Tag: ttrpg tools

✨Markdown + Text Expanders demo for Solo TTRPG Actual Play

This post describes using Markdown, Dataview and Text Expanders as solo TTRPG tools. The text adds more context and links to complement the video.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Start of video
• 00:15 – Markdown as plain text
• 00:45 – Formatted version
• 01:50 – Auto-tracking gameplay
• 03:05 – Text expanders

Markdown and Obsidian

I mostly take notes using Markdown format when I play digitally, using the note-taking application Obsidian(unaffiliated). It’s handy because I can quickly type in plain text, but when I look at it later or share it with others, it already has formatting.

For example, I might type: **Gameplay**: Sampaguita used the move *Try Your Best* , and when I change views on Obsidian (or publish it to my Wordpress site), it now looks like: "Gameplay: Sampaguita used the move Try Your Best".

Contrast that approach with working in a WYSIWYG editor, where you need to fiddle with buttons to achieve the exact look you want. For my use case (and many others), it’s pretty easy to focus on typing and rest assured that it will look good enough when you switch views (or share).

I use Obsidian for many things, by the way. Recording my solo TTRPG gameplay is only its latest use case for me. I should make a post about Obsidian in general, actually!

Auto-tracking gameplay

I use the Dataview plugin to track my gameplay progress.

How I personally use it is that when I log my gameplay, I link to ‘affected’ notes as I play.

What do I mean by that?

As an example, if I add or remove an item from my inventory, I link to my PC note in the line it happens. (> - **📦 Inventory:** Change: ➖ [1] Beeswax Earplugs [[PC-Sampaguita#Backpack]]). Through a Dataview query in the PC-Sampaguita note, this entry is immediately tracked/logged there. So I am able to keep track of the changes happening in-game, in one place, even if the changes are being tracked in multiple notes.

Some things I track this way:

• New characters
• Interactions with characters
• Adding/reducing Favour
• Adding/reducing Satisfaction
• Progress towards Promises
• Times I have explored a Location

Obsidian has introduced a new built-in feature called Bases (which some say make Dataview obsolete), which I have played with. But at the moment I am happy to stick with Dataview for recording gameplay progress. If needed, I can try and move my setup to Bases later on. 🥰 (I do already use Bases for other things like tracking which of my zettels I have published online…)

Text Expanders / Text Expansions

Using text expanders

If you have ever experienced your keyboard magically changing what you typed into something else, then you already know how text expanders work. Except instead of replacing your colourful tirades with ducks by accident, you can use text shortcuts to go from ttyol into "Tea Time with Your Orc Lover" or insert the current time or add multiple paragraphs with Markdown ‘formatting’.

Here’s an example that I use pretty often. When I type ;iv-act while playing Iron Valley, below text is inserted into whatever programme I am using.

Action Roll (1d6 + Relevant Stat + Relevant Skill/s) vs 2d10

• Result:
  • Action die: + + =
  • Challenge dice: []

That makes it easy for me to quickly record the mechanics of the game and acts as a handy prompt for me. I think to myself "I want to do an action roll now", and I only need to remember the shortcut, and the expanded version tells me how to check if an action roll is successful.

So above turns into below for example:

Action Roll (1d6 + Relevant Stat + Relevant Skill/s) vs 2d10

• Result:
  • Action die: 3 +2 Wits +1 Brewing = [6]
  • Challenge dice: [4,1]

But above was actually triggered as part of a larger chain of text… so it might end up being part of something like this:

[🎮GAMEPLAY]

• 🎥 Move: Try Your Best 🎲 Dice: Brew potion for Dany?
• Action Roll (1d6 + Relevant Stat + Relevant Skill/s) vs 2d10
• Result:
  • Action die: 3 +2 Wits +1 Brewing = [6]
  • Challenge dice: [4,1]
• Result: 1<4<[6]. Strong hit! +2 Promise. No time passes.

From above example, I only typed the following manually:

• 3 +2 Wits +1 Brewing = [6]
• 4,1
• 1<4<[6]. Strong hit! +2 Promise. No time passes.

This might seem like overkill, and I hear you. I don’t need to use this system for all games. But I think it’s handy for mechanics-heavy games that rely on a lot of dice rolls to progress the story.

It makes it easy for me to remember things, avoid copying-and-pasting and do things quicker.

Text expander tools I use

On my laptop computer, I use Espanso (Free and Open Source), while on my Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra–yeah, it’s getting old, but I still love it) I use Texpand (Free/Paid).

What else?

🎥 NEXT VIDEO:

[Actual Play] Iron Valley x Wandering Tea Garden – Solo Roleplay Episode 1 Part C – VISUAL Actual Play? What’s that?!

📖More Tabletop Roleplaying?📖

• 💗 Browse all Actual Play sessions (video and written): https://patsitive.co.nz/category/writing/actual-play-writing/
• 💗 TTRPG notes: https://garden.patsitive.co.nz/solo-roleplaying/

📝 Accessibility

I’m working on making my content friendly for folk who are hard-of-hearing, low visibility, and dyslexic and anyone who can benefit from easier access. Thanks for your patience! 💖

Ngā mihi nui, Pat (Kind regards, Pat) (Mabait na pagbati, Pat)

Definitions

[Markdown]: "a format for writing plain text with special punctuation that can be converted to more explicitly meaningful or richly styled text like HTML, and is used by many IndieWeb tools and sites for authoring posts." – IndieWeb