This page will contain the assorted tutorials I've written for OpenRPG, including those for the add-ons I've written for it. It's just a skeletal stub at the moment.

 

I will also be writing a separate page for GMing and playing online over OpenRPG, designed to get a general gamer up to an advanced level.

 

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Configuring OpenRPG

 

If you just turned on OpenRPG after a stock install, you'll see the four key panes you should familiarize yourself with. The big green patch is the Map, the Chat is farily obvious, and the Player List is currently blank, due to you not being in a room. The last pane is the Gametree, which holds all your notes, rolls, and similar. You can organize their layouts and sizes with drag-and-drop, or by deliberately editing the Layout.gui file in /openrpg/myfiles. Set it up however you want, and let's move on. (From experience, large maps = good.)

 

The Settings option under OpenRPG has a lot of options. Choose Flat under Tab Styles, and let's dive into Settings.

 

GameTree: Use_ReadOnly_On should be set to 1 (enables all the features in 1.8.1 to work). Similarly, be sure SaveGameTreeOnExit is 1.

General|Networking: Be sure to set LocalOrRemote to Remote, and the imageserverbaseurl to http://openrpg.digitalxero.net/imgupload/index.php. This allows for direct drag-and-drop of minis from your computer to the map, and it'll share them. (There are other ways of doing this but this method is reliable.)

Chat|Chat Window: Set your Player Name, Typing Status, and Idle Status up. I suggest turning SuppressChatAutoComplete to 1 (it's just annoying), ShowIDInChat to 0 (also annoying), and dieroller to d20 (needed for a few options later on.)

Chat|Chat Macroes: These let you map temporary macros to a function key. I use them for game start/end/pause/resume commands, but they're free to play around with, hence the call-out.

Chat|Chat Styles: Only mytextcolor should be altered here (it's what everyone else sees and is a handy expression), but the rest are private to you: go wild.

Map: Imagecachesize should be pretty high. I suggest 255.

 

Finally, head to your Plugins control panel (from the main menu bar).

Be sure to enable and auto-enable Bonuses and Effects, Mini Menu, Mini Superscript, and Mini Tooltip, which are needed to get the full impact of 1.8.1's features. Do NOT auto-enable Mini Quick Notes; that one should only be used by GMs who know what they're doing (you risk crashing your OpenRPG when maps load otherwise).

 

The rest are up to you.

 

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/commands Tutorial

 

OpenRPG allows for several commands to be run directly from the chatbox - in fact, with 1.8.1, you can actually run any node directly from chat by typing its name (i.e. you could cast Magic Missile just by typing "magic missile" without quotes - it isn't case sensitive).

 

However, there are a few simple commands that can help make your life easier.  Below I'll just list the new ones added in 1.8.1; you can type "/?" to view them all.

 

/d "Description"

     We've seen this before - creates a grey Description box. Note that due to changes in multi-line macroes, this should be used standalone; it can be combined with other macroes if the description is put in quotes (like above).

 

/be Alias

     Quickly changes your alias to the specified one. Does not create new aliases, only switches between them. (This is run automatically when you use a mini menu to make a roll. It is also useful for GMs who script multiple characters talking in description boxes.)

 

/all command

     This rapidly cycles through all of your available aliases and has them say the command. Since you can activate any node by typing its name, this is most useful if your aliases are each referring to a node - for instance, if someone casts a fireball into a block of NPCs, the GM could simply type "/all Reflex" and have each alias roll a Reflex save.

 

/ve

     View Effects. Used to view and delete /bonuses and /effects (See below). Note that /bonuses and /effects are *saved* as long as you keep the relevant plugin (Bonuses and Effects) active; if you set it to auto-enable, these effects are saved across sessions.

 

/bonus number path

     A ridiculously useful option that creates a temporary, floating bonus and attaches it to the node labelled path. This plugin only works if your current alias matches a namespaced node that contains another node with the path's name, but it is NOT specific to an individual alias. (For most players this is irrelevant, but if you switch between different characters - i.e. you're a GM or a summoner - it matters, and /effect should be used instead.

