GM Tools?

[Frodie]

Just wondering, is there any thought of GM tools, like, a treasure generator, monster generator, etc?

[Lawful_g]

I think I heard something about this sort of thing a long time ago, but I have not heard anything since. It might have been at the booth at a Gencon? Or I might be confusing it with the Tactical Console.... Hrm....

[rob]

Where we have focused thus far is on capabilities that can be readily leveraged across a wide range of game systems, since Hero Lab supports numerous games. For example, the Tactical Console is common across all games, although its details are unique to each game.

Tools like a treasure or monster generator are uniquely tailored to each game system. In addition, I've never seen one that I didn't want to significantly tweak to my own purposes for my personal game. To do those sorts of tools well entails lots of work that is specific to a single game system, so we haven't focused on that stuff yet.

A goal for the next big release of Hero Lab is to focus on encounter creation/management. Once we get that into place, the groundwork will be laid such that we can start thinking about additional GM tools like treasure and monster creators. However, I'm not sure when we'd get started on something like that.

We have lots on our plate right now and there's only two of us to develop the core software. It's definitely something we have discussed doing and would like to do, but there are lots more things we want to do than we have time for, so it all has to get juggled. :-)

[SAbel]

That sounds great, BUT will all systems be able to have monsters IE 4E is the big one I am thinking about. Treasuer would be nice.

I still wonder though are we understanding Generator VS Creator or:
Generator = click button (with some borders for correct types to give to players) and random happens
Creator = have a data base and select from that (with some borders for correct types to give to players)

Okay Lunch is over now CYA later

[rob]

Anything we do will be handled in a game system agnostic fashion, just like everything else in HL is done. That means that the framework we setup should work for all games, including 4E. All of the specifics for each game system will be coordinated through data files written for that game system.

The obvious drawback is that, whatever capabilities we provide within the framework, the data files for each game system will need to be enhanced to leverage those capabilities. That will be a lot of work, since we have to do the work uniquely to each game system we support.

With regards to the question of "generator" vs. "creator", we have to do the creator before we can do a quality generator. So one must follow the other. At least, that's necessary if we want to do this well. And "well" means that users can tailor the mechanisms to their own preferences and readily customize the results of any "generator".

[SAbel]

I love your replies Rob They are like taking a train ride, you get to see all everything on the way to your destination. You answer in a way that makes me think oh yea I did not even know I had asked that question.
I am sure that what ever you guys plan will be done "well" as is all Lone Wolf software.

[Duggan]

FWIW, there was a program named RolePlayingMaster which offered this for d20-based systems. I never used it much myself, but I know of some who swore by it (and some who swore at it). Unfortunately, the project is somewhat dead in the water. I'm not even certain if you can get a registration password anymore.

[CivilSavage]

I found a link to a program called Inspiration Pad on a discussion forum. It is free and useful for generating random things for GMs like names, treasures, random encounters, etc.

You can program it yourself or use things developed by other users.

[Patrakis]

Here is something pretty system neutral ... A weather generator.

I have used one called weathermaster for the longest time but sadly it has disapeared from the face of the earth last year or the year before.

Just a suggestion.