5too

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28078581

My kids and I have been using GDLauncher on the Steam Deck for a few years now to run Minecraft modpacks, to the point that they don't use the Deck for much else! I've tried a couple of other modpack managers, but GDLauncher is the one we keep coming back to - the UI design feels much more comfortable on the Deck's interface, and it's easy enough to use that I keep finding new modpacks my six year old just installed!

A few years ago GDLauncher jumped to a new version, GDLauncher Carbon. This no longer worked on the Deck out of the box, so we carried on with the older version for a while. The allure of newer Minecraft versions was finally strong enough for me to puzzle out how to get GDLauncher Carbon running, with just a little trial and error! The crucial steps I found here; here's the step-by-step process I used to get it running, with just the directions at the end:

First, download the GDLauncher Carbon installer for Linux. This should get you an .AppImage file (GDLauncher__2.0.24__linux__x64.AppImage at the time of this writing). I went ahead and made it executable as well, though I'm not clear if this is necessary or not.

A .AppImage file is essentially a self-contained Linux executable that can be run from any location without any external dependencies. The problem is, Steam doesn't seem to run these well - attempting to add this to the Steam launcher right now will result in Steam attempting to launch it, and nothing happening other than Steam reporting it's running (and having a lot of trouble closing it).

Fortunately, we're not the only ones who want to run an .AppImage on Steam! TheAssassin has created an AppImageLauncher program that can seamlessly handle .AppImage files for a variety of application managers, including Steam. The latest stable version is here.

To install it, first open the File Properties, go to the Permissions tab, and make sure "Is executable" is checked. Move it to your Home directory, open Konsole (or your preferred Terminal app) and cd to your home dir, and type: ./appimagelauncher-lite-2.2.0-travis995-0f91801-x86_64.AppImage install (Don't type that whole thing out! Copy and paste, or type "./ap" and press Tab to get the whole filename, and add the " install" argument to the end.)

This should spit out a few lines describing the installation process, and you should get a new "Applications" directory in your Home dir. Move your GDLauncher .AppImage into Applications, and double-click on it. Take a few moments to go ahead and do your initial GDLauncher Carbon setup, link it to your account, and pull in your existing Minecraft worlds if you like. Mostly, it seems like we need to run it once natively so it registers with appImageLauncher properly.

Now we're ready to add it to Steam! Launch Steam from the desktop (don't go back to Gaming Mode yet!), and click on Add a Game in the very bottom left corner. Select "Add a Non-Steam game..." from the popup. Click the "Browse..." button on the "Add Non-Steam Game" window, navigate to "/Home/Applications/", and select your GDLauncher .AppImage. You'll know it registered correctly if it reads "GDLauncher (2.0.24.794)" (or whatever) rather than "GDLauncher__2.0.24__linux__x64.AppImage" in Steam - in the latter case, remove the game from Steam, and try launching it from the Application dir again (double-click it from the file browser). Then try readding to Steam once it has run successfully.

At this point, you should be set! I like to verify it runs from Desktop Steam before switching the Deck back to Gaming mode - should just take a few seconds to launch and shut down! All that's left to do now is bring in your preferred control scheme!

Just the steps:

1. Download GDLauncher and appImageLauncher
2. Move both files to the Home dir
3. Set the Executable permission on appImageLauncher (and possibly GDLauncher) - open the file properties, go to the Permissions tab, and check "Is executable"
4. Open Konsole and navigate to the Home dir (should start there), and run the command: ./appimagelauncher-lite-2.2.0-travis995-0f91801-x86_64.AppImage install (copy and paste, or use tab completion and add " install"!)
5. Move GDLauncher into the new Home/Applications dir
6. Run GDLauncher (double-click it in Dolphin). Go ahead and link your account, import existing modpacks, etc.
7. Open Steam in Desktop Mode and Add a Non-Steam Game, and Browse to Home/Applications/GDLauncher file
8. Should show in Steam as "GDLauncher (2.0.currentversion)"; if not, remove it from Steam and go back to step 6. Otherwise, verify it launches from Steam, and you should be good to run it Gaming mode!
9. Now that it runs in Gaming Mode, set up your controls so you can actually play!

My kids and I have been using GDLauncher on the Steam Deck for a few years now to run Minecraft modpacks, to the point that they don't use the Deck for much else! I've tried a couple of other modpack managers, but GDLauncher is the one we keep coming back to - the UI design feels much more comfortable on the Deck's interface, and it's easy enough to use that I keep finding new modpacks my six year old just installed!

