Creating a Module Template

[Silveras]

Based on prior comments made by LWD, as I mentioned in an earlier response, the difference between Copying and Import/Export is the preservation of IDs.

Copying a Realm creates a new Realm with the same Topics/Articles, but they have new IDs. Exporting and Importing preserves the existing IDs so the Topics/Articles can be updated with future re-Exports and re-Imports. As Farling mentioned, I do not think it is particularly wise to Export and Import back and forth in both directions between two (or more) Realms.. having one master Realm that you export from and import into others seems more stable (less prone to accidental errors).

A template Realm for modules sounds like the appropriate place for using Copy. Make a Realm that has the structure you want, then Copy it to create a new Realm for each module (assuming module is one Adventure) and then populate the Topics/Articles as needed.

If you want to propagate content (rules or story elements), you have two choices.

1) If each is to be a stand-alone version for running a group through them independently, you can Copy the Realm to create that stand-alone version. Updates to the original will NOT propagate to the copy, and later exporting elements from the original can create duplicates if imported into the copied Realm.

2) If they are somehow not meant to be stand-alone, or you want to apply further updates from the original to the spin-off Realm(s), then Export and Import seems more appropriate. Again, bi-directional Exporting and Importing increases the chances of messing up the original, so I don't recommend it (even if, in theory, it should work).

Once you have a Realm for each module (or for rules and background setting information), to *combine* them for actual play, that's limited to Exporting from the source and Importing into the destination, where the destination is most likely a new, empty Realm for that purpose.