Advice on on-line gaming for a complete novice

[Mallus]

Would I need a headset, or a microphone, or any other hardware, and if so, a suggestion of make & model would be appreciated.

I play both games using a pair of regular headphones and my laptop's built-in mic. Works fine. The DM for the LL game just uses his laptop. The main problem we had was occasional audio issues w/Roll20.

The DM for the 3.5e game has a fancier setup. His whole family plays, and they tried to duplicate the experience of playing in their living room. He mounted a webcam next to the TV, facing the couch and placed mic in the center of room (which works well until the dog sits on it). So the effect is as if you're sitting across from them in their family room. Just like the group all did when they first bought the house, pre-kids, 20+ years ago. I gotta say I really appreciated that extra effort back during the heights of the lockdowns.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I have been playing exclusively on Skype and discord for years now. I love it. But I think it works best with the following approach:

-Use theater of the mind. This isn't for everyone, but it really does make an online session feel much more like an in person session. I find online table top platforms and software, at least for me, tends to really reinforce the feeling that you are playing online and not in person. If you do theater of the mind, it isn't really that different from playing in person

-Update everything all the time to avoid technical issues. This is I think the biggest hurdle to online gaming: the technical issues that can arise. Try to find something that works best for everyone. I have had very little trouble on discord. Skype has become increasingly buggy IMO.

-Honor system and rolling your own dice will produce a more in person feel. So do that if you can. If you can't try to find a dice roller that won't slow things down. Honestly though we've been on the honor system for a while and its worked great. One solution is to just tilt the camera onto the rolls if you before they are made if you are worried about cheating

-Some people will take online games less seriously than in person games so when you first start expect you might start with 6 people and end up with 4 by the end of the campaign.

-Don't go crazy with handouts and things that take too much time to show everyone on the screen. If you do have any handouts or maps or whatever, try to set that up as far in advance as you can (like having emails drafted and ready to go at the push of a button) so you aren't slowing down the game. Slowing down to do stuff like that really is what kills online games because people just start looking at Facebook

-Speaking of facebook: try to get people to refrain from checking emails and social media during play. Even if they are just waiting for their turn. This is a little difficult to do, but just have a conservation about it if you feel it is sinking the game

 

[Jd Smith1]

The theater of the mind is out. I had that for decades, and I'm done with it. If I can't have a VTT, I'm not playing. Just a personal choice.

Excellent input all around. I'm thinking that at this point, try as a player, then move up to GM later.

 

[payn]

Excellent input all around. I'm thinking that at this point, try as a player, then move up to GM later.

That is how I did it. I made a mock campaign and system that I never ran, but simply used to understand the interface. Its a great way to get into VTT.

 

[dbm]

We have been gaming online since the pandemic started, so coming up to a year and a half of twice weekly sessions. The main question I would ask is: what systems do you want to run / play? The major platforms have some element of rules support to varying degrees, and this helps take some of the load and frees up head-space for dealing with the VTT platform itself.

We settled on Fantasy Grounds as it has great support for both D&D and Savage Worlds which are the two systems we play regularly.

What would you be running?

 

[Umbran]

Interesting information. Would I need a headset, or a microphone, or any other hardware, and if so, a suggestion of make & model would be appreciated.

Need? Most laptops have a built in microphone and speakers, so you can manage without. Most desktop machiens don't have them built in, so you might need a solution then.

For starting out, you don't have to lay out a lot of money. The Hyper X Cloud Stinger is a good, comfortable, affordable headset - folks wil try to sell you on $100+ things - this one costs $35 on Amazon or at Best Buy.

HyperX | High Quality Gaming Gear

HyperX is a brand committed to making sure every gamer feels they are included. No matter who you are, or what you play, WE'RE ALL GAMERS.

www.hyperxgaming.com

In addition... Most of the virtual tabletop software being mentioned is... complicated. There's a big learning curve associated with most systems, with their dynamic lighting and fog of war features and map layers and all.

If you trust your players, such that you don't need them to manage their character sheeting in the VTT, you can go with something really simple, like Owlbear Rodeo to manage a map and counters.

Owlbear Rodeo

A more bear-able virtual tabletop

www.owlbear.rodeo

There are more online chat solutions than you can shake a stick at. All of them basically work. Their performance for any particular user probably has more to do with local conditions than it does with the program. Pick one, try it, if you don't like it try another.

 

[ninjayeti]

If you are looking at finding an online group (rather than just porting your existing group to a VTT) FG or Roll20 are going to be your best bet, as they have the biggest communities to tap into.

Roll20 has the bigger user base, but because it is "freemium" it tends (as a gross generalization) to skew a bit younger and flakier. FG has fewer games running but the community is good and Fantasy Grounds College is a great resource to help new players get started. If you haven't already I'd recommend checking out the LFG pages on forums of both to get a sense what is available.

In my opinion FG has a steeper learning curve, but is easier to use once you have the hang of it. Ultimately, it is Coke vs. Pepsi - I like FG better, but mostly play Roll20 because that is what my main group uses. Both are intuitive enough that you can learn "on the fly" with an experienced group.

The biggest thing to bear in mind is that finding a group online is a bit like online dating - you can't expect that your first "match" is going to be your soul mate. You may have some false starts and mediocre experiences, but in my experience if you are patient you can find a group that is a good fit.

 

[payn]

The biggest thing to bear in mind is that finding a group online is a bit like online dating - you can't expect that your first "match" is going to be your soul mate. You may have some false starts and mediocre experiences, but in my experience if you are patient you can find a group that is a good fit.

Yeap, this. I wanted to give PF2 a shot and nobody I know wants to play it. I found a group actually through EN world here but half the group came from roll20 ads. We had 2-3 people drop in short order for various reasons. Folks jump in and out with little care and some even ghost. Be prepared for that.

 

[GMMichael]

Anyone have advice or input?

Unless there's a text feed, talk less. Give everyone else a chance to speak before you say something else. Noisy people are harder to manage online.

 

[tommybahama]

Roll20 seems to have the easiest search engine for finding open games imo. Another resource would be StartPlaying. Most of the games are paid but I have seen a few free ones. Discord is also a good place to find games. There is one for WFRP (Ratcatcher, irrc) and many for D&D.

I would not use the laptop's built in microphone and speakers. Get a wireless headset. You can go pee without missing the action. Just mute your mic before you go!