Question - Tools for gaming online

[Mythous]

Hello everyone, first time poster

I've been leaning towards finding a Pathfinder game to play in online however from all I've been reading, the tools used are either Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop or D20Pro. My main question to the community, those who have used either or both of these tools is which one is better for the money?

They both seem to have their pro's and con's but the look of Fantasy Grounds is very nice. So there you have it, just need some honest opinions if you have a moment. I just want to make sure my money is going to the best tool.

Thanks in advance and happy gaming

 

[IronWolf]

Welcome to EN World!

Are you looking to join an existing game or start running your own? If joining an existing game I would probably start with finding a group, learn which tool they use and then go with that option.

If you are going to be starting a game and looking for the tool to run the game you have mind you might want to consider MapTool. It is freely available and with a Pathfinder framework a very powerful VTT.

Beyond that, from casual observation it seems that Fantasy Grounds is pretty popular. I've only used a demo though and can't offer much from actual play experience with that tool.

Good luck!

 

[Mythous]

Thank you IronWolf, I hadn't heard of MapTool but I'll check it out. I think eventually I will try running a game session or two via an online tool however currenly I'm just looking to play. So far I've seen about and even ammount of games between the two tools I mentioned, just didn't know if one was much better than the other in terms of quality, popularity, or most importantly support.

Thanks again for the welcome and the reply, I'll check out that link to MapTool.

 

[IronWolf]

Thank you IronWolf, I hadn't heard of MapTool but I'll check it out. I think eventually I will try running a game session or two via an online tool however currenly I'm just looking to play. So far I've seen about and even ammount of games between the two tools I mentioned, just didn't know if one was much better than the other in terms of quality, popularity, or most importantly support.

Cool. I am sure someone will be able to swing by with some actual play experience on both Fantasy Grounds and d20pro. There are several folks around here that play via VTT and likely have experience with one or both.

 

[jcayer]

My group has a couple guys who travel so they would miss sessions. After numerous options, we've settled on Maptools, a star phone, and one of the guys has a conference line we use.

We don't use any fancy macros or templates, just maptools to share the map and the phone to talk. We take the remote guys on their word about their die rolling.

 

[talwynor]

I have been using Fantasy Grounds and I've been very happy with it. If you are interested in Pathfinder Society Games, we have a group that organizes regular games at fg2pfs : Fantasy Grounds Pathfinder Society

Here are the points I like:

1. Pathfinder is now natively supported in FG
2. It does a good job of simulating a real tabletop with the ability to actually roll dice
3. You can easily find Pathfinder games offered 2-3 times per week at the Yahoo group
4. Its free for a player IF you are playing with someone GMing with an ultimate license
5. You can import players from Herolabs making character creation a snap
6. The PRD bestiary is also included by default

Among the points you may not care for - you have to pay if you want to GM or play with someone without an ultimate license, the ruleset is not as full featured as 4e at this point in time and the map support while strong, is not better than maptool.

 

[OnlineDM]

I will chime in with another recommendation for MapTool. I use MapTool for my D&D 4th Edition games, after having tried OpenRPG and GameTable. I love, love, love it.

You can find some useful information (much of it system-agnostic) in the MapTool Education Central part of my blog.

I haven't run any Pathfinder games online yet, but if I do, I'll be using MapTool for sure. And it's free!

 

[Matchstick]

We've used Fantasy Grounds for years and had great luck with it. No problems installing or connecting or maintaining connections. We've used it with built in rulesets and just as a die rolling table. We use it in conjunction with TeamSpeak.

I think between FG and MapTool you can't go much wrong. I've always said that it doesn't matter the tool you use so much as you give online gaming a shot. It really can be a great way to play!