Encounter Sheet Toolkit Development

[tawdry bear]

This thread is about developing an encounter sheet for Directors in the style of the Character Sheet Toolkit which can be found here: https://discord.com/channels/332362513368875008/1327349515891511356

This is not a complete and ready thing, it's definitely a "watch the sausage get made" situation. I'm open to any kind of suggestion, feedback, or collaboration but I will lean on my own instincts and preferences where necessary when it comes to the final sheet. Much like the Character Toolkit I highly encourage anyone who wants to take these ideas and layouts and make them there own.

Here is Google Sheet tentatively open to free editing to explore this idea
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KLQ63VtSHfOF3J9amwl5W-SoPgi4u66t3kymDD4E_MY/edit?usp=sharing

This main post is going to be edited a lot as things progress so be sure to check back up here if anything big changes.

I haven't made any serious effort on this yet aside from an initial stat block layout. I'm very interested in any ideas relating to this.

The only "Style Rules" I would want to stick to is cells being 25x25 pixels and "Sheets" being 74 tall to "AW" wide to be consistant with the Toolkit Character Sheet knowing that that prints out cleanly on a standard 8.5x11 paper. Three columns of 15 cells with 1 cell margins between them.

So stat blocks should be within 15x72 cells, the don't necessarily need to fit in the same grid as abilities on the character sheet. I know some stat blocks will not fit with in this size so some would need to be broken up but I think could look fine.

Here is a screenshot for passers by of the initial stat block layout
.

The idea is, like the Character Sheet Toolkit, to have a sort of catalog of pre-filled stat blocks and an "Encounter Sheet" that directors can fill out and copy/paste over their monsters for an easy to print sheet that can have for reference while running the game.

Being a spreadsheet makes it much easier to quickly adjust things as needed or to create your own compatible stat blocks for homebrew monsters and other encounter features.

While the starting focus is combat encounters, I expect incorporating in Negotiations and Montages will happen naturally.

[wheat hedge]

I value compactness for printing purposes, so here's an uncompressed Pollywog, and compressed version

In particular, I like using the 3 letter score names

[heavy ermine]

I'll be happy to help on anything just point me in a direction and I'll get to work!!

[tawdry bear]

I definitely want to explore making them as compact as possible. I'd need to see how over multiple stat blocks of various sizes any given compact layout holds up. But maybe if we could identify like, three levels compactness most stat blocks are likely too fit into at least one of that would be a possible way to approach it.

I know I'd prefer to avoid every monster having it's own bespoke layout for maximum compactness at the expense of consistency, but maybe that's the best way to go.

[tawdry bear]

Not rallying anyone to fill out stat blocks just yet but I appreciate your eagerness! I've been super busy lately so I'm ok letting the discovery stage of designing this new toolkit take some time.

If you want to fiddle around with stat block formatting that google sheet linked up top is open to edit.

[wheat hedge]

Absolutely. I was making progress on that with goblins until I was rudely reminded that immunity exists

[tawdry bear]

On my Clawfish up there I didn't even register the need for keywords, distances, and targets.

I need to give the monster doc a proper read through before taking in big steps.

[frank estuary]

this iconography is amazing! have you ever thought about icon-ifying some of the keywords as well?

[wheat hedge]

I have some time tomorrow to make more prototypes

[frank estuary]

👀 would love to see it

[wheat hedge]

I'd be wary of using too many icons, but 🎯 for Target, 📐 for Distance, and 🔑 for Keywords feels nice and direct

⚡ for surge might be ok

[frank estuary]

i feel like iconoifying strike would be useful

thats one of the most impactful keywords

[wheat hedge]

True! If you can think of other categories for icons, let me know. I want to restrict myself just to icons in Google sheets though

[frank estuary]

something that comes to mind currently would be icons for the characteristics:

• MGT: 💪
• AGL: 🦵
• REA: 🧠
• INU: 👁️
• PRS: ???

if it was me i would wanna put icons for each of the statuses too but i know u said u dont wanna put too many icons

[wheat hedge]

I think icons are best used for shortening categories of things, like Immunity, Size, and Stability

[brittle tiger]

Do you need the 3 letter acronyms for them or could you just use them like they are in abilities in the Heroes rules where its indicated by M A R I P?

[wheat hedge]

I honestly kind of hate the single letter references, the 3 letter abbreviations are much less ambiguous and harder to miss

[frank estuary]

do u think the old 🛡️ icon could make a good icon for stability?

[wheat hedge]

Maybe immunity actually

[frank estuary]

i could def see that

[brittle tiger]

Fair!

