Version 1.0.21.0

Wow, has it really nearly six months since the last release? I remember thinking that I wanted to get this one out quickly, because there were a couple of unpleasant bugs that needed fixing.

In any case, here it is, just in time for Christmas! :-)

Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Added 6 random spells to the Magic Guild, for sale at 10 gold a-piece.
  
• In addition to stopping monster generation (expansion), destroying a generator will also:
  
  • Kill all generated monsters (excluding guardians) on the board (without the source of power, they die/leave/disintegrate)
    
  • Reward the character with 20 Fame and 20 Notoriety
  
  
• [1685] - Experimental new launch file (SmartRun.bat and SmartRunHere.bat) to allow Windows 7 users to launch without tweaking the files.

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1727] - Fixed a bug that causes the HTML export to fail when a character has more than one hired leader
  
• [1725] - Fixed a bug that was crashing combat on an old save game, when armor was destroyed.
  
• [1726] - Witch's familiar, and Phantasm spell can PEER again. Note that for the Familiar to work, you must start a new game (an old game will still have this problem)
  
• [1732] - Fixed a problem with TERROR result of Power of the Pit when the target is transmorphed into a H or T monster.
  
• [1733] - Can learn spells while transformed now, as long as you have the correct type of MAGIC chit
  
• Newly added companions (like when a custom character is playing a development game) will start off HIDDEN, so that they don't get killed in the same turn you receive them.
  
• [1740] - Fixed a bug that sometimes crashed the game when trying to move a dead traveler.
  
• Trading activated treasures to the Magic Guild for advancement no longer leaves the items in their activated state when they are bought back.
  
• Lockpick Set treasure actually works now (apparently never implemented - sorry about that!)
  
• Bag of Weightless works correctly now when you are flying away from combat.
  
• Flaming Oil no longer destroys the Tomb (only Pond and Hive are affected)
  
• [1722] - Skeletal archers now have a length of 14, and skeletal swordsmen have a length of 3 (instead of zero!)
  
• Captured travelers will follow by default, and cannot be reassigned. If the character teleports or runs away, the traveler immediately escapes.
  
• Fixed a problem with the "build map by rating" feature that was causing the campfires to sometimes be placed in unconnected clearings.

Realm Quest Update

I recently got a Mantis issue:

Hi Robin,
Wow, you have been busy! So I am sorry to ask, but I was just wondering if you could give an update about the Book of Quests. Is it still in the que or is it not practical at this time. The last update to the Wiki was October 27, 2009. Thank you for all your hard work!!!!
Mike

Fair enough. It has been awhile since there has been any movement on the quest code, though you may be surprised that there is a full featured quest builder mostly finished in the RealmSpeak code:



The quest builder will ultimately allow you to build a quest from scratch (much like the RealmSpeak character builder), and make it available for RealmSpeak (more on that later). Each quest will consist of one or more quest steps, each with their own requirements and rewards. At least one of the steps will have as its reward "Quest Complete". The steps can be processed in order (step 1 before 2, before 3, etc), or you can setup your own logic to make multiple quest path possibilities (i.e., you can either save the villagers from the Dragon, or kill the villagers).

Each quest step has requirements and rewards. The requirements are things like:

• Certain number of attribute points added (gold, notoriety, etc)
  
• Specific treasure in your possession
  
• Perform action, or satisfy a condition at a specific location
  

Rewards are things that you might expect:

• Gain points/gold
  
• Gain relationship levels
  
• Earn a hireling or companion
  
• Receive an item
  
• Teleport to a new location
  

When you build a quest, you get to specify which rules must be in or out of play:


By default, none of the rules are tied to quests, but there might be a reason (for example) that the optional DRAGON HEAD rule must be active, and that AMBUSH should not be used.

Each quest can have a number of locations. These are named in a special window on the builder:


Each location can be a clearing, dwelling, and/or chit, and they can be specific to one, selected by the player, or even randomly chosen. Once you have a location, you can refer to it in the text, and it will update the text to match in the quest when you are playing the game. Locations can be referred to by any quest step requirements, so it is easy to define when and where you want the player to go.

Jay Richardson introduced the concept of a "Minor Character" in his Book of Quests (available here) which I'm planning on supporting in RealmSpeak:



Now that I've presented all this, you are probably wondering when it will be available? Although the quest builder is nearly done, there is virtually NO code in RealmSpeak to actually play a quest. That's primarily because I haven't completely decided HOW quests should be implemented in-game. There's the Book of Quests approach, where each character chooses a quest that they must complete to win the game. There's Steve Schacher's Quest Cards concept (based on Book of Quests), where a number of cards are drawn/selected by players based on predefined victory conditions. Then there's my own version, where quests are available at the three guilds in-game, and must be completed to advance a level in the guild.

