Version 1.1.2.0 Released

Yet another quick release to repair some bugs and add support for CTRL-click behavior (for those mac users with single-button mice).  Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• [1769] - Added support for CTRL-Click anywhere there is a right-click (for Mac-users with single button mice)

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1817] - Fixed a bug related to using Absorb Essence from an Enchanted Artifact
• [1816] - Changed the pieces of the Sword of Legend (expansion) to have Medium weight to match the assembled version.
• [1767] - Fixed a bug that could leave a save game unusable if adding an Elf character, and clicking cancel on Light/Great Elf option.
• [1753] - Fixed a bug that was allowing non-moving prowling monsters to block characters.
• [1761] - Fixed an error in code that may have been causing some networking issues.
• [1752] - Imp/Demon spell attacks will properly prolong combat now (even if they do no harm)

Version 1.1.1.0 Released

Just a quick update to fix a few things from the last release, and to pick off a couple of issues on the bug tracker.  I also included the latest quests, so if you haven't been updating them from the website, you can get updated anyway.

Here's what's new:

QUEST UPDATE:

• New Color Magic requirement added
• Quest deck is now "shuffled" three times before drawing cards

NEW FEATURES:

• Enabled multi-board for expansion. NOT THOROUGHLY TESTED!!!
• [1720] - Can edit fame/not/gold in the GM tool now

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1804] - Fixed a bug with the RelationshipChange reward in the quest builder.
• [1749] - Roll of 4 on Toadstool Circle will correctly allow enchanting clearings in other tiles.
• [1403] - Toadstool Circle Extra Phase is working again.
• [1768] - Fixed an issue with Exorcise that was failing to target curses when no Imp/Demon was in the clearing.
• [1813] - Fixed an issue with the Ghosts that was causing them to remain dead indefinitely (since last release)
• [1719] - Character kill scoring is sorted in order so that characters killing characters that killed things get credit for notoriety and gold earned that round.
• [1801] - Fixed target spelling on Broomstick and Guide Spider or Octopus spell cards.
• [1807] - Removed misleading information on Read Runes button that suggested sites (Statue, Altar, Shrine) could have awakened spells on them (they cannot).
• [1808] - Fixed the behavior of conditional fame with the guild items (like Pirate's Map)
• [1755] - Followers can energize permanent spells by playing a color chit.
• [1802] - Fixed an issue with conditional fame when playing with multiple boards.
• [1747] - Fixed problem trying to trade with Warlock when you can't learn the spells.
• [1803] - Fixed a bug that crashed combat when the Lich is killed with Magic (like Fiery Blast)

Version 1.1.0.0 Released

At long last, an update to the core RealmSpeak game is here.  As I've been promising for the last year, and really in the last several months, a version of RealmSpeak with Steve Schacher's "Questing the Realm" variant implemented.  Questing the Realm is itself a variant of the original Book of Quests published by Jay Richardson et. al.

What is Questing the Realm?  Let me quote from the Users Guide:

Elements of the Book of Quests have been isolated into a set of Quest Cards that can be played during a game of Magic Realm to dynamically generate goals for players in a way that replaces the standard victory conditions.

Quest Cards depict daily life, travels, dealing with natives, fighting monsters, completing missions, and earning fame and fortune. Quest cards will combine to allow the player to tell a unique story for each play of Magic Realm.

Essentially, you play the game not with a single quest, but smaller quest pieces (though some can be quite complex) that earn victory points.  Rather than scoring by collecting GTs, Gold, Notoriety, etc, you score by completing quests.  As it turns out, this is really quite a fun twist to the base game.

With this update, you'll get 100 quest types in a deck of over 300 cards to draw from.  Each player get's a number of cards equal to their level plus one (so a typical non-development character gets 5), and uses these to guide them through the realm, and earn points.  The users guide contains information about how this variant is setup, and played in RealmSpeak, so I suggest you read that first.  For your first game, I suggest choosing the Questing the Realm variant on the options page, along with Sudden Death set to 15 VPs.

Of course, this version of RealmSpeak also supports the Book of Quests variant.  There are two BoQ quests provided that will let you try that variant, if you like.  If you want more quests, you may want to invest some time looking at the new quest builder.  You were introduced to this new tool in version 1.0.24.0, but it's undergone a lot of changes.  Lots of bugs were fixed, lots of features were added, and most importantly, all the requirements and rewards are working.  Oh, and there's a full featured quest tester in there too.

