps? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiOqn_xVThg)
CC3+ / DD3 - How To Create A Basic Dungeon Map (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWOGrjgL4yk)
MapTool - Virtual Table Top Software For The Physical Table (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSs3r5V2vPM)

If I could I'd give you guys more than a 5 star rating! Perhaps some of you can add the sticky link to your signatures for those who haven't had the pleasure of seeing your hard work :D Please keep 'em coming, all the videos have been extremely helpful and motivational, thank you all so much!

[daplunk]

Had a tabletop war gaming itch that needed a scratch over the weekend. It led to me entering the entire Frostgrave rule set into Realm Works just to see how well it would work as a digital rule book.

I think this would be bloody handy, especially if I was still playing 40k.

Realm Works and Frostgrave - Does Realm Works Work With Tabletop Wargames? (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-and-frostgrave-does-realm.html)

[Exmortis]

If I could I'd give you guys more than a 5 star rating! Perhaps some of you can add the sticky link to your signatures for those who haven't had the pleasure of seeing your hard work :D Please keep 'em coming, all the videos have been extremely helpful and motivational, thank you all so much!

Great idea!

@Daplunk That's so much for adding my video to your initial post, will create and upload more when I get the chance.

[Gord]

I just watched your merchant video. What an easy way to make your life simpler and save a huge amount of time. Thanks for sharing and putting the effort into doing these videos.

I'm still undecided on whether it is better to organize by book like you have done or to just use tags with the book title. I think this would still allow you to sort like you want but might prevent some of the organization confusion that would arise if you just wanted to see "swords" but they were in 5 different books.

Perhaps you do both ways to give maximum flexibility?

[Gord]

New video up tonight guys. Played around with sound and music. This is more of a discussion piece though as I still can't find a way to manage the sound as efficiently as I would like.

Would love to hear suggestions and ideas if anyone is doing something that works!



Your point about not wanting so many clicks to play/repeat sound sets is right on the mark. I had the same problem and like you, came up with no good solution. I seem to remember Rob talking about a new feature coming that would in effect give us storage folders or something like that, for pictures, maps, etc but I don't recall the details (if any) of it. I'm hoping this might also work for what we want and simplify the process. Copying sound or even video files into RW and having to do it in multiple locations, is just going to bog things down and make the data files huge if I'm guessing correctly. Tying it together in one location as you did on your merchant video would be a better way (especially) if the link had a couple of playback control options built in.

[daplunk]

I'm still undecided on whether it is better to organize by book like you have done or to just use tags with the book title. I think this would still allow you to sort like you want but might prevent some of the organization confusion that would arise if you just wanted to see "swords" but they were in 5 different books.

Perhaps you do both ways to give maximum flexibility?

I'm always rethinking the way I do things :) The tag is a great idea and something I was planning on experimenting with. I would love to tag according to a few things.

Monster Type (Fey, Humanoids, Beast, Dragon, etc)
Monster Habitat (Swap, Forest, Mountain, Underdark, etc)

Actually... I might go do that now and see what it looks like.

[daplunk]

Your point about not wanting so many clicks to play/repeat sound sets is right on the mark. I had the same problem and like you, came up with no good solution. I seem to remember Rob talking about a new feature coming that would in effect give us storage folders or something like that, for pictures, maps, etc but I don't recall the details (if any) of it. I'm hoping this might also work for what we want and simplify the process. Copying sound or even video files into RW and having to do it in multiple locations, is just going to bog things down and make the data files huge if I'm guessing correctly. Tying it together in one location as you did on your merchant video would be a better way (especially) if the link had a couple of playback control options built in.

I know right! Sound is the one thing that really doesn't work with the overall layout IMO.

My reasoning here is, I want to play music and soundscapes, but I want to click play and forget about it. Within Realm Works sound plays on a tab. But I'm always moving to different pages.