Time to complete? Considering that I'm not working on it now, its hard to say. I imagine there's easily a months worth of work in there, so don't expect anything this year unless I get particularly crazy.

I hope that's a good enough update Mike! If I do make any more headway, I'll be sure to post the progress here. If you have ideas/suggestions, be sure to drop me a line.

Version 1.0.20.0 Released

Note: This release is NOT compatible with save games from earlier releases. I made changes to the data file that will affect the Ancient Telescope and the Crystal Ball. If you use this version with an older save game, THESE TWO TREASURES WILL NOT WORK CORRECTLY! Sorry about that, but it was a necessary change to make them consistent with other objects in the game.

-----------

Mostly just working through reported issues and feature requests. I think the list is down to only 34 items now!

Anyway, here's what's new this time:

NEW FEATURES:

• [1694] - For map builders, enlarged the tile pick view, added the tile flipside, and made the tile currently being placed respond to the SHIFT key to show you the enchanted side.
  
• Some new house rules are available under the title "More House Rules":
  
  • [1285] - Enable a feature where damaged armor can be repaired at any dwelling for the difference in price between intact and damaged.
    
  • [1494] - An optional house rule where Soft Ground and Early Snow only prevent Hide rolls in non-Cave clearings.

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [967],[1148] - Fixed issues with Ancient Telescope, and Crystal Ball.
  
• Fixed a problem with REPAIR, HEAL, and FORTIFY as base character abilities.
  
• [1716] - Fixed a problem with custom characters with light armor in a non-expansion game.
  
• Fixed a bug that was crashing the combat simulator when launching it in "Original Game" mode.
  
• [1717] - Luring an attacker off another sheet no longer leaves a "ghost" image behind.
  
• [1679] - A RED-side up monster on a native no longer prevents random assignment from occurring with other unassigned denizens.
  
• [1718] - Host game setup dialog made slightly bigger to accommodate most OS's.

RealmSpeak Home has Moved

I decided to move the base webpages where RealmSpeak is managed to a new home:

http://realmspeak.dewkid.com/

Note: This blog is NOT moving!

Why move the home page? I did this for a number of reasons. The main reason, is that I wanted RealmSpeak to have its own subdomain. I actually set up the subdomain a year or so ago, but I've never made the switch to a new webpage.

Recently, my domain host ICDSoft (see link on the top left) announced that they had a beta version of a web design tool, that is available to members for free. Since my web design skills are pretty atrocious, I figured I'd give it a try. Turns out it was pretty easy to slap together something that looks somewhat professional (IMHO).

My goal with the new web design, was to make it more intuitive, so a new user could quickly find what they were after, without trundling through a maze of links. I think I've accomplished that, but if you have any suggestions on how to improve it, I'd love to hear from you.

In any case, if you have any bookmarks to the old site, you'll find that the webpages now give you a new link to follow. I suggest updating your bookmarks, so that if the old site vanishes someday, you'll still be connected.

Of course, as mentioned above, this blog isn't moving, and it has links to everything you need to get started. If you use the blog as a launch point, you'll be safe. :-)

Version 1.0.19.0 Released

GMs - If you are running a 1.0.18.0 game now, it is SAFE to upgrade to this version. It will not harm your game file. In fact, I recommend upgrading, because of the random number bug I fixed (see below).

I've been wanting to get this release online, but I've been sick the last week. The big bug-fix in this one is to restore the behavior of the random number generator when loading a save game. It used to be (several versions ago), that saving a game would also save the state of the random number generator, thus making it a) impossible to cheat and b) possible to replay a day with the same result (important for GMs). Alas, I broke this functionality when I implemented the new random number generators, and that's something I wanted fixed ASAP.

New in the release is an experimental feature to make board generation more... better? I decided that too often, my online games started with our characters at the Inn, with only one possible way to go, and that way was through a maze of caves and/or a hidden path/secret passage. To alleviate that possibility, I decided that there needed to be a way to "rate" a map, and then have RealmSpeak rebuild the map when it fell below a certain rating.

The rating system I came up with is fairly simple: For every Valley clearing where a dwelling or ghosts would start, start moving down the path in both directions, and count the total number of tiles that can be reached WITHOUT entering a cave, or using a hidden path or secret passage. The total number of tiles that can be reached (including the starting tile) is the rating for that tile. The map rating is simply the worst (lowest) rating of all five Valley tiles. Say for example, a map is rated a "6". This means that in the worst case, you will be able to visit SIX tiles without ever having to enter a cave or use a special road.

