[GURPS] Wrathchild / Winter's FW v2 (BETA)

MapTool campaign files that encapsulate properties, tokens, and macros for a particular ruleset or game world. "Framework" is often abbreviated "FW".

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Winter
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[GURPS] Wrathchild / Winter's FW v2 (BETA)

Post by Winter »

Here's a beta version of the v2.0 of the Basic GURPS Framework for MapTool, dated 20110118. It's a substantial reworking of the framework which adds an initiative tracker, and removes the complex melee and skill check calculations to stay within the terms of the Steve Jackson Games' Online Policy. Despite the loss of features, I hope you'll still find this a useful system. In particular, I hope the initiative tracker will help GMs handle combat more smoothly.

This is a very much a beta system. My goal is to post something that you can use as quickly as possible, so I've posted this framework before thoroughly testing it. Please test the system, especially with a few networked clients, and point out the bugs.

One such bug: the lib:GURPS token should be made visible to players. Right-click on it to make sure.
Another: Turn off Maptool smileys, as they interfere with the framework output.

Another caution: the token structure changed somewhat since the last release, so you may have to rebuild any tokens you have. I'll try to keep such changes to a minimum, of course, but it couldn't be avoided this time.
BasicGURPSsetup200beta.cmpgn
(1.9 MiB) Downloaded 2154 times
Change Log
New initiative and condition tracker
A new initiative tracker for the GM's use. Add some tokens to initiative, and then hit the Init Frame macro.
Center the map on a token by clicking its picture.
Call up the character sheet by clicking on the token's name.
The tracker permits checks of primary (ST, DX, IQ, HT) and secondary (Will, Fright, Per) characteristics.
It also allows changes to FP, HP, maneuver, posture, and shock.
Color-coding (green, yellow, orange, red) corresponds to the different states of HP and FP.
Dodge checks are also possible, as they were easy to implement.
Advance the initiative with the next button.

New Features and Changes to Token Structure
Added a posture Token Property to permit easy display of posture in the initiative tracker.
Added a conditions Token Property to permit easy display of conditions in the initiative tracker. This will eventually be a array of JSON objects, but for now, it's just an array of strings.

New Features and Changes to Main Character Sheet tab
"Find token" link now selects the token as well as centers the screen on the token.
HP and FP changes may now be made directly from the character sheet.
Current HP and current FP now appropriately colored.
An End Turn link now appears on the Main tab to allow players to advance the initiative to the next in line when they are finished with their action.
Considerable clean-up and refactoring of Character Sheet code.

New features and changes to other character sheet tabs
Each inventory item can now be readied (R), carried (c), or merely owned ( – ).
- Readied items are available for use and contribute to weight carried.
- Carried items contribute to weight carried.
- Owned items do not contribute to weight carried.
Basic sorting of inventory and skills with the ^ link.
Layout of attributes rearranged to consolidate most commonly referenced secondary attributes on the right.
High, Normal, and Low Pain Thresholds now can be chosen from the Attributes tab.

New features and changes to skill rolls and combat
Potential NPC and PC targets are now sorted separately in the melee and ranged dialogs.
Ranged combat dialog now permits ranged attacks in close combat.
Bulk penalty assigned if range == 0. Need to create exception for Heroic Archers.
Limited output for attack, defense, and damage rolls. You have to figure more modifiers yourself in this version, I'm afraid.

New features and changes to weapons
Weapon weight moved to top of weapon dialog.
Weapons' parrying abilities can now be identified as normal, fencing (+3 on parry retreat), unbalanced (no parry after attack), or none (no parry).
Weapons can now indicate the number of hands they require, though this has - for now - no effect on play.
Armor Divisor now a text field rather than a drop-down.

Other new features and changes
A popup containing legalese appears on opening the campaign.
GMs can use the GURPS Prefs button to set common skills (stealth, observation, traps, diplomacy, etc.) which will be applied to each new token.
Rewrote conditions macros to allow the new initiative tracker to display conditions.
Many macros refactored slightly.

Bug fixes
Shield bashes now have a minrange and a maxrange of 1.
Further improved the outputting of skill rolls to GM and activating player. (Thanks to yufra.)

Remaining bugs, regrets, and ideas
An attacking token must be selected when an attack is launched from the character sheet to make sure that the correct target list is available. This may be a MapTool limitation, so I'm not sure I can fix it.
The "+NPCs to Init" and "+PCs to Init" button are simply adding all tokens to the initiative. I'll have to fix this in the next release.
Switching tabs can be a little sluggish; may need to optimize more.
The main-gauche skill should be handled better, though you can fake it with manipulation of the inventory entry.
The damage calculations use ugly code, due to the macro language's prohibition of three-deep code:{} blocks.
The lib:GURPS token should be set as visible to players. Right-click on it to make sure.

