What is a framework?
A framework is a collection of macros, tokens, icons, and other things that help you play a specific campaign setting in MapTool. This framework helps you play Shadowrun 4th Edition. Currently, this framework can roll dice pools, remember commonly used dice-pools (ex. Attack tests), automate initiative rolls, track temporary character variables (like Physical damage boxes, Edge pool, and Ammo), and more. It does NOT have full character sheet functionality. My goal is simplicity: at least, much moreso than my D&D 4e framework.
How to load my framework (First time users, start here!):
Download the campaign file. Navigate to your MapTool folder. Double-click on "MapToolLauncher.exe". Press OK. Go to File | Load Campaign, and find the campaign file. Now you should see at least three tokens: a basic runner, a basic enemy, and an angry drop-bear (the koala).
When you start the server, make sure
Strict Token Ownership,
Restricted Player Impersonation,
Players Receive Campaign Macros, and Use
Tooltips for [] Rolls are checked!
How to Create a Runner/Enemy:
1. Click on the Basic Runner token (or Basic Enemy) and press Ctrl+C to copy it. With your mouse hovering over the map, press Ctrl+V to paste a new copy of that token. It will probably be named "Basic Runner 1". Double-click it to open the token properties.
2. Change your token's name. You can also drag an image file (from a Windows folder or a website, but not from the resource library) onto the picture of the runner to change your token picture. If you want an image from your resource library, press the little green + to change it. Press OK.
3. On the menu bar, click Window and make sure Campaign and Selected are checked.
4. On the Campaign panel, you should see at least 9 icons (Ammo, CMs, Edge, etc.). Make sure your token is still selected, and click the
MY CHAR button.
5. Here you can adjust your maximum physical, stun, and matrix boxes, your maximum Edge pool, and your ammunition count. Uncheck a box if you're not interested in tracking that value (ex. if you don't own a commlink, you obviously won't have a persona with a Matrix condition monitor).
6. Press the
REST button and check "REFRESH ALL". Note: reloading your weapon can be found here.
7. Right-click your token, and click Save. Put it in a place where you'll remember it.
8. See that strange, koala-looking token named "Lib:SR4"? That's the library token. It needs to go everywhere your token goes, or your macros won't work. If you have to update, delete the koala and replace it with a new koala. Your GM needs to have only 1 copy of this token loaded somewhere in his campaign.
10. You're done. Play with some of the buttons.
Advanced tips:
1.
Cyan Bar = Physical track.
Fuchsia Bar = Stun track.
Green Bar = Matrix track.
Blue Bar = Edge track.
Orange Bar = Ammo track.
2. Anywhere there's a dice pool, you can actually use an equation. Instead of writing
10 you could write
4+4+2 to represent Agility 4 + Pistols 4 + Smartlink 2.
3. Initiative is in a
## / # IPs format. The first half is your initiative score, and the second half is your total number of IPs. To determine initiative passes, pretend like MapTool's Rounds are actually initiative passes. When it says Round 2, skip over anyone with only 1 IP. Once it gets to the end of the list, click the arrow by Next and then Remove All, so you can have everyone reroll initiative.
4. If you check "Save this roll as a token macro" when rolling a dice pool, you can save and re-use the pool. The saved macro button can be found under the Selection panel of your token. You can add temporary mods to the pool here, too. If you make a mistake, you can right-click the new macro button and edit it.
5. If you're a GM and you don't want your players to see the enemies' status bars, double-click on the Lib:SR4 (koala) token. Change SHOW_NPC_* properties to 0 to turn them off.
6. You can roll without selecting a token, but that's the only button that works without selecting a token.
7.
How to handle the astral plane: I recommend that you simply overlay the astral world on top of the real world.
For a projecting player, you might want to give him an astral version of his token, give it the
Astral Projection and
Astral Sight states, and set his main token to Unconscious.
Unfortunately there is no way to make an specific token visible only to a specific player. Give astral beings the state
Astral Projection or
Dual-Natured to indicate whether they can be seen/affected by physical party. Hide those creatures if no one in the group possesses
Astral Sight.
8.
How to handle the Matrix: For simple Matrix structures, you should just overlay the Matrix on top of the real world. When a hacker is in VR mode, add the
Unconscious state to his main token.
For more complicated structures, you might want to give your players their own Matrix persona tokens. I recommend making these tokens small or tiny, and adjust the token's layout so that it's pushed over on one side of the layout boundary (this can be done under the Config tab when you double-click the token--see the VR sample tokens for an example). That way the persona token almost looks like a state that you can be dropped onto other tokens.
When a character logs into a node, make a copy of his persona token and put it on top of the node's token. For example, if a rigger logs into his drone's node, you might want to drop a copy of the rigger's persona token on the drone. Move it along with the drone when the drone moves.
For extremely large nodes (like nexi), the DM may want to simply draw it as a cordoned-off area of the regular map. Each node would be one room, and hallways could link each node together (use VBL so a hacker can't see what's in the next room without switching nodes!). IC and other Matrix critters could then easily roam between rooms.
Since these node-rooms are simply boxes, a GM could even quickly draw them using MapTool's drawing tools.
When a character is in a node, hide all the other tokens (IC, programs, other users, etc.) until the character succeeds at an Analyze test.
9.
Group Edge pools: Simply set each of the grunts' Edge scores to 0 and set their lieutenant's Edge to the group's professional rating. If there is no lieutenant, give the Edge score to one of the grunts and allow him to use it even if he's dead.
Stuff to do:
1. Finish out the states.