With the rating system in place, I then added a control in the game setup options that allows you to select a preferred rating, from 0 to 5, that must be achieved before RealmSpeak will select a map. If you set it to zero (the worst possible rating), then RealmSpeak will take the first map it generates, just like you are always used to. If you set it higher, the maps it allows will be fewer. Remember the more times RealmSpeak is forced to toss a map, the longer it can take to start a game. Keep an eye on the status bar at the bottom of the window to watch it's progress.

Now I can hear some of you already groaning that my algorithm here is too simplistic, and perhaps even favors some characters over others. Also, the logic of rebuilding a map that fails might be the lazy way out, and isn't the most efficient solution. If you have better ideas on how to accomplish "smarter" maps, please let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

By the way, this new rating system works great on the original game as well as the expansion. It does NOT, however, work too great with 2x/3x/4x size maps, as the number of Valley tiles increases, and causes a LONG delay in map building. It took nearly 2 minutes to build a reasonable 2x map, and then all it did was line all the valleys up in one long path right in the middle of the map. :-O

What else... oh, I added a new "export" button in the battle window, that let's you dump the current state of combat to HTML, much like the "Game Export" works. When I was GMing the tournament, I found the most difficult part was relating what was happening, where everybody was, and who had what chits fatigued/wounded where. I'm hoping this new feature alleviates that pain, as it puts everything in a nice navigable set of web pages with everything you could possibly want to see in a combat. It's probably not perfect yet, but it'll get there.

Enough jabber, here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• You can include travelers as hirelings in the battle builder now (so you can test those kinds of scenarios out)
  
• Experimental new feature for setting the rating of a map, so you don't end up with crummy starting places. If you don't want to use it, just set the minimum map rating to zero (default).
  
  • Not recommended for double/triple/quadruple maps (it can take a REALLY long time to build one of these)
  
  
• [1673] - Attackers can be seen in the summary table of the combat frame, instead of only on the combat sheets.
  
• [1665] - You can now export information about a battle to HTML, to simplify GMing in a combat situation.
  
• [1703] - Transferring a character allows you to choose from a list of names now, instead of requiring case-sensitive typing. Of course, you can still type a name if you like.
  
• [1013] - New full featured window memory system (see "Custom Layout" under "Window" menu)
  
  • Allows you store your favorite window layout in up to seven different slots.
    
  • Layouts are remembered the next time you play, so if you have something you like, it will default to it.
    
  • You can name your layouts, so that it is easy to remember which is which. (Witch?)
    
  • Even the size/position of the main frame is remembered, so spanning multiple monitors is a really easy thing to do now.

BUGS/ISSUES:

• Fixed a bug that caused an error to be logged when you attack a Giant while carrying the Pretty Rock (Expansion treasure)
  
• When deploying a combative traveler (i.e., Dragon Slayer) no longer prompted for a deploy side.
  
• Carnoplant box #3 reads "5" instead of "35" now
  
• [1713] - Fixed a problem where saving and reloading a game wasn't restoring the state of the random number generator.
  
• Fixed an issue where transferring a character didn't always remove the character frame from the player losing the character
  
• Fixed a bug where Archeological Dig and Fountain of Health (expansion) could end up in a TWT.

Version 1.0.18.0 Released

Been fixing lots of bugs lately, some old some new. Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• [1216] - New option in "Other House Rules" to turn Day-End trades ON by default for all new characters.
  
• [1710] - New option in "Robin's House Rules" to allow you to gain special rewards past level 4 when you level-up during the game.
  
• [1703] - Battle Builder will allow you to cast Permanent Spells now, so you can simulate scenarios where (for example) you have already absorbed a T Troll.

BUGS/ISSUES:

• Fixed a problem with Transform that could lead to an infinite loop that would freeze the game.
  
• [1216] - Trade button removed from combat window, as trading isn't allowed during combat.
  
• [1710] - Leveling up in development works again. (broken since 1.0.11.0)
  
• [1709] - "Rehire" is no longer an option with permanent companions.
  
• [1708] - Blank chat line no longer messes up chat display on map
  
• [1406] - Fixed a bug in the character builder, that would allow you to create a die roll modifier that didn't work.
  
• [881] - Fixed a bug that would let you use color chits to make change while resting, even when you had active effort chits.
  
• [1680] - When you are selecting spells, if you forget to enchant ANY chits, you will get a reminder now.
  
• [1561] - When a leader rests, followers will get their rests IMMEDIATELY, so that they have a chance to rest (for example) a MOVE chit or two, so they can actually follow!
  
• [1586] - Fixed a bug where watchful natives already on someone's sheet, wouldn't battle other attackers, allowing a second character to end combat early.
  
• [790] - Fixed the handling of fatigue when using a treasure (or custom character) that allows three or more asterisks of fatigue.
  
• [1711] - Fixed a missing fatigue step when charging someone with 2 asterisks that runs away, and combat is ended by the remaining combatants.

