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%*
%* ------------------------------------------------------------------
%* Role PlayingDB V2.0 by Deepwoods Software
%* ------------------------------------------------------------------
%* Preface.tex - Preface
%* Created by Robert Heller on Wed Dec 30 11:23:20 1998
%* ------------------------------------------------------------------
%* Modification History:
%* $Log: Preface.tex,v $
%* Revision 1.2 1999/07/14 22:17:34 heller
%* Eddy's Edits.
%*
%* Revision 1.1 1999/01/02 02:10:10 heller
%* Initial revision
%*
%* ------------------------------------------------------------------
%* Contents:
%* ------------------------------------------------------------------
%*
%* Role Playing DB -- A database package that creates and maintains
%* a database of RPG characters, monsters, treasures,
%* spells, and playing environments.
%*
%* Copyright (C) 1995,1998,1999 Robert Heller D/B/A Deepwoods Software
%* 51 Locke Hill Road
%* Wendell, MA 01379-9728
%*
%* This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
%* it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
%* the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
%* (at your option) any later version.
%*
%* This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
%* but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
%* MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
%* GNU General Public License for more details.
%*
%* You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
%* along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
%* Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
%*
%*
%*
\chapter*{Preface}
\markboth{Preface}{}%
\typeout{$Id: Preface.tex,v 1.2 1999/07/14 22:17:34 heller Rel1 $}
\addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{Preface}
RPGs\footnote{RPG: Role Playing Game, a game where the players take on
the roles of persons who might have lived (or may yet live) in a
different time and place. See \cite{Gygax78,Gygax79}.} are a popular
pastime among many people these days. Maybe they are a form of escape
from the rather mundane lives many people live, at least during the
workday. An RPG allows the players to escape into a world where some
things are simpler, and some things more complex, in interesting
ways.
I have played AD\&D a few times and was dismayed at the amount of paperwork needed to keep track of everything. Being a computer person, it
seemed to me that most of this paperwork could be replaced by a
computer and the information managed by a clever database system. Given
that now there are high-powered laptop computers business people use
to keep track of and manage large corporations, it should be possible to
manage the odd imaginary universe on such a machine. So I wrote
the \thesystem\ to manage all of the information that goes with an RPG.
The \thesystem\ maintains a database describing an RPG ``universe''.
This ``universe'' contains a group of ``characters'', some player and
some non-player, a collection of ``monsters'', and one or more
``places'' (dungeons usually) where the ``monsters'' reside, generally
guarding some treasure. The \thesystem\ helps game masters and players
keep track of the various things in the make-believe universe in
which the RPG takes place.
If you have {\em any} comments about this package, please let me know.
My electronic mail addresses are listed on the back side of the title
page. My postal address is listed in Appendix~\ref{RegForm}. I would be
very interested in any comments users of the \thesystem\ package might
have.
\vspace{.25in}
\noindent
Robert Heller \\
Deepwoods Software \\
Wendell, MA, USA \\
January 1999
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