FG 3.2.0 "Pregens" and "Archetypes"
by
, September 22nd, 2016 at 03:23 (11698 Views)
I know that FG 3.2.0 isn't going to come out until after FG-Con in October, but I have already seen discussion on this topic so I thought I would throw some info out there.
First, Eric Lamoureux (Mask_of_Winter) posted a great overview video last night. You can check out on his YouTube channel here.
I am going to ramble on a bit about the pregen and archetype changes coming in the next update. Now this a huge update, JPG at SmiteWorks has done a ton work for this. After playing around some in the new UI, I am kind of liking it. It does have a lot going for it, and it does make finding information better.
Unfortunately right now my main PC is down in need of a couple new parts, and they just aren't on my priority list right now. That means all the screen shots in this post are on my little laptop screen (13.3" @ 1920x1080) so keep that in mind.
Longtime players of Savage Worlds, or pretty much any setting, will recognize the terms "pregens" and "archetypes".
"Pregens" are those characters that are pre-generated that a GM has for players in his game. Pretty simple.
"Archetypes" are brief (or even lengthy) blurbs about iconic character types from a setting, whether its just "Thief", "Brown Cloak", "Knight". Sometimes these spell out recommended stats/skills or even specific requirements. Again straightforward.
In FG 3.2.0 you will still see both in your modules, just with this update FG has a reserved XML tag called <archeytpes>, coincidentally (but not really) there just happens to be a new sidebar button labelled "Archetypes". In functionality that really means nothing to the user. other than a second way to see your pregens. The screen shot shows the vanilla FG UI with every single sidebar button (as of this writing) with the module activation window opened. Just updates.before taking this screen cap I did a fresh check for updates.
Attachment 15419
Yup, that's a lot of updates. Two things I notice right off the bat, the "Notes" button is not labelled, but I believe JPG already knows that. Secondly, the weird vertical grey bar on the right side. That is actually called "shortcuts" in the XML of FG. There is something funky going on there as it should go all the way to the right edge of the screen. It could be my screen size, or its a bug and its framedef is off.
You will notice that one of the buttons is labelled "Archetypes", fourth one down from the top in the far right row if its hard to read - the King of Hearts. So let's click that and see what we get.
Attachment 15420
This screen shot shows the "Archetypes" list. It actually list every single entry from every module you have open in your library that is listed under that <archetypes> XML tag I mentioned earlier. You are seeing a move to the "Master Index" or "Master List" whatever SmiteWorks calls it. There are your "pregens". You can set which "group" or module you want to show by using the down arrow at the top, the same with all the other new buttons.
The issue that I am seeing right now, and it might be an issue of me joining my own game from the same computer, is that player can see all the pregens from his own loaded modules not necessarily what you want them to see. I suspect that is unintended, so I will mention it in the Test Release 3.2.0 thread on the FG forums. I also have to find a volunteer and check to see if still exists.
The "old" way you are used to getting your characters is still there in a way, if I remember correctly it is a slightly lengthier process. In my case I am going to use the "Weird Wars Rome War Masters Guide". Open the module as usual, and you will see the entry for the "Pregenerated Heroes" (or whatever title the dev gives the entry). A library window opens with a link, you click on that and the GM Character Selection/Import window opens up with the pregens and import as before. These will be visible to the player under his "Character" sidebar button as before. Key thing to remember here is that this method only shows you the pregens from the opened module, and only shows the players the ones you import.
Attachment 15421
Another thing to keep in mind here, is the "old" way will ONLY work if the module creator includes the SW <pregencharacterslect> XML code bit, otherwise you will not see them in your Character Selection/Import window.
As Eric said in his video this update is coming, and the guys at SmiteWorks need us to test, find and report the bugs. I happen to like what I am seeing, and think its a big step forward. This is a massive update to CoreRPG and every ruleset layered on top of it. JPG has done a crazy amount of work on this, and I am pretty sure he went through all the SW content and made it compatible with this update. James and Doug likely helped some, one of those three will have to chime in to let us know. Still a massive undertaking anyway you look at it.
Hopefully you find somewhat helpful, and as always flames and comments always welcome. Now off to post those issues I noticed.