To be honest, I think it needs an internal media player. Something with buttons in the application toolbar to control play, play on repeat, stop, etc. But playing a sound from within an article should simply send a call to the media player to control that sound. This would enable you to...

Use the Mechanic section to organise and store the music files.
Ensure music files are only copied once into the tool.
Allow links to be made to the sound from articles.
Allow one click playing of sounds from story articles.

It's the one type of link that shouldn't open the page it links to. It needs to just call the music file and send it to the player.

[rob]

FYI, we added stuff to support integration of other products a while back. It works great with Syrinscape, but it can be used with other tools, as well. So check out how that stuff operates.

I'd dig it up and explain more, but I'm up to my eyeballs for the big release this week. So I need to get back to that work.

[daplunk]

This week ey ;) Get back to that Rob, this is way not important haha.

I played with Syrinscape in the video (https://youtu.be/yD_-C2n3wHE?list=PLV5XWfKkFpk6_sDYWWKwvP8zs_qVSrzoM). I like the concept but ultimately it's still not as efficient as I picture sound could be.

And this is a unique issue with sound IMO. When using RWs I would love to be able to come along in my prep and within the article, type the name of the music I want to play (eg: Play Music: Goblin Fight). Have it generate a link to the article that would exist in my mechanics section.

However... and this is the bit that's unique to sound. It's not even sound that's the issue. It's music and soundscapes specifically. Background audio.

Ideally that link should just play the music. And when I am finished with that tab, which will happen very quickly sometimes, the music should keep playing. And should the track end, there should be the ability to have to loop until I tell it to stop.

This is where I think something unique is required for sound management. Ideally the controls for sound would be better placed in the Realm Works tool bar instead of embedded in articles.

When I click a link that contain a specific audio snippet perhaps, it would be amazing if it called the music immediately and was able to be controlled using the method listed above.

Ideally I want music to be something I think about once, during prep. I come along and type the name of the music I want to play for that dungeon etc. When I run it, i click the link (and just that link, keeping in mind the music is a sub thought, I want to stay on the module content and avoid any delays for the table), it plays on repeat, and when I come to the next article with prepared music, I click that link and that takes over.

Anyway, just some constructive feedback. Don't you dare think about this until that Content Market is released ;)

[daplunk]

2x New Videos Today

Realm Works - Forgotten Realm (Faerun) Interactive Map (https://youtu.be/PdcI87ZgeKs)
Realm Works - Working with Tags and Custom Categories (https://youtu.be/gQghEOM3244)

[kbs666]

Great minds think alike. I'm literally just about to edit and upload my own vid on custom cats and tags.

[Bidmaron]

Hey daplunk, loving all your videos and those of others. Thanks for collecting them all in the first post.

[daplunk]

Did my version of 'Where to Begin' today after watching your new video KBS666. Really enjoy watching how other people do things. My approach was pretty different but I'm a tad OCD ;) Should be up in about 30 minutes but I'm hitting the sack.

Realm Works - Where To Begin!?! (https://youtu.be/_y6-riuI71U)

[meek75]

This week ey ;)

Ideally I want music to be something I think about once, during prep. I come along and type the name of the music I want to play for that dungeon etc. When I run it, i click the link (and just that link, keeping in mind the music is a sub thought, I want to stay on the module content and avoid any delays for the table), it plays on repeat, and when I come to the next article with prepared music, I click that link and that takes over.

Anyway, just some constructive feedback. Don't you dare think about this until that Content Market is released ;)

I have to agree completely here. If I load an audio file into RW, and click it, the file opens in a new screen. That is terrible. If it is a short sound effect it is just too laborious a process (click to open, click to play, click to return to scene). If it is a longer background track I want it to loop and I need to stay in the original scene tab. I now load the audio files as hyperlinks to files on my local drive. This launches them in my native audio application. It limits me to using just my laptop, and would not be shareable in the content market, but I find the current implementation nearly unusable. Syrinscape functions better, but I find it overpriced for my purposes. This was a useful video, thanks! I don't want LWD spending time on this right now, we have bigger fish on the grill, but it is good info for the future.

