Topic: How do you use a computer to help you play RM?

[Griffonbait]

This has come up in the thread Poll: Which versions of Rolemaster do you play?

In what ways do you use a computer to assist your playing/GMing or say character creation, etc.

As I stated in that thread:

I use a random treasure generation program that I wrote for Windows (and no, it is not a spreadsheet but a true Windows program written in C#2005 - a masterpiece even if I do say so myself  ). I do sometimes look up my PDFs using Acrobat when I can't find what I want in my printed copies, but I have never used a spreadsheet to say, run combat or deal with skill checks, etc.

Anyone else want to have a say?

Cheers,
Griffonbait

[Balhirath]

I use exel for charactersheets and some PDF (According to my GF a laptop looks less messy than 5 rulebooks on the table. )
I dont use Random treassure and I dont use Random Encounter programs.

[Ecthelion]

We use the a spreadsheet - which is also available in the downloads section - for tracking character damage and XPs. Some of us also use a spreadsheet for character creation.

[Onirim]

I never, never, never use any computers in play. The presence of this kta'virii artefact isn't really "ambiant" ^^
But i use a calculator

[Tarek]

I  use JD's spreadsheet for character generation, and an ASP .NET application for tracking CEATS II Initiative, look up damage & criticals, track damage and spell effects, resolve maneuvers....

I don't use random encounters or treasure,and don't use the standard experience, so I don't use computers for those.

I've got inexperienced players and am too lazy to do maths when I'm not at work, and writing the ASP code was as much to help me get my head using it for web based programming as for the game (I used to have an excel sheet for damage & crits before that).

[markc]

 I use a spreadsheet to keep track of the PC's character sheet, my copy is the officaial not matter what yous says.

 One day I would also like to write a combat program as I use a custome combat system. I think it would speed play a lot to just have the PC's giving me thier OB/DB split, rolling to hit, rolling crit and learning damage, bother thiers and thier opponets. You could even run a blind HP system and let the PC's know if and only when they experienced penaties do to hits lost.

MDC

[Justin]

self-made excel sheets for characters. Started with PC's, modified it to give me random stats and coinage for npcs (after i select race, lvl, a few important skills, and their profession type.)
I keep lots of info (world detail, house rules, etc) in both word docs and excel docs. I used a random map generator for the world when I first started creating my game.
I was writing a combat tracker, but decided not to.

[vroomfogle]

I use Excel sheets for characters, plus a variety of utilities at the table: Tablesmith, name generator.    I have my website Nomikos library up in a browser as well, and also keep a bunch of notes: character backgrounds are on my site so I have access to that.   Also got my own combat tracker that has all the charts (screenshot below).

The presence of the computer is a bit of a bother, but the benefits of it far outweigh that.

[Cory Magel]

We have a combat program much like Vroom's for NPC's only.  But we do everything else by hand

[Chaman]

I use a converter to move RM2 NPCs to RMSS/FRP, it's an Excel sheet hacked from some of the character creation sheets, mainy so I didn't have to enter the data. I plan on writing a VB version (maybe C++), and use Access databases.

I will likely also write a treasure generator and might give a combat tracker a whirl.

[GoblynByte]

I have a general "no computers" policy at the gaming table.  But generally speaking I'm not opposed to them for prep time.  So combat programs and random generators in-game are out.  But character generationmamangement programs/spreadsheets are cool.  I also use every piece of software at my disposal to prep my campaigns to include music mixes, sound effects, handouts, modules, character pictures, maps, etc.

As for using spreadsheets for RMSS/FRP it certainly isn't needed, but it does make the process faster.  When the only thing that extends chargen time is the simple management of numbers I don't see the point in not using shortcuts for that.  If what extended the time was pure creation of character peronality and background I'd be very impressed and rewarding to a player who put in that much effort.  But just spending that extra time crunching numbers is a waste of time to me.  So all the spreadsheet does is crunch the numbers for me so I can spend my time on other more important things.

[yammahoper]

In our group, I was the last to switch, but even I use programs to make characters most of the time.

But...I have always liked making characters and NPC's.  I can churn out a PC in about an hour, an NPC much faster than that...with my pre created skill/catagory sheets of course.  When I have to write a skill/catagory sheet out by hand, well, I wait until I have access to a photo copier then make the character.

lynn

[David Johansen]

Custom Charactersheets and pdfs

Not much else.

[Vince]

Sometimes we need a computer because not everybody lives in same city!!

ADSL is a must to see through the webcam the dices, maps. We also scan character sheets, maps to send us the day before the game.