     This can handle things like Flanking as well, since they're quick and untyped. It's best if these are intended for temporary use.

 

/effect "name" alias= (type=) number= path= (number= path= ...)

     Just like /bonus, except more powerful: It can be applied to any alias (not just your own), and you can have multiple bonuses applied at once (for instance, Rage would read /effect "Rage" alias=BarbarianName number=4 path=_Strength number=4 path=_Strength number=-2 path=AC_Base number=2 path=Will). The Type parameter can only be set once and applies to everything, though.

     Type is applied to *all* bonuses in the same effect, and is used for stacking. Bonuses of the same type don't stack. (Not even Dodge or Circumstance; the code is too simple for that.)

     This is most useful for magic items, or for players who switch between multiple characters (a /bonus applied to Angela will also apply to her constructs if they use the same sheet; an /effect will not.)

 

/addtonode number path

     This adds the given number to the node specified. Unlike /bonus and /effect, this is an actual change to the node itself. It will ONLY work if the value in the target is an integer. It will NOT work if it contains reference code (so "/addtonode !@cha@! AC_base" won't work) or is part of a grid set to auto-total things.

 

/setnode number path

     This overwrites the value of the specified node with the number given, similar to /addtonode, and with the same limitations.

 

/input VAR Caption

     Used in multi-line macroes, this lets you reference VAR as if it were a local variable within that macro. Similar to the ? prompts in earlier sheets. It's worthless when typed in directly.

     For example, a macro containing:

          /input X Input damage taken

          /addtonode -x hp

     would prompt you for damage taken, then subtract that much from your HP. (X acts as a variable only until this macro ends.)

 

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Eclipse Saga Node Tutorial

 

I've written a sophisticated autocalculating character sheet node for Saga. It's evolved over several generations (starting off from D&D 3rd edition through several D&D 3.5 iterations, collectively with about 5000 downloads from the recently-rebooted RPGSheets.com) and the most recent version, 1.5, should be one of the final revisions. Since it can get rather complex in a few places, I usually included a text howto -- but this wiki is the first time it's been available with graphics, so let's use a guided-tour approach, with a sample character. I'll use a Jedi, since they generally have the most to cover. Not a particularly good character, but I was aiming for illustrative purposes rather than play purposes.

 

 

First, you'll need to register the node to your character. This is simple: Open the node in a text editor and find-and-replace "Hero Name" with your character's name. Save the new file somewhere and add it to your gametree (right-click the gametree and choose Add File).

 

The only restriction to this sheet is that you cannot have two hero records with the same name in the gametree at once, or else the calculations won't work. Keep that in mind.

 

 

When you open the node, this is what you should see: The About tab. This covers two things: The top of a classic character sheet, and ability checks. The layout should be fairly self-explanatory (moreso than other tabs), except for a few things.

 

First, note the Take 10 and Take 20 tabs. These do exactly what you think. Just highlight and click Send to roll 'em. (Actually entering your scores will come later.)

 

Second, the Miniatures library will be empty until you make a miniature and use Design to enter that into the library. Just expand the node and Design the miniature library to take care of that.

 

 

The Combat tab handles everything you'll need during combat. The uppper half of this window can be toggled while retaining access to the lower pane.

 

The lower pane is common to all Combat tabs: It contains your Attack, Damage, and Critical Damage dropdowns. Note the weapon choices: W1, W2, and W3 correspond to the three weapon slots integrated into the sheet. (The stock sheet gives a blaster pistol, a lightsaber, and a frag grenade as examples.) Most characters don't need more than that readied at once, but if yours does, you'll need to Design these dropdowns and the Equipped Weapons tab to make more.

 

The Attack dropdown also contains grapple checks. Battle Notes contains anything you may need a reminder of in battle.

