Ultimate Equipment Items Locked Down

[ShadowChemosh]

Thanks Unseelie I see what your saying now. I wish I had some good advice but not really. The best I can say is that yea if the player does not have the Data package they can't use that Thing. I don't see it any difference when I was doing 3.5 and the players not only had to own a book if needed I was to be allowed to borrow the book and read up on their Thing they wanted.

So in this case if they really want to use that "extra" thing (Camel, Spell) they need to A) buy the package or B) learn to enter the Thing themselves.

So for my group I have allowed players to even use some 3PP stuff but they then where often required to Enter the stuff into HL and send me the .user file. Which often I put little fixes in quick or do something maybe they didn't know how but the bulk of that work is on the players. Then I maintain a central repository that gets distributed to everyone so we are all running the same data package.

Maybe instead of putting the cost and time for this on yourself you should push back on to your players. They want that Camel great enter it into HL and send you the .user file. Or they spend some money and purchase it.

I have to say I do want you as a DM as you seem SUPER freaking nice to your players!!!!

[Aaron]

In my personal game, I print character sheets and have the players record changes on there, and every time they level up I update the portfolio on my system and re-print out the character sheets. That way my players don't have to buy stuff themselves, but I don't have to enter things for them. It is a little inconvienant that they can't change their stuff in HL on the fly, but it works. Just an option for you.

[Umarian]

I have to agree with ShadowChemosh with having them code their own stuff. (Since I am one of those people in his group that he made learn how to do it.) It will take some of the pressure off of you, and it will help them learn their characters abilities.

In my case, it actually taught me more of the rules than reading the book did. When you have to pay attention to the details to code it correctly, you can catch that one piece that you were missing before, or the rule that governs that ability. It helped me learn a better understanding of things.

I even started trying to do it with my other groups, and they are enjoying it and coming up with their own stuff to do with it also.

[Theocrat]

I am unsure if this is an option. I own HL on my desktop and have two laptops. I had to buy a 3rd license for the use to place it on my additional laptop. Could you have just purchased 3-8 add-on's to your license and had that installed on the additional laptops? I don't wish to advocate something wrong via the EULA (being that I've hardly ever read it myself) but is it possible for that as an option? Although having now bought 5 additional licenses it seems that doing that would be an additional cost at nearly $10 an add-on.
I can see your frustration as well. I have PF, SR4e, 3.5 and another setting and have all the PF datasets and several of the SR4e datasets. Maintaining that cost for all the other laptops would be astronomical. For me as a player and GM, because I have all the datasets, it gives me an advantage that some of my fellows don't have. But we all have the actual books, so to me its not much of an advantage. Well, and even after 33+ years of gaming - I can't make a character without HL. Too many feats, skills and options to keep it all in my little head.

[Unseelie]

Originally Posted by Theocrat

I am unsure if this is an option. I own HL on my desktop and have two laptops. I had to buy a 3rd license for the use to place it on my additional laptop. Could you have just purchased 3-8 add-on's to your license and had that installed on the additional laptops? I don't wish to advocate something wrong via the EULA (being that I've hardly ever read it myself) but is it possible for that as an option? Although having now bought 5 additional licenses it seems that doing that would be an additional cost at nearly $10 an add-on.
I can see your frustration as well. I have PF, SR4e, 3.5 and another setting and have all the PF datasets and several of the SR4e datasets. Maintaining that cost for all the other laptops would be astronomical. For me as a player and GM, because I have all the datasets, it gives me an advantage that some of my fellows don't have. But we all have the actual books, so to me its not much of an advantage. Well, and even after 33+ years of gaming - I can't make a character without HL. Too many feats, skills and options to keep it all in my little head.

I haven't taken a look at their EULA myself, but I believe they will sell you no more than 2 additional licenses. If I could buy 6 or more total licenses, AND it wasn't a violation of the agreement (if it is), that would work for me. Heck, I'd even pay the full price of HL for licenses past four (rather than the discounted rate) if this was a valid use.

[Unseelie]

Originally Posted by ShadowChemosh

Thanks Unseelie I see what your saying now. I wish I had some good advice but not really. The best I can say is that yea if the player does not have the Data package they can't use that Thing. I don't see it any difference when I was doing 3.5 and the players not only had to own a book if needed I was to be allowed to borrow the book and read up on their Thing they wanted.

So in this case if they really want to use that "extra" thing (Camel, Spell) they need to A) buy the package or B) learn to enter the Thing themselves.

So for my group I have allowed players to even use some 3PP stuff but they then where often required to Enter the stuff into HL and send me the .user file. Which often I put little fixes in quick or do something maybe they didn't know how but the bulk of that work is on the players. Then I maintain a central repository that gets distributed to everyone so we are all running the same data package.

Maybe instead of putting the cost and time for this on yourself you should push back on to your players. They want that Camel great enter it into HL and send you the .user file. Or they spend some money and purchase it.

