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sentry0

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  1. Like
    sentry0 reacted to Chris Goodwin in Is it possible Hero Games could support the Open RPG Creative (ORC) License in some way?   
    I'm aware Hero Games will likely never release any part of the HERO System under any kind of open license, and I'm okay with that.  But, is there any way Hero Games could support the effort by Paizo, Kobold Press, and others, with the ORC?  
  2. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from DentArthurDent in Gemini Introduction   
    Hey all, I will shed some light on Gemini for people to understand it.
     
    Gemini is my passion project that I’ve been picking away at for a few years now.  It started as a Rifts conversion to OpenD6 that I ran for fun a few years ago.  During that playtest, I realized that the ‘Special Abilities’ system in OpenD6 was a little anemic in some regards (and super overpowered in others).  My perspective was mainly influenced by my years of playing Hero.  I liked much of the speed and simplicity of OpenD6, and I knew I wanted to merge the two somehow.
     
    That led me down the path to something called Chimera.  Chimera was just something I did for my friends.  At one point, I got some feedback from outside my circle of friends via Reddit, and I threw together a basic website for it to keep interested parties in the know.
     
    I built apps for character building and playing the game locally because I’m a software dev, and I could.  COVID hit, and we couldn’t play in person anymore, so I built out Roll20 support via the apps by allowing you to export the characters you build in the apps directly into a Roll20 game via an importer script I wrote.  I also customized the Wild Die API script and created my character sheets for Roll20 for Chimera.
     
    As the rules evolved and stabilized, I wanted to see if there was a way to publish the rules.  My main concern was that some critical concepts were burrowed from Hero. Since OpenD6 is OGL and Hero is not, it made sense to approach DoJ first.  Luckily, Jason Walters was receptive to the idea, so we ended up negotiating a deal to bring Chimera to print.  As we worked through the details, it was decided to retire the name Chimera, and instead, we picked Gemini as the name.
     
    And here we are.
     
    There’s been a Patreon earlier this year, and I have recently resurrected this project.  Some typos and misprints in the reviewed document need to be corrected.  I also just want to remove some rules and streamline things even further. 
     
    Recently, I returned to Reddit to the OpenD6 subreddit, which is small but the best source I could find for feedback from that side of Gemini.
     
    I’ll offer this community the same access to the apps and Roll20 support that I gave to the OpenD6 community.  I have the book available for consumption and can get you into the Alpha test for the apps (Android and Apple).
     
    Have a look at this video for a high-level overview of the app - https://youtu.be/mgf_bst7-qk
     
    I have compiled a 4-page document that includes the introductory chapter, which you can view here.
     

  3. Thanks
    sentry0 got a reaction from Duke Bushido in Gemini Introduction   
    I recently ran an open beta and am in the process of revising the book.  
     
    I'm attaching the first page of the Powers chapter for anyone who is interested to review.  Feel free to leave a constructive comment.
    Gemini_Power_Overview.pdf
  4. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from mallet in Gemini Studio: Open Beta   
    Hey, apologies for the late response... Christmas makes this time of year a little much.  If you are still interested, I can send you the rules to review.
     
    To answer some of your questions:
    There is no official website for Gemini I'm sort of using these forums and the unofficial Discord server as my home It's a fast-playing TTRPG game that takes a few design leads from Hero Power building should feel very familiar to a Hero player The math is much more straightforward (pro or con, depends on your viewpoint) It's designed to be genre-agnostic in that it's unopinionated on the subject of genre DM me on this site or via Discord (Sentry0 is my tag).  Email me at phil.guinchard@slackdaystudio.com if you are like me, old.
     
  5. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Boll Weevil in The Turakian Age is Seriously Underrated   
    That's a very tempting location I must admit.  I'm currently planning a 1-shot set in Aarn for a group of D&D players but if that goes well and there's interest I would totally look at that region for a campaign
  6. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from BigJackBrass in HERO System Mobile   
    I just pushed an update to address the way BODY was being counted in the app.  It should be available on your device in the next 24-48 hours.
  7. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Edsel in HERO System Mobile   
    I am pleased to announce the launch of the HERO System Mobile app on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.  You can install the app by searching for it in your app store or by using the links provided.  The app is free to use, ad free, and respects your privacy.
     
    Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herogmtools App Store - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hero-system-mobile/id1352750917?ls=1&mt=8 Amazon App Store - http://a.co/byom955  
    This project is an extension of an export template I wrote a few months ago.  I had so much fun writing that template that I decided to develop a full app.
     
    Features
    Import characters from Hero Designer using this export template Characteristics and Skills may be long pressed and a check will be made Dice rolling tools (3d6, Hit, Damage, and Free Form)  The H.E.R.O. tool generates random 250 point 5e supers (shout out to Cassandra for allowing me to use her original idea) Track statistics about your die rolls, including average values, distribution, total stun etc.  
    This is still very much a work in progress and I have plans to add more features as time goes on.  For now though I feel that it’s mature enough to release to the general public.
     
    Feedback is always welcome either here or at phil.guinchard@gmail.com
     
    Happy Hero-ing
  8. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in HERO System Mobile   
    I released the 2.1.10 build of HSM the other day.  There's not much new for people to play with other than a new toast message look and feel (toast messages are the little pop-ups that appear on the bottom of screens for some actions).  Under the hood, I ripped out an entire UI library as it is apparently not being supported by the upstream devs any longer.  There may be some look and feel changes but they are minor, like the buttons on the Combat screen look a little different.
     
    Patch Notes:
    Upgraded toast messages
  9. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Hermit in The necessity of complications/disadvantages   
    I like 6th edition's handling of Complications being less numerous and, by extension, a little more important.  Complications/Disadvantages are a breath of fresh air compared to the traditional alignment systems and other systems that attempt to sum up an entire character's motivations in 2 words.  Not to mention the number of arguments started by people on the nature of Good and Evil as they apply to fantasy games, I wouldn't say I like these philosophical debates these systems of morality cause in some games.
     
    What works in my Hero games is to write the character's background so that the Complications taken are reflected in the past motivations and actions.  It makes for a believable character to say, "Karl enlisted and picked up the sword to defend his family and friends from the enemies of the crown after living in fear for his life on the kingdom's border." than "Karl's Lawful Good."  One answer is boring and generic the other has something to work with motivation-wise.  A story arc revolving around keeping the characters' home safe or DNPCs out of harm's way is hopefully more engaging to this player and the other players.  Get people to bake the motivations into the character Complications and background story and you have a more cohesive picture and place to start playing from and planning games.
     
    It's a gigantic positive feature that is sometimes misunderstood as a chore.
     
  10. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    I'm working on deploying the app to production on the various stores I support (Apple/Google/Amazon).  I will be shutting down the beta programs today as well.
     
    A big thank you to everyone who participated in the beta for this release.  This app is a labor of love, and constructive feedback is always appreciated.
     
    Thank you all.
  11. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in HERO System Mobile   
    Notes for the 2.1.8 release.
    The home screen has been redesigned Added animated dice to the dice rollers Redid the look and feel of the cards in the character viewer Animations can be disabled on the Settings screen Added icons to the drawer menu Removed the main subheading on the view character screen The characters screen now prints by character name, not file name Added a hex-grid to the app background Improved the display of partial dice on the Result screen Changed the chart on the statistics screen Fixed Mental Defense totals in 5th edition Fixed Elemental Control costs in 5th edition Added support for No Figured Characteristics in 5th edition Fixed a bug with HKAs and adders Stylized the gutters on switches so they are more visible
  12. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from BigJackBrass in HERO System Mobile   
    Notes for the 2.1.8 release.
    The home screen has been redesigned Added animated dice to the dice rollers Redid the look and feel of the cards in the character viewer Animations can be disabled on the Settings screen Added icons to the drawer menu Removed the main subheading on the view character screen The characters screen now prints by character name, not file name Added a hex-grid to the app background Improved the display of partial dice on the Result screen Changed the chart on the statistics screen Fixed Mental Defense totals in 5th edition Fixed Elemental Control costs in 5th edition Added support for No Figured Characteristics in 5th edition Fixed a bug with HKAs and adders Stylized the gutters on switches so they are more visible
  13. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    More context: for people wondering why this matters.  It doesn't for this app.  The languages' built-in tools to generate, at max, 50 numbers at a time between 1 and 6 are acceptable for this type of app.
     
    Now, if this were an app where money is changing hands, like a betting app, then yeah... this matters a lot.  There are plenty of examples of people breaking the PRNG in casinos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vdoaKsP5Y.  In that type of computer, you want something different than the built-in language functions.  You want a big, beefy algorithm to generate the most random numbers possible.  You don't want a scenario where Sally breaks the bank because she gamed the machine.  That's how developers cry.
     
