Player's Journal

Conan_Lybarian
Conan_Lybarian

Talking to one of my players, they brought up an idea specifically for themselves and my group. I, as the GM/Ascendant manner, have access to all secrets, adventure logs, forum posts, etc.. What she wants is the option for her personal journal/to keep her notes online and to be able to have them right there and convenient when we play (online), that only she can see. I personally think it would be an awesome feature- and maybe a way to get the players *themselves* a little more active on the portal and OP in general.

«1

Comments

  • Abersade
    Abersade
    Posts: 417

    Does the Player Secret section on their character sheet not fit the bill because the GM can still see it?

    GM of Rise of the Durnskald: Wrath of the Fallen Goddess - February 2016 CotM

    GM of Core: The Ashes of Alcarna - April 2020 CotM

    GM of Stream of Kairos

    Need CSS Help? It may be covered here: Abersade's CSS Hub

  • Conan_Lybarian
    Conan_Lybarian
    Posts: 240

    @Abersade -Correct on that. Plus- it's the idea of having a feature just for her. I suppose it could have a "player only" viewing option to make it visible to the GM if she chooses? But I bet some people would put out a buck or 2 for something like that. Hell, it cost money for pen and paper- why not the equivalent, but online. Maybe an extra add on to the GM Ascendant, or some sort of Player level or something. 

  • Abersade
    Abersade
    Posts: 417

    I like the idea. Maybe a way to implement it would be to just change the default behavior for the Player Secret section to allow the secret to be viewable only by the player that created it by default instead of the player and always the GM? I would think that this would be a very easy change on the backend but given the way things were put together after the Reforge who knows (other than the Devs and likely Kallak anyways).

    I get the impression from the way the classes were named and the way certain features were implemented initially that the idea behind it was to have the GM doing pretty much everything and gatekeeping that information. Which is basically the exact way every campaign on the site actually ends up working, whether we as the GMs want it to or not usually. XD

    GM of Rise of the Durnskald: Wrath of the Fallen Goddess - February 2016 CotM

    GM of Core: The Ashes of Alcarna - April 2020 CotM

    GM of Stream of Kairos

    Need CSS Help? It may be covered here: Abersade's CSS Hub

  • JaymesBolton
    JaymesBolton
    Posts: 278

    I would love to see this. As an additional option or alternative allow completely secret forum discussions that allow the creator to choose who can and can not see the discussion. 

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998

    I really like both the original suggestion, but even more @jaymesbolton suggestion of a secret forum not necessarily run by the gm- my players used discord separately for just this purpose.

    Just trying to help out.

  • Conan_Lybarian
    Conan_Lybarian
    Posts: 240

    Yeah, that's the thing @killervp. I really want features that keep my player on OP. I think a lot of people use these outside services for that stuff. But the more I can keep them on OP, the better.

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998

    Agreed- great idea!

    Just trying to help out.

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Conan_Lybarian, @Abersade, @JaymesBolton, @killervp

    I'm not promising anything, but IF a beta version of "players can create secrets on pages that the GM can't see" feature was developed, which of you would be interested in being a beta user of the feature?

    It increases the likelihood that we will work on a feature if we already have users that have agreed to use it and test it.

    The initial version would likely be to change the "Player Secrets" to be "Secret Notes", and let any Campaign Member create them, and also have the GM be "uncheckable" as one of the Campaign Members that can see the "Secret Note".  Only the author would be able to Edit the "Secret Note".

    If that version of the feature saw use, then we would be able to put time into working on a "My Secret Notes" tab that listed links to all of the pages where a Campaign Member had a "Secret Note" they could view.  This could actually then be used as a "sticky notes" feature by the GM (requested in a different thread) by creating a "Secret Note" on a page just for the GM, which would then show up in the "My Secret Notes" tab.  For the GM this "My Secret Notes" tab could also include "GM Only" pages.  And for any Campaign Member, it could also include Private Forum Threads (also discussed above, but there is a separate forum thread for that linked below).

    Feel free to say if that "initial version" is not enough to get you to use it, so we can get specific about what is needed to fulfill this request.  Though the bigger a feature has to be to be used, the more risky it is for us to put work into because it might end up not being used and have been a waste of time.  So the bigger a feature is the less likely we'll work on it...or rather the more interest we need from the users before we'll work on it.

