[VTT] Going Back to VTT Instead of Live Play

[schneeland]

Played online last night for the first time since I started this thread. Our group was more focused on the adventure than when playing face to face in the recent weeks. There was a lot less non-game talk other than the usual pre and post game 10 minute meet & greet talk.

Increased focus on the game when playing online is something I noticed, too. Might depend a bit on who you play with, though. For one (of three) regular groups, the amount of more smalltalk pre- and especially post game has increased over time (we're playing for roughly 1.5 years now). But as a rule of thumb, I think the assumption of increased focus on the game still holds.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Played online last night for the first time since I started this thread. Our group was more focused on the adventure than when playing face to face in the recent weeks. There was a lot less non-game talk other than the usual pre and post game 10 minute meet & greet talk.

That is a valid point. The focus is very much improved over F2F.

 

[werecorpse]

I’ve found online with a large group (6+) the players attention wanders more easily. It takes a while to get back to them and they will mute and wander off.

 

[Marc_C]

I’ve found online with a large group (6+) the players attention wanders more easily. It takes a while to get back to them and they will mute and wander off.

My experience was the same 6+ FTF groups. Players sitting the farthest from the GM tend to chit chat about non game topics. Then when it's their turn they asked questions that have been already answered.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I’ve found online with a large group (6+) the players attention wanders more easily. It takes a while to get back to them and they will mute and wander off.

As Marc has noted, it certainly isn't limited to online gaming.

Vetting players and ensuring that you hold the group's attention is key no matter what venue you're using. And with the ease of handling PCs, things like combat move vastly faster online.

But frankly, I would boot any player who wandered off from the table, virtual or physical. The beauty of online, however, is the vast pool of players available.

Personally, I feel 5 players is best.

 

[Retreater]

Endless supplies of players; I formed two groups of five in 5 days. All good, quality players that show up as planned, and are invested in the game. Earlier tonight I was watching as my Tuesday group text-discussed their future plans. I haven't gamed twice a week since the 1980s. No accepting duds just to make player count. Someone quits or gets booted, you are briefing a replacement in 24 hours.

This might be one of the biggest draws for me. I live in a town of around 60,000 people. Take from that the number that would be interested in RPGs. Then divide that by who would be regularly available for a game. Then divide that by the number I would want to game with. Then divide that by the number who would be willing to try out a system that's not D&D.
There were times, even recently before the pandemic and during the height of D&D's popularity, when I couldn't get a table together of 3 reliable, decently invested players.
On VTT I could run a game every night of the week with quality players - not to mention getting with some of my best friends from my original gaming group who now live across the country
For me, the move to VTT has been the biggest game-changer in the history of the hobby, as big as the invention of the d20.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

snip...

For me, the move to VTT has been the biggest game-changer in the history of the hobby, as big as the invention of the d20.

This is very much the case for me. Since I left college and before I started on VTTs about 6 or 7 years ago, I only got a couple of games a year. Now i have a weakly game ever since.

 

[Jd Smith1]

For me, the move to VTT has been the biggest game-changer in the history of the hobby, as big as the invention of the d20.

There it is. Earlier this year, I was seriously contemplating quitting the hobby. But online turned it around. Suddenly, I'm free of drudgery and the endless hunt for decent players.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

Without VTT I would never have been able to play any RPGs over the last 10 years or so. Between kids and out-of-state moves, my long-running gaming group disintegrated for a few years until we tried out Roll20. We've been able to keep up a mostly-weekly game for many years now, and the pandemic inspired a different group to try things out, so now I'm up to two weekly games. Completely resurrected my obsession with the hobby, and got me buying and trying new products.

I get that it's a very different experience from face-to-face, but I think it's important for the VTT naysayers to realize that face-to-face just isn't an option for a lot of people, for lots or reasons, and it's a bit gross to generally dump on the experience. Preference is preference, and everyone should do whatever they want, but railing against VTT is kind of retrograde at this point. If anything, VTT is probably the best thing that could have happened to the industry, and could easily become the default mode of play at some point.

 

[Jd Smith1]

If anything, VTT is probably the best thing that could have happened to the industry, and could easily become the default mode of play at some point.

This is an important point.