Player/GM view on separate screens?

[MNBlockHead]

@Acenoid. So far I have only used Player View for smart maps and to show symbols and some drawings (usually of architecture or natural obstacles). Smart Map reveal can be a little fiddly and getting things prepped before the session starts is helpful.

To reveal the map, you have to have the topic and the map snippet revealed. Then I open the map in a new tab. Then I click on the tool button and select "show in player view". In the Player View tab, I generally resize the window to take of the full screen and then click the reveal bubble. As I reveal more of the map, I generally have to auto resize as a go along. As you reveal more area, you need to remember to save as you go to have the changes shown in the player view.

I do most of what I described above before the game session. I've gotten pretty good with the reveal marker and select-area tools so it doesn't slow down the game much, though some maps are more challenging that others to select areas to reveal without revealing too much or not enough.

It certainly speeds the game up over explaining what they see and have the players try to sketch out a map on grid paper.

[Farling]

Once the map is on display on the player view screen, it doesn't take long to reveal a new section of map when the party move into that area. I consider it no slower, and perhaps quicker, than drawing the outline of the map on a gaming board.

[rob]

Originally Posted by Acenoid

- requires effort to show certain topics, in player view it is necessary to align everything then click on the circle to show it.

Prior to the game session, you'll probably have a good idea regarding the major of topics the PCs will interact with that you want to show in Player View. So add them to Player View in advance, position them where you like, and hide them all. Then you can very quickly show them as needed during the session. There's always going to be stuff you didn't expect, but the frequency should be relatively low, so showing that stuff on the fly won't be that big of a deal. That's what I do, and it's worked extremely well for me.

Originally Posted by Acenoid

- Default Fonts seem to be tiny?

You are probably using a 1080p display at 1080p resolution. Try setting it to 720p instead. That should solve the font size issue for you.

[Faerie]

Originally Posted by rob

<rant on>

There are as many different ways to run a game session as there are GMs out there. When we set out to create Realm Works, we focused on addressing needs that other products didn't touch. So we very intentionally designed Realm Works to NOT be a Virtual Tabletop. Of course, that doesn't stop anyone from thinking we SHOULD be a VTT.

But the simple reality is that, if we did add more VTT capabilities, then we'd start being directly compared to other VTTs. And then people would be complaining that we don't support light sources, or whatever else they think we SHOULD have in the product. So it doesn't matter what we do, someone out there will consider us stupid for not creating exactly the product they happen to want. Our objective is to create a product that a significant number of GMs DO want, with a tiny team, and I believe we've largely achieved that thus far - plus the list of what we DO offer continues to grow over time.

For those who want a VTT, Realm Works is not the best choice. There are multiple other products out there that do that stuff reasonably well. However, Realm Works overs a vast array of capabilities that NOBODY ELSE offers. If you want THOSE features, then Realm Works is an excellent option and well worth the investment.

Adding "live sync" was included in the feature survey we did early last year. It was not high on the collective list that everyone voted on, which means it's a capability that some felt is a "must have", while others couldn't care less. It will again be on the next survey, which will follow at some point after the Content Market goes live. Perhaps it will fare better this time around. You'll all have an opportunity to lobby the community for your personal favorites at that time.

<rant off>

Thanks for this information. And I tend to agree that Realm Works does exactly what it was designed to do, and does it very well. It's a world building and campaign management tool. A pretty awesome one at that. I've actually not had any complaints yet about a LWD product beyond some bugs which get fixed shortly after reporting them usually. So kudos to your team.

Would it be nice if RW had more VTT capabilities? Sure it would. Is it required, not really. When I want a VTT to run a game online I reach for other programs. When I want a comprehensive database with so many robust features I'm still learning about them for my campaign world, I reach for Realm Works.

[Faerie]

Originally Posted by Toblakai

I don't really want a VTT, I use a mat to play on with mini's, don't plan on changing that. I would like the ability to reveal things like room descriptions, pictures of monsters/characters, treasure found in rooms, the name of businesses (and the associated NPC's) as the players wander through towns, etc. Do VTT's do this (never really looked), I thought they were mostly for combat management and dynamic mapping?

I also really would not want to enter the same information into 2 different places, one is already enough...

D20 Pro does this to an extent. Then again, it's a pain getting things set up if you plan to use it's built in combat system. And you have to set up the handouts in advance, then remember to send them to players (and remember to revoke them later).

[Acenoid]

Thanks for the infos. I will try next session.

[Toblakai]

Originally Posted by Farling

GeChic is the brand that I've been using, available at http://www.gechic.com/product_en.asp

I ended up buying a different brand, but picked up a 15.6 inch USB monitor for $95. Used it in my last gaming session and it worked great.

[ruhar]

Originally Posted by Farling

You can get cheap second monitors which are powered by the USB port and also plug into the video port on your laptop. I use one of those when GMing.

Originally Posted by Toblakai

The 2 friends houses I play at do not have anywhere to put a monitor (small room, small table) laptops take up all the space, would be nice to use the laptops for this.

I GM at a friends house in a small room. They have a small flat screen monitor that I use that doesn't take a lot of space. I place it in front of my laptop to conserve space.

Another option is to get a small projector to hook to your computer, but you would need a blank wall to project on.

[Cornelius]

I started to use my tablet as a second monitor to my laptop. You can use apps like Splashtop for this. I hook both my laptop and tablet on my friends wifi and that works fine. As a small device it can be handed down to the players around the table.

[ruhar]

Originally Posted by Cornelius

I started to use my tablet as a second monitor to my laptop. You can use apps like Splashtop for this. I hook both my laptop and tablet on my friends wifi and that works fine. As a small device it can be handed down to the players around the table.

I did that when RW first came out and it worked well. Just make sure you test it and know what needs to be done before the game.