[DaFranker]

This week ey ;) Get back to that Rob, this is way not important haha.

I played with Syrinscape in the video (https://youtu.be/yD_-C2n3wHE?list=PLV5XWfKkFpk6_sDYWWKwvP8zs_qVSrzoM). I like the concept but ultimately it's still not as efficient as I picture sound could be.

And this is a unique issue with sound IMO. When using RWs I would love to be able to come along in my prep and within the article, type the name of the music I want to play (eg: Play Music: Goblin Fight). Have it generate a link to the article that would exist in my mechanics section.

However... and this is the bit that's unique to sound. It's not even sound that's the issue. It's music and soundscapes specifically. Background audio.

Ideally that link should just play the music. And when I am finished with that tab, which will happen very quickly sometimes, the music should keep playing. And should the track end, there should be the ability to have to loop until I tell it to stop.

This is where I think something unique is required for sound management. Ideally the controls for sound would be better placed in the Realm Works tool bar instead of embedded in articles.

When I click a link that contain a specific audio snippet perhaps, it would be amazing if it called the music immediately and was able to be controlled using the method listed above.

Ideally I want music to be something I think about once, during prep. I come along and type the name of the music I want to play for that dungeon etc. When I run it, i click the link (and just that link, keeping in mind the music is a sub thought, I want to stay on the module content and avoid any delays for the table), it plays on repeat, and when I come to the next article with prepared music, I click that link and that takes over.

Anyway, just some constructive feedback. Don't you dare think about this until that Content Market is released ;)

I've tinkered around with this idea as well, and it's already something that RealmWorks could do if we had the right kind of external software handling a custom URI (e.g. the "syrinscape://" part instead of "html://" or "file://").

Short of forcing a third party program to run in the background upon certain conditions for some URLs and not others, or implementing their own sound player within RealmWorks itself, I don't really see what more LW can do for us here.

I'll check it out a bit further and see if we can cook up something like a pair of play-once:// and play-loop:// URIs through a wrapper program that would either play sound files directly in the background or use filthy trickses to have another media player run in the background without popups or interruptions to the GM's workflow.

[rob]

This week ey ;) Get back to that Rob, this is way not important haha.

I played with Syrinscape in the video (https://youtu.be/yD_-C2n3wHE?list=PLV5XWfKkFpk6_sDYWWKwvP8zs_qVSrzoM). I like the concept but ultimately it's still not as efficient as I picture sound could be.

And this is a unique issue with sound IMO. When using RWs I would love to be able to come along in my prep and within the article, type the name of the music I want to play (eg: Play Music: Goblin Fight). Have it generate a link to the article that would exist in my mechanics section.

However... and this is the bit that's unique to sound. It's not even sound that's the issue. It's music and soundscapes specifically. Background audio.

Ideally that link should just play the music. And when I am finished with that tab, which will happen very quickly sometimes, the music should keep playing. And should the track end, there should be the ability to have to loop until I tell it to stop.

This is where I think something unique is required for sound management. Ideally the controls for sound would be better placed in the Realm Works tool bar instead of embedded in articles.

When I click a link that contain a specific audio snippet perhaps, it would be amazing if it called the music immediately and was able to be controlled using the method listed above.

Ideally I want music to be something I think about once, during prep. I come along and type the name of the music I want to play for that dungeon etc. When I run it, i click the link (and just that link, keeping in mind the music is a sub thought, I want to stay on the module content and avoid any delays for the table), it plays on repeat, and when I come to the next article with prepared music, I click that link and that takes over.

Anyway, just some constructive feedback. Don't you dare think about this until that Content Market is released ;)

For the record, there IS a vision for all of this. But we're not there yet, and we have to stay focused - as you've emphasized here. :)

I love seeing ideas like this, so DO NOT STOP posting them, even when I say there's already a vision. Ideas from users help me to validate (or invalidate) my own ideas, plus they often contain gems that I haven't yet considered and need to integrate into that vision. So keep them coming! :)

[daplunk]

Some new videos up tonight guys.

