As I move farther along on my WFRP Genesys conversion, I’m going to start getting to the point I need to start doing formatting. After taking a look at some of the other settings produced by the community, I’m impressed by the quality being put out.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the photoshop talents (or the program) to create artwork for myself; I’m working mainly in Word to get the page layout right which is a struggle, but it’s coming along.

Are most people mostly creating their own or are they commissioning work from a source like DeviantArt?

I'm using my LaTeX template to do my layouts. But if you don't want to learn LaTeX (not a super-easy language to learn) you can use GM Binder . Assuming you know a little HTML/CSS, you can make it look real good.

Unfortunately I don’t have any HTML knowledge, and I’m using custom fonts as well, which I understand don’t work in GM Binder.

Word seems to do a decent job of the formatting, mainly I just need to get the tables worked on. Labor intensive, but it does the trick.

I'm not creating not like this right now, but I've created a lot of this to myself, cause I really like to see any RPG content with a good design and aesthetic, and I'm not talking just about the text and the mechanical aspect

I know how to use PS, even though I don't work with this and never sold anything that I'd created using it.

I use the Deviant and the internet in general to find some inspirations, RPG books and it's easy to find tutorials to learn about a specific effect or something like this.

I create the art I want and use the Word to do the work.

Somethings I don't know how to fix well, like the small artistic tables to put the adversaries's statistics.

I would highly recommend GM Binder . I have never used HTML in my entire life and i was able to figure it out by just copying and pasting the source code from the Genesys Template. Anything not covered or explained in the template's tutorial was easily solved with a quick google search.

My Gentlemen of Fortune setting started in a word document and very easily converted to GM Binder. The first version of the PDF was created in about a week of just blindly fiddling with GM Binder with no experience with HTML ever. Most of the images i used were found on Google and Pinterest. I have commissioned one of my players to make a cover for the book. The world map was created using World Spinner , but I'm hoping to learn some VERY simple image editing skills to personalize the map.

The program my artistic friend recommended i use is called FireAlpaca , Which is completely free. He basically described it as a fancy version of MS Paint for easy drawing and editing.

I did everything for my Dark Heresy conversion myself using InDesign. It's pretty easy to pick up and learn, although if you don't already have the software the price can be pretty offputting.

Thanks for the suggestions all, both the IMs and the replies here. I think the first step is to reach out to some artists on Deviant Art and see if anybody minds use of images with attribution, or see what a commission would run if not. My personal artistic skills are limited to drawing maps and plats for work, so I'm not sure that's much of an option in this case.

For formatting, I'll probably keep working in Word unless I hit a wall on the tables, then I'll see about dropping it into GM Binder.

On 7/4/2018 at 12:30 PM, Darrett said:

Thanks for the suggestions all, both the IMs and the replies here. I think the first step is to reach out to some artists on Deviant Art and see if anybody minds use of images with attribution, or see what a commission would run if not. My personal artistic skills are limited to drawing maps and plats for work, so I'm not sure that's much of an option in this case.

For formatting, I'll probably keep working in Word unless I hit a wall on the tables, then I'll see about dropping it into GM Binder.

I guess the Word can do it very well.

For creatures, now I'm trying a table, something like we can find in D&D5ed. Something colored but not cool as the Genesys model. I don't now yet how they to that in their books since Star Wars :s

The page background art and the book cover are what I really enjoy to practice

The creatures, places and equipments is hard... we can find a lot of good things in the internet. Some we can try to draw, some we can't...

On 7/2/2018 at 4:39 PM, c__beck said:

I'm using my LaTeX template to do my layouts. But if you don't want to learn LaTeX (not a super-easy language to learn) you can use GM Binder . Assuming you know a little HTML/CSS, you can make it look real good.

I've downloaded your template and the example looks great. I have no expertise at all in LaTeX but want to know how to get the style and other components correctly installed in order to work with an editor. I've downloaded the portable version of Texmaker for Windows but can't seem to figure out how to glue it all together. Can you provide any pointers on setting up the environment please? I'm looking to use for creating vehicle, weapons and NPC cards.

I use GMBinder for all my stuff and it works splendidly.