HARNManager

It is originally intended for the RPG "Harnmaster". This game is published by Comlumbis Games Inc. It is from the fantasy branch of RPGs and has as a background the fantasy world of "Harn". It is perhaps not one of the most known systems but those who know and love it are very busy and there are a lot of wonderful websites out there which also supply scenarios, locations and other stuff to use freely.

Way back in the 80s when I baught a new Computer (an Atari ST!!!) I wanted to learn the programming language C. So the best way to learn a language is to use it (same with human laguages). So what should I develop? Some years before I found Harn in a local game shop and liked it. When some years later the role playing game Harnmaster was released I got very exited. At least a very detailed RPG which is nearly a simulation. But this had a price to pay the rules were quite complex and needed a lot of bookkeeping and calculation. So I decided to write a program which should help me to manage my gaming sessions. At first it started as a tool to keep book about the items/attributes/skills each character has. And then it grew: If I have allready the skills and the items why not doing combat for me? Why not create NPCs for me? Why not print the players a printout of there character? Why not keep track of the game time and random encounters? I even met Tom Dalglish from Columbia Games on a fair in Germany and told him of my tool (I still have his bussines card somewhere!).

But at that time computers don't were a mass market product and I had other things to do. So some years later I switched to a PC with Windows and I had to learn C++ / MFC and so on. And of couse I started all over to write my tool for the Windows PC. But I never reached the mass of features I had for the Atari version. I even did not use it for gamemastering. But now I had kind of habit: Everytime I had to learn a new computer language or system I started do write my Harn management tool.

Christmas 2001/2002 I started to program it in C# with .NET. I got along pretty fast but stopped to work on it in february. In November Colubia Games announced the 3rd edition of there rules. I got quite excited and and so I continued with my program (which is still based on the first edition rules as I like them more than the second edition. Still don't know about the third one). Actually it needs perhaps one man month more work until it is in a version to give it away.

As I mentioned: the intention to write the program is more focused on learning .NET and to test new software architecture ideas. One of the ideas I had in mind was a generic architecture and frame so that I can write AddOns without redoing other modules. Up to now it worked quite well but I still have to expand the basic frame for some features.

An other focus was the usability. It should be easy,intuitivly and fast use.
The third main point was flexibility: Role playing never follows strict rules. Players are human beings and tend to have there own mind (they realy dare!) :-) So the use ways nobody has foreseen. The program should not force the game master to follow the rules to the letter. He should have the possibility not only to always enter special situation modifiers but also to even change the sequence of actions.

An other problem with putting it up on this web page (despite it is not "finished" yet) is the legal issue. I do not want to release modules which base mainly on the written rules from Columbia Games. Not only because they could sue me for their copyright but also to urge you to buy the rules yourself. Most of the modules are provided without data. So you can use the mechanisms but you must enter the data form the Columbia Games Products by your own. Nevertheless I think there is enough left which I can dare to share and which could assist you as a game master.

This sample picture should give you a short impression about the user interface. But don't take it for granted as I will quite likely change it as the program evolves:

• Below the main menu are three toolbars: environment, game time and weather.
  Here the gamemaster can choose the current environment the player characters are in. This affects the generation of random encounters. These encounters (together with the weather and other regularly tasks) are generated and rolled for automatically when the master advances the game time. But also other regular tasks are taken from the game master. For example he could automate healing and recovery.
  
• Below the toolbars is the players window. Here are all player characters from your group readily available. You could also add an NPC for some time as you need. You could also switch the apperance of this view. Wether it sould show only icons for each player or a table with the most relevant character data (health, fatugue, encoumbrance, ...).
  
• On the left side is a window I call the 'database'. Here you can enter new items (weapons, armor, food, ...) and all the skill definitions (from the rules book or your own). Additionally you can prepare rooms or maps for your scenario. Each room can hold items and NPCs. You could also create a database of NPCs/animals/creatures so you can have them at your fingertips if you need them.
  
• At the bottom is the protocol window. The Manager adds an journal entry with the current time for all automatic events (weather changes, random encounters, ...). Also other modules will use it to archive a decription. Exspecially my combat module writes a detailed report for each action a combatant does.
  Of couse you as game master can enter additional text the manager doesn't cover (i.e. the real role plying stuff!). When I used the Manager way back at the Atari time my players find out that I have such an automated session protocol and then begged me to give it to them. I deleted all the stuff form the text file which wasn't intended for their eyes and provided them with this material. They used it as a skeleton to write personal storys of their adventures from their characters point of view. A useful and funny side effect indeed.
  
• The space in the center is used for detail windows or other documents. Detail views of characters, rooms, maps and so one will appear here.

1. Software is never finished. It escapes!
2. I do this in my spars free time besides my other hobbys. So I will spend only time depending on the mood I am in.