Installation

The instructions here are for (bleh) MS Windows '95/'98/NT/2000. If you are using some other operating system you will have to adapt. I have successfully installed and run this on AIX, Windows '95, Windows '98 and Windows NT 4.0.

There are several steps in installing GM Aid:

1. Make someplace to put it.
2. Install the Java run-time environment (assuming you don't already have it installed).
3. Install GM Aid itself.
4. (optionally) A few GURPS tables.
5. Run it!

If you are a Java pro and have the 1.2 or 1.3 version of the Java Development Kit (JDK) installed you can just run this like any other Java application via the "java" program.

I will give fairly explicit instructions. Adapt these instructions however you want to put in alternate drive letters, directory names, and such. Sorry if these are kind of complex but I don't have the time to write an installation program as well as GM Aid itself.

Step 1: Make someplace to put it

My suggestions is that you create some folders on your C: drive to store this stuff. The topmost folder will be named "java" and a subfolder under it will be named "aid". The instructions that follow assume these names ("C:\java\" and "C:\java\aid\").

Step 2: Install the Java run-time environment

Note: If you tried out either the DiceRoller applet or the Java Makechar demo and they worked OK then you already have this installed. Search for "java.exe" to find out where it is installed.

Click here to go to Sun's web site and download the Java run-time (jre). Their instructions aren't too hard to follow.

Step 3: Install GM Aid itself

The code for GM Aid is here. To install it you will need to download the code (i.e., "gurpstools.jar") and place it in the C:\java\aid folder you created in Step 1.

Step 4: GURPS tables (and other files)

Because this is not yet licensed I only have a few of the tables available. Download these into the same spot as where you put the GM Aid application.

• Critical-Head-Blow.tbl
• Critical-Hit.tbl
• Critical-Hit-Expanded.tbl (uses 3d8 instead of 3d6)
• Critical-Miss.tbl
• NPC-Reaction.tbl
• Plots.tbl
• Spell-Critical-Faliure.tbl
• Spell-Critical-Faliure-Expanded.tbl (uses 3d8 instead of 3d6)
• Default dice button configuration
• Help file
• Zipped file of all the above plus some additional tables and useful text files (thanks to Matthew Vincent for providing these!)

Step 5: Running GM Aid

Ok, so now you have it installed. How do you run it? You need to create a shortcut to run it. These instructions are for putting it on your desktop but you can put it anywhere.

1. Use Start->Find->Files or Folders to search for "java.exe". It may find several and if so use one in a folder named something like "C:\jdk1.3\bin\".
2. Drag the icon for that file onto your desktop.
3. Right click on the new shortup and choose "Properties".
4. Add " -jar c:\java\aid\gurpstools.jar" to the end of the command line which will then look something like

   "C:\jdk1.3\bin\java.exe" -jar c:\java\aid\gurpstools.jar

   (the first part will depend on where your java.exe was located).

5. Change the "start in" folder to "C:\java\aid"
6. Click on "OK".

Double click on the shortcut and away you go!

You probably want to rename the shortcut to something like "GURPS GM Aid" too.

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