tedopon

I guess my main gripe is that it doesn't frontload all of the stuff the GM has in their toolkit to the players behind the scenes. Granted, the last time I used the software was six months ago, so there could have been some "groundbreaking" development since then, but I doubt it. In the years I used the software, it was always a slog whenever the GM had a large map to present. This is compounded when you use the Fog of War feature. Granted, I don't use maps often in BRP, so that's not a huge issue. Generally, any time the GM needs to share files that they have not shared at the beginning of the session, it becomes a "wait for it" moment(s). The rest of the laundry list, in no particular order: I cannot begin to estimate the number of times that save data has been lost when there is an active session. Modifying the ruleset via the xml files for houserules is easy _if you only want to play with yourself_. Out of the six or seven times we attempted to pull this off, it only worked correctly twice, and one of those times it only worked for part of a session. I game with two guys who are professional coders, so this should be a non-issue. It would be nice to have the option (kind of related to the previous gripe) to turn much or all of the tool set off as a GM. Most times I just want like three buttons/windows, not fourteen. I have paper and a pen and a hand for notes. Also, the fact that (at least between 06 and mid 11) the different windows become messy quickly is really an unnecessary complication when you just need x on the fly (although I will say that with two monitors it isn't an issue). None of the 20+ people I have gamed with using this software over the years has figured out how to save the quick launch shortcuts between sessions, but many have complained. I would love an answer, haven't ever gotten it on the forums. Our elegant solution has been to save a text file and re-paste the code to the launch bar each session. The bottom line answer really for me is that changes to the interface that are global take a long time to implement across all the machines. This is related to my first complaint, but it is different. Example: one guy moves mini or draws something on the board. Sometimes this happens instantly for everyone logged in. Most of the time, we wait while one or more folks say "Nope, nothing". I cannot get it to run on Linux. I know this is possible, but I haven't been able to do it. All that aside, it is a good piece of software. I wouldn't have dumped nearly as much money into it as I have over the years if I didn't think so. The CoC and BRP rulesets are the best implementations of the software I have seen, and I have played twelve or thirteen different rulesets using FG over the years. It all just seems to me like a giant Band-Aid, meaning even with the perceived issues in the software, they just keep cranking stuff out that isn't really an improvement. Look back to when the current ownership took over the company. There were hints that a new version would come out that addressed the current iteration's shortcomings and people grabbed their torches and shovels because they didn't want to pay for a new subscription. I'm guessing that in the next year or three we will get a browser based piece of software that is modular and does everything FG does for less money and hassle.

rust nailed it.

Not to piss in anyone's breakfast, but FG is sluggish overhyped software. I have owned FG for about six years and used it extensively. I own a number of paid add ons, including the BRP and CoC mods. IME, FG causes a ton of headaches and makes online games (which are already slower paced than in person ones) grind to a near halt. I have had a lot more luck with Skype/G+ and a shared whiteboard than FG.

...

Funny, somewhere in the last ten years I forgot how we did things in the "old days".

BRP Mecha W00T

Yeah, there are a few books I actually want physical copies of.

I wish more of Chaosium's catalog was available through Amazon. Or they had more than four distributor locations in the USA. I feel like ordering from their site is like playing Russian Roulette with my credit card.

I've read about two thirds of the book at this point and the typos are all in the first three chapters.

Well...I have to agree with this statement. HA! It looks like most of the formatting errors are in the first two sections of the book, and they definitely look like autocorrect errors to me. There is no way that a human made the mistakes in the wealth entry for each profession. I made it through about page 40 last night, and when I picked it up today, I skipped to the Creatures and Demons/Angels sections and didn't notice the errors occurring with nearly the same frequency.

I posted over at the Alephtar forums first, but figured it would do everyone better if I posted here as well since there is a lot more traffic here than there. If anyone is turned off by the editing errors and is on the fence about this book, let me state that I got it yesterday, have read a couple hours out of it and it is excellent. The editing errors are annoying, but not a deal breaker. Very glad that A) I put this book at the top of my book suggestion list for Christmas, and my wife actually bought something gaming related for once. Great job, Simon. Also, thanks to Alephtar for putting out these historical products I love to read. Please improve the editorial process in the future, though.

No.

Badass on multiple levels, great job.

I didn't see anything in either the book preview or the logo package that explained exactly what OGC means.

That cover is a thing of beauty.

Probably next week, after the sale is over.

... ? ...

When I use them, they're mechanically vague. Basically a limited Get Out Of Jail Free card. I don't give a ton of them out and they don't get used very often, either. Each use costs one point. When players ask what they can do with them, I keep it simple and say something along the lines of "unless there is an opposed roll that is a critical success, you will succeed with (x)". There has only been one time that a FP has been used in a nonmechanical way I can think of. They made a really boneheaded decision that would have killed about two dozen innocents who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and right at the beginning of the following round, one of the PCs realized it before I had said anything and I let him burn a point to redo the previous round. Keeping it vague like that has resulted in the players not using them very often, and me not giving them out very often.

It's been vetoed out of the mix every time I've asked if we should include it. It's adding another level of complexity for little real benefit. NAY

I run a scifi game where that's basically how you build a robot character. You could easily scale it for a hard, fast and dirty mech rules set.

I sold a copy on ebay a few weeks ago and the bidding went way higher than I expected.

Hoping on the standard Halloween week sale this year. I have three or four titles I'm wanting to get and this book is the impetus for me to actually order them. Between this, the new Merrie England, River of Heaven and RQ6, I think I am going to have to stop buying d100 books for a while.

I'll add another redundant post: Just the same as most everyone else in this thread, I only do in very specific situations that are engineered to focus on resource management. Otherwise it's too much detail.

So, does the title read "Aeon Copyright" or "Aeon"?

Any gadget creation rules besides the ones I wrote and have been using off and on for a couple years would have been/be much appreciated. While functional, they aren't all that good. I audibly groan due to embarrassment when a player asks if he can make a powered utility gadget. Thankfully, I've played with nice people who have yet to look me in the eye and say "Really?" in a deadpan voice.