Version 1.0.17.0 Released

Added some more features that should aid online play, including a neat new feature to play a sound to remind players that it is their turn (suggested by a user named "storymachine" in the bug tracker).

Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• [1706] - The focus is given to "Next" and "Done" when you are playing your turn, and "Next" in combat so you can just press the ENTER key to advance.
  
• [1705] - RealmSpeak will now play a sound when you are playing online when:
  
  • It is the beginning of a new day
    
  • It is your turn during the day
    
  • It is your turn during combat
    
  • When you forget to press "Done" at the end of your turn
  
  
• You can enable/disable sound, and adjust the volume, in the options menu

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1701] - Made the fatigue/wound call thread-safe, so that network play doesn't lead to the "mystery round" condition.
  
• [1702] - Fixed a problem with the chat lines on the map view when a player's name was particularly long.
  
• [1690] - "Play Color Chits" button in combat will be disabled now when you don't have any more color chits.
  
• [1707] - Fixed a problem with choosing a character with an extra chit or two.

Version 1.0.16.0 Released

Just a quick release to fix an expansion bug, and to make the chat interface a bit more visible. Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Count of "treasures left" in discoveries window and search dialog will now exclude "CANNOT MOVE" site cards that you have already discovered. This means other players may now see a different count for the same treasure site, depending on what they have already found.
  
• [1094] - A list of ALL spells is available from the View menu now (only during a game)
  
• Chat is now visible on the map. By default, 10 lines of chat will be visible on the map, but you can tweak this number under the options "map" submenu.

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1700] - Revealing a TWT in the Pond or Tomb is equivalent to revealing a large treasure now.

Version 1.0.15.0 Released

This release addresses a couple of issues I had while playing the game online with my friend last weekend, and the tournament game a couple of weeks ago. Also, for no apparent reason, I added two new treasures.

Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Chat interface includes multiple colors now, which are automatically assigned (for now).
  
• [1670] - Host can selectively kill one connection now.
  
• New treasures:
  
  • Bone Hand - Cursed great treasure that can be activated to increase sharpness of any wielded weapon at the cost of one level of vulnerability.
    
  • Net - Subtract one from any CAPTURE roll (capturing travelers)
  
  
• [1393] - Green combat hotspots now split when mounted natives are involved, to allow you to position natives together with their horse, or separately.
  
• [1143] - Improvements to chit fairness calculations in character builder:
  
  • Account for MAGIC chit speed
    
  • Disadvantage for complete absence of MOVE/FIGHT chits
    
  • Disadvantage for chits that are locked to a position (like DUCK)
    
  • Advantage for chits that can be alerted to increase vulnerability
    
  • Advantage for FLY chits

BUGS/ISSUES:

• Fixed a redraw issue with guilds and travelers when playing online
  
• [1695] - Fixed a problem with empty error logs being generated every time you ran a battle simulation
  
• [1542] - Added a couple places I missed when logging chit fatigue.
  
• [1696] - Travelers that fight, will die now, instead of living on indefinitely.
  
• Fixed a problem with indents in the detail log, when casting a group effect attack spell
  
• [1683] - Added a new item to the map "right-click" menu to hide/show Site Cards (like Toadstool Circle)

Version 1.0.14.0 Released

Did this release, so that I could play the expansion with a friend of mine. This version has a crude chat interface, which helps when you are playing with players that lack a TeamSpeak (or other audio) connection.

Anyway, here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Added version information to the combat simulator launcher, and the error logs.
  
• [1669] - New chat interface (rough, but it works) - look for it in the character frame tabs (last tab)

BUGS/ISSUES:

• Fixed a bug with hiring Bob (Traveler)
  
• Fixed a bug with destroying the Cloaks
  
• Fixed a bug in the character chooser that was throwing an exception when choosing a random character
  
• [1693] - Fixed a problem with hiring natives with a hypnotized native (expansion)
  
• [1671] - Fixed a problem when transferring characters around, that was leaving familiars, hirelings, etc. behind

Version 1.0.13.2 Released

Well, doggone it! There were another three bugs that pretty much ruin the game that I had to fix. Better to get these done sooner, rather than later, so people don't get too frustrated with me. :-)

Here's what's new:

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1686] - Fixed a problem with prowling monsters introduced in 1.0.13.0
  
• [1687] - Fixed a problem with flying introduced in 1.0.13.0
  
• [1688],[1689] - Problem with native positioning, introduced in 1.0.13.0

Version 1.0.13.1 Released

Just a quick patch release to fix a few bugs. Here's what's new:

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1681] - Fixed the spell targeting problems introduced when treachery was implemented.
  
• [1682] - Fixed a bug that was preventing you from buying anything from the guilds.
  
