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Overview
http://www.d20pro.com/
d20pro is role-playing software a lot like FG2. It is surely one of the better FG2 alternatives out there, but like all software like this, has its own quirks.
| TODO: | | Provide well-rounded overview. |
Licensing
GM typically buys a license with enough guest licenses such that players can connect for free. Players can buy a player license to make up for the DM not having enough free slots available.
Tips
Import things to know about d20pro:
First joining the game:
When you join, the first thing you'll want to do is to launch the two main windows.
- Click the d20pro button in the top left (this is your Start Menu, pretty much)
- Choose Game Log
- Go back and also choose Roster
- Resize the two windows for convenience out of the way (I like the roster to be thin and wide)
The game/chat window, which has tabs for All, Game, and Chat. Use the All tab unless you want to filter the information for convenience.
Main interface tips:
- Show your PC action menu: Right-click on your character(s) for the context menu
- See character quick info: Hover over their picture (get in the habit of this!)
- View character sheet: Select your character and type E
- Loading Lag: If you see an hourglass icon in the top right, you're loading something big (map, picture, etc). Please wait!
Comparisons to FG2
Things you will hate about d20pro
- Players have no control over their character sheets. DM does most of that.
- All chat typed into the chat box is considered OOC! In-character chat is handled like this:
- To chat IC, select your character.
- Press T for Talk. Enter your text and click the button to send it.
- If you don't want to click the button, hit CTRL+S for quick sends, etc.
- GUI is not 100% intuitive (but won't feel totally unfamiliar)
- Runs on Linux, OSX, and Windows
Things you will love about d20pro
- GM will love the tile-based map creator
- Effects are tracked with their own duration timers. DM can see the entire list (screenshot on the right) while players can hover over their character to see their effects.
Other things
- Pros:
- Very easy to import graphical assets for creatures, maps, handouts, etc
- Supports PDF handouts and URL handouts
- All combat rolls are managed by the interface
- GM approves all rolls explicitly
- Cons:
- No easy/visual reach indicator for mobs
- No way to share effect templates, each player saves their own templates locally.
- Neither here nor there:
- Tile-based fog of war management (cool, but sometimes revealing half a grid cell would be cool)