    Again, I'm not promising anything, just looking to gauge real interest here.  I don't like to say something is going to happen until it's actually live because I wouldn't want anyone to think they were getting something and then be disappointed.

    If you're also interested in the Private Forum Threads feature, post in this thread that you'd be interested in being a beta user of that (again, IF we did it):

    https://forums.obsidianportal.com/discussion/3763/private-campaign-forums

    Thanks,

    thaen/Aleks

     

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • Krothos
    Krothos
    Posts: 230

    I'm on the fence about whether I would use this feature. However, I would be willing to beta test this feature for you with my new campaign starting this week. I would need a couple of weeks to get the campaign off the ground and moving forward before I could dedicate cycles to test this new feature.

     

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Krothos, the feature doesn't exist yet.  I'm just trying to gauge if there is even enough interest for us to work on it.  But I will let you know if we do have something to test.  Actually, in this feature's case, for the initial version, it would be more your Players that would be testing it because you already have access to "Player Secrets".  The Players would be the ones that would have the new ability to create Secret Notes that you (the GM) couldn't see.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998

    I would beta it with my group

     

    Just trying to help out.

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @killervp, excellent!  I'll get back to you if we go forward with it.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • Conan_Lybarian
    Conan_Lybarian
    Posts: 240

    @thaen I'm down to try any new feature!

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Conan_Lybarian, excellent!  Noted!

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • Abersade
    Abersade
    Posts: 417

    I can also assist with testing, for games I play in the option is appreciated.

    GM of Rise of the Durnskald: Wrath of the Fallen Goddess - February 2016 CotM

    GM of Core: The Ashes of Alcarna - April 2020 CotM

    GM of Stream of Kairos

    Need CSS Help? It may be covered here: Abersade's CSS Hub

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Krothos, @killervp, @Conan_Lybarian, @Abersade,

    I deployed a beta version of this feature, and have added each of you to the beta.  (If anyone else reading this wants to be added to the beta to test out this feature, just comment on this thread.)

    The basic change is that Player Secrets now have a "Who can see this?" checkbox for the GM, so the GM can be checked or unchecked.  If the GM is unchecked, then the GM will not be able to see the Player Secret and the GM will not be able to edit the Player Secret.  The Player Secret is completely hidden from the GM and the GM won't even know that the Player Secret exists on that page.

    Other than that, the Player Secrets work exactly the way they did before. 

    Anyone "who can see" the Player Secret can edit it (and can remove or add any other Players or the GM).  (I'm noting this explicitly because above I said only the author would be able to edit the Player Secret, but I didn't realize that the system already allowed anyone that could view the Player Secret to edit it too.  So I left that behavior in place.)

    And I left the naming as "Player Secrets" as opposed to changing it to "Secret Notes", since there didn't seem to be any reason to change the naming.

    As beta testers, try it out and let me know in this thread if you notice any issues.  Also let your Players know that they can now use "Player Secrets" on Wiki Pages, Characters, Items, and Adventure Logs, as a way to keep private notes that the GM can't read...but that they could share with other Players if they wanted.  

    So if a Player wants to keep a record of how their Character suspects a particular NPC is a werewolf, but they don't want to tip off the GM that they have that suspicion, they can put a Player Secret right on the NPC's Character page to remind them next time they encounter that NPC, and have that Player Secret be only visible to themselves.

    Or as the original request indicated, the Player can keep a private journal right on their own Character.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • Krothos
    Krothos
    Posts: 230

    Interesting enough, I already started using this. Didn't realize this was the beta feature you were speaking of. In my active Hell's Rebels campaign, I added some Player Secrets for each of my players, enabling both me (GM) and only the player. I can see how they could remove me (GM) from the view with removing me from the checkbox. My players have already confirmed that they cannot see each other's secrets.

    What happens if my players use this feature for intended purpose? They can remove me from being able to view/add information? Can a player create another Player Secret to include another player and exclude me without changing the GM+Player notes I've already created?

     

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Krothos,

    Excellent!  The only "beta" part of the feature is the ability to uncheck the GM.  Other than that, Player Secrets have been in place for a long time for all Ascendants.

    What happens if my players use this feature for intended purpose? They can remove me from being able to view/add information?

    Yes, they could remove you from being able to view/add information, but that's not really the intended purpose of this beta feature.  The intended purpose is to create a new Player Secret that you (the GM) are not on in the first place.  Basically keeping their notes private from the GM.

