Campaign Management [Archive] - Wizards Community

Campaign Management [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
CosmicCowboy
06-29-05, 10:08 PM Howdy everyone. I'm planning a Forgotten Realms campaign, which will be my first time running a game of D&D. Is there any good campaign management software out there? I've used GM's Second Brain, which is a little simplistic for my tastes. I'm looking at Campaign Suite, and that has some appeal. Any recommendations?
DonGnocci
06-30-05, 05:44 AM Howdy everyone. I'm planning a Forgotten Realms campaign, which will be my first time running a game of D&D. Is there any good campaign management software out there? I've used GM's Second Brain, which is a little simplistic for my tastes. I'm looking at Campaign Suite, and that has some appeal. Any recommendations?
Campaign management software is WACK.
As is anyone who uses that, and is not able to cope whitout such gadgets.
:thumbsdow
Eliza_Stormwhisper
06-30-05, 09:36 AM Campaign management software is WACK.
As is anyone who uses that, and is not able to cope whitout such gadgets.
:thumbsdow

That's one way to put it. In a word, I agree.
CosmicCowboy
06-30-05, 10:12 AM Campaign management software is WACK.
As is anyone who uses that, and is not able to cope whitout such gadgets.
:thumbsdow

Wow. That was really insightful. Thanks for the threadcrap.
SwitchUK
06-30-05, 11:10 AM Indeed. If you can't say anything that's either pleasant or constructive, then I suggest that you keep your bloody mouth shut, DonGnocci.

To the topic at hand - I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with campaign running software, though there is a sub-forum on these boards entitled "Digital D&D (http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39)". You'll probably have better luck looking there for useful software than here.

The only pieces of software that originally spring to my mind that might help you would be a spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel (handy for stats, trap DC's, quick checkups on various tables and the like) and a word processor, for writing stuff out neatly and legibly.

You'll also find this useful: AutoREALM (http://www.gryc.ws/autorealm.htm) is a freeware map creation tool that I've found useful in the past. With it, I've created everything from continents, with forests, mountain ranges and cities, to dungeon plans and the interiors of bars, houses, and the like

Hope your campaign runs smoothly.
CosmicCowboy
06-30-05, 02:36 PM To the topic at hand - I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with campaign running software, though there is a sub-forum on these boards entitled "Digital D&D (http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39)". You'll probably have better luck looking there for useful software than here.

Thanks. That looks promising. :thumbsup:
Me, Myself, & 101 others
06-30-05, 02:55 PM I take my laptop to every game session. If you've got access to a computer to make your DMing experience easier, you're a fool not to use it. I use a couple dice rolling programs that let me generate several rolls at once to make NPC/monsters combat turns go quicker. I've got SRD and other rules on my hard drive so I don't have to lug 60lbs of books around. I keep a copy of character sheets on my computer so that I can roll secret spot checks and the like, and also in case someone looses/damages their sheet. I can play audio files for sound effects, put pictures of locations, layouts, and the like on screen. I use Campaign Cartographer to make maps and such.

Really, I only take two things to a game session: my laptop and a clipboard.
CosmicCowboy
06-30-05, 11:07 PM <snip>

Pretty much what I'd like to do. It would be nice to level up a player's character for them, and then hand them a print out.
Sinaz
06-30-05, 11:18 PM Don Gnocci and Eliza:

Wait until I post my campaign thread introducing the digital miniatures Photoshop archive I'm compiling and my gaming group's very own God Panel™ (What is it?!?! You'll just have to wait!)

You will rue those words and beg me for access to the most amazing digital reinvention of table top pen and paper RPGing ever... ev... er.

...

MWUHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!

..seriously, don't knock a guy for wanting to use the digital tools at his disposal... don't fear technology... embrace it.

oh... PS... I'm serious about the digital Photoshop archive and (ahem) The God Panel™
DonGnocci
07-01-05, 03:18 AM IMAO a laptop should be not used by the DM... Why not? Well... because it once Masking is a CoC violation a gaming session of mine.
I was playing with some dude who has his laptop around for GMing.
Well... he did nothing else than staring at the monitor and reading some pages from his prepared adventure... After 30 min. 3(including me) of our 5 players were so bored and uninterested that we stood up from the table and left without a comment. It took the guy 5 min. to notice that we had left the table.
Digital Support for D&D: Yes.
Digital Support at the gaming table: CAPITAL "N-O"!
@Me, Myself &101 others:
You can be grateful that none of your players named you for your misbehaviour. You are always DMing, right? [Otherwise i'd call your DM dumb for letting you use a laptop-computer-program to roll your dice.]

