Influencing Future RPG Materials
 

As RPG companies get on board with Lone Wolf to release modules and rules in Realm Works I was wondering if this is or will start influencing the content of PDFs. Specifically, maps with and without labels. Typically a player version of a map is not included in a module unless there's a reason to have a player handout. With RW we need maps with and without labels so I'm hoping the industry will start including it with at least the PDF version. Maybe have it as a layer that can be turned on and off.

Any thinking company should already be doing so. You need those maps to use things like a VTT.

The only modules I buy with any consistency are PFS ones and they always have a player version of everything included so I assume it is standard for Paizo.

It's already starting to happen. The VTT companies are seeking out the maps for their products.

Good point, I didn't think about the VTT companies.

While I don't use VTT or a computer at the table. I always try to have players maps of areas that they would know or find. As soon as e-versions became available, the unmarked player map should have become standard.

I am hoping that RW will be a little more serious in supporting non-hacking games, also know as games that are not PF, D&D etc.

Always love RPG snobs.

It is a lot easier to support other RPGs, since each RPG only requires a "preferred" set of categories and tags to be defined once.

The community can easily define their preferred structure if the RPG publisher doesn't want to publish on RW.

I'm thinking you be seeing more that have a layers you can turn on and off in the PDFs to hide labels and stuff. When I was looking at Fantasy grounds tutorials this was pointed out as a feature on a lot of newer PDFs to be aware of when you get your player a gm version to use in FG.

I have seen PDFs like that for buildings and terrain tiles you can print and put together. You can change the look by turning on and off different layers.

0onegames makes this a big part of their marketing. They call the feature "Rule the Dungeon" and many - if not all - of their adventure maps have a button within the PDF that allows you to decide whether or not to show text, doors, secrets, empty space fill, etc. They often even come with different grid and hex sizes to switch between.