 

The upper pane here consists of assorted battle data -- your derived combat statistics and your condition track. The derived stats aren't integrated into OpenRPG, but the condition track definitely is -- when your condtion changes, copy the penalty (or bonus, in some rare cases) into the Condition box. The Persistent box notes what you need to do to remove any persistent conditions.

 

 

The Force Points tab contains optons for spending Force points. As your level rises, or if you use the Strong in the Force feat, use Design to alter this page. The formula "Q1d6.takeHighest(1)*1" rolls 1d6 and takes the highest die, which may not seem like much, but a high-level Strong In The Force user's would read "Q3d8.takeHighest(1)*1" -- rolling 3d8 and taking the highest.

 

It's Eclipse convention to insert minor personality comments on some of these. Makes Force use more personalized. (For instance, in Eclipse Inquisitives (uses action points, the same mechanic), Lehatharath's node declared "I will not be denied!" whenever he boosted a roll, while Angela would exclaim "I can't lose!" -- both indicative of their state of mind under a crisis.)

 

 

The equipped weapons tab contains your readied weapons. It's important to have this area formatted correctly:

W1: Weapon name.

W1_ATK: The attack roll. Format "1d20+!@Hero Name::MELEEATTACK@!" or "1d20+!@Hero Name::RANGEDATTACK@!". Things like Weapon Focus or Superior Accuracy that modify all rolls for a weapon also go here.

W1_DAMAGE: The damage roll calculation. Generally doesn't need changing, except to add or remove the STR term or base damage dice.

W1_CRIT: The weapon's critical hit multiplier. Normally it's 2, but Triple Crit and similar things can change that.

W1_TYPE: The weapon's damage type, and possibly a few notes (i.e. "sonic (cannot be deflected)" or "energy and slashing (ignores DR)").

 

The "Notes" tab is intended for you to track ammo and special weapon/armor functions.

 

 

This tab is mostly used for skll checks. The checks themselves work exactly like ability checks do, highlight and send. The other boxes are exactly what they say on the label.

 

Next up, The Force. The first time you set up any given Force user, or every time you add a new Force power, you'll need to do a bit of groundwork first. Close the node and expand it in the gametree.

 

 

Copies of power nodes are included in the Force Powers Library on the OpenRPG page. Clone 'em and put them under the Force Power Suite.

 

 

Next, Design the Force Power Suite Tracker -- just list the powers you know, including multiple instances of duplicate powers.

 

With that done, reopen the node and let's continue where we left off: The Force tab.

 

 

Okay, here we are. The Use the Force dropdown includes several uses of the Use the Force skill, plus a generic dropdown for your general Force power use.

 

The Suite tab gives you a checklist to mark which powers you've used and which you've expended, along with a section for noting anything specal about your Force use. The other tabs are copies of the Force powers you placed in the last step. Most have macroes for their individual use; check 'em out and see for yourself.

 

 

Possessions are simple, really.

 

The only complex thing I do occasionally is clone the Summary tab if I need more categories to track, notably droid systems.

 

 

Okay, now we enter the bones of the whole node. Enter the following information, and ignore the Don't Touch! tab*.

 

STRENGTH, DEXTERITY, CONSTITUTION, INTELLIGENCE, WISDOM, CHARISMA: Self-explantory.

HEROLEVEL: Your heroic level.

BASEATTACK: Your *base* attack bonus.

SIZE_GRAPPLE: Your size modifier to grapple checks. (Bigger is better.)

SIZE_STEALTH: Your size modifier to Stealth checks. (Smaller is better.)

CHECKPEN: If you're suffering a check penalty (i.e. nonproficient with armor or using KOTOR energy shield), put it in here.

Trained Skills: If you're trained in a skill, put the 5 here. If you're Focused, put a 10. If you have permanent bonuses to one skill (i.e. Perception with helmet package) add 'em in here.

 

 

 

 

*Exception: If you have a permanent ability substitution feature, like Weapon Finesse, you may need to change some of these.