How long, Really?

[Exmortis]

For published adventure paths, like Curse of Straud or Storm Kings Thunder (which I've bought), and which I would run outside of my world and as stand-alone adventure paths, I wouldn't bother with the data entry, even if they were available in PDFs. I don't find typing (or copy-pasting-formatting) large volumes of existing content fun. If they were available for purchase in the Content Market, I would buy them in a heart beat. Otherwise, paper is good enough for me.

Before, that is before RW, I would have agreed and even argued with you on this point. HOWEVER, now that I have T1-4, G1-3, and U1-3 all in RW, plus two campaign worlds....

Man I can't wait for the ability to merge my work on the modules series into my campaigns. I took painstaking care and tons of thought how to enter them in a fashion that is both useful for running as a stand alone or pulling into a world.

A few more tweaks and adjustments and they are ready.


Next up? D1-3 and Q1, OH those evil Drow!

 

[AEIOU]

@Ex Mortis: You are a machine! With the release of Bard's Gate for 5e I'm revisiting those entries in my realms. Being able to merge realms was the selling point for me and I'm waiting as patiently as possible for that to happen.

I'm thinking of T1-4 and U1-3 as well converted to 5e for merging and reskinning for the Lost Lands. But I've gotten sidetracked with video games again so those would be slow entry. You should post some screenshots from those classics you've entered to entice us to keep up.

 

[MNBlockHead]

@Exmortis, I'm impressed! I second AEIOU's requests for screenshots.

 

[Exmortis]

OK well here is a status info and screenies.

U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - done
• Full QA pass - 50% complete

U2 - Danger at Dunwater

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

U3 - The Final Enemy

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

T1 - Village of Hommlet

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

T2 - Nulb

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

T3 - Temple of Elemental Evil

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

T4 - Elemental Nodes

• Adventure entry - incomplete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

G1 - The Steading of the Hill Giant Chief

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

G2 - Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl

• Adventure entry - 100% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

G3 - Hall of the Fire Giant King

• Adventure entry - 40% complete
• Integration tweak - incomplete
• Full QA pass - not started

Telon Campaign - Vanguard MMO

• Compiled entire web info on realm - 100% complete
• Initial QA pass to remove mechanics data - 100% complete
• Organize continents by geography - 100% complete
• complete POI by territory - 100% Complete
• enter in all maps found - 100% complete
• Create Hero Lab User file for realm - 75% complete, needs QA pass
• Second QA pass for organization - 100% complete
• Final QA pass for playability - 25% complete

Daede Campaign - Personal Creation

• Initial history and world design - 100% complete
• Playable race design and rough history - 100% complete
• Organize continents by geography - 100% complete
• Complete POI by territory - 33% Complete
• Render maps in CC3+ - 33% complete
• Create Hero Lab User file for realm - 100% complete, QA pass done
• Second QA pass for organization - not started
• Final QA pass for playability - not started

Screenie list - U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

Screenie 1 - This is the base module. My entire design hinges around the Pen and paper model, that you buy/download/add modules. Think back, you bought game worlds, then purchased individual adventures.

Screenie 2 - Here is a look at the module break down. the Quest Topics are there as part of my integration tweak design. You can move any topic within a story line to your campaign world, however you maintain the "story relationship" to the module via this topic. So even if there was 25 locations, spread out now to your world, they would have a relationship link to this topic. Can be deleted if your not doing this.

Screenie 3 - Shows my entry of each monster in the adventure with its original game edition. I own all editions rule books.

Screenie 4 - Shows my entry for a "Keyed Location" using a topic of my own design. Of course I remove all unused sections for cleaner look. Missing is a visual aid, portfolio snippets. I use colors, Red(bold and underlined) to represent hostile creatures or trap, Purple (Bold and Italics) for non coin treasure. Treasure gets its own section to be revealed as coins are counted, items are identified or appraised. Since this takes time, it allows GM to reveal as it is done, and take what ever actions are required by the module (random encounters etc.). There are two GM fields for treasure value and XP value tracking. The challenge rating is there as some game systems use it like Pathfinder, so GM can use this if reskinning for use in a different rule set.

