BASH! UE character BUILDER

[kevperrine]

I really like a nice character sheet... or rather a character BUILDER (really)

What's the difference between "Character Sheet" and "Character Builder"? Simple... a Builder has all the drop-downs and data built-in to auto calculate and populate the SHEET tab of the Excel file.

After looking... and not finding one, I think I'd like to MAKE a new BASH! character builder. With that... I'm looking for suggestions, advice, and direction. As well as guidance to any sheets that are already out-there for BASH!


I really enjoy having a digital character sheet to:
create + modify + update + and print
on top of that as a GM,
I like having a digital copy from my players - who I ask to upload to a WIKI site for our campaign. I ask for that weekly (or when points/levels are updated) ... this allows anyone to download/print at game, so no one forgets sheets, etc... also - as GM I can reference the most updated sheets as needed anytime/anywhere.

I'm okay with PDF sheets, but I prefer Excel character BUILDERS.
I've helped create from scratch or heavily update Excel character builders for several game systems, mostly d20, D&D3.5, Pathfinder, and M&Me1-3.
Soooo....
I'm looking to make one.
But first..... has anyone ELSE made a functioning Excel sheet for BASH! yet? I'd love to start with something if it's already been tried.

Second... what should be in the sheet?? In game-play what are some of the most important rules that come up that need calculations, etc... that could be auto-calculated based on input stats when building a character? (I plan to have a tab remaking a simple "Dice Chart" to print as a player likes)


This Builder will have all the info to build a BASH! character, it won't be too complex and those details will be "hidden" in the data tabs (I'm not an Excel guru) but it won't have all the rules, etc... anyone using it WON'T be able to play the game without the core rules...
This Builder would ALSO look nice. I'm a graphic designer by education/experience, so I'm looking at many many versions of the BASH! sheets I've found folks doing as well as nearly a dozen other Supers character sheets and comic sources for inspiration.


That said.
I'm going at this for MY home use, for fun.... So, no challenge to copyright, etc...
However, that brings up two questions:

- Would it be okay to ask here if anyone be interested in helping playtest it, and/or help edit, etc... (if so, who's interested?)
- Would this sheet "fit" under BASH!'s Third Party Publishing Policy? And would it be a welcome addition? If so, what kinds of things do I need to include/consider?


appreciate the thoughts!
-kev-

[Dragonfly]

Howdy, and welcome to BASH UE!

As for a character builder, Alric (from these boards) developed one for Creation Workshop.

Here's the link to the thread: http://www.bashtalk.org/modules.php?nam ... sc&start=0

I realize that this doesn't help you if you don't have the software, but it's pretty kick butt if you do.

That being said, I'd love to playtest anything you might develop. Just let us know!

Best,

Dragonfly

[kevperrine]

Not many people interested in (or knows about) a BASH! UE Excel Character Builder?

I'm still interested and thinking about how to go about it, if anyone has interest for input or ideas...


thanks
-kev-

[Kinetic]

BeardedDork here does some cool stuff with Excel for Star Wars Saga Edition. He might be a guy to ping in regards to this.

[Lindharin]

Have you checked the files area of the Bash group on yahoo.com? It appears there are some spreadsheet character sheets there, although I haven't opened any of them. And there may be stuff in other directories that I missed. But here's the two things I saw:

Dragonfly's Stuff

Spreadsheet Tools (There don't seem to be any character sheets in this folder, but there are spreadsheets that have various Bash-related calculations that might be incorporated into one)

Everyone's perspective on this will be different, but I don't really need miss a spreadsheet with Bash. I liked it in M&M, but there really aren't many things that require calculations, etc. in Bash. My group writes down their characters in a wiki (we have a simple html character sheet layout using a table), and then we put the characters into MapTool (using a Bash-specific framework) for our online sessions.

[kevperrine]

Have you checked the files area of the Bash group on yahoo.com?

Everyone's perspective on this will be different, but I don't really need miss a spreadsheet with Bash.

Hey thanks for the links.
Yeah... this is a direction I'm headed.
The only thing with that Character Sheet is that the maker didn't use any formulas or auto-calculations, etc... it's fine, but it might as well be done in Word or PDF.



For me.... I love digital sheets. The nolstagia and (small bit) of convenience of a good old fashioned hand written or PDF/Word Doc character sheet is great. However... I really prefer using/having an Excel Doc for a sheet.

The main reason I prefer Excel is the easy ability to do auto-calculations and drop-down menus and auto-populations.

I can make a "PC question page" on one tab, an ability tab, skill tab, powers tab, etc.... and after the player goes through each tab (broken down it helps to make it quicker and less "intimidating") an Excel Sheet can auto-tally character build points (to show if you're under/over spent) and also grab all those answers and auto-populate a main tab Character Sheet labeled to PRINT.

Having each player used to using something like this is handy because they can then upload the finished or updated sheets weekly, which the GM can grab for any needs between sessions.
Not to mention, if it's available for download (I prefer up/downloading from a campaign Wiki online) if a player forgets their Character Sheet.... it's simple to download the newest copy and print to go in 5 minutes.


It's my preference. I know it's not everyone's, but I'm looking for anyone with ideas or anyone that's started one for BASH already, before I reinvent the wheel.... heheh...

thanks again for your help!
-kev-

[BeardedDork]

BeardedDork here does some cool stuff with Excel for Star Wars Saga Edition. He might be a guy to ping in regards to this.

I'm about 70% complete on this project.

[Samuraidad]

Not many people interested in (or knows about) a BASH! UE Excel Character Builder?

I'm still interested and thinking about how to go about it, if anyone has interest for input or ideas...


thanks
-kev-

Hey Kev, I'm interested in your hero creator. Would there be a cost?

