VGT Comparisons

Mark CMG · Feb 16, 2007

What do you use? What do you like? What do you tell others to avoid?

http://www.iconvention.org/vgtcomp.php

trevorscroft · Feb 20, 2007

I like MapTool, but I'm heavily biased

Matchstick · Feb 20, 2007

I use Fantasy Grounds and really like it.

It's cool how completely the FG guys answered the questions in that comparison.

Mark CMG · Feb 21, 2007

Do you each feel you like what you like because it woks for your playing style? And, If so, how, please?

Matchstick · Feb 21, 2007

I like that I can create my own ruleset in FG, without affecting the original. That means that house rules can be put in, with varying degrees of difficulty. I also like that FG has the SRD's available for it, and the Iron Heroes stuff as well.

It's hard to quantify whether or not gaming style is part of it, maybe because that seems a vague sort of phrase to me. We play with voice (not a part of FG) as well as FG going. I really like that I can send messages to individual players, and then they can reveal the contents to the team. No more "The thief makes a listen check and hears..." in this case I send the message and the thief player (possibly) says "Guys, I heard a growling from that dark corner".

I like being able to use custom counters, that's fun, and it's nice because you don't have to buy 15 orc figures to represent 15 orcs, you just find the picture and away you go.

We get a lot more roleplaying online than we did playing at someone's house. And a lot more focus. I think people are used to focusing on the computer.

Perhaps you could clarify the question a bit, I'm not sure I'm answering it.

Mark CMG · Feb 23, 2007

Thanks!

That's just the kind of information I think will help me.

2WS-Steve · Feb 23, 2007

Currently I'm using Klooge.

The map controls, zooming, setting scale, large viewing area, and folders for tokens work really well. Also, the targeting arrows are a godsend over the internet.

The java is still a bit of a pain though, so I'm going to give Fantasy Grounds another try when version 2 comes out.

Matchstick · Feb 24, 2007

Yeah, java is just an amazing PITA. Using it to make stuff available for multiple platforms is a noble goal, but for me running a Windows machine the hassle of running java isn't worth it.

heruca · Feb 24, 2007

Matchstick,

Have you checked out Battlegrounds? It's cross-platform without relying on Java. It runs natively on Windows and Mac OS X. Another advantage is that it won't "break" if you don't have just the right version of Java installed, or if you happen to have multiple versions of Java installed.

And there's no need to know XML for customizing your games.

MINI · Feb 25, 2007

I like OpenRPG. First and foremost its free. It also sports a decent map system. I have added alot of game content to it on my website and there are plenty of miniatures and maps out there to use. I have also written quite a few tutorials for it to make it easier to learn.

I've also begin using Maptool. Its mapping tools are amazing and the developers are working very hard at making it better. They are listening to they're player base. It's also free, and yes trevor, it is heavily biased. Now I just need a tutorial from you or dorpond so I can get going on a tutorial site for it.