Lekai
Commoner
Posts: 20
Favorite D&D Class: Rogue
Favorite D&D Race: Human
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Apps
Jun 1, 2015 23:50:58 GMT
Post by Lekai on Jun 1, 2015 23:50:58 GMT
I remember there were some great pathfinder apps and there are a few PC-centric apps around 5e. As a side project, I'm going to start working on something with a friend to teach him front-end code and building to design specs and thought that with all the PC-centric resources, it would be cool to make a digital DM screen or something complete with RNG based items and other fun things.
If you guys had a digital DM screen, what would you want on it? (imagine for a tablet or something)
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Samuel Wise
Demigod
Ready to Help...
Posts: 989
Favorite D&D Class: Warlock
Favorite D&D Race: Mousefolk
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 0:09:59 GMT
Post by Samuel Wise on Jun 2, 2015 0:09:59 GMT
If I had a digital DM screen there would be one thing I would love to have (besides a classy interface) and that is not too common. Random encounter generators. If I could just input my players levels and it pops out several names of monsters designed for a certain encounter level, that would be pretty cool. It would be even cooler if the DM could input a certain terrain as well when shuffling random monsters...
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 8:59:47 GMT
Post by joatmoniac on Jun 2, 2015 8:59:47 GMT
I think that Almarianknight is onto the main thing that would be amazing for a digital DM screen. If there were a few button on the interface that linked up to back end random lists it could be pretty awesome. Random NPC name - push button - get name. Random tavern name - push button - get tavern name. Essentially building random tables from the source books into easy buttons seems like all kinds of win. I agree that a Random Encounter button would be the cream of the crop of that idea. Can't wait to see what comes of this, and really like the idea. I think you could get a lot of buy in for it on app stores. The more system agnostic it is the better of course if you are planning on selling it at all, and just in general for a tool like this, haha.
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 13:31:04 GMT
Post by friartook on Jun 2, 2015 13:31:04 GMT
There are plenty of web apps that do this. I can't look them up, as I am at work where the IT overlords have banned fun, or I'd post some links. If I get time tonight I'll edit this. The one site I know of off the top of my head is donjon.com. Random generators for dungeons, world maps, encounters, npcs and more for multiple systems (including 3.5 and 5e D&D).
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Samuel Wise
Demigod
Ready to Help...
Posts: 989
Favorite D&D Class: Warlock
Favorite D&D Race: Mousefolk
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 14:51:43 GMT
Post by Samuel Wise on Jun 2, 2015 14:51:43 GMT
There are plenty of web apps that do this. I can't look them up, as I am at work where the IT overlords have banned fun, or I'd post some links. If I get time tonight I'll edit this. The one site I know of off the top of my head is donjon.com. Random generators for dungeons, world maps, encounters, npcs and more for multiple systems (including 3.5 and 5e D&D). But are there any of those on the iPad/iPhone? That is what I really need...
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 15:17:51 GMT
Post by DMC on Jun 2, 2015 15:17:51 GMT
There are plenty of web apps that do this. I can't look them up, as I am at work where the IT overlords have banned fun, or I'd post some links. If I get time tonight I'll edit this. The one site I know of off the top of my head is donjon.com. Random generators for dungeons, world maps, encounters, npcs and more for multiple systems (including 3.5 and 5e D&D). But are there any of those on the iPad/iPhone? That is what I really need... Apps? Not that I know of. Just websites.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2015 15:55:15 GMT
Tbh, I tried apps and found myself feeling like I was babysitting apps, not DMing.
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 16:08:45 GMT
DMC likes this
Post by friartook on Jun 2, 2015 16:08:45 GMT
Tbh, I tried apps and found myself feeling like I was babysitting apps, not DMing. Agreed. I use a laptop for my Monster Manual, because its a PDF and I can one click reference pages. But other than that, I don't want to have my head in a screen. In fact, if I have time I'll do screen grabs of the stat blocks I need and montage them together on a print out. I have yet to see or try a compelling application or web service for DM use. They tend to feel more cumbersome than streamlined.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2015 16:11:59 GMT
I use index cards now. For monster statblocks and initiative. Works out wonderfully.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2015 16:12:29 GMT
Also..I play 3.5 in large part because of d20srd.org.
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Post by DMC on Jun 2, 2015 16:23:39 GMT
Yeah, I hope 5E gets an OGL soon. We'll see a ton of stuff come out then.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2015 16:28:09 GMT
Doubt it. Seems like WoTC put the kibosh on it during 4E.
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Samuel Wise
Demigod
Ready to Help...
Posts: 989
Favorite D&D Class: Warlock
Favorite D&D Race: Mousefolk
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 16:32:54 GMT
Post by Samuel Wise on Jun 2, 2015 16:32:54 GMT
Yes, they are going completely Tolkien on us (the first thing I think of when it comes to strict licensing)...
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Lekai
Commoner
Posts: 20
Favorite D&D Class: Rogue
Favorite D&D Race: Human
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 19:19:29 GMT
Post by Lekai on Jun 2, 2015 19:19:29 GMT
Well, the reason I ask is because I currently use a laptop + donjon and other generators and I like being able to quickly reference my notes and I try to be eco-friendly (and printers suck). But I agree - too many apps means that you're constantly staring at a screen and that's not ideal at all. Whatever I do, the focus will always be on bringing focus to the table and not the app itself as helper modules that require focus and effort don't end up helping anything.
What I currently do is I have a google doc 'adventure journal' where my PC's can record what happened in a play session. If they don't make a record, they forget things and I can use what they are missing to bite them in the ass. If the players do take notes I can see where the players focus is, and what they noticed in my game which allows me to take relatively minor things and expand upon them, knowing that my players are focused on that aspect of the play session. It also is useful to compare against my DM notes to see what sticks and what doesn't. The other benefits are that it can be used as a cheat book for the players and can quickly bring new players up to speed.
For an MVP I was thinking about something that just allows me to compare notes and potentially pull from those existing sites (would be nice if someone had a db API I could pull from though)
The goal of asking the forum was to spark conversation about what an effective tool would look like, more than why people do or don't use them.
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Samuel Wise
Demigod
Ready to Help...
Posts: 989
Favorite D&D Class: Warlock
Favorite D&D Race: Mousefolk
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Apps
Jun 2, 2015 19:49:02 GMT
Post by Samuel Wise on Jun 2, 2015 19:49:02 GMT
What I currently do is I have a google doc 'adventure journal' where my PC's can record what happened in a play session. If they don't make a record, they forget things and I can use what they are missing to bite them in the ass. That is an awesome idea. And (if I had a computer of my own) I would certainly want a program app like what is being discussed (any program app would helpful, really)...
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