Realm Works - Working With Maps (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/realm-works-working-with-maps.html)

Perspectives 3 - How To Create Isometric Dungeon Maps (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/cc3-perspectives-3-how-to-create.html)
Dungeon Designer 3 - How To Add A Floors Mask (Use of TRACE) (http://downunderdm.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/dungeon-designer-3-how-to-add-floors.html)

[Bidmaron]

This is a great thing you do daplunk. Thanks.

I have watched all your videos, and you've given me some great ideas.

[mazzy]

For those of you who are currently using Realmworks during your campaigns, do you have a section for pre-session notes and if so, how do you have it set up? I know there is a User Note function but it doesn't seem to allow me to configure it with certain fields/layout so wanted to see what others have come up with or if I'm totally missing something.

Thanks daplunk, kbs666, and everyone else who's allowing us into their way of doing things, it's very much appreciated!!

[kbs666]

Session notes are one of things I still keep separately. The RW user note is primitive to say the least. Hopefully once the big push for the content market is past that will be one of the things that gets addressed.

[Vargr]

I just write my session notes in a word processor.

Simple and it is all I need. Basically I just need to know how far they got and what happened of special things which I have to take into account when planning the next steps.

[rob]

The plan is for a complete overhaul of how game sessions are managed. Basically, we would utilize a topic for tracking session notes (pre and post), with a fully customizable category definition underlying it. Then GMs would be able to tailor the structure to their preferences, the notes would be inherently revealable to players, and full linking would be provided.

This is something very high on MY want list. I'm not sure where it fits into the priorities of other users, though.

[kbs666]

The plan is for a complete overhaul of how game sessions are managed. Basically, we would utilize a topic for tracking session notes (pre and post), with a fully customizable category definition underlying it. Then GMs would be able to tailor the structure to their preferences, the notes would be inherently revealable to players, and full linking would be provided.

This is something very high on MY want list. I'm not sure where it fits into the priorities of other users, though.
Do you intend for that to be strictly a GM note or a player note as well? My players would like to keep an ongoing diary/journal that links into the realm through the player edition.

[rob]

Do you intend for that to be strictly a GM note or a player note as well? My players would like to keep an ongoing diary/journal that links into the realm through the player edition.

Journals are a separate animal entirely, since they introduce a completely different set of complications wherein player-created material gets woven in with GM-created material at some level. However, the plan is for them to behave in a relatively similar manner, except that the GM would be in control of the category structure utilizes by journals created by his players. Obviously, we'd provide everyone with a framework that will hopefully offer a solid starting point and can be customized.

[Silveras]

The plan is for a complete overhaul of how game sessions are managed. Basically, we would utilize a topic for tracking session notes (pre and post), with a fully customizable category definition underlying it. Then GMs would be able to tailor the structure to their preferences, the notes would be inherently revealable to players, and full linking would be provided.

This is something very high on MY want list. I'm not sure where it fits into the priorities of other users, though.

This sounds pretty close to the approach I took for my Rise of the Runelords PBeM campaign. It wasn't a "Session Log", per se, as the game was Play-by-Post.

I created a custom topic named "Campaign Log" for this. As the campaign progressed, I logged each "day" in it (or a span of days if appropriate). The contents are:

In-game Date/time for the start and end of the timespan recorded
Weather on the date (if one day)
For each encounter: Where (Location name), When (date-time), Who (participants), and What (notes about the results) -- This is a place where repeatable Sections would he a big help.


The name of each Topic is generally "Day X", maybe a brief description ("Day 1 - Arrival in Sandpoint") to make it easier to place things as it is listed in the Navigation pane.

[mazzy]

Thanks kbs666 and Vargr, guess I'll continue using OneNote for now.