[wheat hedge]

🪵 for stability?

[brittle tiger]

So is the intent here that the builder would have all the stat blocks already in it and you build out the encounter or is it going to be some kind of parser where you copy the stat block from the PDF and it converts it to the format in the sheet? (this may be a dumb question)

[wheat hedge]

A parser into sheets would be kind of annoying to work with the variable representations of abilities, traits, and power rolls. I think it would a primary tab in the sheet, with supporting tabs of the different statblocks to copy in

This is how the Character Sheet Toolkit works already

[brittle tiger]

Yeah it was a dumb question, thanks for answering it anyway

Also Matt had actually explained that earlier in the threat so apologies for not reading. This would be very useful! I'm currently using snipping tool and popping stat blocks and the appropriate malice block into a one note page

[wheat hedge]

Yeah, I made my own statblocks last week, and printed them out to use at the table, and it worked magnificently

[tawdry bear]

I wanted to see my initial layout through as a baseline before trying too break it down to be more compact and this is what I have so far. I need to pivot back to other work so it's likely all the progress I'll make tonight.
.

[nocturne wigeon]

Oooh that's so tidy, I could totes steal myself stealing that template and using it for my GM scrapbook/planning book

[wheat hedge]

GM scrapbooking is such a goal to shoot for

[nocturne wigeon]

During FM testing and packet releases I'd print out stat blocks and art, cut em up, and glue them to an "encounter page" where I had all my math and maps and such, all in a sketchbook

I liked it!!! And it was in effect scrapbooking. Could've used a bit more colour, but it was what it was!

[wheat hedge]

Smaller... SMALLER

Is there ever a reason to keep the "damage" word in the power roll tiers? Could we just imply the damage in the case of poison, cold, fire etc damage?

[frank estuary]

i believe so. i think the only reason is to differentiate between typed and untyped damage

[wheat hedge]

I mean like, using "X damage" for untyped, and "X holy" for holy damage

[brittle tiger]

Yep that's fine I think

[frank estuary]

yeah thats good

[wheat hedge]

I feel like this is coming together

[brittle tiger]

I am liking the icons, and I like the coloured keywords for action and triggered

I’ll be interested to see what this kind of layout looks like for a solo

[wheat hedge]

Hmm, hang on

[wheat hedge]

That's the Thorn Dragon

I kind of want to shorten "creatures or objects" somehow, so it's more likely to fit

[frank estuary]

can u just shorten it to "targets"?

then say "creatures" or "objects" if it specifies

[wheat hedge]

Hmm

We have:
Enemies
Allies
Creatures
Objects
...
Crobjects?

[brittle tiger]

Could it be like Crea/Obj?

[wheat hedge]

I think my ideal is actually to keep the icon/jargon limited to 1 per field

Dude/Thing

[brittle tiger]

This is the way

[frank estuary]

thingymajig

[wheat hedge]

"Suckers"

[wheat hedge]

If 🛡️ stands in for Immunity, what stands in for Weakness?

[wheat hedge]

Thoughts between ☠️ and 🩹 ?

[frank estuary]

the former is my vote

[cosmic pelican]

Skull reads more easily for sure

[wheat hedge]

Or ⚠️ ?

[frank estuary]

i like this a lot better

[cosmic pelican]

I don't

[wheat hedge]

💀 seems a little less muddled than ☠️ , especially considering what this can look like printed out

[nocturne wigeon]

(I think the peanut is am absolutely hilarious choice)

[wheat hedge]

Feels like a decent amount of space saving

[frank estuary]

i do wonder if u could replace the 2d10+X with whatever stat its rolling with. dunno how much space that would save tho

this is really good stuff tho

big fan

[wheat hedge]

Monsters don't typically split scores for their different abilities. I think keeping the 2d10+X vs MGT Test helps prep the Director for what mechanical implementation they have to use before getting to the meat of the ability.

[frank estuary]

fair nuff

[wheat hedge]

I think the Ogre Goon should be adding 2 on People Bowling anyway, but it's in the Monsters manuscript atm

[cosmic pelican]

Those icons remind me a lot about the Heroes of Might and Magic. Love it.

[wheat hedge]

oof, ow, my bones 😉

[wheat hedge]

A level 1, level 3, and level 7 Leader, each in their own column!

[frank estuary]

this is great stuff

[brittle tiger]

Very nice!!

[wheat hedge]

Used a printout encounter sheet of the Ankheg for my playtest yesterday, and it went buttery smooth