GM Helper Applications
Admittedly, I am biased. I like writing and utilizing applications that speed my ability to generate game information. Several people I’ve met consider them to be useless in that they are pure random nonsense that allow no creative control. Responding people of that viewpoint is awkward. I do not think utilities are a replacement but rather an additive element.
If you already have ideas, use them. I use name, treasure, plot and other generators to spark my imagination and to fill in holes. I also use them to alleviate tedious table consulting so games flow faster. Likewise, they can eliminate a bunch of prep time if I don’t have to look up specific elements that can be automatically calculated.
For many systems with a near infinite combination of skills/powers/feats, I find them even more useful. Random conglomerations can inspire a nifty NPC, that I would not put together because many options are mechanically non-interesting. Still, they reflect oddball combinations the game designer envisioned.
RPG’s as a whole are becoming an eclectic mixture of table-top and computerized bits. I suspect a significant portion of community expects applications to be available for complex systems. Time is always an issue in life. Personally, I have an expectation that most systems of the future should be coupled with applications which can help me deliver the best possible game to my players at the table. The desire is unrealistic for many smaller, independent systems but the big names should have those tools available as part of the game.
Am I crazy?
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Are you talking about random table generators like Tablesmith (www.mythosa.net/Main/TableSmith?from=Utils.Html) and http://www.dxcontent.com, or algorithms that throw together random dungeons, populated with monsters and ready to play, like http://www.dizzydragon.net/?
Ross, I’m considering the entire range. What is useful to you or me is not necessarily useful to somewhat else. As a whole, I consider each and every approach additive. Take published modules as an example, I hate running them but have used elements from many of them. Inspiration comes in many forms.
To avoid consulting random tables, I tend to take a look at loads of them, just in passing, and then anything that could inspire me, tends to just sit at the back of my mind until I need it. I think the apps could be useful though, as long as they don’t take me out of the GMing experience as I’m using them. Will have to give it a try I suppose…
@shortymonster One of the charms of RPGs is the awesome FUN that random chance imposes upon a framework of agreed-to rules. The DM ought always to roll treasure table dice in front of the players (or let the computer automate the thing). A stingy DM was sure to be playing ZORK by himself on Thursday evening instead of tossing dice with the pals, dig?
If you take away the die tossing and table consulting, how can the players be assured you are not playing favorites with the comely half-elven ranger? The cool, calm neutrality of the laptop can get us out of this conundrum but only for a while. The man who codes, the codomancer, cannot be trusted, either!
Hey Mark, I found a series of pseudo-random table/encounter/NPC generating suites on the web, both executables and web-based ones like yours. How do you implement the database of names and frequencies and spit that out to webcode as on your site and e.g. the meatshields generator?
Noah: The majority of them are written in PHP with a trivial bit of JavaScript plus the utilization of the xajax package. I’ll probably swap xajax for JQuery in the near future. Beyond that, I also use sqlite3 for the data set storage.
The process is detailed a bit more for the street name generator. It follows the same basic model.