Possible goals for the near future
Armor varieties according to Low Tech.
Handle ongoing afflictions better, with durations.
Remove Bulk penalty for Heroic Archers.
Shock for creatures with HP >20.
Random hit location determination, if within the online policy.
Recoil, autofire and malf.
Ammo tracking, maybe?
Better unarmed combat, including grapples, trips, and slams.
Fix cloak.

Possible goals for the farther future
A Spell tab with real live spells, including skill level, FP cost and variable damage.
Containers for inventory, skills, and spells.
Change the list of hit locations according to body type.
Track consecutive Aim and Evaluate maneuvers to determine appropriate skill bonuses automatically.
Tie change in Maneuver to existing Maneuver states to permit on-map display of Maneuver states, if desired.
Instructions
This framework requires a 5M stack size in MapTool. To change the stack size, follow the are detailed instructions at http://lmwcs.com/rptools/wiki/Stack_Size.

MapTool in general seems to work best with Sun's Java Virtual Machine (VM). Other VMs may not give the consistent results.

General usage guidelines
Only the GM needs to download the framework.
MapTool Preferences: In the Accessibility tab, set Chat Font Size to be 9 or 10 for best results.
Make sue the Lib:GURPS token is set as visible to players. Right-click on it to make sure.
Click on a token, and hit the Char Sheet macro in the Campaign frame.
Blue links mean "edit" or "roll".
Green links by a piece of equipment mean "ready/equip" or "unready/unequip".
Red x's mean "delete".
If you're a GM, select a few tokens, and add them to the initiative order.
Then hit the Init Frame macro.
Create as many maps as you'd like, of course.
Just don't delete the Lib:GURPS token. Keep it on one of the maps in the campaign file.

Guidelines for setting up a token from scratch in this framework
Pull in an image.
Campaign frame: Hit the Set Up Token macro. Enter a name, PC/NPC, and a sight type.
Campaign frame: Hit the Char Sheet macro.
Character Sheet, Main tab: Adjust basic attributes using the blue Attributes link.
Character Sheet, Inventory tab: Add equipment using the blue + links in the Inventory tab.
Character Sheet, Inventory tab: Ready armor, shields, and weapons by clicking on the dash to the right of the item's name.
Campaign frame: Hit the FP and HP buttons once, to bring up the status overlays.

Combat guidelines
Choose a maneuver each turn.
Add and Ready weapons and equipment in the Inventory tab.
Click on the Main tab's blue weapon name links to attack with a readied weapon.
Click on a defense in the target's Main tab to defend.
Click the Main tab's blue damage link to determine the damage caused by a successful attack.
If you have a critical miss or hit, calculate or modify the results manually.
Upgrading a Campaign
Here are the Campaign Properties, the beta 2.0 Lib:GURPS token, and the Campaign Frame macros in separate files for those of you who want to upgrade your existing campaign files from an earlier version of the framework. I believe adding these three parts will make *any* MapTool campaign GURPS-aware, but I haven't tested that. Back up your campaign file before you try upgrading.

Edit Menu, Campaign Properties. The Import button is in the lower left. Choose the new Campaign Properties.
CampaignProps20110118.mtprops
(1.63 MiB) Downloaded 509 times
Delete the old Lib:GURPS token. Pull in the new one.
LibGURPS20110118.rptok
(52.15 KiB) Downloaded 468 times
Delete the Campaign Frame macros. Import the new set.
CampaignMacros20110118.mtmacset
(6.09 KiB) Downloaded 468 times
The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and its rules and art are copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by Steve Jackson Games. This game aid is the original creation of Winter and is released for free distribution, and not for resale, under the permissions granted in the Steve Jackson Games Online Policy.
Last edited by Winter on Sat Jul 14, 2018 5:45 pm, edited 9 times in total.

Woodman
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Woodman »

Looks good so far, just played with ist for about 30min., but is outputting the Margin of Success/Failure not within the terms of the online policy? I added it for normal skill rolls, and could post the code here.

Winter
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Winter »

I reworked the framework on the principle that only character design features, simple die rolling, and MapTool-specific features like target designation were permitted. To quote the SJG online policy, "Anything more than a character creation game aid is a problem." Unfortunately, determining the results of skill rolls clearly isn't part of character creation, so I felt I couldn't leave such a feature in.

Woodman
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Woodman »

To bad, that would be about as much extra functionality as I would have wanted, just adding up the numbers seems like i have to keep this to myself then.