• [1675] - Fixed an NPE when viewing the connections window
  
• [1676] - Fixed a NPE when painting a native chit
  
• [1677] - Fixed an exception that happened when saving the game while others are playing.

Version 1.0.13.0 Released

The RealmSpeak bug list is shrinking every release now. There are currently less than 50 reported bugs/issues/features at this time, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. New this release, is a feature that's been lacking from the general rules since day 1: Treachery. Yes, at long last, you will be able to turn on your hirelings (for a price). Make sure you also look at the 3rd edition rule options for the "Benevolent Spells" option, or you'll be creating rebels every time you try to enhance your hirelings.

Anyway, here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• [1316] - New house rule to allow a character to go into negative fame/notoriety to pick up a campaign chit
  
• [1507] - Flying hirelings/companions can be ridden now.
  
• [1644] - Option to "Offer" inventory when trading, in case other character is offline, or just unresponsive.
  
• [1542] - When chits are rested/fatigued/wounded, they are written to the log now.
  
• [17] - At long last, Treachery is implemented in RealmSpeak.
  
• [430] - Benevolent Spells option (default off), so you can cast spells like "Poison" without causing your hirelings to turn on you.
  
• Guild Improvements:
  
  • Separated the "Join Guild" option into its own action. It will cost one more phase to join a guild, but at least you can do it without being REQUIRED to buy a service, and can start benefiting from the NEUTRAL relationship right away.
    
  • Shuffled a small treasure away from the Inn, Guard, Chapel, House (they are back down to 2 apiece), and increased the guilds allotment to:
    
    • Thieves Guild: 3 small treasures
      
    • Fighters Guild: 2 small treasures
      
    • Magic Guild: 2 small treasures
    
    
  • Gave each of the guilds some sort of weapon/armor to sell
    
  • New armor: the Cloak - this is equivalent to the Suit of Armor, but with a LIGHT vulnerability. The Thieves Guild does have one MEDIUM cloak for sale.

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1667] - Fixed a bug with the R250_521 random number generator that crashed the game after a long run.
  
• [1393] - When not playing with optional riding rules, native horses will default to the same box in combat (no separate placement).
  
• [1485] - Phase-based weather fatigue (like Ball Lightning) will correctly fatigue TWO asterisks when moving through mountain clearing.
  
• [1540] - When looking at your own CACHE, the amount of GOLD that is stored there is shown.
  
• [1389] - Fixed some issues with the Lost spell: you can record multiple moves to the same clearing now (to simplify Lost movement), and Timeless Jewel no longer lets you "cheat" the lost rolls.
  
• [1553] - Committed artifacts/books no longer available to cast a spell, until the spell they are committed to has ended. Of course, if you are using Enchanted Magic rules, then this fix doesn't apply.
  
• [1113] - Rest interface will break up multiple rests when there are possible phase-affecting conditions (like weather fatigue, or flowers of rest)
  
• Reduced hire wage of Exorcist Traveler from 25 gold down to 12 gold (didn't intend for him to be THAT expensive!)
  
• [1569] - When wounded/fatigued, and following another character through a clearing with Flowers of Rest, the "tired" character will fall asleep, and be left behind.
  
• [1558] - Fixed a bug that was allowing a character transmorphed into a demon (non-flying) to be able to fly away with the Broomstick's FLY L4* chit.
  
• [1529] - "Watchful Natives" will no longer override "Peace" effects. Also, chits influenced by PEACE will be marked as such now, for clarity.
  
• [1294] - Getting teleported away while a flying dragon is following you, will no longer let you FLY on the next phase with the Timeless Jewel
  
• [1127] - Can no longer rearrange belongings at day end, while between clearings.
  
• [1084] - Can no longer burn color chits after the last phase of the day.
  
• [1354] - Character's will now only be able to block at the END of the phase, not the beginning.
  
• Fixed a bug where summoned animals/elementals/undead would sometimes become unkillable.

Version 1.0.12.0 Released

This release fixes a few bugs, and builds on the last release by adding seven new travelers. I also reworked the credits section, as there have gotten to be a lot of names to cover, and too little space to do it.

Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• [1659] - When the previous round of combat has no damage/fatigue/spellcasting, it is shown now on the combat sheet, so you can remember to fatigue if you want combat to continue.
  
• New RealmSpeak credits window (check it out!)
  
• [1661] - Battle Bracelets will work correctly against other characters now
  
• [1660] - Weather/Season information visible in HTML export
  
• Seven New Travelers:
  
  • Gypsy - Offers magical talismans for sale (each talisman has its own advantage)
    
  • Seer - Capture to gain "Timeless Jewel" ability for 14 days
    
  • Rock Golem - Capture to gain GRAY magic for 14 days
    
  • Bard - Allows you to "sell your story", losing fame, but gaining gold
    
  • Pickpocket - Steals 0 to 5 gold from dwellings where you end your turn
    
  • Bat Hunter - Attack speed 1 against Giant Bats
    
  • Exorcist - Protects from new curses

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1657] - Capture Traveler table is visible now
  
• [1658] - Fixed a bug that wasn't counting kills by PoP as "damage" for purposes of determining end of combat.
  