I have to say I do want you as a DM as you seem SUPER freaking nice to your players!!!!

Thanks.

Part of my frustration is, even if I (or the players) do the work, we're forced to do it in a manner that I'd consider incorrect. Let's go for the camel example again:

I have the bestiary, so all that really needs to be done is create a minion/hirelings thing so that there is a price set for a camel mount. (I know they don't have UE).

Except that I can't assume that my players have purchased the bestiary, so I also need to make a copy of the camel. Unless I want to deal with having two camels on my end, that camel would need to use a replace thing so as to replace the existing camel.

The problem, as I understand things, is that if I do that and distribute a data file with both the camel and the minion things, that replace thing will break the moment I give it to them... because they don't have the thing that it's replacing. This means that the only viable solution is for me, as the GM, to have to deal with the mess this creates.

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by Unseelie

Except that I can't assume that my players have purchased the bestiary, so I also need to make a copy of the camel. Unless I want to deal with having two camels on my end, that camel would need to use a replace thing so as to replace the existing camel.

The problem, as I understand things, is that if I do that and distribute a data file with both the camel and the minion things, that replace thing will break the moment I give it to them... because they don't have the thing that it's replacing. This means that the only viable solution is for me, as the GM, to have to deal with the mess this creates.

What you have listed above is basically all correct. What you mostly like would want to do instead the Replace Thing ID which will break is source your camel to your game system. Then simply turn off Bestiary and you will see only one camel.

Another idea, a little more advance, is to keep a .user file that is only on YOUR computer and never given to your players (ie Hidden.user). This would simply be used to do a *PRECLUDE ( a tab in the editor) of the Camel from the Bestiary on your computer only when you have your Game Source Turned on.

This way your players only see the Custom Camel as they have no Bestiary. You only see the Custom Camel when you turn on your Game Source. This way if you wanted to see the Real Bestiary or UE Things you would just turn off your game source and BOOM all official items get shown.

When you turn on your Game source only the Custom version of Things will be displayed. As you never give your players this "Hidden.user" file their stuff will just load up the custom creations only.


Example:
All my house rules run under "Shadow d20" (source.srcShdwd20)
1) So I make a new version of the Camel(thingid.rS2Camel)
2) in my Hidden.user file on the *PRECLUDE tab I have it set so when Shadow d20 is ON the official Camel is hidden.
-- srcShdwd20 rCamel
3) Do not distribute Hidden.user to your players. They only ever see rS2Camel and now you only ever see rS2Camel as long as "Shadow d20" source is active.
Note: Interchange names above with your own stuff.


No replace thing needed. Hope that helps.

[Unseelie]

Originally Posted by ShadowChemosh

What you have listed above is basically all correct. What you mostly like would want to do instead the Replace Thing ID which will break is source your camel to your game system. Then simply turn off Bestiary and you will see only one camel.

Another idea, a little more advance, is to keep a .user file that is only on YOUR computer and never given to your players (ie Hidden.user). This would simply be used to do a *PRECLUDE ( a tab in the editor) of the Camel from the Bestiary on your computer only when you have your Game Source Turned on.

This way your players only see the Custom Camel as they have no Bestiary. You only see the Custom Camel when you turn on your Game Source. This way if you wanted to see the Real Bestiary or UE Things you would just turn off your game source and BOOM all official items get shown.

When you turn on your Game source only the Custom version of Things will be displayed. As you never give your players this "Hidden.user" file their stuff will just load up the custom creations only.


Example:
All my house rules run under "Shadow d20" (source.srcShdwd20)
1) So I make a new version of the Camel(thingid.rS2Camel)
2) in my Hidden.user file on the *PRECLUDE tab I have it set so when Shadow d20 is ON the official Camel is hidden.
-- srcShdwd20 rCamel
3) Do not distribute Hidden.user to your players. They only ever see rS2Camel and now you only ever see rS2Camel as long as "Shadow d20" source is active.
Note: Interchange names above with your own stuff.


No replace thing needed. Hope that helps.

That's clever. I'll have to play with that. Thanks.

[lortondm]

I have a different Ultimate Equipment question. I bought the Ultimate Equipment dataset. If I start a new character portfolio, I'm able to see new items like the book of letters. But if I open a character portfolio I'd created before I bought the new dataset, I can't add the book of letter to that character's gear. It doesn't show up. How can I fix?

[bodrin]

Originally Posted by lortondm

I have a different Ultimate Equipment question. I bought the Ultimate Equipment dataset. If I start a new character portfolio, I'm able to see new items like the book of letters. But if I open a character portfolio I'd created before I bought the new dataset, I can't add the book of letter to that character's gear. It doesn't show up. How can I fix?

CTRL+K configure hero, select ultimate equipment source that should enable you to add UE items.