    Can a player create another Player Secret to include another player and exclude me without changing the GM+Player notes I've already created?

    Yes, that's another intended purpose.  A Player can create as many Player Secrets as they want, that include as many other Players (and/or the GM) as they want on any wiki page, character, item, or adventure log.  And that won't affect the "GM+Player" notes that you or anyone else has already created on any of those same wiki pages, characters, items, or adventure logs.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998

    Will try it out- Thanks!

    Just trying to help out.

  • Dungeon_Master_Loki
    Dungeon_Master_Loki
    Posts: 358

    Sign me up for the beta, sil vous plait

     

    Game Designer, Pro GM, multiple ENnie Award winner

    GM of Planejammer: The Spelljoined (Pathfinder 1e) Campaign of the Year 2011 and still going strong!

    GM of The Planewalker's Guild (Pathfinder 1e) 

    Need a GM? Book me today!

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @DungeonMasterLoki, done!  Report back if you or your Players see any issues.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Krothos, @GamingMegaverse, @Conan_Lybarian, @Abersade, @DungeonMasterLoki,

    Any feedback on this beta feature so far from any of y'all or any of your Players?

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • Krothos
    Krothos
    Posts: 230

    I asked my players to play with this option, and not sure if they had. This means its working as intended and I don't see their secrets or they haven't done it. Though I have used that feature to show player-specific knowledge (i.e. rumors). None of the other players could what I wrote to each player. They could only see their own.

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Krothos, thanks for the feedback!  From the database, I can see that there's only one Player Secret that doesn't include the GM right now, and that's the test one that I created for myself.  : )  Since it doesn't look like any of the beta Players have tried this feature yet, I was wondering if maybe they had said it didn't work or had a bug or something.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • Krothos
    Krothos
    Posts: 230

    I'm sorry for the lack of participation from my players. Will ask again tomorrow when we play again if they'd be willing to test it more thoroughly.

     

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    No worries at all.  I see it as OP's job to help engage the Players.  So I was checking if something unexpected was broken, or we just hadn't found the right approach yet.  If you get any negative feedback from them or even "lukewarm feedback", feel free to share it.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • Conan_Lybarian
    Conan_Lybarian
    Posts: 240

    My players have played with it in cold truce, and so far are liking it. I'm also starting up a new campaign, and have expressly instructed them to use this feature too to add stuff or notes. I'm terrible with stuff unless i write it down or put in on the portal anymore. Emails or texts go totally leave y mind for game stuff. So far the feed back is good- and I'm personally using it with the players. No bugs yet- and I'm digging it!

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998

    Sorry @thaen been slammed- will get some tests in next week

     

    Just trying to help out.

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064 edited May 2020

    @GamingMegaverse, no sorry needed! 

    If we release a feature, and no one uses it, then maybe something is broken in our process of deciding which features to implement.  Or maybe the feature didn't do what was being requested.  Or maybe the feature itself is actually broken.

    But under no circumstances is the GM or Player to blame.

    So basically, I'm just trying to "debug" our processes here.  No blame at all.

    Post edited by thaen on

    Obsidian Portal Developer

  • thaen
    thaen
    Posts: 1,064

    @Krothos, @GamingMegaverse, @Conan_Lybarian, @Abersade, @DungeonMasterLoki,

    There's a new beta feature that I added to your Campaigns related to this thread.  It's a new sidebar tab called "Secrets".  It's second from the top, right under "Dashboard".

    Your Players also have access to this tab in your Campaigns with their own Secrets listed there.  So if they, for example, created Player Secrets as a Journal for themselves, they would see them all listed there in one place.  And they will also see any Player Secrets that you create or update for them marked as "UNREAD", so they'll know that's new since the last time they saw it.

    A GM could also use this as a "sticky note" by adding a Player Secret that is only for the GM, and then it would show up there and could be acted on later.

    And it lists all of the GM Only pages so a GM can see which pages are yet to be shared with the Players.

    The appearance and styling of the data is "unpolished", but the usability should be solid.  I'd rather get beta features into beta testers hands faster, instead of spending any time "polishing".

    The description at the top of the Secrets page should explain what it does for you as a GM.  And the Players have a different description at the top of theirs that explains what it does for them as a Player.

    Let me know any feedback you have.

    Obsidian Portal Developer

Sign In or Register to comment.

March 2024
Wrath of the Highborn

Read the feature post on the blog
Return to Obsidian Portal

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Discussions