PCGEN 5TH EDITION HOW TO
PCGEN 5TH EDITION SOFTWARE

I'm familiar with using and administrating Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, and I STILL have difficulty using this app (that says a lot, doesn't it?).īecause of the ridiculous interface, there are video tutorials just on how to add sources to program, and the program itself comes bundled with a massive HTML user manual. The irony in this, for me, is that I used to be an instructor for basic to advanced computer usership, including a large variety of applications, based on the similarities of how applications work. Even knowing what I know about how the program works I still have to hunt for many things which should be in plain sight. It took me literally months to learn how to choose sources. The learning curve is one of the steepest I have ever encountered for a program for which I already *should* know how to use (because I'm intimately familiar with the game systems in question). It breaks (or ignores) almost every rule of UI design I've ever known or heard of. Every possible form of object and input is used (checkboxes, right clicks, buttons, and dropdowns, etc, etc) and not in any form of consistency whatsoever. The UI and interface is straight out of the 90s, and takes little into consideration for inexperienced computer users. The design, interface, UI/UX, and every thing about using it is painful.

PCGEN 5TH EDITION SOFTWARE

If only major software companies were as conscientious with their own products. The Devs are constantly working it and eliminate bugs on the regular. I haven't explored the GM options yet, so I don't know if there is also map and token support, but even if it doesn't, it is still a fantastically useful app. Oh, and you can use it to run games over a network, similar to Fantasy Grounds or Roll20. If you're a GM, there's even more: it's also a combat tracker, monster creator (and customizer), encounter planner, die roller, experience tracker, random name generator, and more things I haven't discovered yet. It supports homebrew content and the users themselves can create content, as all of the sources are in plain text, tab-delimited files. New content is being added all the time from ALL of the major systems, both 1st and 3rd party. User support is amazing, even more so if you are using Discord. I've never built characters as quickly as I have with this app. I've only just begun to explore the world of possibilities but I have been fantastically impressed with its capabilities.įrom a player standpoint, it's even better than Pathbuilder for how quickly one can build a character and that app is outstanding. PCGen is possibly the most powerful RPG tool I've come across. TL DR Fantastically useful and powerful application with a confusing, outdated, counterintuitive, and inconsistent UI which absolutely requires the user to seek support to accomplish even the most basic tasks and has a ridiculously steep learning curve.

Pcgen 5th edition