    The same goes for apps dealing with personally identifiable information (PII).  PII is very sensitive, and you probably want to protect parts or all of it with good cryptographic keys by default.
     
    HSM is for pretending to be a superhero (or secret agent, barbarian, etc.).  No money is changing hands (that I know of) and it certainly does not track PII.  One of my primary commitments in the design of this app was to not ask for anything I didn't need to know - https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile#:~:text=it is also ad free%2C respects user privacy%2C and it will remain that way.
     
    With all that said, it's in the app now if it will help you sleep better at night.  Context matters. This is not an app that you'll lose the house because of bad RNG.  HSM generates at most 50 numbers between 1-6 at a time.  It lacks the scale and seriousness for this feature, but here we are.
     
  14. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    Here's a short video of the next version of the app (2.1.6). The changes are cosmetic and easier to show in a video.
     
     
  15. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    You can click on the beta link below for your device type.  Be warned, that you cannot have the production (2.0.1) and Beta versions on the same device.  You will lose your loaded characters if you switch to the Beta track.
     
    Android Beta - https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.herogmtools
    Apple Beta - https://testflight.apple.com/join/VnuJAmln
  16. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    It's factored in by the app.  The die will only display what the end result is.
  17. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from BigJackBrass in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    A new build is incoming to address some lingering issues with the UI.
     
    What you can expect.
    The home screen has been redesigned Added icons to the drawer menu Added dice to the dice rollers Removed the main subheading on the view character screen Fixed a bug on the hit screen w/rolling multiple hits The characters screen now prints by character name, not file name Fixed an issue with the notes screen  
    See the attached screens for the look and feel updates.
     
          
  18. Thanks
    sentry0 reacted to Dr.Device in An article about Aaron Allston's Doc Sidhe   
    https://www.tor.com/2023/09/19/a-tale-of-two-genres-doc-sidhe-by-aaron-allston/
  19. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    I just pushed an update that addresses several issues with viewing characters.  These updates are currently pending review so please be patient while they head through the various app store review processes.  The 2.1.2 version should hit your devices within a day or so.
     
    I think all the egregious bugs have been fixed but I could use some help verifying.
     
    Thanks to those already in the beta programs 😁
  20. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from BigJackBrass in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    The Hero System Mobile app has gone through a significant amount of changes in the latest update.  From a user perspective, the interesting bits will better support the 5th edition of Hero.  Here is what you can expect there.
    Fixed Mental Defense totals (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/b303c7f538ea1047f3d7a6eb7a81dde72d885d0e) Fixed Elemental Control costs (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/fdd73854a0179a7156b36c5703b7de13543015e6) Added support for No Figured Characteristics (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/e68860bce0ead9e68f352e2b1762b270a55fecec)  
    Here are some general fixes in the patch.
    Fixed a bug with HKAs and adders (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/28d45c84ef9a716a0591a319428616200b139dd5) Stylized the gutters on switches so they are more visible (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/48ce09d79b4926aba8c82fe3f73b88c91d27ca2a)  
    Now, that’s what you can look at and play with.  Under the hood, I significantly rewrote some areas and upgraded many libraries.  I am starting a beta program to test the under-the-hood changes before I unleash the latest code on the app stores for general consumption.
     
    You can help by testing the app by joining the open Beta for iOS or Android. I'll post the beta links at the end of this post as they come in.
     
    As always, leave bug reports in this thread or DM me directly.  Bad crashes should prompt a crash report, so please take the time to file one. It does help to receive them.
     
    Thanks so much for your patience while I got this patch sorted, and happy bug hunting.
     
    PS: I do most of my in-depth testing on an Android phone, so I could use some help from the iOS side of the fence.
     
     
     
    Beta Links
    Android Beta - https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.herogmtools
    Apple Beta - https://testflight.apple.com/join/VnuJAmln
  21. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    Thanks, the re-sizing is on purpose.  I apply a linear scaling technique using this humorously named library - https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-native-size-matters
     
    I have a bunch of bugs to squash in the new HSM app by the looks of things.  It's a bit of a trainwreck right now 😒
  22. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    I just pushed an update to the app.  I found several issues with importing characters that I fixed.
     