A few years ago GDLauncher jumped to a new version, GDLauncher Carbon. This no longer worked on the Deck out of the box, so we carried on with the older version for a while. The allure of newer Minecraft versions was finally strong enough for me to puzzle out how to get GDLauncher Carbon running, with just a little trial and error! The crucial steps I found here; here's the step-by-step process I used to get it running, with just the directions at the end:

First, download the GDLauncher Carbon installer for Linux. This should get you an .AppImage file (GDLauncher__2.0.24__linux__x64.AppImage at the time of this writing). I went ahead and made it executable as well, though I'm not clear if this is necessary or not.

A .AppImage file is essentially a self-contained Linux executable that can be run from any location without any external dependencies. The problem is, Steam doesn't seem to run these well - attempting to add this to the Steam launcher right now will result in Steam attempting to launch it, and nothing happening other than Steam reporting it's running (and having a lot of trouble closing it).

Fortunately, we're not the only ones who want to run an .AppImage on Steam! TheAssassin has created an AppImageLauncher program that can seamlessly handle .AppImage files for a variety of application managers, including Steam. The latest stable version is here.

To install it, first open the File Properties, go to the Permissions tab, and make sure "Is executable" is checked. Move it to your Home directory, open Konsole (or your preferred Terminal app) and cd to your home dir, and type: ./appimagelauncher-lite-2.2.0-travis995-0f91801-x86_64.AppImage install (Don't type that whole thing out! Copy and paste, or type "./ap" and press Tab to get the whole filename, and add the " install" argument to the end.)

This should spit out a few lines describing the installation process, and you should get a new "Applications" directory in your Home dir. Move your GDLauncher .AppImage into Applications, and double-click on it. Take a few moments to go ahead and do your initial GDLauncher Carbon setup, link it to your account, and pull in your existing Minecraft worlds if you like. Mostly, it seems like we need to run it once natively so it registers with appImageLauncher properly.

Now we're ready to add it to Steam! Launch Steam from the desktop (don't go back to Gaming Mode yet!), and click on Add a Game in the very bottom left corner. Select "Add a Non-Steam game..." from the popup. Click the "Browse..." button on the "Add Non-Steam Game" window, navigate to "/Home/Applications/", and select your GDLauncher .AppImage. You'll know it registered correctly if it reads "GDLauncher (2.0.24.794)" (or whatever) rather than "GDLauncher__2.0.24__linux__x64.AppImage" in Steam - in the latter case, remove the game from Steam, and try launching it from the Application dir again (double-click it from the file browser). Then try readding to Steam once it has run successfully.

At this point, you should be set! I like to verify it runs from Desktop Steam before switching the Deck back to Gaming mode - should just take a few seconds to launch and shut down! All that's left to do now is bring in your preferred control scheme!

Just the steps:

1. Download GDLauncher and appImageLauncher
2. Move both files to the Home dir
3. Set the Executable permission on appImageLauncher (and possibly GDLauncher) - open the file properties, go to the Permissions tab, and check "Is executable"
4. Open Konsole and navigate to the Home dir (should start there), and run the command: ./appimagelauncher-lite-2.2.0-travis995-0f91801-x86_64.AppImage install (copy and paste, or use tab completion and add " install"!)
5. Move GDLauncher into the new Home/Applications dir
6. Run GDLauncher (double-click it in Dolphin). Go ahead and link your account, import existing modpacks, etc.
7. Open Steam in Desktop Mode and Add a Non-Steam Game, and Browse to Home/Applications/GDLauncher file
8. Should show in Steam as "GDLauncher (2.0.currentversion)"; if not, remove it from Steam and go back to step 6. Otherwise, verify it launches from Steam, and you should be good to run it Gaming mode!
9. Now that it runs in Gaming Mode, set up your controls so you can actually play!

I run a game with a steampunk airship crew, skirting the edges of the law and of solvency in a newly minted Empire in what was once a high fantasy world. They’d bounced between a few jobs and had made a few friends, but I wanted to introduce a fellow airship smuggler as a contact for later down the line. I wanted them to be memorable, friendly, but not necessarily trustworthy; and of questionable judgment - so they could fill whatever role I might need later! So I introduced them to Captain Borda, an Orcish smuggler.

The crew had been making their way generally north following another plotline, doing odd jobs along the way to help defray fuel costs. This stop marked their entry into the Badlands, where the orcs, ogres, goblins, and other less savory races were pushed during the Empire’s expansion across the continent. Johnny, the crew’s halfling Face, had heard about a quick & easy job for a transport like theirs whose crew understood discretion. The crew, familiar with how these things go, was immediately on guard - but decided to at least hear the offer. Captain Borda asked to meet them at a local tavern; everyone decided to come along (4 PCs, and Johnny the DMPC).