[Chaman]

Ya, I tend to do custom character sheets for most games I play.
And I normaly generate random encounters prior to a game so I don't have to make hasty notes. How I do this is by pregenerating 10 to 20 encounters for the expected environments, sometime more, and 5 to 10 for less expected environments. This includes treasure so any (semi)intelligent adversaries have a chance to use the gear to help.

Don't use them all? not a problem, generate new ones to replace the ones you did use and save them for the next game.

So a combat tracker would be the first and only program I would concider using during a game, mainly to see if it would make combat flow faster. I kind of expect that it won't, but coding it would be interesting.

Oh, I also build my own random charts when I feel it may help.

[Temujin]

I use PDFs.  I also use a textpad to keep track of my experience, HP, PP, bleed, etc.  For games where I need to do a lot of bookkeeping as a character, one game in particular, I use a collection of files rather than paper documents to keep track of what I do.  For exemple, one document detailing all the books I put my hands on (the character is a loremaster), one to keep track of time, economic investments and items for trade (he is also an alchemist), etc.  Depends on how complex the game is...  90% of the games, I mostly use a computer for the PDFs and keeping track of combat stats.  But I might have a file for summoning tables, if I play a summoner, and so on.

[Griffonbait]

Wow! It is good to see a lot of commonality here as well as differences.

GoblynByte makes a good point about using the computer to prepare for gaming. I was really only thinking about using it for playing but preparation is every bit important too.

From that point of view I use the computer for quite a bit. Most for preparation; spreadsheets to create GM tables, wordprocessor for notes, databases for data collection, my own programs, webpage design porgrams for my blog (http://griffonbait-rolemaster.blogspot.com/ - can't help myself but promote it  ), graphics programs for image manipulation, pdf reading/creation, hell, I have even tried 3D design for creating a walkthru of a hallway.

Come to think of it, I suppose I really do use a computer quite a bit, but it is very rare during actual play.

Thanks guys for your comments,

Cheers,
Griffonbait

[GoblynByte]

Wow! It is good to see a lot of commonality here as well as differences.

GoblynByte makes a good point about using the computer to prepare for gaming. I was really only thinking about using it for playing but preparation is every bit important too.

From that point of view I use the computer for quite a bit. Most for preparation; spreadsheets to create GM tables, wordprocessor for notes, databases for data collection, my own programs, webpage design porgrams for my blog (http://griffonbait-rolemaster.blogspot.com/ - can't help myself but promote it  ), graphics programs for image manipulation, pdf reading/creation, hell, I have even tried 3D design for creating a walkthru of a hallway.

Come to think of it, I suppose I really do use a computer quite a bit, but it is very rare during actual play.

Thanks guys for your comments,

Cheers,
Griffonbait

I once did a sci-fi thing where the players played sort of a space rescue team.  The story was introduced by them getting a distress signal from a deep space outpost.  To create the distress signal I recored my own voice just using the sound recorder on Windows (hmm...is that even still around anymore?), downgraded the quality of the recording (to give it a cool radio feeling to it), then mixed in a varieity of sounds taken off a miss-dialed AM radio (creating static and blocking out information that would tip the players off to what was happening).  The result was really cool and created a much more tangible (and freaky) introduction for the players.  They seemed more intent on helping the people in need.  And all just using a stupid little application that came standard on windows.

I bet I still have that wave file deep in the darkness of my harddrive.  I'll have to see if I can dig it out.

[Old Man]

I'm running a PBEM so its PC all the time!

Seriously, I used random.org for dice rolling (rattling d10s in the cubicle at lunch draws attention) and Visio for maps.

Ciao,
Old Man

[Carnus]

I once did a sci-fi thing where the players played sort of a space rescue team.  The story was introduced by them getting a distress signal from a deep space outpost.  To create the distress signal I recored my own voice just using the sound recorder on Windows (hmm...is that even still around anymore?), downgraded the quality of the recording (to give it a cool radio feeling to it), then mixed in a varieity of sounds taken off a miss-dialed AM radio (creating static and blocking out information that would tip the players off to what was happening).  The result was really cool and created a much more tangible (and freaky) introduction for the players.  They seemed more intent on helping the people in need.  And all just using a stupid little application that came standard on windows.

I bet I still have that wave file deep in the darkness of my harddrive.  I'll have to see if I can dig it out.

Wow what a great idea. I love little extras like this it can really help to capture a mood.

I remember once playing an old horror PRG called Kult where the gm had recorded himself doing a evil crone voice over some spooky music, whenever something happened he would get one player to put on the headphones and listen. It was very freaky and people were visibly shaken.