Brisk
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Brisk »

Not sure if this qualifies as a bug but when a player connects to a server they get a message in the chatbox:

Error running onCampaignLoad on Lib:GURPS : Unable to execute macro from Lib:GURPS: not visible to player.

when I make the Lib token visible they see The GURPS Framework for MapTool, Limited Version window come up.

I have yet to run the framework through it's paces in a real game. I just wanted to say thanks for the update and give a heads up.

Winter
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Winter »

Thanks, Brisk, for that report. I'll look into the problem and post an update if necessary.

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wrathchild
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by wrathchild »

Hurrah! Just in time for my birthday!
Entering the Digital Age of Roleplaying.
Part of the Resident GURPS Lobby.
Calling for Halos to be Hexified.

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wrathchild
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by wrathchild »

Looks really nice on first runthrough. That initiative thingy is a work of art :D
Entering the Digital Age of Roleplaying.
Part of the Resident GURPS Lobby.
Calling for Halos to be Hexified.

Winter
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Winter »

The final version of MapTool (build 83) has now been released. I'll test the framework with it, and see if there are any bugs. Once I have any problems sorted out, I will strongly encourage using MapTool 1.3 Final instead of any of the earlier builds.

Please let me know if you run across any bugs internal to the framework or any problems with the framework-MapTool interaction. Likewise, if you know of any MapTool features that the framework doesn't yet take advantage of, please let me know, and I'll see how they might be integrated.

hungmanmoojo
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by hungmanmoojo »

Hi! i'm new to maptools. and somewhat new to gurps aswell.. but i really want to start a game with my friends using these tools..

i've gathered that you have run into problems with the online policy and i'm wondering is you (winter) knows their reasoning about anything more than a charactergenerator makes the program you are using a computergame instead of a gaming aid. i guess if you are strict,(and SJG seems to be) it most defenately isn't ok to publish tables in any form. but what i'm thinking is how can dierollmacros not be allowed but teaching my friends over the gamingtable be ok when it comes to rulesmachenitions..

sorry about my bad english..

do ya know if it is legal to do this in private? i mean make maptools work as i want but not distribute it?

Winter
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Winter »

Well, I Am Not a Lawyer, but any printed reproduction of copyrighted material could reasonably be argued to violate US copyright laws. (There are exceptions for what is called "fair use" of the material in scholarly works and reviews.) However, when you describe a game system to friends, you do not reproduce the copyrighted material, but rather describe it in your own words. When you share books across a table, you do not reproduce the text, but rather allow others to read it themselves. I doubt that anyone would argue that you can't tell friends about a game, or that you can't loan them your rulebooks. Steve Jackson Games is usually quite friendly to gamers and, as far as I know, doesn't have a problem with loaning out or sharing rulebooks. Frankly, any other position would be both absurd and unenforceable.

As for the bigger question of making MapTools "work as you want," I don't know whether it's technically illegal or not to code in a game system that you don't distribute. It might be an open question in US copyright terms. But as long as you don't distribute your code, no one will know about it, and no one will take you to court about it.

Of course, many people produce MapTool conversions of leading game systems, including D&D, and do distribute them. Without the express agreement of the copyright holder, this is likely a violation of copyright law. As long as the copyright holder doesn't complain, however, they can get away with it. The copyright holder might even be willing to tolerate such copyright infringement if it increases the number of people who play the game and does not compete with their own digital products. (Remember, IANAL, and This Does Not Constitute Legal Advice.)

You should check out Steve Jackson Games' Online Policy, if you haven't already. It's written in plain English and is remarkably generous, as such policies go.

Winter
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Winter »

How would you all feel if I were to consolidate the Inventory tab into the Main tab? It seems that those are the two most used tabs, and it might cut down on the number of clicks required to take a turn if the inventory appeared on the Main tab.

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Sir Flak
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Sir Flak »

I'm having major issues with this framework (1.3b86).

As a connected player if I try to move any token I get NPE errors. Once the errors start you will continue to get errors every time you move your pointer in the grass area. Disconnecting from the server won't fix it. You have to close maptools.

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Sir Flak
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Sir Flak »

Narrowed It Down. Its a bug in the lock movment of the initiative. Older version do not cause this error.

EDIT** Version b83 or newer will cause the NPE error. Workaround is disable lock movement on init tracker in these versions.

Winter
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Re: Setting up MT for GURPS

Post by Winter »

Thanks for the report, Sir Flak, and sorry you're having trouble.

I've played a couple of times with MapTools b85 and b86, and the NPEs I came across had to do with VBL (vision-blocking layers) and pre-b83 maps imported into b86. Then again, I'm not sure I had lock movement set. I'll look into your report tomorrow, and see what I can see.

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