I. Configuration
- A friend I met on these forums (thanks DRAKE!!!) did most of the heavy lifting here. I used his 4e config file and modified it slightly to fit my style. He also created a special rule set for NPC characters with simplified stats that only show for the DM. I've pasted it below: (you should modify this in whichever way suits you. I don't pretend to think this is the best config).
----PC:----
Level
HLM
Strength (STR)
STRMod
Constitution (CON)
CONMod
Dexterity (DEX)
DEXMod
Intelligence (INT)
INTMod
Wiisdom (WIS)
WISMod
Charisma (CHA)
CHAMod
*HitPoints (HP)
*ArmorClass (AC)
*FortitudeDefense (FORT)
*ReflexDefense (REF)
*WillDefense (WILL)
*Movement (Move)
*ActionPoints
*HealingSurges
*Surges_Left
SurgeValue
*Initiative (Init)
Acrobatics
Arcana
Athletics
Bluff
Diplomacy
Dungeoneering
Endurance
Healing
History
Insight
Intimidate
Nature
Perception
Religion
Stealth
Streetwise
Thievery
XP
---NPC:---
*#HP
*#AC
*#Init
*#Movement (Mov)
*#Fort
*#Ref
*#Will
II. PCs and NPCs
- I took the NPCs and monsters from the campaign book and created tokens with macros and stats for all of them and saved them to a resource library. This makes it very easy to set up the encounters for each session with a minimum of prep time. If the party goes in a direction i wasn't anticipating, it doesnt take long to quickly drop the monsters on the map and sketch up a quick area map on the fly.
- I also collected all my player's character sheets and did the initial token setup for them. Once they had a template, I encourage them to keep track of their own gear, stats, and macros going forward.
III. Maps
- I scanned in all of the maps from the campaign book to use as templates for re-creating them in maptool. The actual scanned artwork is nice, but too large for the players to download. I use the drawing tools to sketch out the dungeon, and outdoor maps on top of the scanned imagery, then delete the scans. I also use some clip art of trees and rocks where appropriate. Mostly I just use the built in drawing tools and textures that come with maptool. I can set up 2-3 encounter maps in about 15 minutes before each session.
IV. Gameplay
- We use a combination of Ventrilo and Impersonating our tokens for roleplaying. Some people prefer to talk, and some prefer to type. I personally find it much easier to stay in character when I type, but I allow for both styles of play.
- I use a pen and paper to keep track of initiative. I haven't played with intitool yet, so i'm not sure if that would help or not. Currently the initiative round is the slowest part of our gaming sessions.
- When roleplaying with NPCs (in towns, taverns, etc..) I make the players take turns speaking to NPCs. This cuts down on overlapping conversations and keeps everyone focused. Its fun to listen to them shout out suggestions for the active player to say to the NPCs. I try to keep conversations to 5 questions per player so that everyone gets a turn and it doesnt bog the game down too much.
- We use macros almost exclusively in combat. Sometimes players will prepare a /me command to add flavor to their attacks while they are waiting for their turns. Each player typically takes 15-20 seconds to take their turn in combat so it moves really smoothly and everyone seems to have fun with it.
V. Final thoughts
- The initial preparation time for this campaign was about 3 days. Thats how long it took me to learn maptool, scan the maps, set up the tokens, make big mistakes and re-do everything
. Now that the initial work is done, I spend about 30 minutes before each session prepping the encounters, maps, and studying the campaign book. It all goes really smoothly. I expect in future campaigns, my initial prep time will be about 4-6 hours and about 30 mins each session after that.I should also point out that this is my first time being a DM, and I havent played DnD in over 20 years. I just wanted to get back into it when the 4e rules came out.
I'll follow up with some screengrabs of my maps and stuff later on.
--Versatek
