Forum Dice Roller Question

Started by Nefaro, October 08, 2018, 03:22:21 PM

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Nefaro

Does the integrated forum dice rolling software also happen to include a poker card draw feature? 

Wondering if a self-contained Savage Worlds PbP would be feasible here. 

Being October, been juggling the idea of a starting a horror themed forum RPG sometime.  One that plays pretty quickly without too much rules explanation yet still readily offers steady action in the theme without players getting killed quite so easily as something like Call of Cthulhu.  Thinking Deadlands Reloaded for a mix of hoakey horror & action, but it uses a deck of poker cards for initiative, huckster magic, and dueling. 

If not, maybe I'll look into doing Pulp Cthulhu (Call of Cthulhu 1930s, slightly higher player survivability), Delta Green (CoC off-shoot, secret 'cleanup' type operatives, probably 80s-90s, some dark shit though), or possibly World Of Darkness (modern-ish, also kinda dark) depending on interest.  Although I still think Deadlands' setting probably has the most potential for creative nuttiness and comedy mixed in.  :))   These latter RPGs also have more front-loaded reading involved on my part, so would take longer to get to.

Will put up a small poll after figuring out the range of forum features.

JasonPratt



No?

I should think a poker feature would need to be synchronized with a deck, but maybe a yahtzee type dice feature would do the purely random poker result?

In that case, a 14 sided dice (or 15 with jokers) would generate something like an Ace through King (or through J) result.
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JasonPratt

Note that if Deadlands has a TTS or Vassal module or something like that, you could GM your rolls or draws behind a screen (so to speak) using the deck functionalities in those systems.

That's how I'm GMing the Republic of Rome game we're running on the forum currently.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Nefaro

Quote from: JasonPratt on October 08, 2018, 03:30:44 PM
Note that if Deadlands has a TTS or Vassal module or something like that, you could GM your rolls or draws behind a screen (so to speak) using the deck functionalities in those systems.

That's how I'm GMing the Republic of Rome game we're running on the forum currently.

It would be fairly easy to do in TTS since there are probably tons of cards & dice apps in it. 

However, I'd be doing a play-by-post game so everyone doesn't have to be on, in real-time, at the same time.  A game of convenience.  To start with, anyway.

Didn't realize you were doing Repbulic of Rome.  After reading much of the rulebook to my Valley Games edition, it seemed like a damn rules nightmare to teach to anyone.  :hide:

Nefaro

Wait.. so are you drawing for everyone?

Guess I could just be the "dealer" and deal out cards in TTS, take a screenshot of each, and post. 

Would be extra work but maybe there are quicker apps to do something similar.

JasonPratt

Yep, I created the decks in TTS (imported the graphics actually from card scans), and I'm dealing the cards either to players or out openly as appropriate for their type. Sometimes I take snapshots, sometimes I just describe the cards and effects using text.

RepubRome only has one actually secret pile of data, which are the Faction cards each player holds face down until they choose to play (or trade or donate or discard). So I send each player a p-mail to let them know what they've got, and generally when they'll be able to play it. (Which for most Faction cards this early in the game amounts to "not yet". ;) ) I include a snapshot through imageshack for reference.

There are a few Deadlands mods for TTS, such as this 54 card deck for DL Classic: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=413658585&

ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

Quote from: Nefaro on October 08, 2018, 03:38:50 PM
After reading much of the rulebook to my Valley Games edition, it seemed like a damn rules nightmare to teach to anyone.  :hide:

I came to realize:

1.) The game really needs an umpire to manage the rules so the players can just have fun making their choices. The resolution mechanics for their choices is what drains the game face to face.

2.) There's a fan expansion pack called "Birth of the Republic" which serves as a nice scale-up in complexity for new players, especially if they're being umpired. Most of the game's functionality starts locked off behind progress gates this way, so new things get introduced along the way rather than new players being thrown completely off a cliff. Took me a while to import all the material into a custom module, even though I was partially using a module already on TTS, but the results have been worth it!  O0

3.) The Player Factions work better if everyone has special abilities to manipulate the game. So I borrowed some principals from the canonical four bot factions, and created 8 player factions. So far it's working out nicely.

...we've still got two slots open by the way.  ^-^
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Nefaro

I have so much gaming on my plate, I'm not even sure I'll get a PbP RPG going this month. 

It's gonna happen sometime, though.  Just gotta figure out which is best balanced at both ease of PbP use and thematic popularity.