All right, let's try to put some longer stuff out there. I miss you guys and the job isn't going to get any easier anytime soon, so I better get my g__d___ priorities straight
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One caveat: D&D Insider subscription, at least a one-time, is necessary. That imports all the monsters, traps, hazards, magic items, etc into MasterPlan's libraries; and that's the real timesaver.
1) I used to have to create encounters by manually flipping through books or pdfs and assigning XP. With MP, I can filter by category and level, and just double-click to add them. The program tracks the XP amount of the encounter and ranks it easy, moderate or hard.
2) Treasure parcels can be randomly generated, then modified. So I set up the encounters first, then the parcels, and link them up where they make the most sense.
3) Plot Points. A visual map of how encounters tie together. A bit railroady at times but (as mentioned above) that's how my players roll. Also, it lets me create multiple tracks for "this way / that way" and as long as I keep encounter levels more or less equal, it goes fine.
4) Running combats. Auto-damage for lasting effects, auto-reminder for saving throws. The only thing this DOESN'T do well is allow you to heal characters with surges, instead, you kind of implement negative damage.
It does map layout in theory, but I haven't dug that deep. You need to belong to a yahoogroup for tiles or something like that; and since I'm just starting to get into the tactical side of things it hasn't been high on my list of priorities.
Yes, I now keep the laptop open at the game table. We've had few enough spillages in my time with the lads that it just makes sense, and I succumb to the pseudienvironmentalist fallacy that electronics are better than paper.
Seriously though, it's b/c I'm so accustomed to making notes on the laptop during work that it's easier for me to do so at the table as well. Also, I can (in theory) keep images, music, etc on the machine. I was heading in that direction with the aborted African campaign and will be looking in that direction here on out.
In my opinion, yes it has. Let's face facts, I'm not the most curious or patient tack in the drawer, or the one with the best analogies; so if I can work it out in an afternoon you'll have zero issues. Again, download the libraries; makes all the difference in the world.
1) I used to have to create encounters by manually flipping through books or pdfs and assigning XP. With MP, I can filter by category and level, and just double-click to add them. The program tracks the XP amount of the encounter and ranks it easy, moderate or hard.
2) Treasure parcels can be randomly generated, then modified. So I set up the encounters first, then the parcels, and link them up where they make the most sense.
3) Plot Points. A visual map of how encounters tie together. A bit railroady at times but (as mentioned above) that's how my players roll. Also, it lets me create multiple tracks for "this way / that way" and as long as I keep encounter levels more or less equal, it goes fine.
4) Running combats. Auto-damage for lasting effects, auto-reminder for saving throws. The only thing this DOESN'T do well is allow you to heal characters with surges, instead, you kind of implement negative damage.
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Yes, I now keep the laptop open at the game table. We've had few enough spillages in my time with the lads that it just makes sense, and I succumb to the pseudienvironmentalist fallacy that electronics are better than paper.
Seriously though, it's b/c I'm so accustomed to making notes on the laptop during work that it's easier for me to do so at the table as well. Also, I can (in theory) keep images, music, etc on the machine. I was heading in that direction with the aborted African campaign and will be looking in that direction here on out.
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I was just using the encounter calculator on the DDI site then to build my stuff, but I know that's no longer being supported.
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