Ultimate Larp Organisers Site

Community Larp discussion
#1

I’m going to develop a website for Crucible. My vision is that this site will be a one-stop shop and will handle player details, event management, character details and development, plus downtime rules (if we have them). i.e. it’s a self service site, the plan is to reduce the organisational workload for the GMs.

So I’m going to make it generic, and handle multiple games (from one offs to daygame campaigns to flagships and maybe, in the future, the full Chimera/Hyrda organisation).

So, what features do you think would be useful ?

Also, anyone here have any of the following skills:

  • ASP.Net MVC
  • C#
  • SQL Server
  • CSS
  • Javascript / jQuery
#2

Awesome you’re doing this, it’ll be a real boon.

I have those skills (some a little rusty), but I’m struggling to have enough time already, so I can’t commit to helping right now.

#3

[quote=“Ryan Paddy”]Awesome you’re doing this, it’ll be a real boon.

I have those skills (some a little rusty), but I’m struggling to have enough time already, so I can’t commit to helping right now.[/quote]
No worries, I might pick your brains on styling etc when I get stuck (CSS is not my strong point) :slight_smile:

#4

I’d recommend finding a suitable CSS template and/or framework before you start, that will save you a lot of time on CSS.

One option is to use the Twitter Bootstrap framework, and then to find a Bootstrap theme to use with it. Some themes are free, others are cheap, there are plenty out there and one is likely to suit your needs close enough and can be developed to fit perfectly.

That’s what I did for the Paddywhack site, which I also built on a php framework CodeIgniter and used a CodeIgniter shopping cart called GoCart for. I really went to town on using as many frameworks, themes, etc. out of the box as I could. It meant learning a bit about a bunch of frameworks, but the overall time saving was huge.

Might be worth considering a responsive design, so it looks simpler on phones while using the same HTML & CSS. As with the frameworks, that’s another thing that has to be decided up front.

#5

The idea of such a website facility is something I had been giving some thought to building for my own use, but it looks like you’re a little further ahead in the planning process than I am. I admit that I’m not familiar with ASP or C#, but the others I’m familiar with. I admit my province is in C and PHP. I’ll look forward to see what you and the others who work on this project create :smiley:

#6

To kick off the discussion of what to see on the site as a player I would like -
standard format in which to submit charactersheets
Being able to see current xp spending, and with easy link to rules so I can see what I can spend my xp on, perhaps with linkage where GM can give out xp
Being sent email by the gmail with links to my charactersheet when the xp is sent out.
being able to log in and see charactersheets from different campaigns, assuming it gets to become an across-game platfrom
being able to link word documents which will contain background, game diaries etc

#7

Thanks Hannah, good points :slight_smile:

My plan is to handle most character sheet scenarios via a web form. I am going to build a Character Development engine that allows for the current crop of larp experience trees e.g. Teonn Paths (i.e. skill bundles) , pre-reqs, Knightshade style Disadvantages (which provide more XP to spend on Advantages), mutually exclusive choices, different currency (e.g. XP for skills, GP for gear etc), Gear pre-reqs (e.g. only Thieves can by LockPicks etc).

This will be handled by the Character Development Engine, unless the rules system can’t handle it because it’s just too bleeding edge !

Good idea.

Yeah, when you log in you will see all your characters from you current campaigns, and a link to old campaigns so you can check out your ertswhile characters/

Game organisers will be able to publish documents as they see fit, to the users that should see them. Or is this a feature for the participants ?

#8

[quote=“Mike Curtis”]

Game organisers will be able to publish documents as they see fit, to the users that should see them. Or is this a feature for the participants ?[/quote]
I, as a player, was thinking of having all my larp relate documents accessible in one place. By diary I mean : I try to write a document of what happened at the game for a campaign larp, because my memory is sieve like, so I can re-read it before the next game. So it is entirely optional. But GM’s may want to have access to read them?

Do basic things like being able to print out charactersheet need saying? How about printing charactersheet + only the relevant rules sections (or summaries of the rule like : the time required to do the skill).
And being able to download a copy to my machine, though print to pdf might be adequate for this as a basic back-up.
Would we be able to download the, say blank form, fill it in off-line, then upload to the website? (Just a rhetorical question idea, I don’t really need a technical answer here. I’m just a user :wink: )

How about a public information section for a character, so that anyone can see this. I’m thinking just a paragraph. It would be good to see a list of players and their characters (b/c often in a game you never get properly introduced, and have no idea of the charactername proper spelling).
And if this was tagged as to which game in the campaign they were at.
And a photo ? Start of a game have everyone have a mug shot taken. (b/c sometimes you don’t know the player name either)

#9

In term of the character sheet template/generator, it would be useful for GMs if it had different sections such as a quick reference list of important people in background, goals etc, separate from the wall of text type background.

maybe the website could also include a behind the scenes bugeting component, but having never run a campaign I don’t know if this would be necessary.

What a great idea Mike!

#10

I love you. :smiley: Pity it won’t be up for Sabbat.

I’m pondering building a spreadsheet similar to what was used for WoD Werewolf for Sabbat. It won’t be as elaborate, but people will be able to download it, fill it in using drop-down lists, have the xp calculated automatically, and re-submit it. Makes it a lot easier as a GM to see uniform character sheets. It’s possible other GMs could build such a tool for use on/offline.

#11

Another idea for this website came to mind recently;

A method which players in a campaign can use to post character connections that they want to have with other PC’s in the same campaign. Players in the same campaign could view the list of connection requests and then apply to take up that connection with the player who listed the connection. The player who had listed the connection could view all the connections they had listed, and accept an application for that connection. On faith, it is assumed that the successful applicant’s character would fulfill that connection in the character sheet of the player who had listed the connection in the first place.

With such a method, players could find other players to fulfill roles in their characters’ backstories and present-day relationships/business arrangements/faction members/etc. in a much easier fashion than currently, and would also be able to pick up connections with other players if they had run out of ideas themselves.

#12

[quote=“Tetrajak”]Another idea for this website came to mind recently;

A method which players in a campaign can use to post character connections that they want to have with other PC’s in the same campaign. Players in the same campaign could view the list of connection requests and then apply to take up that connection with the player who listed the connection. The player who had listed the connection could view all the connections they had listed, and accept an application for that connection. On faith, it is assumed that the successful applicant’s character would fulfill that connection in the character sheet of the player who had listed the connection in the first place.

With such a method, players could find other players to fulfill roles in their characters’ backstories and present-day relationships/business arrangements/faction members/etc. in a much easier fashion than currently, and would also be able to pick up connections with other players if they had run out of ideas themselves.[/quote]
So, something like:

“looking for PC who could have acted as a bodyguard for someone my PC knew (an underworld figure)”

And then you go through the responses (and perhaps their public personas, if published) and decide who would best fit.

At first, it sounded like a dating site, but I get it now…:stuck_out_tongue:

#13

[quote=“Mike Curtis”]So, something like:

“looking for PC who could have acted as a bodyguard for someone my PC knew (an underworld figure)”

And then you go through the responses (and perhaps their public personas, if published) and decide who would best fit.

At first, it sounded like a dating site, but I get it now…:stuck_out_tongue:[/quote]
Hahaha, yea, I can see the similarities. You have the idea though; it facilitates the creation of connections between PCs, and will reduce the number of NPCs that are in play that aren’t connected, or are difficult to connect, to more than one PC.

#14

Hello;

Do you know that several software existes for larpmaking ?

Créa’GN
Larpwriter

Karuna