A VTT Pack was always part of the Norðlond Bestiary and Enemies Book Kickstarter. I was hoping to be able to announce this, and thanks to some great support by Steve, Phil, and Alain at SJGames, plus Nick and Nose doing simply fantastic work, now I can.

The VTT Pack Includes a full Foundry VTT Module

The pack will contain tokenized images, full images, and “simplified” data that works inside of Foundry VTT.

N&N have designed the user interface for the creatures to resemble the layout of the actual hardcopy quick-reference cards. Here are two examples (though they’re still Work-in-Progress, so forgive any data entry errors).

Let’s cut to the chase: Here’s a great video by Nose showing how it works:

Here’s a Red Deer or Elk:

 

And here is our favorite Mountain Troll (Fjallatroll)

• What’s with the yellow? That shows that you’re mousing over something that’s clickable. Click Bad Temper (12) and it does a check to see if the disad is triggered. Click Polearm (12) and it rolls an attack against whichever token is highlighted.
• Oooo. A control point box? Yes. And as you change it, it highlights what threshold you’re at in the lower right portion of the card. Why bother with a computer if you’re not going to make it do simple math for you?
• Click on the image in the top right corner of the card, and it shows the player an image on their screen. The art will be the same as that in the primary book. Like below.

But I still Get Tokens, Right?

Not everyone uses Foundry VTT, but this is the VTT this Kickstarter is supporting, and the one SJGames has given the nod to go ahead with. But everyone who has ordered the VTT pack or had it included in a pledge will get the tokens in JPG format, similar to the ones below. Those will come via Backerkit.

(It is possible that instead of full-body tokens, I zoom in farther and focus on just the torso, since these things are usually pretty small on the screen. I’m open to opinions; maybe I’ll see if I can do a poll. Maybe I’ll just include both. Both is good.)

How Do I get My Foundry VTT Module?

To use the Foundry VTT module you’ll need a license for Foundry VTT, plus the GURPS 4th Edition Game Aid (Unofficial),  and once the module is ready you can activate your copy with a content key in your account on the Foundry VTT website. This content will only be available to install on that account.

There are certain to be some complications – this is the first time I’ve done this myself. But with some goodwill and patience, we’ll see it done.

A Closing Word and Thanks

I am super excited to be able to provide this. VTT support via maps is something I’ve done for a while. The tokens are nice. But to be able to have all of those stats in place, so you can make an encounter by dragging the desired beasts onto the screen, and boom, let’s play?

Oh, yes. That saves time. And I love saving time.

This of course would not have been possible without Steve, Phil, and Alain sitting down with me and being willing to encourage this VTT experiment. And they’re watching closely: If this is something you want to see SJGames do more of, vote with your dollars.

The other thing about this capability is I don’t personally have a flippin’ clue how to provide it myself. Nick and Nose, the pair of talented and dedicated folks who brought you the GURPS 4th Edition Game Aid (Unofficial) for Foundry VTT. They have volunteered their time and sweat equity to implement that gorgeous and helpful piece of work, and the three of us immediately saw the benefits in bringing the Bestiary into that sphere.