Before you dive into making any quests, I recommend first playing the game.  Then when you have become familiar with a few of the quests, open them up in the quest builder, and see how they were implemented.  I'm going to avoid going into a lengthy discussion on the tool itself, until I know people are interested.  If there is enough feedback, I may even put together some (gasp) documentation for it.

One more thing - this release would NOT have been possible if it weren't for all the hard work Steve Schacher put into developing, testing, and chasing bugs for me.  He put up with all kinds of random issues along the way, and helped me get the code into shape for this release.  Of course, there's the 100 quests he designed, which I can tell you was no easy feat.  Thanks Steve!!!!

Ok, that's a lot to digest.  Here's what's new:

QUEST UPDATE:

• Preempt quest step works
• New quest step logic to allow ANY required step as opposed to EVERY required step
• Adjustments to quest view to make it fit the screen better
• "Questing the Realm" (Quest Cards) logic is implemented
  • A deck of quest cards is shuffled at the start of the game
  • Each character draws a number of cards equal to their starting level plus one
  • Quests must be activated
  • ALL PLAY Quest cards allow the first player to achieve the requirements to earn VPs.
  • Discard and redraw unstarted quests at any dwelling or Lost City/Castle chit
• Changed the in-game quest panel to be a bit easier to look at (no more quest diagram - that will only be for the editor)
• Finished SearchResult requirement
• Finished MissionCampaign requirement for testing when a mission/campaign is picked up, abandoned, or dropped off
• Added quest debugging option
• Lots of new rewards and requirements

NEW FEATURES:

• "Show Card" button on character frame shows the whole spy window now
• Full Featured "Quest Tester" so you can try out your quests without having to play the game.
• New "OnFail" quest step behavior, so you can implement actions when requirements are NOT met.
• Better Quest Deck viewer
• Fixed a problem with companion editor in character builder

BUGS/ISSUES:

• Fixed a bug that was causing the generated map to be the same every time when quests were active
• Fixed the behavior of quest points
• Fixed a bug that wasn't removing the effect of a mission/campaign when the chit was abandoned.
• Fixed many issues around how Minor Characters worked
• [1793] - Endless Option should be endless now.
• [1781] - Fixed some issues with sound errors.

Version 1.0.24.0 Released

Here's a new release (finally) with a few minor changes, and one big change. The big change, you may have guessed, is that this is the first to support any form of "questing", an idea I originally heard about from Jay Richardson's "Book of Quests" (find information about that here).

Now before anyone get's too excited, keep in mind this is more of a quest-beta than the final product. In other words, there's still a long ways to go. That said, there is actually ONE quest in this release based on the Book of Quests: Dragon Slayer.

When you start a new game of RealmSpeak, you'll notice a new "Victory Conditions" section:

To try out the quests, you'll want to select "Sudden Death", and "Book of Quests" like I did above. The other two questing options do NOTHING, so no need to even select them. Choose a character like normal, and then you'll see new gold button on your character pane:

Click that button, and you should get a quest chooser popping up, with the lone quest "Dragon Slayer" as your only option. Notice that you can click on the little shields to see how the quest all fits together. Click OK, and the game is on!

Notice now that there is a new quest tab:

This is where you'll periodically want to check back to see what it is you need to do. The gold shield with a Green check mark, is the setup step, and you've already done that. The two gold shields without a green check mark indicate the next possible steps in the quest. The gray shields are not achievable until you've completed those. Click on the shield, and there is a description about what that quest step requires. Once you have completed the requirement, the shield will automatically get a check mark, and gray shields will turn gold. Complete that last shield on the right, and you win the game. (I'll be honest, this is a bitchin' hard quest to complete)

Now if you've played the Book of Quests before, you'll immediately notice some shortcomings. Remember, this is supposed to be a beta!! I'll get to that stuff eventually, but this is what I have now. Also, there is only the ONE quest...