@Sinaz: Honestly, i don't give a snort for the progs of yours. D&D is not about And it still is. miniatures, or sickening programs, it is about live interaction between players and storytelling.
Cymraegmorgan
07-01-05, 03:57 AM D&D is not about .... miniatures, or sickening programs, it is about live interaction between players and storytelling.

D&D is about fun, and if miniatures or computer programs help a DM and his group enhance their experience, then they should be used by that group. And since D&D evolved out of Chainmail, how again are miniatures not part of the game?

And, by the way, you need to read the CoC:
"masking" by using alternative characters/spellings and spaces to get around profanity filters, leet-speak, and combinations of words that produce an offensive result
Your masking is a violation of the Code.

Back On Topic:
CosmicCowboy, if you have a laptop, spreadsheets can be a great resource that won't put you too much out of pocket. Also, try Googling "free rpg dm tools". Many of the results will be for trial versions of programs that you can buy. I find that if the demo catches my fancy, the complete package will be worth the price. There are also hundreds of freeware items, that while lacking pizzazz, do a credible job juggling numbers for you. :)
DonGnocci
07-01-05, 04:04 AM Prove that i masked ANYTHING. I did NOT.
Me, Myself, & 101 others
07-01-05, 04:14 AM @Me, Myself &101 others:
You can be grateful that none of your players named you for your misbehaviour. You are always DMing, right? [Otherwise i'd call your DM dumb for letting you use a laptop-computer-program to roll your dice.]

Yeah, I'm always DMing, if I was playing I wouldn't use a dice roller, but would probably still track my character on the computer. One of my players also uses a laptop, he rolls dice like everyone else, has a character sheet, but uses a spread-sheet program to track his power points and spells (he's a psion/wizard). He also has the group's portable hole and keeps the inventory in a word document, so he's not constantly erasing/re-writing on a sheet of loose leaf.

Really, the DM you stated sounds like he would have been bad with or without a computer. He could have just as easily become engrossed in a source book, his notes/campaign notebook, whatever. If you need time to get notes/sources together, and it's going to be a couple minutes, let the players know. That way they won't feel you're just ignoring them. And, get it over with as fast as possible so the game can move on.

Judging everything by one bad experience is usually not the best way to go. Just because it made that one guy behave badly doesn't mean they're not good or useful. And, as for being called for misbehavior, rolling on a program really isn't any different than rolling behind a screen and lots of DM's do that. Some don't, but everyone has a different style.
Bort333
07-01-05, 04:30 AM I use a labtop because its impossible to keep track of the story without it.

I record basically everything that happens to the party. I keep track of every named person they encounter. I have a time table for what events are happening. Keep track of birthdays, special events, holidays, and other important dates. Keep track of family, council seats, and rank of NPCs in the nine major houses.

All of that on paper? Are you crazy the campaign log is over 40 pages (typed) and that doesn't include monster stats, NPC Stats, maps, and rules changes. PAPER?

Gah you ludites need to wake up its the 21st century!
Cymraegmorgan
07-01-05, 04:37 AM Prove that i masked ANYTHING. I did NOT.

You posted post #10.
Lines one and twelve of that post contained masked profanity.
This is against the CoC.
Besides being against CoC, it adds nothing of value to the discussion.
mrshupizdumaterinu
07-01-05, 05:33 AM Gah you ludites need to wake up its the 21st century!

We're orthodox oldschool players that despise technology and think that human race is losing too much by uncritically accepting the modern technological advances and prefer that our work is the work of our hands, our hearts, and something we can be proud of when we touch it.
CosmicCowboy
07-01-05, 06:55 AM Raise your hand if you saw this thread and thought to yourself, "You know, I have nothing useful to contribute, but I sure can post something retarded!" C'mon, I see three people that should have their hands up!
CosmicCowboy
07-01-05, 06:56 AM We're orthodox oldschool players that despise technology and think that human race is losing too much by uncritically accepting the modern technological advances and prefer that our work is the work of our hands, our hearts, and something we can be proud of when we touch it.

Translation: We're elitist snobs with nothing useful to contribute to this thread.

P.S. If you hate technology so much, what are you doing on these boards? :confused:
Cymraegmorgan
07-01-05, 06:59 AM Translation: We're elitist snobs with nothing useful to contribute to this thread.