I have had to adjust some, U1 monster entries carried a lot of detail as you see in screenie 4. In G1-3 it contains HP a number of creatures. So in G1-3 instead of making creature in the encounter snippet also red, they are links to the actual monster entry (this module G1-3 is why I now do this, and I went back to U1-3 and added the MM1 monster topics), since you cannot run the encounter with out this info, unlike the U1-3 series which gives you enough. I have not decided to make either my normal yet, I will go back and QA my work when I do decide.

Screenie 5 - This was a fundamental topic/category addition I have made along with 4 others (Keyed location, my community, my individual, Monster entry, etc) to every realm I do. I have designed my own topics that better fit my personal views. No disrespect to LWD, but I just did not like the layout of the basic topics, however it was their genius that got me here. The biggest design choice was for me a GM section at the TOP, front and centre. GODS I hated as GM being a little off my game and not remembering a door had a trap on it and only seeing that in the text when the players were counting treasure! So having a GM section at the top relays a quick over view of what the GM MUST know right away.
**NOTE** If I just modified an existing, I simply added "My" to the name. This keeps the original intact, while making it easier to know what I have done. (i.e. My Community is a modified version of the Community topic)

The Read to Players speaks for it self. The Points of Interest is for finer detail, like what equipment is found on the a monster, what detects as magical, secret doors, what's in the cupboard, drawers, etc.. It is player info to be given, when players interact with the location. In a treasure room with lots of chests and traps, this section can be extensive.

Encounter Info speaks for it self.

Additional GM info is for the extra GM notes. Like story of a npc trapped in a room. Relevant info that the GM is given in module but does not pertain to the initial player interaction or info they are to be given.

The treasure section is for the GM to reveal as it is discovered. So in the POI section an entry maybe that a golem was wearing a necklace. then a follow up entry that the necklace detects as magical. here then is an entry with the necklaces actual ID, say:

The Necklace of Ynattirb Sraeps. This item is cursed, and once touched transforms the wearer into a washed up character class of their former glory. This has the affect of being equal too a loss of 75% of their current level, as if drained away by some negative force. This can only be reversed by killing the mythical elusive creature Crockernty Chissser, and bathing in this sad creatures blood. Only then can the necklace be removed.

 

[Exmortis]

Here are a few screenies from my Telon Project.

Screenie 1 - Shows my general organization of the world in RW.

Screenie 2 - Shows an example of a continental topic. notice I have entered all versions of the map I was able to find.

Screenie 3 - Here I show a drill down to Central Thesra, to the region of Misthaven Crossing. There is a lot going on in a Vanguard chunk or zone. In game this represented 1kmx1km. I will extrapolate this out to 50kmx50km. I have not decided if I want to recreate all the zones in CC3+.

Screenie 4 - Shows this historical timeline of Telon. The sad part is, each continent had many of what was called a "Lore Serial" written by Glip the Gnome. Most this work has long since been lost, but I have pieced together what I could from over two dozen sources.

Side note, Glip the Gnome is the son of late great artist Keith Parkinson. Keith was the art designer for Vanguard, and if you are a fan of his work, you can really see his influence in the game world design.

 

[MNBlockHead]

NICE!

I feel bad that these posts are hidden away in this "How long, Really" thread. This would be very useful to new users for examples of world and adventure setup.

 

[Exmortis]

NICE!

I feel bad that these posts are hidden away in this "How long, Really" thread. This would be very useful to new users for examples of world and adventure setup.

Thanks Man!!

I have considered making a you tube video tutorial series. Not because I feel my way is the best way, I think the true beauty of RW is it allows us all to have our own way, so to help those finding it daunting to get started, and realize that yes! you can modify and tweak to suit your taste.

 

[Vargr]

@Exmortis:
Very nice! Lots of good ideas some of which I will probably copy shamelessly (and most likely tweak a little for my usage).

@MNBlockHead:
I agree - it should really be placed in a different thread, so it would be easier to find.

We should probably have a forum exclusively meant for "I did it my way".

 

[Exmortis]

@Exmortis:
Very nice! Lots of good ideas some of which I will probably copy shamelessly (and most likely tweak a little for my usage).

@MNBlockHead:
I agree - it should really be placed in a different thread, so it would be easier to find.

We should probably have a forum exclusively meant for "I did it my way".

Shame? Not at all, if I was so intent on protecting my ideas I would not have put them here. Much of what you see comes from what I have seen here, with some thought, many failures, and a lot of trial and testing.