The plan is for a complete overhaul of how game sessions are managed. Basically, we would utilize a topic for tracking session notes (pre and post), with a fully customizable category definition underlying it. Then GMs would be able to tailor the structure to their preferences, the notes would be inherently revealable to players, and full linking would be provided.

This is something very high on MY want list. I'm not sure where it fits into the priorities of other users, though.

That would be fantastic, I'm trying to consolidate ALLLLL the tools I utilize before/during/after game sessions and if RW can take that on I'd be a super happy chica! And if GM/DM's can customize it all the better :)

Journals are a separate animal entirely, since they introduce a completely different set of complications wherein player-created material gets woven in with GM-created material at some level. However, the plan is for them to behave in a relatively similar manner, except that the GM would be in control of the category structure utilizes by journals created by his players. Obviously, we'd provide everyone with a framework that will hopefully offer a solid starting point and can be customized.

Player journals are definitely something I'd like to see implemented as that's something I like to encourage my players to do. I'm not saying this is a high priority, simply stating it'd be nice to have :)

Hopefully when the GM Notes gets an overhaul it will include a calendar function (I know it's a sore subject - not trying to stir the pot), as I find myself REALLY wishing RW had that function. Either way though, this is a fantastic tool and it's great that you fine folks at LW are continually tweaking and improving it, thanks!

[mazzy]

This sounds pretty close to the approach I took for my Rise of the Runelords PBeM campaign. It wasn't a "Session Log", per se, as the game was Play-by-Post.

I created a custom topic named "Campaign Log" for this. As the campaign progressed, I logged each "day" in it (or a span of days if appropriate). The contents are:

In-game Date/time for the start and end of the timespan recorded
Weather on the date (if one day)
For each encounter: Where (Location name), When (date-time), Who (participants), and What (notes about the results) -- This is a place where repeatable Sections would he a big help.


The name of each Topic is generally "Day X", maybe a brief description ("Day 1 - Arrival in Sandpoint") to make it easier to place things as it is listed in the Navigation pane.

Ooooo, I like that idea! I'll have to try that out to see if it'll work for my purposes. Would it be too much to ask for a snapshot of your campaign log setup? I'm still new to RW and visuals are definitely better for me, but if not I totally understand :)

[rob]

Hopefully when the GM Notes gets an overhaul it will include a calendar function (I know it's a sore subject - not trying to stir the pot), as I find myself REALLY wishing RW had that function. Either way though, this is a fantastic tool and it's great that you fine folks at LW are continually tweaking and improving it, thanks!

The existing "Session" mechanism has the calendar mechanism integrated. It would absolutely be incorporated into anything we do in the future. The caveat here is that it's distinct from the calendar mechanism, so it could be updated before we finish the calendar overhaul. Or calendars could be done first. The two work together, but they are independent of each other.

[salcor]

I am really looking forward to the GM sessions notes and player journals. Until then I will continue as I have in the past. I used Obsidian Portal as well, where I had my players post their player logs. Then I would copy them into RW under their player's background section (although I will add a journal snipped tag in the future) and then share it through RW.

Salcor

[Silveras]

Ooooo, I like that idea! I'll have to try that out to see if it'll work for my purposes. Would it be too much to ask for a snapshot of your campaign log setup? I'm still new to RW and visuals are definitely better for me, but if not I totally understand :)

Here's a simple one.

This Realm was created before the Calendars were locked down, so it has the Golarion calendar active.

[daplunk]

I imagine the Story Board could be used to link your journal together quite efficiently even allowing for split party situations.

[Asmo]

I'm using a topic for our journal (no dates) that i'm (DM) editing. I would love to see an option where players can edit the journal.

[mazzy]

Here's a simple one.

This Realm was created before the Calendars were locked down, so it has the Golarion calendar active.

Thank you Silveras, this gives me a much better idea of how to go about setting this up!

I imagine the Story Board could be used to link your journal together quite efficiently even allowing for split party situations.