• [1662] - Fixed a bug with the Magic Flute that was causing the game to crash.
  
• [1663] - Changed the behavior of the Magic Wand slightly, so it is applied when the spell is cast, rather than later. This fixes a problem with being able to control the RED die when casting a spell against another character.
  
• [1006] - Permanent spells in the presence of an automatic source of color magic, will no longer go inert at midnight.
  
• [1664] - You will be asked to confirm when abandoning an item.
  
• [1383] - You can drop underlings (and travelers) during your turn now.

Version 1.0.11.0 Released

Note: This release is not recommended for existing games, so if you are GMing a tourney game right now, you might want to wait on upgrading, or download the new version in a different place. To be honest, it will probably work just fine, but I did change some of the "behind-the-scenes" behaviors, and that might make an existing game behave strangely.

-----------------

This new release comes pretty close to wrapping up the entire expansion. Most of the travelers are implemented, and all the guilds work. I did make some adjustments to the rules and setup, so don't expect this to be identical to the expansion description I released years ago. If you want the most up to date rules, RealmSpeak provides them in the View->Expansion Rules menu items.

In short, there are 25 travelers, from which 12 are selected to be on the board per game. The traveler is a new kind of chit:


Take a look at the Traveler rules to learn the different ways you can interact with these new pieces, and discover their advantages.

Also new in this release, is a set of fully functional guilds:


The guilds are where you can essentially earn unique services by being a member, gain various native relationships, and even earn a new character chit. Read the provided rules to learn more.

Oh, and for those of you that have been giving me grief about my random number generator (I use the default Java Random class), I'm providing a new option that allows you to choose from a couple of other generators, that may or may not be better than the system one. If you want to see where I came up with these, take a look at this Michael Brundage essay for more details.

Almost forgot: I had something new happen that's NEVER happened before, since the very first release of RealmSpeak. I had another Java developer decompile the code, implement a feature he requested, and send me the changes. This developer, Matt Gardner, asked to have a feature to allow starting a game with a character at a higher level than four, in the spirit of being able to "keep" character gains from from game to game. His implementation works wonderfully, so I'm including it in this release. Thanks Matt!!!

Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• [1646] - New house rule to allow you to place either side of a visitor/mission chit, even if the other side has already been placed.
  
• New house rule to allow you to exclude the campaigns, using only visitors and missions.
  
• [1647] - Option pane allows you to manage your favorite option settings. When the setup window pops up, be sure to look at the new control at the top of the window.
  
• Replaced the "Event" chits with "Sound" chits (decided I didn't like the Event concept for the expansion)
  
• Travelers are working (see rules under Expansion Rules under the View tab)
  
  • Currently there are 26 travelers, only 12 of which (randomly chosen) are active per game.
    
  • Move around the map
    
  • Those with gold circle amounts can be hired (HIRE phase)
    
  • Those with black circle amounts must be captured (SEARCH phase)
    
  • Those with green boxes offer services for sale (TRADE phase)
  
  
• Guilds are working (see rules under Expansion Rules under the View tab)
  
  • Record TRADE phases to interact with a guild
    
  • Thieves Guild must be discovered before you can trade with it
    
  • New "Ring of the Hero" treasure can be used for one free advancement
  
  
• Removed all of the "Hamlet" chits (replaced with traveler or gold chits)
  
• Changed the Guild setup so they are more likely end up in Woods, Valley, and Swamp (it makes more sense this way)
  
• [1550] - GM Tool allows you to remove the CHEAT flag from a character
  
• [1173] - The reason you cannot buy drinks (if appropriate) is shown in the trade windows now, and is written to the log.
  
• [1654] - New feature, programming courtesy of Matt Gardner, to allow you to start a game at a level higher than 4. Thanks Matt!
  
• Option to choose one of two different random number generators besides the default system one. If you have another to suggest, just let me know.
  
  • R250/521 (an old generator that's pretty well favored, and pretty reliable)
    
  • Mersenne Twister (a newer generator that is supposed to be even better than the R250/521)

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1649] - Fixed a bug that causes the game to crash some days after you kill a generated monster in the expansion game
  
• [1331] - On multiple board setups, spells will no longer be setup indiscriminately across boards. "A" spells will go to the "A" board, "B" spells to the "B" board, and so on.
  
• [1653] - Alerted MAGIC chits can be used for enchanting.
  
• [1651] - Native horse being killed by another native no longer causes the game to crash.
  
