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First use report: what worked and what didn't

GM Rob

Member
Gold WoA
I ran my first CL-based session last night, so I thought I'd share a newbie's experience...if only for the humor value! I have a long way to go and a lot of CL learning to do before I'm really comfortable.

Background
  • This is a campaign that I've been running for a few weeks (4th session).
  • I have several years of face-to-face and VTT experience as a GM.
  • It's my first foray into the wild world of improv/sandbox/open worlds.
  • I was also trying to go without a physical GM screen and just use CL - probably a bridge too far.
What Worked
  • CL loaded up well on the game store WiFi network. No issues at all with connectivity.
  • The picture-in-picture feature works astoundingly well in the "Story So Far" GM screen as J4 describes. I will make more and smaller pages and sprinkle links everywhere to use this feature. I'd like to get ALL of my rules, spells, weapons, etc. in to be able to do this.
  • I grabbed several 3-line NPCs and names in real-time from the default generators just to see if I could do it. It worked surprisingly well. I covered it up by saying, "Let me look up that person's name..." I'd like to make more scifi-themed generators to use this feature more (planets, systems, etc.). I'd also like to build a "parameterized" generator (e.g., "Make me a CR [1] [Soldier] NPC Stat Block", or "Give me a [CR 3] {Ranged} weapon").
  • I was able to make all my notes in log entries and didn't make any undecipherable markings on paper notes. I am in the process of cleaning up the notes, but I think I got everything down without issue. This is a BIG win for me!
  • I was almost comfortable in a laptop-only environment. I think as I get more of my information into CL this will improve. I'm still a bit worried about available screen real estate!
What Didn't Work (i.e., What I didn't do very well)
  • Tracking Initiative. Typing names and Init rolls into CL took me too long. Not worth it, so I'll probably go back to scratching rolls on a piece of paper or getting one of the players to look after it.
  • Tracking hit points during combat. I used to just make notes on a sticky note for each monster (arithmetic is distracting). I created a small spreadsheet to do the arithmetic that was a lot better. Nothing in CL does this, right? Spreadsheet is an extra window open using my limited screen space.
  • Map and Fog of War. I generally create the map on the table as the players proceed. I had a map image in my 5-room-dungeon (5rd) CL page, and I could see it in the P-i-P display, but I still messed it up as it was unfolding. Luckily it's improv so no one but me knows! I need to make simpler map sketches in my CL page.
  • My 5rd was too big for the time. This isn't a CL issue, but is a design issue for me. I'd like to fit everything into a 2-hour time slot. That means I can't do 5 "rooms" if they each have something significant in them. My players are ridiculously inquisitive and need to look in every box before moving on. :) I need to work on pacing in my 5rd.
  • I don't have enough loops, and I didn't make enough use of loopy planning.
Any and all advice and criticism would be welcome. (Well, maybe not the criticism part!)
 

ExileInParadise

RPG Therapist
Staff member
Adamantium WoA
Wizard of Story
One idea is to put the initiative and hit point tracking on your cell phone and lay it next to the laptop.
Use the "tap" interface of the phone if possible.

You're "what worked" sounds a lot like mine.
For GM screen in my cyberpunk game, I have six additional tabs open in my browser - one for each "panel" of all the stuff I want to refer to quickly. Just switch tabs rather than flip book pages.

In general, my VTT cyberpunk game works like this:
I have a bookmark folder on my bookmark toolbar with my ready links in it.
When its session setup time, I open the browser, and use "open links in tabs" in the bookmark folder.
The links are:
file:///path/to/my/campaign/folder/ondisk
each off my GM screen panels
a PC generator which I use for pushbutton NPCs that come with full stat blocks and gear if I need them.
an interactive map of Night City on the web which the players can open as well.
Campaign Logger (CL)
Campaign Table Top (CTT)

I use Discord app (not web page) with Push-To-Talk so I can push-to-talk no matter what is open on the desktop or which app I switch to.
I am experimenting with an app called Weylus which is a "web stylus" - I can use my tablet as a drawing stylus on my *desktop*
I combine that with Box-Line-Text web-based whiteboard when I need to doodle and share.
 

JochenL

CL Byte Sprite
Staff member
Adamantium WoA
Wizard of Story
Wizard of Combat
Gamer Lifestyle
Borderland Explorer
Tracking Initiative. Typing names and Init rolls into CL took me too long. Not worth it, so I'll probably go back to scratching rolls on a piece of paper or getting one of the players to look after it.
I usually let a player handle this if the system is more complex than going around a table clockwise. Another thing is to have the tracker being prepopulated and ready for the encounter. Maybe we can use tags or the coming graymatter extension to add an initiative score to @ pages and on hover you see a + sign to add the character to the tracker rolling initiative automatically?

Tracking hit points during combat. I used to just make notes on a sticky note for each monster (arithmetic is distracting). I created a small spreadsheet to do the arithmetic that was a lot better. Nothing in CL does this, right?
In the old version of CL we had interactive checkboxes and I used them to mark off hit points just by clicking on them. This could also be a use case for the graymatter extension where you the use +/- buttons to modify the current pool values (like HP).

If you have any ideas how to improve the UI, let me know!
 
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