P.S. If you hate technology so much, what are you doing on these boards? :confused:

I was going to ask that....

The problem here is that some people are missing the point of your original post. I see it as you are trying to improve the quality of your campaign, using a tool(the computer) that you are comfortable with.
They dislike something, so they flame instead of trying to help.

Speaking of help, have you run across Redblade3.5e? If you are sticking to RAW, then it is an excellent NPC generator, or PC. And it is free. Google "Redblade3.5e download."
Me, Myself, & 101 others
07-01-05, 07:07 AM We're orthodox oldschool players that despise technology and think that human race is losing too much by uncritically accepting the modern technological advances and prefer that our work is the work of our hands, our hearts, and something we can be proud of when we touch it.

Learn to build a computer. It's not that hard, it's rewarding, then you can benefit from modern advances -and- be proud of the work of your own two hands. Problem solved.
WizO_TheCheat
07-01-05, 10:57 AM Okay folks keep it civil or I'm closing the thread. That goes for both sides and no I don't care who started it.

Secondly, masking is when you only remove certain characters from a word to get around the filters, but it's obvious what you mean.

Lastly, let's keep in mind that like many topics on these boards using a computer while gaming is a subjective opinion and thus doesn't have to be the most hotly contested thing since D&D 3.5. I don't use my laptop for D&D, but I do for when I'm running Champions, because there is a lot more information that I need to keep track of when running that game and going over pages and pages of notes slows the game down much more than my laptop does.
Talanall
07-01-05, 12:25 PM I don't use much in the way of specialized software to run a game, myself, but several DMs of my acquaintance do. I've heard them swear by a few programs.

For mapping, it seems that a lot of folks like Dunjinni. Of all the DM aids out there, I can see the attraction for this one most readily, since it requires a lot of time and talent to produce really nice maps.

The other big name I hear a lot is DM Genie. I've never tried it, but it does seem to win converts pretty easily.

For more information, I suggest looking at DougC's excellent thread of DM resources. There's a section devoted to "DM's Assistant Programs." You may find something useful there. The thread is stickied, but here's the address: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=328817
mrshupizdumaterinu
07-01-05, 06:04 PM If you hate technology so much, what are you doing on these boards? :confused:

