How long to develop one kit

[Mathias]

You can do the entire development of a new game system without purchasing the authoring kit package. What will happen is that you'll always the game system you're creating in demo mode (meaning you can't save or print characters). The authoring kit package allows you to use any user-created game system (plus our two example game systems - D&D 4ed and Savage Worlds) in normal mode rather than demo mode.

[eponette]

Well, this is what I said. I have to pay double price (HL and the Authoring kit) just to use the software and the kit I created. But if I play Pathfinder (for instance), I have to pay only once (and spend no time at all programming).

I find it weird commercially to ask people to pay twice and to do the job for you. But as RPG is a passion, I can easily imagine people paying (as I might do it as soon as I receive the rule book. But still weird.

[rob]

When you purchase Hero Lab, you can choose ANY game system as your FREE option. One of these options is the Authoring Kit. Included with the Authoring Kit selection is Savage Worlds, D&D 4th Edition, and any games for which users create data files. A significant number of Hero Lab users have employed this approach.

Based on this, it's not a matter of paying double the price simply to use the Authoring Kit. The Kit option includes two game systems that have meaningful value to a lot of players across the globe. In addition, the full data file source code of both those games is available with the Kit option.

Hope this makes things clearer!

[eponette]

That's what I wanted to hear... Nice. Thanks for the enlightenment. I just need to purchase it then.