• [1624] - Permanent spells will energize BEFORE testing block status when moving through a clearing with a permanent source of color magic.
  
• [1156] - Absorb Essence on artifact will expire now, once the caster is dead.
  
• [1604] - Permanent spells will no longer de-energize between tiles if you are carrying the color source.
  
• [1622] - The treasure that you are bidding on will no longer be logged for everyone to see, until you successfully purchase it.
  
• [1566],[1590],[1615] - No longer have to fatigue chits due to weather when you are transmorphed, and then die.
  
• [1621] - Timeless Jewel moves interrupted by heavy inventory will no longer mess up where RealmSpeak thinks you really are.
  
• [1632] - Following hirelings help support active treasure weight when moving.
  
• [1631] - When a hireling becomes unhired, an inventory check is made right away to verify that you can still carry everything.
  
• [1528] - Exorcise spell will no longer cause natives to become watchful and attack.
  
• [1554] - Spells cast with magic chits altered by another spell (i.e., Witch's Brew) will expire when the altered chits return to normal.
  
• When you find the Rune, but cannot learn the spell, it tells you so now.
  
• Fixed a bug when looting a heavy item or color emitting object from from the minor treasure locations, it correctly flips the treasure so you can see it.
  
• Random character selection buttons on character chooser no longer opens a new window: it merely selects a character, and you can opt to choose another, or press the button again.

Version 1.0.10.0 Released

Note: this release is compatible with previous releases going back to 1.0.8.0, so if you are GMing a tournament right now, and are using 1.0.8.0 or later, you are safe to upgrade.

-----------------

This is exciting. My brother-in-law arranged to have some drawings done for the expansion, and I just got these a week ago. Basically, these are replacements for my own artwork (which was pretty pathetic), and boy are they great! The artist's name is Vrin Thomas, and you can see some of his work on his facebook page. If you like his work, I recommend hiring him! Here's a few of the images he sent:






That's the Lich, the Carnoplant, a Dragonman, and a carrion crawler. Pretty sweet! I added these to this RealmSpeak release, along with all the others, in both a black & white format, as well as color. I hope Vrin likes the colors I used...



It was actually a shame to shrink them, but its a necessary step to getting them on the chits!

Oh, something rather cool in this release: under the View menu, you'll see a couple of entries for tracking Die Rolls. That's right, every single die roll in the game is now tallied, and you can see the statistics for each kind of roll. Why? I've gotten a lot of complaints about the "random number generator", with people saying that it's a little "6" heavy. Well, now you can do your own statistics, and see if that's true. Have a rough game? Check the statistics, and see how it all laid out.

Okay, you probably want to know what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• New expansion graphics, from artist Vrin Thomas.
  
• [1634] - Add option to turn off version warning.
  
• [1637] - All die rolls are tracked, and statistics can be viewed at any time in the View menu under "Die Roll Statistics"
  
• GM Tool changes
  
  • [1627] - The GM tool will now let you hire any monster or native in the list to any living character.
    
  • New buttons to change the state of items in clearings (facing, dropped, abandoned)

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1633] - Fixed a NPE bug with getting killed by Power of the Pit coming from Toadstool Circle during a search.
  
• [1626] - Fixed a problem with PoPs BLIGHT killing hired natives and transformed characters.
  
• [1636] - Fixed a bug introduced with the expansion, that prevents Golden Arm Band and Golden Crown from being worn at the same time.
  
• [1638] - Fixed a NPE bug in the server code.
  
• [1642] - Grudge/Gratitudes will only be applied when killing unhired natives now.
  
• [1062] - Watchful natives on a character sheet, will no longer attack another character in the phase after their target runs from the clearing.
  
• [1639] - Running and failing with 2 asterisks no longer costs you 2 asterisks in fatigue
  
• All characters in battle builder will start with 50 gold now, in case you want to be able to buy drinks.
  
• [1640] - Selling using the Commerce table will no longer double the price of buying drinks for your own hirelings.
  
• [1576] - The Frost Giant (Pruitt's Monster Variant) is now persuadable with the Persuade spell.
  
• [1413] - Multiple board problems fixed:
  
  • "B" characters will choose equipment from "B" boards
    
  • "B" armor will regenerate at "B" dwellings
    
  • Maps of Lost Castle and City will work only on the correct board now
  
  
• [1357] - Attacking another player's hirelings no longer cause the unhired natives from the same group to start battling, or become watchful.
  
• Charging a character with a horse no longer puts the horse as a "character to be charged".
  
• Generated monsters (expansion game) will get monster numbers too
  
• Generated monsters will stop moving automatically once blocked

RealmSpeak Version 1.0.9.2

Just a few more bug fixes to keep the tourney rolling, and fix to the multi-board code. This release is compatible with any 1.0.9.0 or newer game.

