[Kontact]

Here's me, once again, praying that Hero Labs will help force a codification of rules and further errata.

Nothing helps test a system like putting it into a computer.

[Usda Beph]

Please correct me but didn't Lone Wolf put out something about owning the term Army Builder? I am hazy on the company name but I remember the topic coming up on a few forums. If it is them, I (personally) don't want to use software from folks who are being so anal.

[FastJack]

Please correct me but didn't Lone Wolf put out something about owning the term Army Builder? I am hazy on the company name but I remember the topic coming up on a few forums. If it is them, I (personally) don't want to use software from folks who are being so anal.

Well, they have a program called Army Builder to track armies for miniature games like Warhammer and such, but I've never heard of any naming issues. AB's been around for over a decade, so there might have been something when they copyrighted the name?

[Usda Beph]

Please correct me but didn't Lone Wolf put out something about owning the term Army Builder? I am hazy on the company name but I remember the topic coming up on a few forums. If it is them, I (personally) don't want to use software from folks who are being so anal.

Well, they have a program called Army Builder to track armies for miniature games like Warhammer and such, but I've never heard of any naming issues. AB's been around for over a decade, so there might have been something when they copyrighted the name?

That's the one I sorta remembered. Yeah the whole issue is they (Lone Wolf) is pitching a fit because gamers are making army builder freeware or asking where they can find an army builder and LW is slapping cease and disists, and telling Mods to remove posts that use the term army builder and the like. As I see it they should have named their product something less generic. Like say Wizards trying to restrict the term Character Generator because they didn't have the good sense to name their gererator something less generic.

I'm sure Lone Wolf will make a good application for ShadowRun Charater Generation but because of their sillyness, I'll just use the stuff the gamers make, or if CatLabs writes one I'll buy theirs!

[FastJack]

Please correct me but didn't Lone Wolf put out something about owning the term Army Builder? I am hazy on the company name but I remember the topic coming up on a few forums. If it is them, I (personally) don't want to use software from folks who are being so anal.

Well, they have a program called Army Builder to track armies for miniature games like Warhammer and such, but I've never heard of any naming issues. AB's been around for over a decade, so there might have been something when they copyrighted the name?

That's the one I sorta remembered. Yeah the whole issue is they (Lone Wolf) is pitching a fit because gamers are making army builder freeware or asking where they can find an army builder and LW is slapping cease and disists, and telling Mods to remove posts that use the term army builder and the like. As I see it they should have named their product something less generic. Like say Wizards trying to restrict the term Character Generator because they didn't have the good sense to name their gererator something less generic.

I'm sure Lone Wolf will make a good application for ShadowRun Charater Generation but because of their sillyness, I'll just use the stuff the gamers make, or if CatLabs writes one I'll buy theirs!

Well, they are working directly with CatLabs to create the Shadowrun Generator. I believe its akin to Heavy Metal working with BTech.

[Usda Beph]

Really? Yeah I guess LW would have to do that. I would have to make an exception then I just hope they don't call it character generater

[FastJack]

No, no... Hero Labs is the registered trademark. The different systems they support are all add-on packages to that software.

[Usda Beph]

See that works for me

[freddieflatline]

I am looking forward to the SR 4th character generator so that I can make some sweet major NPCs relatively fast.  Also it will be nice to have all my PC's sheets on hand if they forget theirs.

[voydangel]

Is hero labs only a character gen? Or do they have some component/addon that makes it a multi-user (multi-player) software that allows collaboration/play via internet?

[FastJack]

There's no collaborative use for the program, but it does allow the GM to have all the PC's grouped together in a single file (along with any mounts/companions/hirelings), as well as NPCs. It also has a pretty good initiative tracker, and can track any status effects, benefits or modifiers easily

[Stormdrake]

So this sounds pretty good.  However I am looking for a program that supports charcter creation, online play and in game news reports and shadowtalk.  So a program that has pages for character info, online communication, ingame news articles w. archive cpabilities would be the bomb.  Is Hero Lab this robust?  Is anything that supports SR this robust?

[FastJack]

Hero Labs supports only character info and some nice combat/initiative tracker tools. Nothing with regards to online communication.

As for News Articles and Shadowtalk, I'd recommend setting up your own forums to handle stuff like that (Proboards is a great free messageboards tool).

[Stormdrake]

Fastjack,
Thanks for the info.  I already do a forum but am looking for a product that does all in one.  I reliese there is nothing like that currently.  Will still look at Hero lab when its done.

[FastJack]

That would be a tough product to sell, even with Catalyst's blessing and support. Most gamers just need the character sheet, so it'd be a DM tool, which notoriously don't sell well since it's not as widespread as the player market.