Xref: utzoo rec.games.frp:1743 comp.sources.wanted:2739
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!hao!ames!elroy!cit-vax!cit-vlsi!flaig
From: flaig@cit-vlsi.Caltech.Edu (Charles M. Flaig)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: programs for frp
Message-ID: <4897@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 14 Dec 87 22:26:47 GMT
References: <2305@k.cc.purdue.edu>
Sender: news@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu
Reply-To: flaig@cit-vlsi.UUCP (Charles M. Flaig)
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 58
Keywords: C, portable


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??.  

I have thought about this in the past, and have even made some abortive
attempts at code, but have always gotten bogged down in the user interface.
Even with single keystroke commands or a good mouse interface, the more
you put into a program the less likely it is to be faster than doing it
by hand, mainly because of the limitation on how much you can put on the
screen at once.  I can easily flip my books open to the correct page for
common things, and can have several sources of infomation spread in front
of me (rather than having to flip through multiple screens).  For less
common things, all that is needed is a good index, and if you are going
to make your own, why not just type it up and attach it to your book?
(And make it available to others :-)

As I see it, several possibilities remain, each with drawbacks:

1) Dice rolling - Probably not faster or easier, but it _IS_ more
   secretive, and harder to lose on the floor.  But why use a bulky
   computer?  A programmable calculator will do in a pinch, and any
   hobbyist could build an electronic dice roller (and some are on
   the market).

2) NPC generation - Probably okay if you need simple NPCs, and don't
   worry about the total character making sense.  Definitely a bad
   idea for key NPCs.  But don't most people have tables for these
   sorts of random, meaningless NPCs?  And ususally if you have simple
   NPCs they appear in groups, in which case it is much nicer to have
   hardcopy spread in front of you during the game so you can watch
   all of them at once....

3) Weather simulation, etc. - But I do all of these things on purpose
   if they are meaningful, otherwise a whim suffices as well as true
   randomness.  If you want to remove any bias on the part of the GM
   (I can't imagine why, since this limits his options) there might be 
   a little more incentive for this sort of thing.

4) Map displays - These can look very nice, but I see no advantage
   over having them on paper, especially if you want to see large
   areas or compare several maps at once.  If you are worried about
   losing or damaging maps, maybe you just need to invest in good
   folders and cover sheets.

I don't really mean to discourage you from trying, I just wanted to
point out the results of my own past attempts at this sort of thing.
While computers are very useful for relatively simple (ie. mechanical)
solitare games, most FRP games require a large variety of support, so
the parallel format of spreading sheets and books across a desk seems
much more usable than the (relatively) cramped serial form of a CRT
display. 

--Charles Flaig
  flaig@cit-vlsi.caltech.edu