If you look in the download, you'll see a new batch file called "launchQuestBuilder.bat". This will actually launch the beta version of the Quest Builder for you to play with. WARNING: I will likely be changing things about the builder, and any quests you may assemble now will likely be broken later. Please don't put a lot of work into any quests with this tool! Once it is a bit more solid, I'll lock it down, and you can design to your hearts content!!

Ok, my wife is bugging me to wrap this up so we can go grab a bite to eat (is it really 8pm already?) Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Quests
  
  • Completely revamped the victory options in the setup dialog:
    
  • Choose between Endless, Timed, and Sudden Death games
    
  • Optionally select one of the questing choices: Book of Quests, Questing the Realm, or Guild Quests (only Book of Quests works right now)
    
  • Currently only "Dragon Slayer" from Book of Quests is provided. Many more to come, as well as a tool to make your own!!
    
    • The quest itself, should work. From rescue, to looting, to slaying the dragon, to returning the girl home to her family.
      
    • Some aspects of the quest not yet implemented (for example, you still earn fame/notoriety even though the quest states that you do not)
  • New Quest tab added to character window for following quest results
• [1744] - New house rules to make character development easier
  
  • No VP Ramp: 1 VP per chit regardless of level
    
  • No VP Restriction: VPs count towards level regardless of initial allotment

BUGS/ISSUES:

• [1748] - Fixed a bug that caused the SEARCH function to crash when the character is located in a clearing that doesn't lead anywhere.

Version 1.0.23.0 Released

Mostly fixes to expansion features. Here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Added a "flies" notation to the remodeled/Frenzel chits (helpful with expansion monsters and natives)

BUGS/ISSUES:

• Search hint for "Peer Neighborhood Clearing" no longer shows current clearing hints

EXPANSION CHANGES:

• Holy Relic will work to prevent undead from generating at the Tomb now
  
• Removed Stink W from carnoplants summon box (didn't like that these could appear at the L Fire)
  
• Added the "flying" attribute to some monsters that were missed:
  
  • T Harpy
    
  • H Harpies
    
  • Wasp Queen
    
  • Wasps
    
  • The Fairy from the Fairy Ring treasure
    
  • Dragon Men (yes, flying natives!) - makes for some interesting hirelings that can carry you around...

Version 1.0.22.0 Released

Some bug fixes, some expansion game changes, and a couple neat new features. Wanted to get this out before my next online game so that it is ready to go. My favorite new feature is the search table hint system.

Sometimes when I'm playing with someone new, I get the question: "Which search table do I use to search for the path?". If you are a veteran realmer, the answer is obvious, but even though there is descriptive text on each button, it's still an issue. Oh, this is especially true with the expansion games, because there are a lot of new pieces, and it isn't always clear which table does what.

Now, when you are presented with your choices of search, you will also see what applies in your current clearing. For example:



You can quickly tell, for example, which button to press to search for the hidden path, and which to search for the Status. Also, the "hints" only show things you haven't yet discovered, so you will be less likely to click the wrong button when searching for a secret passage versus a hidden path.

Anyway, here's what's new:

NEW FEATURES:

• Hint system for search table buttons
  
  • Peer: shows icons for hidden paths you need to find
    
  • Locate: shows icons for secret passages, treasure locations, and other chits you need to find
    
  • Magic Sight: shows all the chits you need to find, or can loot
    
  • Other search actions (Read Runes, Capture, Open Vault, etc): identifies the game piece being acted on
  
  
• Moved all game play menu options into a single dialog called "Options..." under the File menu (there were just too many, and I found it confusing)

BUGS/ISSUES:

• Fixed another problem with the map rating system, that sometimes caused primary dwellings (Inn, Chapel, Guard, House) to be placed in unreachable clearings.
  
• Fixed a bug with the GM tool that would crash when Wasps were on the board
  
• [1743] - Added code to catch and report an error when custom character files cannot be unzipped.

EXPANSION CHANGES:

• Expansion spell "Heal" now allows you to target up to four chits, instead of only one.
  
• Presence of Holy Relic will stop Bones X from summoning undead.
  
• Changed the name of the treasure location "Labyrinth" to the "Maze" (because it fits better on the chit!)
  
• Changed the name of "Labyrinth Map" treasure to "Map of the Maze".
  
• No longer able to "Run Away" from the Maze until you've discovered it.
  
• Moved the Murkers to Monster Die "5"

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.

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.

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