How your roll online...

[MNblockhead]

Just curious. I wonder how most groups playing TTRPGs online handle die rolls. By online, I mean remote games using web-based tools for communication. This can include virtual tabletops, chat tools, web meeting platforms, and other forms of online communication and collaboration.

In my group, we mostly roll physical dice, but it is not required. Players can use digital tools. Showing results are not required. We trust each other to not lie about or fudge results.

I'd be interested what others do? Especially in pickup games or paid for games, or other situations that may involve strangers.

I'm guess most online play where physical dice are rolled, most groups likely do not require having special camera equipment or awkwardly tilting their devices to show the rolls. But for those who DO show the rolls of physical devices? What is your group's set up for doing so?

 

[Ovinomancer]

My preference when at the table is for all rolls in the open. Not to prevent cheating, although that's a side benefit, but because it shares the tension of the roll. Everyone can cheer the success or boo the failure at the same time.

So, while we don't get the clatter of dice online, using the VTT dice roller at least shares the result with everyone at the same time, accomplishing the goal of feeling included in every roll. Also, it's a lot easier. To be honest, that latter bit's pretty important. I suppose if the VTT didn't have buildable macros to roll dice, I might not use it.

 

[dragoner]

For the play by post, the forum has a roller we all use in posts. Pretty simple with a dice code such as: [dice]2d6[/dice] - it does all types, d20, d100; there are graphics which users can enable, except I don't.

 

[prabe]

The group I game with online (using text chatting, because we're old and some of us are more set in our ways than others) is entirely honor-based. Sometimes I use actual dice, sometimes I use a dice roller on my laptop; depends on how many dice of how many sorts I'm going to need.

In person, I roll real dice, and I have a strong preference that everyone do the same (with the plausible exception of someone needing some stupid amount of dice).

 

[Stoutstien]

Players pick. Most roll real dice. I don't do a lot of online gaming and when I do usually we just use it for the map for reference points. I try to keep as much stuff pen-and-paper as possible.

 

[iserith]

The VTT's roller and macros make things faster than rolling physical dice and doing math. For every roll, you're saving a little bit of time which adds up to real session time we can spend on covering more content. So even at in-person games, we use Roll20, because it's simply faster (and there's less cleanup).

 

[BigJackBrass]

Everyone uses ordinary dice for our Hangouts games, although there's nothing stopping someone from using a dice roller if they prefer. We trust each other to report the results honestly, because what's the point of gaming with someone you don't trust? It's an RPG, you can't win so it's not as if there's any real reason to cheat.