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[DnD 4E] Breaking back into the game, need some help to do so...
LutExIV
Thieves Guild ChairmanIn the ShadowsRegistered User regular
Thieves Guild ChairmanIn the ShadowsRegistered User regular
So, my friends and I were considering getting back in to the DnD swing of things, more specifically, the 4E rule set. We are all really eager to play, but there are a couple of limitations that we will need to overcome to be able to do this, and I couldn’t think of a better place for advice on how to surpass them.
Limitation #1: Noobishness: We all have experience playing, unfortunately most of our experience stopped around 2E. Since I was willing to do it, the team nominated me for DM, a task I have taken on before, though it has been many years. I have been reading up as much as I can to get back into it, and it doesn’t seem as though the changes will be too much of an issue. However, as this is my first foray into the Dm realm in so long, a decent premade adventure for low-level characters to get my feet wet would be great.
Limitation #2: Medium: I would like to keep the medium we use for reference and character creation as "electronic" as I can. That means finding the books/manuals on PDF and the like. I know this is an unusual choice, but it is brought on by.... :arrow:
Limitation #3: Availability: Unfortunately due to the interference of real life, the groups participants can rarely meet all in the same place for a game (in fact 2 of our players are not even in the same state). My idea to overcome this is to use the power of the interwebz, but I'm not sure I know how to do it. :?
My initial thoughts are to use something like Net meeting or Frontend so I can send graphics/maps/sounds to each player in real time. I would also like to use video conferencing to give everyone an "around the table" feeling, no matter how far away they are. I need a way so that all dice rolls are shared (aside from secret DM rolls). So my initial thinking is that I could create a map and import it to PowerPoint, breaking the rooms up onto slides. As the players move from section to section on the "map" I would reveal it to them slide by slide. I could then embed a random number generator for rudimentary dice (D4/D6/D8/D10/D20) at the bottom of the slide that could be used for the rolls.
Unfortunately, I see a few problems with this solution:
The first problem with this is that if the players split up, I could have no way of displaying multiple "sections" at time.
Second, it would break up any area I mapped for the game into fairly tiny rooms.
Third, I would really like for the maps to be interactive; i.e. each player moves their character to whatever square they want. I think this promotes more participation and keeps the players interested. This wouldn’t be possible using PowerPoint that I know of.
So, I know that I have a lot to work through to get this running, but I know there has to be some people on here that have dealt with these and other limitations. Advise away!! :P
Limitation #1: Noobishness: We all have experience playing, unfortunately most of our experience stopped around 2E. Since I was willing to do it, the team nominated me for DM, a task I have taken on before, though it has been many years. I have been reading up as much as I can to get back into it, and it doesn’t seem as though the changes will be too much of an issue. However, as this is my first foray into the Dm realm in so long, a decent premade adventure for low-level characters to get my feet wet would be great.
Limitation #2: Medium: I would like to keep the medium we use for reference and character creation as "electronic" as I can. That means finding the books/manuals on PDF and the like. I know this is an unusual choice, but it is brought on by.... :arrow:
Limitation #3: Availability: Unfortunately due to the interference of real life, the groups participants can rarely meet all in the same place for a game (in fact 2 of our players are not even in the same state). My idea to overcome this is to use the power of the interwebz, but I'm not sure I know how to do it. :?
My initial thoughts are to use something like Net meeting or Frontend so I can send graphics/maps/sounds to each player in real time. I would also like to use video conferencing to give everyone an "around the table" feeling, no matter how far away they are. I need a way so that all dice rolls are shared (aside from secret DM rolls). So my initial thinking is that I could create a map and import it to PowerPoint, breaking the rooms up onto slides. As the players move from section to section on the "map" I would reveal it to them slide by slide. I could then embed a random number generator for rudimentary dice (D4/D6/D8/D10/D20) at the bottom of the slide that could be used for the rolls.
Unfortunately, I see a few problems with this solution:
The first problem with this is that if the players split up, I could have no way of displaying multiple "sections" at time.
Second, it would break up any area I mapped for the game into fairly tiny rooms.
Third, I would really like for the maps to be interactive; i.e. each player moves their character to whatever square they want. I think this promotes more participation and keeps the players interested. This wouldn’t be possible using PowerPoint that I know of.
So, I know that I have a lot to work through to get this running, but I know there has to be some people on here that have dealt with these and other limitations. Advise away!! :P
Steam/PSN/XBox Live:LutExIV
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Steam/PSN/XBox Live:LutExIV
Ah. Very good. I knew something like this had to exist. the mapTool seems like it would work. Is it is comperhensive as they make it our to be? Also, would I beable to load custom graphics using this program?
Steam/PSN/XBox Live:LutExIV
Trumpets indeed.
Steam/PSN/XBox Live:LutExIV
Steam/PSN/XBox Live:LutExIV
Know where I could pick up a decent prebuilt low level adventure to run?
Steam/PSN/XBox Live:LutExIV
Are your players so poor they can't shell out $20 for a PHB? It's really not much of an investment on their side. Maybe the PHB and whatever Powers guide they need.
You can get Keep on the Shadowfell, a level 1-3 module for free here along with "quick start" rules.
I think it is more about keeping the initial front end is simple as possible, rather than cost. If I already have reference material availible, it just makes it easier on everyone. Besides, some of the conditions that some of us will be playing in isnt conducive to dragging out a laptop and a bunch of books. I am just trying to make the total package as small and convienant as possible.
Steam/PSN/XBox Live:LutExIV