Here's what's new:

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1623] - Fixed an HTML exporter crash that happens the evening that a native HQ is hired.
  
• [1620] - Fixed a crash related to choosing multiple boards
  
• [1616] - Fixed an error generated when running as a transformed monster or mist
  
• [1426] - Running away from combat with hirelings no longer allows you to END combat prematurely
  
• [1614] - When the only character in the clearing is "Mist", you will be able to END combat
  
• [1613] - Fixed a NPE in the dragon breath code

TimeTripper 0.6 Released

Why don't you put down your swords and spellbooks for a moment, and take a chance to go back to Vietnam, get stoned, and jump randomly through time with nothing more than your Radio, a few weapons, and your trusty M16.

What the heck am I talking about? Why a new TimeTripper release, of course! This is an old SPI game that I converted to Java several years ago, and has sat stagnant for far too long. I abandoned it because I was still pretty heavily getting RealmSpeak up and running, and because I had too many Grognards (you know who you are) nit-picking the thing to pieces. I mean, that's cool and all, I just got tired of it.

This new release has plenty to offer: lots of updated maps, support for saving and loading games, and of course, plenty of bug fixes. Why, the bug tracker is completely empty at this point for the game, so I'm looking for a "few good men" to start playtesting this again. Heck, I'll even listen to the Grognards!

Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Extra information on action buttons:
  
  • Attacks show percent likelihood the weapon will be emptied
    
  • Negotiation button shows how easy a negotiation would be with the given set of natives
  
  
• New custom battle fields for many of the maps, including
  
  • Marathon
    
  • Alesia
    
  • Gladiator Games
    
  • Little Bighorn
    
  • Blood River
    
  • Monmouth
    
  • Hells Angels
  
  
• New information on screen about most every in-game roll
  
  • Rolls displayed for
    
    • Accuracy
      
    • Negotiation
      
    • Combat Result
      
    • Detection
      
    • Weapon empty
      
    • Awe1/Awe4
    
    
  • Mouse over on-screen icon to see extra information:
    
    • Who was affected by the roll
      
    • The table that was used, and how the cross-reference result was calculated
  
  
• Horse detail now appears on the battle description pane
  
• You can save and load your games now.
  
• Equipment Chooser has a lot of new information:
  
  • Accuracy and Attack values for each weapon mode
    
  • Total number available to Trippers (useful in a game of Team Tripper)
  
  
• When Flux is aligned, you'll see an arrow on the time maps indicating direction.
  
• Awed soldiers that have already attacked will have an "A" on them now.

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [802] - Burst and Rapid will work correctly now, allowing to strafe across empty hexes
  
• [1618] - The current battlefield time period will display when no other hex is highlighted
  
• [808] - Game will end when last tripper dies now, regardless of how many awed soldiers are left
  
• [806] - Rollerbrawlers in Battle 48 will correctly have a move of 6 now, instead of only 3
  
• [1619] - Cars and pong balls no longer exert a ZOC
  
• [820] - Timepolice will only stun now (no roll made on the combat result table)
  
• Fixed a bug that left the tripper activated in the first game round after doing negotiation
  
• Starsoldiers (Battle 41) will no longer attack the Tripper when negotiations "enrage" the natives.
  
• When natives combine their attack while "enraged", the combat result is adjusted accordingly
  
• [819] - Stunned soldiers no longer move or attack during negotiations
  
• [800] - Stunned awed soldiers can no longer be moved or attack
  
• Japanese Banzai troops (Battle 33)
  
  • No longer kill you with their bayonets from a distance
    
  • Icon changes when they switch modes
  
  
• [807] - Fluxed soldiers/animals (awed or not) will no longer attack or move on round 1
  
• Trippers can only carry one type of grenade (rule 13.14)
  
• [801] - You can now combine melee attacks to kill an opponent.
  
• Trippers only drop "loose equipment" when they die
  
• Trippers lose one point from their maximum endurance when they die (permanent loss!)

Multi-board Broken

Just a note to let you know that the latest version has a known bug, that causes any game with multiple boards to crash on launch. The workaround is to simply not select more than 1 board, and it will work.

I'm not sure which version this bug was introduced, so I don't know how far back you'd have to go to get rid of it. I'll try to get this one fixed this weekend, assuming I have time.

Version 1.0.9.1 Released

Just a quick bug fix release to repair an issue with the exporter, and to back out a change I made in 1.0.9.0 to "fix" the battle summary. This version is compatible with 1.0.9.0, so there's no harm in updating.

Here's what's new:

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1611] - Fixed the HTML exporter so that it doesn't add dwellings to clearings before the game has officially started.
  
• [1609] - Restore the summary view to before I made changes in 1.0.9.0 which broke it.