They arrived a few hours after dark at the Broken Banner, which turned out to be a large, busy establishment serving the locals. None of the crew are greenskins - a few are from other minority races (and get occasional flak from NPCS for it), but they all clearly didn’t belong here. After talking their way past the bouncers and checking their weapons at the door, they got a view of the main floor of the tavern - and it was packed! All the local races were represented - orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, a few ogres, even a troll were crammed in around a dozen tables and booths. A local band was playing a slow, moody piece in Orcish (we checked at this point if anyone knew the language; nobody decided they should). After a moment’s searching, and being eyeballed thoroughly in turn by some of the other patrons, Captain Borda recognized Johnny from across the room, and waved them enthusiastically to his table.

The crew made their way cautiously through the crowd to Borda’s table, on the far side away from the doors and next to an open space where the band was playing. Aside from some rough jostling that they ignored, they made it safely to the table. The captain greeted them warmly: “You’re just in time! The band just started, these guys are amazing!” He got them settled around the table, waved to the bartender to send drinks over, and started inquiring about their ship while the brooding, gravelly voiceof the singer chanted on.

After a minute or two of this, the tavern was rent by a crashing blast of sound, accompanied by what was recognizably an Orcish battle cry. On cue, most of the patrons leapt from their seats and stormed towards them!

The crew had one second to react before the first of the patrons reached them (this is in GURPS, so a combat round is one second). Johnny moved to the backline, the dragon-blooded captain moved to grab Captain Borda as a potential hostage, the dwarf engineer grabbed a chair as a makeshift club, the four-armed coleopteran (beetle-person) braced to meet the charge, and the satyr… asked to make a general Perception check.

She rolled three 1s - a critical success!

She noticed that Captain Borda was shaking, and suppressing a mirthful grin. And, since it was the strongest crit you can roll, she also realized the other customers were actually running to the open space next to them. She seized one of the arms of the coleopteran, stopping him just long enough to let the customers reach the dance floor, where they started dancing violently, joyfully pushing and shoving each other to the now raucous beat. At this point, Captain Borda burst out laughing, and answered their glares with “What? Never seen a mosh pit?!”

The players groaned, and most of them ended up joining the mosh. They even talked little Johnny into jumping in, once they noticed goblins in the crowd. They couldn’t talk the poor dwarf into joining in, though!

Once their business was concluded, the crew’s captain also spotted Borda getting quietly chewed out by the bartender. It sounded like the bartender did not share Borda's sense of humor, he caught phrases like “safety of my customers” and “dignity of our people”! Borda snuck a wink at them when he realized they were watching. The job turned out to be genuine as well - an honest misdirection of an Imperial interceptor who had been chasing Borda, for which they received a portion of the take.

Hello! I'm looking for a way to copy a set of rollable tables from one system to another. Specifically, I'd like to grab a bunch of the oracles from the "Ironsworn & Starforged" system over to a GURPS game I'm running; to help with generating content on the fly.

The rollable tables I'm looking at are pretty basic, but extensive - the ones I'm after are mostly roll a d100 for a textual result. I'm able to go through and individually import the table (from a compendium), export it to my file system, switch game systems, and import it there without issue; but I'm looking at a few dozen or more tables that I want to do this with! I'm hoping there's an easier way. They're all nicely bundled in a compendium; but I suspect that's part of the issue - is there a way to move a compendium from one system to another? Or another way to move rollable tables en masse?

How much do you allow mages to pump up their missile spells when using the default GURPS magic-as-skills system? Particularly with casting level 15+ (enough to get a discount) and a few levels of Magery? The GURPS FAQ 4.3.3 here mentions that the total cost of the full charging time is discounted once - so at casting level 15 you can charge a 1 die fireball for 1 second for free, but you cannot cast a free 3 dice fireball by spending 3 seconds charging it - that would instead cost 2 energy points.

But what about the upper end? GURPS Basic Set page 240 says you can “invest one or more points of energy in the spell, to a maximum number of energy points equal to your Magery level”. Suppose a PC with Fireball-15 and Magery 2 spends 1 second creating a 2 dice fireball. This has cost them 1 energy point. Does this mean they could instead spent 1 second investing 2 energy points (their maximum Magery) into a 3 dice (discounted price) fireball? I saw this idea posted on the GURPS wiki here, but I haven’t found anything discussing this idea elsewhere.

Peter V. Dell'Orto has mentioned that even allowing the discount to apply to each charging turn hasn't wrecked his game, so I'm not worried about the balance component of 1-2 extra dice of damage; I'm just curious what other GMs would permit at their table.