I was captured by this game some times ago. Three weeks ago I had an idea: I have the ipod touch (and probably after christmas the ipad) and i find this objects very interesting and usefull.

If a GM could have the card and the other things on the i pad or on the ipod, the mastering could be very simply and more organized. So i thought to buy the downlodable version of the manual. But I have the core set (the real one, with cards and sheets) and I don't want to buy the same things two time. So I ask myself: if the FFG inserts a code in every expansion box and with this code you can download for free the book contained in every box, could this be a possibility for have a more organized table?

I hope to be clear...if you don't understand ask

Do you mean using the ipod touch (or iphone or ipad) to read a PDF of the rules? Or a dedicated app to find and display a particular card? (I guess the rules on cards are presented different in the new player and gm guides but I haven't seen those yet.)

If you're talking about the cards, personally I prefer actually handling the physical things, but it definitely takes time to find what you're looking for. However an ipod/ipad app with a well designed interface shouldn't take any longer to find a particular card, and it might even be faster.

The big advantage I see, would be to be able to make/import npc's, give them action cards, and then be able to find them fast in some directory. So you can limit the amount of stuff you have behind your gm screen.

Spivo said:

I'm thinking of trying to do something similar by copying Strange Eons cards into Microsoft OneNote. I'll have to make a workbook for all of my NPC's and keep each one on a seperate page while adding a subpage for each one as notes page.

It's going to be really tedious, but it might pay off in the long run.

Would be a lot easier if I didn't have to make the cards!

I would like to see a campaign builder from FFG, it would have a character builder, dice roller, adventure builder, and campaign notes. I have the books, (Im still waitng for Creature Guide and Vault to make to my FLGS) but a app like that instead of have different formats or different folders to contain all my campaign junk. One place to look at eveything would be lovely, pop the laptop, (yes I like power, memory, and multi-function to a overpriced Itouch) get your pieces out, start the game. I would pay thirty maybe even forty if it easy use, nice interface, and doesnt look like some spreadsheet program.

While I hope they make this stuff, I don't think it will happen. FFG are game designers, not programers. If we're to see this stuff, it would likely be fan-driven only.

Dont forget that FFG came out with a movie, so there is hope for this program. Here look at the sucsess of DDI, Hero builder, and GURPS Character Asstaint. They dont have to do the program in house, but a trusted other party could do it for them(they just have to pitch it to othere developers that they can make money from it as the those with the IPs get their cut should work). There is a market out there for support program, if FFG makes there other lines of RPG would be great. Once year they offer the expansion packs (new monsters, spells, action cards, and places)or the adventures to plugin for a price. Ive seen GMs at the store run the whole game from there laptop(even using it for backgroud music) and only had the the books there for the players to refrernce them.

I've always thought someone should make a Campaign Assistant in which you can quickly enter encounters. For instance, if your group is battling a River Troll and three Goblins, you them from the monster list (including any custom monsters) and on your screen the Troll and Goblins would appear in stat boxes, the Goblins grouped in order to specify that they roll initiative as one.

In fact, it could even use the dice roller app code to give you instant initiative checks, skill checks, or attack rolls which would free up the dice for player use.

On the stat box for the creatures it could have all the stats, current health, etc., as well as selectable boxes for action cards and card tracking round-by-round.

There's so much that could be done behind the scenes that would let GMs concentrate on storytelling and speed up combat sequences.

You guys need to check out Map Tools as it does exactly that and much more.

If you just need the "assistant & dice roller" part, you don't have much to do as GM : create a couple Tokens, give them stats. Just open any WFRP module and stay in the Staging area. You can prepare your tokens before hand.

Not really for taking notes though.

I'll have to check that out Cwell. I generally haven't used laptops or the like at all in gaming, but I find the bookkeeping tends to get in the way more in this game than in the past... probably because I'm often running NPCs at the same time.

its www.gitzmansgallery.com/MapTools_WFRP/index.html for those who need it.

I`m curently working on the maptool maps for False Pretenses adventure.

It will be ready 2nd week of Jan.

skolo said:

Skolo it looks great, I just never like the Maptool interface, you really have something really going there I'll be keeping a track of. Darret has what I want more, I havent used a map since I started playing War3ed. Creature stats block, NPCs' stats blocks, pcs' characters, Dice roller and my adventure notes right on the screen. The dice roller keeps acount of the modifiers of the place and condtion of the NPCs and PCs. Something where I wirte my adventure notes and plop in monstersNPCs, open file in the program its there. I dont want complete digital, I payed for the cards, standups, chit pieces and books wich will be used. It needs to be a GM tool to free up time for the game. We are all older players with family, time we have is for gaming, and less time preping and more timing to game is all for the better.

Its Gitzman`s creation, not mine. I just started with the business ;-)

Yes this tools could be very usefull for mastering the game. But FFG is a very big firm so it could create a specific program that contain all a GM needs to roleplaying the game more quickly. For exapmple: there can be a plug-in in the program that simulate the stance column used for iniziative in the encounters and it says when and who must act.

So I have a clear idea in my head but I'm not a computer programmer and so I cannot realise it. So I try to explain my idea:

- there is a main program that contains a research motor (as google) that search inside the database what you want.

- in every expansion, in addiction to cards and components there is a cd with the digital components (cards and manuals) that yoi in the database of the program and so you can have both the concrete component and the digital component.

- then in addiction some plug-in could be added to the program and they could replace some GM action (as the example above).

I have tried to explain in the best way but I don't know english very well, so sorry. If you don't understand, ask....

and until than let us use and populate maptool ;-)

there is a need to prepare additional stuff from vaults etc. I guess more can be done for WFRP3 plugin