[OnlineRPG] Help requested

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2003-05-12 04:25pm

I was thinking about running an online RPG. The problem is, I don't know which programs to use for that, if any. Most of these ORPG-programs seem to be made - let's just be blunt here - with complete idiots and/or d20 hardcases in mind. My requirements are somewhat different.

What has to be there:
* The ability to "whisper" conversations between the GM and the player.
* The ability to exclude specific players from the game at will.

What I would like, but don't really crave:
* Some rudimentary die roll engine.
* Some way of drawing paint-style gfx quickly.

What has to be absent:
* Any program in which I have to run a glorified computer game. If I'm presented with my players as icons traversing a green world map, I'll be forced to find the creator of that POS program and sterilize him as a favor to the human race.
* Any program that requires level based games in order to function. If the program needs that, then it is likely to be deeply flawed in other ways as well.
* Any visible number-crunching. Role playing != Warhammer 40K.

Possibilities are:
* IRC. Probably the strongest contender. It's fast, it's flexible and so on. I don't know if it allows the kind of hidden exchanges I want, though, unless one keeps fifty thousand windows open...
* AIM. Haven't tried it, but it sounds simple enough.
* ICQ. If worst comes to worst...

So, any ideas?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-05-12 08:19pm

IRC can be used easily enough to do all that you need....if you want a good script for it, the Nex-Gen Acidmax is an excellent one to use....you could set the room up on the same server as the Chatroom for SD.net if you need any help doing it I'd be more than glad to lend a hand.

The windows thing isnt really a big deal, if you give Acidmax a try I think you'll agree

to get it go to http://www.team-nexgen.com

Utsanomiko · Post by **Utsanomiko** » 2003-05-12 08:43pm

I was thinking of running a game myself (my thread is somwhere in this forum), so I have a bit of an idea of what's out there.

AIM chat has a function for dice-rolling. I don't know about direct-linking pics (you'll more than likely have to settle with linking to uploaded pics).

I was directed to a program call OpenRPG. It has some ok functions, but It seems like most of them involve configuring the displays and rules, which appear to exclusively be D20. All I can do with it for now has been dice rolls and kinda useless stuff.

By the way, you wouldn't happen to be planning to run a WEG Star Wars adventure, by any chance? I'd love the chance to use one of my player-characters, and I think I'd like to see your GMing skills before I run my own.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2003-05-13 01:44am

Darth Utsanomiko wrote:I was directed to a program call OpenRPG. It has some ok functions, but It seems like most of them involve configuring the displays and rules, which appear to exclusively be D20. All I can do with it for now has been dice rolls and kinda useless stuff.

Actually only the examples are D20. The system allows you to create your own forms, with the dice you want, etc. It's mostly just a chat system with dice rolling and a "virtual tabletop", with some forms for bookkeeping - it's not system-specific.

Falcata · Post by **Falcata** » 2003-05-13 06:32am

sorcery.net is an irc server for rpg players I don't know if they have everything you need. They have a dicerolling bot but I don't know what other features they have, might be worth checking out.

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2003-05-13 06:49am

Keevan Colton wrote:
IRC can be used easily enough to do all that you need....if you want a good script for it, the Nex-Gen Acidmax is an excellent one to use....you could set the room up on the same server as the Chatroom for SD.net if you need any help doing it I'd be more than glad to lend a hand.

The windows thing isnt really a big deal, if you give Acidmax a try I think you'll agree

Obliged. I'll try it out and see what it's like.

Darth Utsanomiko wrote: By the way, you wouldn't happen to be planning to run a WEG Star Wars adventure, by any chance? I'd love the chance to use one of my player-characters, and I think I'd like to see your GMing skills before I run my own.

I may. However, admission would depend quite heavily on the character involved. Even if I do just run a test game, I want solid characters that work and interlock together. And, let's be frank here, some of the SDnet members would just commit genocide for kicks, and that's something I don't want. So some screening would be mandatory, really.

Slartibartfast wrote: Actually only the examples are D20. The system allows you to create your own forms, with the dice you want, etc. It's mostly just a chat system with dice rolling and a "virtual tabletop", with some forms for bookkeeping - it's not system-specific.

I dunno. Aforementioned "virtual tabletop" would do more harm than good, IMHO. To me, it looks painfully two-dimensional, highly granular, and, above all else, boring. I could describe a battlefield choked with blaster smoke and falling debris to my hearts content, but if the players look upon a drab green grid, this will be what they see, and I don't want that.
Btw, can OpenRPG handle infinite roll mechanics, that is, WEG style rules of "if you roll a six you get to roll again"?