I am hoping to encourage people to consider in cavern as a place to play Unwritten online, and a dice roller would help a lot with that. So I was hoping to suggest that something like a /dice command be implemented.
There are what looks like a few pretty good Python libraries for dice rolling:
I'm thinking of at least two command line commands:
1. /dice - this just takes a dice string as defined by the library and then puts the results in an emote so everyone local sees something like "Yeesha rolls the dice and gets: <result>"
2. /fate - This is just a alias for the /dice command that specified the dice string such that it rolls 4 Fate/Fudge dice (as needed for Unwritten)
The specifics of the messages and command names aren't all that important to me, just that someone can roll the dice and share the results.
The code has been merged and will be available for use in the next release of Gehn!
After initially following your specifications, we decided to align more closely with the typical command in many other games, using /roll as the main command instead of /dice and /fate. It reads a little more naturally, too. So now you can /roll 4d6 or /roll 10d100. If you're playing a Fate/Fudge game, /roll fate will roll the special set of four -1/0/1 and give you the result tallied up.
You're welcome! It was an easy request to fill. I'm open to expanding it if necessary, as right now it's fairly simple, but hopefully it's sufficient to cover general use and get your IC Unwritten games started.
I did not find out about this feature until Mysterium. I consider this diceroller to be a major victory. I have questions, though. Inkworks/Unwritten people could tell me about the Python in this, but had to refer me to the forums for answers to my questions about how the diceroller works with regard to where the text goes.
Does it go to everybody in the Age? Only those within text range? Is it extended by AutoShout? Is it re-directed if sent to Buddies? Neighbors? I can see retiring or repurposing my Obelisk avatar, setting the Buddy list up to include only the GM, other players and spectators, so that my chat stays within a game and its audience, but if all the dice rolls go out to the Age at large, it might as well move into the Hood after the preliminaries and setting description are complete and moves in the game are made.
I see a time in the near future when a balance must be struck between outreach and privacy, in which games will start in Public D'ni Ae'gura, with players and spectators in concentric circles in the Hall of Kings or one of the round patios, and the population count showing in Nexus will attract more spectators, but avoiding griefers and trolls will be a lot easier if the diceroller doesn't send text to absolutely everybody in the Age, no matter where they are or what they're doing. I think this would best be served if the diceroller had selectable modes, so that the GM and players could limit it to all within voicechat range or buddies as being most useful, neighbors and textchat range less useful. I can also see players creating separate avatars to make play more convenient to customize buddy lists to support the team and spectators present, a game in progress being moved into an Unwritten Gamers' Hood while still in progress if it attracts interference, hood on private and access to non-member spectators by invitation. I'd rather creating separate avatars not be required of spectators; I see that as an excessive imposition.
Cyan is focused on its own projects right now, and Inkworks is sort of tied in place, but I see RPG in Cavern as something that the players could do without waiting for them if they have the tools. There are plenty of people who don't read the forums, but populations in a public area will attract them. I do not see myself as being someone who is good at running RPGs, but I do enjoy playing them. I have not plumbed the depths of the Unwritten Discord to try to determine the existing level of public interest, but I thought I'd investigate this tool first.
I do have some experience with Cavern issues of concentric layers of security and griefer behavior in controversial Hoods, and I see RPGs starting in public with voicechat among the players as a spectator activity with growth potential. What do you think?