This sounds very interesting to me, I like using the Story Board as a quick visual reference of the campaign. Would you mind expanding on the idea a bit or possibly doing one of your awesome videos on the topic? No worries if you've other things lined up though :)

[daplunk]

I set the structure up for this last night using silver as method and the storyboard. So yes a video is coming 😃

[mazzy]

I set the structure up for this last night using silver as method and the storyboard. So yes a video is coming 😃

Thanks daplunk! Another great video sir :D

[daplunk]

It turned into a bit of a discussion piece haha.

Realm Works - How to Setup Campaign Journals (https://youtu.be/rzPlQrKIlcY)

Realm Works and Hero Lab - How to Manage Encounters and Combat (https://youtu.be/xQD3AFi3q3Q)

[BJ]

I've given this thread a new home in its brand new forum! Thank you again for taking the time to create these videos. :)

[daplunk]

And doesn't it feel homely :) Thanks BJ!

[BJ]

Happy to help! :)

[daplunk]

A new video is up.

Realm Works - A Player Tour (https://youtu.be/2wAWC_L6yoM)

[daplunk]

Having recently started using Player Version there have been some learnings. This video covers them.

Realm Works - GM Discussion About Player View
(https://youtu.be/x71otL0OOxE)

[BJ]

Hooray for "learnings"! ;)

[mazzy]

Now that I've had some time to use Realm Works, thanks to the wonderful videos provided by various community members, I'm getting to the point where I'm trying to figure out the best way to organize everything. I know it's a personal preference and what works best for one may not work best for another, but I'm just trying to get a feel for the different ways of going about it as that may open my eyes to something I hadn't tried or knew was available.

Right now I have it laid out as per the adventure book, but that doesn't seem to flow very well for me, it just seems too all over the place. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

The other thing I'm wondering about is have any of you changed the default topic templates to work better with the system you use or do you adapt the system to the topic layout? Again, I'm sure this is personal preference, but it's always a learning experience to hear how someone else goes about things and why :)

[kbs666]

Everyone does things differently. The goal should always be to find a way that works for the way you run your game.

Don't worry to much about where the data is or how you arrange your topics at first. One of the great advantages of RW is the ease with which things can be re-arranged and even refactored if you change your mind about something.

As to customizing topic templates, I'd stick to the default ones till you've got the hang of the program and put some data in. Some people get really hung up over having lots of empty snippets in a topic but really that's no big deal. Players will never see them unless you reveal them and there is a way to remove all the empty ones from a topic if you want.

If you want more detailed advice post a screenshot of what you're doing and describe what you don't like. People will surely give you some pointers.

[Gord]

After watching Daplunk's "Managing Merchants" video for at least the fourth time in a couple of months, I finally got the time to think about the organization a little bit more and how I might want to do it for my campaign.

I love the table that J Rob Haring created and your idea for implementation. I did notice that while you would list the cost levels at the shop, the links would go to the same master list that included everything available anywhere and did not show the limits by locale.

Rather than having an article as "For Sale: Blacksmith", I was thinking of breaking it down also by locale. For example, there would be an article for "For Sale: Premium: Blacksmith" that would most likely include everything on the list (except perhaps the bark armour you created and added). There could also be articles for the other locales like urban and rural or perhaps even area specific ones for things like underdark, druid village, etc.

The advantage is that you won't see all the unavailable items and can have more granularity, the disadvantage is that you have to create multiple entries. This might not be a big problem if you do the Premium one first, then copy it and remove what you don't want for the areas where availability is tighter. Another disadvantage is that if you changed a detail on one list it would need to be modified on the rest.

Other options would be to just have a snippet for each of the locales in the same article or to add the locales to the table.

We could even tag the equipment with the locales it is available in, but this seems a tad obsessive.

[daplunk]

You know what... that's such an obvious improvement. Great idea!

[daplunk]

Morning all... I lashed out for a Syrinscape subscription so here's a video briefly showing how I use it with Realm Works. I'm converted... Syrinscape is my solution of choice for audio now.

