NetRPG - Role-Playing Games over the Net
©1995-1997 by Erich G Bratton (erich @bratton.com)
"Do you like role-playing games, but there isn't anybody
nearby to play? Well, you're in luck! You can play RPG's (like
AD&D, trademarked by TSR)
with friends across the world with NetRPG!"
NEW VERSION! 7/18/97
Version 3.0.2 adds better support for channels and some tcp tweaks for speed.You can download it here.
Ryan's NetRPG Tools 8/6/96:
Ryan Skow has made some programs that make NetRPG life easier, such as a monster & NPC generation program. Download them from his web site here.
What is it?
NetRPG is an internet server which lets a group of friends role-play over the net. NetRPG allows players to talk with one another using a mud-like interface, ready weapons, set an armor class, have hit points, store online character sheets, calculate and run combats using initiative rolls, resolve attacks and distribute damage between players and monsters, store and retrieve ASCII maps to facilitate showing exactly where the action is occuring, roll dice either in the open or privately shown to only the player and DM, and allows the DM to fudge attack rolls when a plot line necessitates a critical hit or miss or whatever. All of these features (and more!) combine in NetRPG to make live internet role-playing not only possible, but very enjoyable!
Why'd you write it?
I wrote NetRPG in order to keep playing games once everyone I gamed with in college moved on to other cities. I still use it one a regular basis to play AD&D.
What machines does it run on?
The NetRPG server runs on any Macintosh which has MacTCP 2.0.6 or Open Transport 1.1 or higher. Once the server is running, the players can connect to the server using their favorite MUD client from any type of machine. (ie, they could run tinyfugue on a unix box, or Muddweller on a mac, or a telnet program on a PC) So, as long as you have one person who has a mac someplace, you can play using NetRPG. You don't even have to be sitting at the Mac to play, you can just leave NetRPG running on a mac in an office someplace.
Does it cost anything?
NetRPG is free! All I ask is that you send me email telling me what you're doing with it, and whether or not you like it.
What do you really do with it?
Well, once you have played for a while and start getting into more complex adventures, you can using the advanced features that NetRPG supports: movable icons on the maps, different map views for each player depending on their position on the map, line of sight algorithm so that players don't get to see that beholder around the corner, and more!
How do I find someone to play games with?
The difficulty with NetRPG is that you never see or hear the other people. For this reason, it helps to know the people you are playing with. However, if you don't have anyone who'd like to play, try advertising on rec.games.frp.announce for a group to play on a regular basis (once a week works for my group). That should turn up more than a few responses.
Where do I get a copy of it?
You can now Download the NetRPG distribution. directly from this site.NetRPG is also available on the info-mac and umich archives. Either pick your favorite archive and go into the game/adv directory, or use this link: ftp://mirror.aol.com/pub/info-mac/game/adv/
Have fun gaming!
