Dice Rolls in EpicTable
September 25, 2008
Dice rolls are a key feature of any virtual tabletop. Dice mechanics can vary quite a bit across game systems, so I’ve been reading just about everything I can get my hands on, in an effort to compile a list of the kinds of rolls that are important.
Dice rolls already implemented in EpicTable
- Simple rolls
- For example, d4, 2d8, etc. EpicTable supports rolling any number of the following dice: d2 (maybe more properly called a coin), d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d30, d100, and dF (a Fudge die)
- Rolls with modifiers
- Example: 1d20+5 or 2d4-1
- Drop highest or lowest die
- I actually don’t have an example of dropping the highest die, but dropping the lowest is fairly common. For instance, in d20 character creation, you sometimes roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die.
- Drop specific values
- In My Life with Master, you roll d4s and drop any 4s that come up.
Dice rolls still to-be-implemented in EpicTable
- “Open-ended” dice rolls
- In Savage Worlds, when you roll the highest number on the die (e.g., a 6 on a d6, an 8 on a d8, and so on), you can roll that die again and add it to the original roll.
- “Mixed” dice
- For instance, you might roll a d4 and a d6 together.
- Specific die rolls
- Sometimes a roll calls for a specific die. For instance, My Life with Master uses a different colored die for certain bonuses, and In a Wicked Age distinguishes between the d6 with numbers and the d6 with pips.
Die Selection and Dice Roll Evaluation
I use the term “die selection” to denote the process of selecting those dice that are applicable to the roll. For instance, dropping 4s for a My Life with Master roll and dropping the lowest d6 during d20 character creation are instances of what I’m calling “die selection”.
Dice roll evaluation is the term I use for applying any type of function to the results of the roll. For instance, many games simply sum the dice and add any modifiers to come up with a total. I’ve already implemented this behavior for EpicTable. Other games, like Sorcerer and In a Wicked Age, don’t sum their dice but compare them to other players’ rolls. To make this easier, EpicTable will provide a sort evaluator as an alternative to the sum evaluator.
What about resolution mechanics?
Resolution mechanics are the rules by which the success or failure of the dice roll is determined. For instance, the total might be compared against a target or against another player’s roll, or there might be a die-by-die comparison with another player’s roll. EpicTable is unlikely to include resolution mechanics. There are just so many dice mechanics out there, and so many variables that can go into resolving a roll, that it’s a job best left to the GM.
Where do the dice rolls go?
At this moment, EpicTable sends all dice rolls to the chat window. However, for the sake of secret rolls and for games with unusual dice mechanics, such as Dogs in the Vineyard, I’m likely to implement a dice table–a surface on which the dice can be placed and moved around.
How are dice rolled?
It’s possible to enter a dice roll directly from the chat window by typing “/roll 2d8“, for instance. However, I believe it will be more common for you to roll dice from predefined “dice cups” on your character sheet or by selecting dice on the tabletop and using a key or mouse gesture to roll them.
Call for feedback
That pretty much sums up where things stand with respect to EpicTable and dice. I’d love to hear your feedback. What have I forgotten? What other dice functionality do you need to play your game with EpicTable?
Roleplay-Centric Chat
August 31, 2008
In this post, I’m going to introduce you to EpicTable’s “Roleplay-Centric Chat” features. I call EpicTable’s text chat “roleplay centric” because it has features like an integrated dice roller, support for multiple personas, and many other features that tailor it to the roleplaying experience.
Read more
Special Dispatch: Character Sheet Development Update
June 20, 2008
It’s time for another development update. Last time, I talked about leaving the world of mapping to delve into character sheets. Since then, I’ve been busily fleshing out the character sheet concept in EpicTable—especially user-defined character sheets.
My recent forays into indie and story games have had a profound impact on EpicTable’s character sheets and game systems. I’m not prepared to show you screenshots yet, but I can give you some insight into the direction EpicTable is headed with respect to character sheets. Read more
Dev Direction - On to Characters
May 31, 2008
I’m leaving the world of mapping for a bit and concentrating on character sheets and rulesets.
Getting the screenshots associated with mapping has been interesting in that I’ve actually used EpicTable more like a user than a developer. Read more
EpicTable Forum - Initial Impressions
May 31, 2008
The EpicTable forum and development blog went live March 24th, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your participation. I’m really pleased with the amount and quality of the feedback I’ve been getting, and the discussions in the forum have been helpful and constructive.
It’s really great to be a part of a community–and I mean the larger community of FUM, Battlegrounds, MapTool, Dundjinni, and others–in which the tone is cooperation and support between gamers of different stripes, and even between alternative/competing VT vendors.
Tavern in Virtual Tabletop TrueVision
May 26, 2008
In this post, I’m going to introduce you to EpicTable’s TrueVision. TrueVision allows you to show your players only what their characters would see. It takes into account lighting, line-of-sight, and visual acuity (e.g., low-light vision, darkvision) or equipment (e.g., nightvision goggles). Read more
Main Screen (Map Centric)
May 23, 2008
This screenshot shows the main EpicTable screen. For map-based games, this is what you’ll often be looking at. The player characters, as well as an ettin they’re about to encounter, occupy the character bar near the top of the screen. The GM can drag these around into initiative order, or turn order, or whatever’s appropriate for your game. He can also drag them onto the map.
Center screen, you see the player tokens on the map. Naturally, these can be dragged around as well. The entire map is illuminated because we’re looking through the GM’s point of view. In a later screenshot, I’ll show you TrueVision in action— where each player only sees what his character would see.
Notice that you have your chat window at the right. (That’s dockable in case you don’t want it on the right.) Notice also the user-defined dice cups at the top. Often, you’ll roll dice right from your character sheet, but you have the option to use these ad-hoc dice cups.
Finally, it’s worth noting that because this is the GM’s view, there are some things available that wouldn’t be there for players; for instance, the ability to add images to the handout gallery and the buttons allowing him to create more maps. We’ll get deeper into some of these features in later posts.
Credits:
Map made using Dundjinni with textures and objects from the user art forum; notably, Cistacola’s cavern textures, Greytale’s arches (which became bridge rails), and Dragonwolf’s tile (north of the bridge). The tokens are courtesy of Fiery Dragon Productions. You can find links to all these on my Links page.
Why an EpicTable Development Blog?
May 22, 2008
Popular demand. Really. I was surprised and pleased by how many of you asked for more information about the progress of EpicTable. So, here goes: screenshots, a development blog, and screencasts to come. A new forum for discussion of all this, and my commitment to keep the information flowing.
EpicTable QuickStart
May 21, 2008
EpicTable’s QuickStart page is the first thing that greets you when you launch EpicTable. As you can see in this screenshot, you’re shown a list of the games in which you’re participating. Icons to the left of each game name indicate whether you’re the GM 
or a player 
. Read more