Realm Works and Syrinscape (https://youtu.be/qCuJQa2AAZI)

100 subscribers! B)

[ShadowChemosh]

I'm converted... Syrinscape is my solution of choice for audio now.
Hard to not like it once you use it. ;)

[MNBlockHead]

@daplunk, perhaps you've covered it in another video, but have you thought about using the audio snippet? I'm not a big fan of audio when running my games--another thing I have to manage--but when I was looking into it, I liked the idea of having a snippet in the section of the scene or other topic that I could click on to play the audio. I could see having to scroll up or down for the table could be distracting.

[daplunk]

I have yes. It all comes down to really wanting to have control of the audio from the content I am reading at the time. As you said, it's just one more thing you need to manage, but having a link on the adventure page means its just a click.

my concern there is I will be inflating the size of my realm quickly. Adding in the audio snippet requires me to add a new copy of the audio file so to do this one every article where I want music will quickly create a bigger size problem than i already have.

[MNBlockHead]

That's a good point. Linking to an audio file is better than copying the file into the realm and having to sync that. I could see published content, however, embedding the audio into the topic. Otherwise, you've convinced me. Hyperlink to the file, don't embed it.

[daplunk]

New video up today.

Realm Works - Game Sessions and Using Reveal History (https://youtu.be/FRgRTRUiZ48)

[daplunk]

New video uploading now. Use this to call songs from Spotify from within Realm Works.

Realm Works - Integration With Spotify (https://youtu.be/peWlYyvOFxU)

[daplunk]

New Video Up - Realm Works - How To Print Your Realm (https://youtu.be/rDfwWKZ9cGI)

Huge thanks to EightBitz - this is all possible because of his work (http://forums.wolflair.com/showthread.php?t=57418)!

[daplunk]

New Video Up - Realm Works - Using Storyboards (https://youtu.be/esuNEMuK65M)

[daplunk]

Hey team,

Not directly related to Realm Works. But for anyone looking to generate pictures of NPCs this tool is pretty cool.

CC3+ / CA3 - Creating Pictures Of Player and Non-Player Characters (https://youtu.be/5ckpsWRX7n0)

[daplunk]

New video up tonight. This one is focused on using the Hero Lab Editor to create new spells.

Hero Lab Editor - Create Spells (https://youtu.be/m4LhJJZ3f6E)

[daplunk]

Yay for new/enhanced functionality.

Realm Works - Linked Web View (https://youtu.be/dTiSXf3gUCI)
Realm Works - Scan for New Links (https://youtu.be/ornpFHJRHVo)

[Bidmaron]

Daplunk, on the second video, you missed (I believe) the main use case. You need to have a topic previously created that did not auto-link because the term had not been created yet. For example, you have a topic that discussed 'ranger' but you haven't created the 'ranger' topic/article yet. Now you create the ranger topic/article and you want to scan your database for where you already used that term.

I think this is where the feature is completely and totally awesome.

[daplunk]

Good point :) I shall put that in.

[kbs666]

Daplunk, on the second video, you missed (I believe) the main use case. You need to have a topic previously created that did not auto-link because the term had not been created yet. For example, you have a topic that discussed 'ranger' but you haven't created the 'ranger' topic/article yet. Now you create the ranger topic/article and you want to scan your database for where you already used that term.

I think this is where the feature is completely and totally awesome.
That will be of great utility to world builders.

Of equally great utility will be people who buy content from the same publisher over time. Each time they add a part of the campaign world a scan for new links on the entire realm will find all the times things were mentioned in content that have now become topics. This feature gets rid of most of the need for various complicated schemes for how handle building those big campaign worlds.

[daplunk]

New video released last night. Focuses on the difference between the World Almanac and Story Almanac and creating topic views etc.

Realm Works - World Almanac, Story Almanac and Mechanics Reference (https://youtu.be/TQP7IEzzxC0)