Though I do not always post, the info provided here by the RW users has ben helpful beyond calculation.

If anyone sees something that in turn sets the creative fires raging, or even just lightly flaming Then the goal of always paying forward is met.

 

[wurzel]

We should probably have a forum exclusively meant for "I did it my way".

Now that is a very good idea. There is always room for improvement. During the first couple of months using RW I spent more time changing the structures than creating new content. Whenever I find a good idea somewhere here in the forums that procdere starts again... so it would be very helpful to have all those brilliant stuff in one dedicated place.

 

[Exmortis]

Um did no one get this?

Ynattirb Sraeps

and

Crockernty Chissser

 

[thekwp]

Um did no one get this?

Ynattirb Sraeps

I refuse to get this one, or any of her albums.

and

Crockernty Chissser

This one I genuinely didn't get.

 

[MNBlockHead]

Um did no one get this?

Ynattirb Sraeps

and

Crockernty Chissser

I get the first, but the second is eluding me.

As for your thought to show how you set up your Realm in RealmWorks on You Tube, that would be a wonderful resource to have.

 

[Exmortis]

Chris Crocker

 

[adzling]

nice posts Exmortis.

I'd like to get this thread back on track, how long is it going to be, really?

 

[wurzel]

Chris Crocker

Never heard that name. Who is that?

 

[Chemlak]

Leave Britney alone!

 

[Exmortis]

do a you tube search. Or watch south park.

 

[Aaron]

Leave Britney alone!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct...I7mEk1XDtWgsoDEWzNQ_-ZBw&ust=1474745115859352

 

[Exmortis]

nice posts Exmortis.

I'd like to get this thread back on track, how long is it going to be, really?

A question everyone would love to answer, Rob and team more than us I am sure. But no matter what, this cannot be answered until the answer is "Today".

Customers always want finite answers, but when they themselves are in the hot seat, know that this is product suicide to do so.

Reality is, no one has the magic mirror, no one is an oracle, we are just people. I am sure LWD would have loved to see it all working some time ago, but best laid plans are just that - plans.

If Rob states a date, and it slips, the general customer will crucify him, if answers too far out, the general customer will crucify him. The average person just wants a pound of flesh.

I get it, you want it now, so do I, but just know that overtime these posts arise, and stir the proverbial pot, Rob or a team member has to take precious coding and design time to post big long diatribes, that in the end just state the same thing as they always do and will:

"When it is ready."

Really, the fact the team is still here, updates are coming, support calls are being answered, LWD is working on RW.

I can assure you of one fact, RW will only be a market success (that's profitable long term) if and when they get the content market. You do not make money on $50 investment and life time unlimited sync/storage for your users.

I am not trying to be a jerk or disrespectful, I just know the time cost of these events. Last year I was technical lead for a huge mobility project that also included a new OS to be supported in out 11,000+ node enterprise, and the biggest cost of valuable time was my CIO and his right hand parrot. At one time about a quarter of the way down the long road I had estimated for my management they had wasted over a week of my time. Asking questions that were answered in the weekly and monthly status reports (worse these management reports wasted about 5x that time), stopping me on my way to and from my lab (why I begged to be able to working there all day as opposed to being visible).

Every time we stir the pot, for the information they do provide in a timely enough manner, we exact a toll, that toll is paid in what otherwise would have been progress.

Finally I also, being a computer gamer, know what half baked releases are. They suck way worse then the wait, are three times longer to a stable release then staying in the proverbial oven. There will always be bugs, problems, but a little extra time and effort on the front end, will save three times that time in fixes and issues. Wish my CIO would understand this, at his pay grade I shouldn't have to explain it, and it shouldn't have been like talking to my cat. I personally would rather wait a month or two longer, then have a half baked release.

One thing is certain, the better the release, the faster they can respond to the support calls for the issues what will sneak through, and the faster everyone enjoys the forth coming features.

We all want the content market and/or the features it promises. But it is not like we paid $50 and have been left to rot. Sides until its released we get free sync and storage, I am saved almost the cost of the product itself in that alone, that's more then I usually get when companies miss their timelines, usually I am told to just wait.

At least I am waiting with a small token of the reality that it is a much bigger project then first understood. I am not defending them, so much as figure I am in for the penny and the pound now, may as well be gracious about it, because way I see it is, it benefits no one to be otherwise.