tying in with Hero Lab

[mirtos]

I vaguely remember that its possible to incorporate hero lab if you are using realms works. Is this the case, or am i mis-remembering?

[BoomerET]

mirtos,

On the Kickstarter page, go to the bottom of the page where the FAQ is, and check out entries 18, 19 and 20.

TL : DR
Yes


BoomerET

[mirtos]

ok, thats what i thought. So here's my question. Would portfolios be stored on the cloud? What about custom rules? custom classes? etc...

[rob]

Originally Posted by mirtos

Would portfolios be stored on the cloud? What about custom rules? custom classes? etc...

Absolutely! You would attach portfolios to the NPCs or encounters that you manage within the Realm Works. They would then be stored as part of those records in the cloud. Custom rules and classes could be entered using the Articles mechanism within Realm Works. Then they would be revealable and sharing with players, also living within the cloud.

Hope this helps!

[mirtos]

Originally Posted by rob

Absolutely! You would attach portfolios to the NPCs or encounters that you manage within the Realm Works. They would then be stored as part of those records in the cloud. Custom rules and classes could be entered using the Articles mechanism within Realm Works. Then they would be revealable and sharing with players, also living within the cloud.

Hope this helps!

It does. I have players living in multiple states now, and i havent fully convinced them to get Hero Lab because its been a pain to provide my custom classes/feats, so ive been maintaining all the character sheets and providing them PDFs when they levelled. But I think I could convince them to get a few copies of Hero Lab if all they had to do was use the cloud.

Thanks

[Thrantor]

One question I have is: If I create a Article for a PC and we attach the PC's portfolio to it... can both of us open... save and then re-add the portfolio?

I'm using dropbox right now for that kind of thing... we both have access to the portfolios of the characters.

[rob]

Originally Posted by mirtos

It does. I have players living in multiple states now, and i havent fully convinced them to get Hero Lab because its been a pain to provide my custom classes/feats, so ive been maintaining all the character sheets and providing them PDFs when they levelled. But I think I could convince them to get a few copies of Hero Lab if all they had to do was use the cloud.

There's a critical difference between portfolios and data files when it comes to Hero Lab. Realm Works will allow you to attach portfolios and outline how your custom classes/feats work through articles. However, the data files would be a completely separate thing. We have on the todo list the ability for GMs to host their own custom Hero Lab data files in the cloud for player access as well, but that's separate from portfolios and hasn't been implemented yet. I'm not certain whether that will make it in by the V1.0 release. If not, it's definitely planned, but I don't want you thinking it's in there when it might not be available immediately.

[rob]

Originally Posted by Thrantor

One question I have is: If I create a Article for a PC and we attach the PC's portfolio to it... can both of us open... save and then re-add the portfolio?

My previous examples were focused on NPCs and the like that only the GM controls. In the initial launch of Realm Works, it will not be possible for both the player and the GM to be editing the same portfolio. One will need to own it and have write access, while the other will treat it as read-only. This is an area where we plan to enhance things further, but it's not an immediate feature we'll be adding after release. Things like individual player reveal are higher on the priority list.

[Thrantor]

Originally Posted by rob

Things like individual player reveal are higher on the priority list.

Very much so... Just more of commenting on "this would be neat."

Although, could a player own a portfolio and the GM be read only? That way the GM has access to the portfolio at anytime and could make sure things are right?

[Thrantor]

Originally Posted by mirtos

But I think I could convince them to get a few copies of Hero Lab if all they had to do was use the cloud.

Mirtos, you could always just setup a shared dropbox folder and have them have access to the files that way. And you could store the portfolios on the same folder. That way the players can edit themselves and you can see the changes.

It's how I'm running my shadowrun campaign. Two of the players have HL and update the files in dropbox.