D&D 5E Which Virtual Table Top are you using right now and what do you like best about it?

[BookTenTiger]

As a DM I've been running things on Roll20. I'm doing my own custom 5e campaign, and though roll20 can be janky, I got to know its ins and outs over the summer and it works very well for my needs. We do, however, use Zoom for voice and video because roll20's video was just terrible.

As a player, the DM originally chose Table Top Simulator in order to, well, simulate our tabletop experience. At first it was fun because they imported our miniatures from HeroForge and we could roll dice across the table. But the amount of prep work on the DM side was just too much, and managing maps was an insane hassle (the maps are actual 3D models, even when "flat", that you have to clear the table to put down). Games were slowing to a crawl any time we switched scenes.

Just recently we switched to Foundry and I really like it as a player! My DM is a programmer, and they've been having a lot of fun customizing the experience to fit our game better.

 

[MNblockhead]

But, I do agree, FG's UI is FUGLY. That, and the lack of so many basic options really does bug the crap out of me.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, but I actually like the look of FG GUI.

 

[Zaukrie]

While I'm frequently a pretty vocal critic of Fantasy Grounds, I'm not really sure how much easier it could be to level up a character in FG. Drag and drop the level of the class you are adding, and everything is automatically calculated. I'm not really sure how much easier that can get.

The automation - or macros really - just saves typing time really. I mean, sure, it's great to pick up a die and roll it, but, having a button that you drag and drop onto the baddy where it automatically calculates pretty much everything for you is a big plus AFAIC.

But, I do agree, FG's UI is FUGLY. That, and the lack of so many basic options really does bug the crap out of me.

Ya, I wasn't talking about FG for levelling up there.....my short time using it, it was easy for sure. I was talking pretty much all the rest that I've tried.

 

[LordEntrails]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, but I actually like the look of FG GUI.

Sshhh! Don't say that out loud! How dare you imply that different people want different things.

Don't you know, one person's opinion is always correct and other's view on user interface are not permitted

 

[Oofta]

Sshhh! Don't say that out loud! How dare you imply that different people want different things.

Don't you know, one person's opinion is always correct and other's view on user interface are not permitted

Yep. There are two opinions. Mine and the one that's a steaming pile of donkey poo that is so ludicrous that I assume the person that posted it is just trolling.

 

[CleverNickName]

We use Roll20 exclusively for all of our virtual games...and we play a lot of them. I'm the DM for a homebrew 5th Edition D&D game, I'm a player in my wife's homebrew 5th Edition game, I'm a player in my buddy's 5th Edition Eberron game, I am both a player and a DM in another Pathfinder gaming group, and I'm the Keeper for a long-running Call of Cthulhu game.

We love Roll20...it has a steep learning curve, but that's our only complaint. There's talk in our gaming group about continuing to use Roll20 even after the pandemic is over (whenever that might be.)

 

[LordEntrails]

Yep. There are two opinions. Mine and the one that's a steaming pile of donkey poo that is so ludicrous that I assume the person that posted it is just trolling.

Thanks, I wasn't sure who it was that was always right. Now I know. Appreciate it

Everyone take note; Oofta is always right!

 

[Oofta]

Thanks, I wasn't sure who it was that was always right. Now I know. Appreciate it

Everyone take note; Oofta is always right!

And ... bookmarked!

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Aside from home games with family or within our bubbles, we are presumably all playing online these days for obvious reasons. I'm curious which VTT most 5e DMs and players on EN World are currently using. Especially interested in hearing comments about what features you find most helpful in running/playing your games. Also, for those of you who have used more than one of these VTT options, which one you do you prefer?

MapTool wasn't included? That's the grand daddy of VTTs... I don't know how popular it is nowadays, but it was the go-to for 4e online play, and it certainly has equally good (or bad if you wish) support for 5e.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

FG.

I know many people feel differently, but I found Roll20 to be a horrible interface and extremely difficult to use. Not so with FG, I like the UI and found it very easy to learn. I also prefer not relying upon a service from a company I don't trust (Orr Group) and like the architecture of FG (I can create and play offline).

Never used Foundry. It's too new for me to spend time on. No idea if it will still be viable in a few years. But it gets good reviews.

I agree, Roll20 I find very buggy, frustrating, and limited in myriad ways. The UX is just BAD, and in ways that it need not be, except they CLEARLY have not put the requisite effort into understanding how people use it, what the overall experience is when you incorporate the various tools, etc. Not that I have found other VTTs to be much better, they are all pretty amateur efforts to put bluntly (and I think I'm qualified to say this, being a software developer for the last 35+ years).

I guess I feel like there aren't too many choices, especially if you aren't wanting to spend much, and given the price point I'm not really complaining bitterly. It is just frustrating that D&D (RPGs in general) simply don't command the sort of market that would attract real development talent and resources to make something passable. So it goes!