    There's still some strange behavior on the import screen I'm tracking down, but it's better than it was now.
  23. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Hero System Mobile: Beta Testers   
    The Hero System Mobile app has gone through a significant amount of changes in the latest update.  From a user perspective, the interesting bits will better support the 5th edition of Hero.  Here is what you can expect there.
    Fixed Mental Defense totals (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/b303c7f538ea1047f3d7a6eb7a81dde72d885d0e) Fixed Elemental Control costs (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/fdd73854a0179a7156b36c5703b7de13543015e6) Added support for No Figured Characteristics (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/e68860bce0ead9e68f352e2b1762b270a55fecec)  
    Here are some general fixes in the patch.
    Fixed a bug with HKAs and adders (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/28d45c84ef9a716a0591a319428616200b139dd5) Stylized the gutters on switches so they are more visible (https://github.com/slackdaystudio/hero-system-mobile/commit/48ce09d79b4926aba8c82fe3f73b88c91d27ca2a)  
    Now, that’s what you can look at and play with.  Under the hood, I significantly rewrote some areas and upgraded many libraries.  I am starting a beta program to test the under-the-hood changes before I unleash the latest code on the app stores for general consumption.
     
    You can help by testing the app by joining the open Beta for iOS or Android. I'll post the beta links at the end of this post as they come in.
     
    As always, leave bug reports in this thread or DM me directly.  Bad crashes should prompt a crash report, so please take the time to file one. It does help to receive them.
     
    Thanks so much for your patience while I got this patch sorted, and happy bug hunting.
     
    PS: I do most of my in-depth testing on an Android phone, so I could use some help from the iOS side of the fence.
     
     
     
    Beta Links
    Android Beta - https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.herogmtools
    Apple Beta - https://testflight.apple.com/join/VnuJAmln
  24. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Gemini Introduction   
    Hey all, I will shed some light on Gemini for people to understand it.
     
    Gemini is my passion project that I’ve been picking away at for a few years now.  It started as a Rifts conversion to OpenD6 that I ran for fun a few years ago.  During that playtest, I realized that the ‘Special Abilities’ system in OpenD6 was a little anemic in some regards (and super overpowered in others).  My perspective was mainly influenced by my years of playing Hero.  I liked much of the speed and simplicity of OpenD6, and I knew I wanted to merge the two somehow.
     
    That led me down the path to something called Chimera.  Chimera was just something I did for my friends.  At one point, I got some feedback from outside my circle of friends via Reddit, and I threw together a basic website for it to keep interested parties in the know.
     
    I built apps for character building and playing the game locally because I’m a software dev, and I could.  COVID hit, and we couldn’t play in person anymore, so I built out Roll20 support via the apps by allowing you to export the characters you build in the apps directly into a Roll20 game via an importer script I wrote.  I also customized the Wild Die API script and created my character sheets for Roll20 for Chimera.
     
    As the rules evolved and stabilized, I wanted to see if there was a way to publish the rules.  My main concern was that some critical concepts were burrowed from Hero. Since OpenD6 is OGL and Hero is not, it made sense to approach DoJ first.  Luckily, Jason Walters was receptive to the idea, so we ended up negotiating a deal to bring Chimera to print.  As we worked through the details, it was decided to retire the name Chimera, and instead, we picked Gemini as the name.
     
    And here we are.
     
    There’s been a Patreon earlier this year, and I have recently resurrected this project.  Some typos and misprints in the reviewed document need to be corrected.  I also just want to remove some rules and streamline things even further. 
     
    Recently, I returned to Reddit to the OpenD6 subreddit, which is small but the best source I could find for feedback from that side of Gemini.
     
    I’ll offer this community the same access to the apps and Roll20 support that I gave to the OpenD6 community.  I have the book available for consumption and can get you into the Alpha test for the apps (Android and Apple).
     
    Have a look at this video for a high-level overview of the app - https://youtu.be/mgf_bst7-qk
     
    I have compiled a 4-page document that includes the introductory chapter, which you can view here.
     

  25. Like
    sentry0 got a reaction from Ndreare in Gemini Introduction   
    I created a video about what it's like to build a power in Gemini.  
     
     
    I used Gemini Studio to build the power as it's the easiest way to build.  The app is in alpha right now for Android and iOS.  If you are interested in joining send me a message with your email and target device, and I'll add you to the appropriate alpha.
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