Xref: utzoo rec.games.frp:1735 comp.sources.wanted:2726
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!ut-sally!bulko
From: bulko@ut-sally.UUCP (Bill Bulko)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: programs for frp
Message-ID: <9867@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: 14 Dec 87 16:41:43 GMT
References: <2305@k.cc.purdue.edu>
Reply-To: bulko@ut-sally.UUCP (Bill Bulko)
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 35

In article <2305@k.cc.purdue.edu> ajm@k.cc.purdue.edu (Dan Farmer) writes:
>
>I have never seen any programs posted to the network that are gaming aids
>for Dungeons and Dragons or other role playing games.  Such things as
>random npc generators, combat assistants, handy-dandy spell information
>databases, weather simulators, ect. Surely someone has written some??.  

A friend and I were talking about this recently.  You would think there'd
be a pretty good demand for something like this.  I can certainly imagine
our DM (hello, Greg) sitting at the table, feet propped up, terminal in
front of him where only he can see it, and keyboard on his lap.

(1)  The program could contain random number generators to replace dice
     rolls.  With a silent keyboard, it would be harder for players to
     tell when the DM is doing something covert.
(2)  The DM could easily keep track of all the players' statistics;
     I kind of like the window styles used in Wizardry for the Macintosh.
     (Sort of spreadsheetish.)
(3)  Combat assistants *would* be nice.  You wouldn't have to think
     about the numbers if the program could simply take two arguments
     FIGHTER1, FIGHTER2 and return "hit" or "miss". [Or even "critical
     hit", but that's another discussion.  :-) ]
(4)  Random NPC generators would be nice, too.

Any other ideas for this nice DM program?  Anyone interested in WRITING
one?

					Bill

_______________________________________________________________________________
	     Artificial Intelligence:  the art of making computers
		      that behave like the ones in movies
Bill Bulko						The University of Texas
bulko@sally.UTEXAS.EDU				Department of Computer Sciences
_______________________________________________________________________________