[kevperrine]

BeardedDork here does some cool stuff with Excel for Star Wars Saga Edition. He might be a guy to ping in regards to this.

I'm about 70% complete on this project.

Hey BeardedDork!
Wanna chat about plans? I don't wanna barge into your thing - but if you want help (and visca versa) I'm happy to give a hand. I'm going to be attempting my own anyway.
PS... what I'm "waiting" for is grokking the rules a little better. I'm reading/absorbing them (since I'm new to BASH by a week) and am taking notes as I go. Should't be too much longer before I have a working Beta.

Hey Kev, I'm interested in your hero creator. Would there be a cost?

hehehe.... no cost. It's a work of love.
I'll be posting my ideas here soon for folks to playtest.
(I also want to make sure it's cool to post for folks, beyond my home game, with BASHMAN before I do...)

Keep a watch out.

-kev-

[Samuraidad]

Hey Kev, I'm interested in your hero creator. Would there be a cost?

hehehe.... no cost. It's a work of love.
I'll be posting my ideas here soon for folks to playtest.
(I also want to make sure it's cool to post for folks, beyond my home game, with BASHMAN before I do...)

Keep a watch out.

-kev-[/quote]

Will do! Thx!

[BASHMAN]

BeardedDork here does some cool stuff with Excel for Star Wars Saga Edition. He might be a guy to ping in regards to this.

I'm about 70% complete on this project.

Hey BeardedDork!
Wanna chat about plans? I don't wanna barge into your thing - but if you want help (and visca versa) I'm happy to give a hand. I'm going to be attempting my own anyway.
PS... what I'm "waiting" for is grokking the rules a little better. I'm reading/absorbing them (since I'm new to BASH by a week) and am taking notes as I go. Should't be too much longer before I have a working Beta.

Hey Kev, I'm interested in your hero creator. Would there be a cost?

hehehe.... no cost. It's a work of love.
I'll be posting my ideas here soon for folks to playtest.
(I also want to make sure it's cool to post for folks, beyond my home game, with BASHMAN before I do...)

Keep a watch out.

-kev-

yep, it's AOK with me!

[Samuraidad]

*bump* Is there an update on this? Just curious...

[kevperrine]

*bump* Is there an update on this? Just curious...

Yes, actually.
I've been working on it in the last several days (after a brief hiatus from life because my girl-friend dumped me).

I believe I've got almost the entire "data" tab in, that's the most "labor intense" since I have to go through the rules for everything and input the rule data for everything on charts that the rest of the sheet references. It's the POWER behind the sheet when done, that's invisible to the user.

I've also got 2 of the three (maybe 4) character sheet tabs done. I'm incorporating different PRINT options, each character sheet will auto-populate and you can pick which one you like to print. I currently have:
- BASH! classic (a version of the one from the book)
- BASH! Evolved (a version of the one BASHMAN uses on the forums, with the big yellow header)
- and BASH! Super (my custom sheet)

I may also do an amalgam of sheets I've seen from other folks that I like.
Also I'm building a simple "text" version to copy/paste into a forum. As well as a "Narrator Dialogue" sheet: a playing card sized mini-version of the sheet for the Narrator to have behind his screen for reference.

I'm still working on building all the functionality. But the gist is:

- it will have a step-by-step series of 4-8 tabs that go through the same steps as the BASH! character creation.

- Plus some detailed background and campaign tab info.

- it will have a tab for listing alter ego, sidekicks, shape-change forms, or minions

- it will (eventually) have a vehicles tab
- it will (eventually) have an equipment tab

- it has a full page dice roll chart

- and possibly a modular Narrator screen to print



Any "wish list" ideas for it?
I'm slower than I though on it because of two reasons:
1. I am still learning the granularity of the BASH! system (which is a good thing!)
2. I'm actually NOT an Excel-guru, so I have to learn the functions and formulas as I need them.

I've worked with enough character builders for Excel in other games that I've excited to be building it. It'll just take some learning and work.

any thoughts?
-kev-

[Samuraidad]

Sounds really cool. Wish list? I think you've covered just about all the things that I would ask for. I guess maybe a place to put an illustration. But that's really icing on the cake as it were.

Hey, thanks for doing this!

[kevperrine]

I am still (slowly) toying with figuring out HOW to make this best. I'm not an Excel guru, that's why I'm taking the time.

Hey... here's a screen shot of what ONE of the Character Sheet print options will be. I called this print-tab the "BASH! Classic I" sheet since it mimics the one in the back of the core book.

The stats are ONLY placeholders, not "real"... but all of the "red" text WILL auto-populate from other tabs as you work through the character creation build. You shouldn't have to touch, type on or update THIS tab when you print it.

I also did it orginally in black/white (and will have that version available to print) but I'm toying with adding color. Feel free to suggest...



I'm also making a sheet for the "BASH! Classic II" sheet which is similar to the sheet many mimic with the big orange (or colored) bare at the top with the info blurb on a character. Like this (except with a place for a picture)


Lastly - I'll be making at least 1 other sheet that's of my own design. As well as a handy little "Narrator Card" to print and hand the Narrator that will have the simple basics of your Hero.

I'll have 1-2 sheets to print for the back of the sheet for more detailed character background info.

I've only Narrated/Played a few BASH! games. So I'm looking for suggestions and advice on WHAT is very important that needs listed on the sheet and what I've mislabled.

For example: The secondary numbers under Soak, Defense, and Mental Defense. As well as all the "costs" of everything.

I'm trying to narrow down what is VERY handy to have shown on the sheet and what gets in the way. Potentially I'd want to be able to hand the printed sheet to my Narrator to be able to see how I made/bought everything, hence the costs. I may want to SHRINK them or gray them out more though...
Thoughts?

Please make corrections for me and suggestions.

thanks
-kev-
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