Talk with people trying to insult me whenever my oppinion differs from their, and that in doing so, do not contribute to their own thread either, though they accuse me of doing so, obviously.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
CosmicCowboy 06-29-05, 10:08 PM	Howdy everyone. I'm planning a Forgotten Realms campaign, which will be my first time running a game of D&D. Is there any good campaign management software out there? I've used GM's Second Brain, which is a little simplistic for my tastes. I'm looking at Campaign Suite, and that has some appeal. Any recommendations?
DonGnocci 06-30-05, 05:44 AM	Howdy everyone. I'm planning a Forgotten Realms campaign, which will be my first time running a game of D&D. Is there any good campaign management software out there? I've used GM's Second Brain, which is a little simplistic for my tastes. I'm looking at Campaign Suite, and that has some appeal. Any recommendations? Campaign management software is WACK. As is anyone who uses that, and is not able to cope whitout such gadgets. :thumbsdow
Eliza_Stormwhisper 06-30-05, 09:36 AM	Campaign management software is WACK. As is anyone who uses that, and is not able to cope whitout such gadgets. :thumbsdow That's one way to put it. In a word, I agree.
CosmicCowboy 06-30-05, 10:12 AM	Campaign management software is WACK. As is anyone who uses that, and is not able to cope whitout such gadgets. :thumbsdow Wow. That was really insightful. Thanks for the threadcrap.
SwitchUK 06-30-05, 11:10 AM	Indeed. If you can't say anything that's either pleasant or constructive, then I suggest that you keep your bloody mouth shut, DonGnocci. To the topic at hand - I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with campaign running software, though there is a sub-forum on these boards entitled "Digital D&D (http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39)". You'll probably have better luck looking there for useful software than here. The only pieces of software that originally spring to my mind that might help you would be a spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel (handy for stats, trap DC's, quick checkups on various tables and the like) and a word processor, for writing stuff out neatly and legibly. You'll also find this useful: AutoREALM (http://www.gryc.ws/autorealm.htm) is a freeware map creation tool that I've found useful in the past. With it, I've created everything from continents, with forests, mountain ranges and cities, to dungeon plans and the interiors of bars, houses, and the like Hope your campaign runs smoothly.
CosmicCowboy 06-30-05, 02:36 PM	To the topic at hand - I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with campaign running software, though there is a sub-forum on these boards entitled "Digital D&D (http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39)". You'll probably have better luck looking there for useful software than here. Thanks. That looks promising. :thumbsup:
Me, Myself, & 101 others 06-30-05, 02:55 PM	I take my laptop to every game session. If you've got access to a computer to make your DMing experience easier, you're a fool not to use it. I use a couple dice rolling programs that let me generate several rolls at once to make NPC/monsters combat turns go quicker. I've got SRD and other rules on my hard drive so I don't have to lug 60lbs of books around. I keep a copy of character sheets on my computer so that I can roll secret spot checks and the like, and also in case someone looses/damages their sheet. I can play audio files for sound effects, put pictures of locations, layouts, and the like on screen. I use Campaign Cartographer to make maps and such. Really, I only take two things to a game session: my laptop and a clipboard.
CosmicCowboy 06-30-05, 11:07 PM	<snip> Pretty much what I'd like to do. It would be nice to level up a player's character for them, and then hand them a print out.
Sinaz 06-30-05, 11:18 PM	Don Gnocci and Eliza: Wait until I post my campaign thread introducing the digital miniatures Photoshop archive I'm compiling and my gaming group's very own God Panel™ (What is it?!?! You'll just have to wait!) You will rue those words and beg me for access to the most amazing digital reinvention of table top pen and paper RPGing ever... ev... er. ... MWUHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! ..seriously, don't knock a guy for wanting to use the digital tools at his disposal... don't fear technology... embrace it. oh... PS... I'm serious about the digital Photoshop archive and (ahem) The God Panel™
DonGnocci 07-01-05, 03:18 AM	IMAO a laptop should be not used by the DM... Why not? Well... because it once Masking is a CoC violation a gaming session of mine. I was playing with some dude who has his laptop around for GMing. Well... he did nothing else than staring at the monitor and reading some pages from his prepared adventure... After 30 min. 3(including me) of our 5 players were so bored and uninterested that we stood up from the table and left without a comment. It took the guy 5 min. to notice that we had left the table. Digital Support for D&D: Yes. Digital Support at the gaming table: CAPITAL "N-O"! @Me, Myself &101 others: You can be grateful that none of your players named you for your misbehaviour. You are always DMing, right? [Otherwise i'd call your DM dumb for letting you use a laptop-computer-program to roll your dice.] @Sinaz: Honestly, i don't give a snort for the progs of yours. D&D is not about And it still is. miniatures, or sickening programs, it is about live interaction between players and storytelling.
Cymraegmorgan 07-01-05, 03:57 AM	D&D is not about .... miniatures, or sickening programs, it is about live interaction between players and storytelling. D&D is about fun, and if miniatures or computer programs help a DM and his group enhance their experience, then they should be used by that group. And since D&D evolved out of Chainmail, how again are miniatures not part of the game? And, by the way, you need to read the CoC: "masking" by using alternative characters/spellings and spaces to get around profanity filters, leet-speak, and combinations of words that produce an offensive result Your masking is a violation of the Code. Back On Topic: CosmicCowboy, if you have a laptop, spreadsheets can be a great resource that won't put you too much out of pocket. Also, try Googling "free rpg dm tools". Many of the results will be for trial versions of programs that you can buy. I find that if the demo catches my fancy, the complete package will be worth the price. There are also hundreds of freeware items, that while lacking pizzazz, do a credible job juggling numbers for you. :)
DonGnocci 07-01-05, 04:04 AM	Prove that i masked ANYTHING. I did NOT.
Me, Myself, & 101 others 07-01-05, 04:14 AM	@Me, Myself &101 others: You can be grateful that none of your players named you for your misbehaviour. You are always DMing, right? [Otherwise i'd call your DM dumb for letting you use a laptop-computer-program to roll your dice.] Yeah, I'm always DMing, if I was playing I wouldn't use a dice roller, but would probably still track my character on the computer. One of my players also uses a laptop, he rolls dice like everyone else, has a character sheet, but uses a spread-sheet program to track his power points and spells (he's a psion/wizard). He also has the group's portable hole and keeps the inventory in a word document, so he's not constantly erasing/re-writing on a sheet of loose leaf. Really, the DM you stated sounds like he would have been bad with or without a computer. He could have just as easily become engrossed in a source book, his notes/campaign notebook, whatever. If you need time to get notes/sources together, and it's going to be a couple minutes, let the players know. That way they won't feel you're just ignoring them. And, get it over with as fast as possible so the game can move on. Judging everything by one bad experience is usually not the best way to go. Just because it made that one guy behave badly doesn't mean they're not good or useful. And, as for being called for misbehavior, rolling on a program really isn't any different than rolling behind a screen and lots of DM's do that. Some don't, but everyone has a different style.
Bort333 07-01-05, 04:30 AM	I use a labtop because its impossible to keep track of the story without it. I record basically everything that happens to the party. I keep track of every named person they encounter. I have a time table for what events are happening. Keep track of birthdays, special events, holidays, and other important dates. Keep track of family, council seats, and rank of NPCs in the nine major houses. All of that on paper? Are you crazy the campaign log is over 40 pages (typed) and that doesn't include monster stats, NPC Stats, maps, and rules changes. PAPER? Gah you ludites need to wake up its the 21st century!
Cymraegmorgan 07-01-05, 04:37 AM	Prove that i masked ANYTHING. I did NOT. You posted post #10. Lines one and twelve of that post contained masked profanity. This is against the CoC. Besides being against CoC, it adds nothing of value to the discussion.
mrshupizdumaterinu 07-01-05, 05:33 AM	Gah you ludites need to wake up its the 21st century! We're orthodox oldschool players that despise technology and think that human race is losing too much by uncritically accepting the modern technological advances and prefer that our work is the work of our hands, our hearts, and something we can be proud of when we touch it.
CosmicCowboy 07-01-05, 06:55 AM	Raise your hand if you saw this thread and thought to yourself, "You know, I have nothing useful to contribute, but I sure can post something retarded!" C'mon, I see three people that should have their hands up!
CosmicCowboy 07-01-05, 06:56 AM	We're orthodox oldschool players that despise technology and think that human race is losing too much by uncritically accepting the modern technological advances and prefer that our work is the work of our hands, our hearts, and something we can be proud of when we touch it. Translation: We're elitist snobs with nothing useful to contribute to this thread. P.S. If you hate technology so much, what are you doing on these boards? :confused:
Cymraegmorgan 07-01-05, 06:59 AM	Translation: We're elitist snobs with nothing useful to contribute to this thread. P.S. If you hate technology so much, what are you doing on these boards? :confused: I was going to ask that.... The problem here is that some people are missing the point of your original post. I see it as you are trying to improve the quality of your campaign, using a tool(the computer) that you are comfortable with. They dislike something, so they flame instead of trying to help. Speaking of help, have you run across Redblade3.5e? If you are sticking to RAW, then it is an excellent NPC generator, or PC. And it is free. Google "Redblade3.5e download."
Me, Myself, & 101 others 07-01-05, 07:07 AM	We're orthodox oldschool players that despise technology and think that human race is losing too much by uncritically accepting the modern technological advances and prefer that our work is the work of our hands, our hearts, and something we can be proud of when we touch it. Learn to build a computer. It's not that hard, it's rewarding, then you can benefit from modern advances -and- be proud of the work of your own two hands. Problem solved.
WizO_TheCheat 07-01-05, 10:57 AM	Okay folks keep it civil or I'm closing the thread. That goes for both sides and no I don't care who started it. Secondly, masking is when you only remove certain characters from a word to get around the filters, but it's obvious what you mean. Lastly, let's keep in mind that like many topics on these boards using a computer while gaming is a subjective opinion and thus doesn't have to be the most hotly contested thing since D&D 3.5. I don't use my laptop for D&D, but I do for when I'm running Champions, because there is a lot more information that I need to keep track of when running that game and going over pages and pages of notes slows the game down much more than my laptop does.
Talanall 07-01-05, 12:25 PM	I don't use much in the way of specialized software to run a game, myself, but several DMs of my acquaintance do. I've heard them swear by a few programs. For mapping, it seems that a lot of folks like Dunjinni. Of all the DM aids out there, I can see the attraction for this one most readily, since it requires a lot of time and talent to produce really nice maps. The other big name I hear a lot is DM Genie. I've never tried it, but it does seem to win converts pretty easily. For more information, I suggest looking at DougC's excellent thread of DM resources. There's a section devoted to "DM's Assistant Programs." You may find something useful there. The thread is stickied, but here's the address: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=328817
mrshupizdumaterinu 07-01-05, 06:04 PM	If you hate technology so much, what are you doing on these boards? :confused: Talk with people trying to insult me whenever my oppinion differs from their, and that in doing so, do not contribute to their own thread either, though they accuse me of doing so, obviously.