I Did a Little Experiment and I'm Impressed.

[DNH]

Does it have all the existing moduels set up? I desperately, desperately want to play Madness at Gardmore Abby. And DMs are intimidated at the dauntingness of programming that into Maptools.

A little bit off-topic here but we are currently playing Gardmore Abbey on MapTool (me DMing) and it's working out just fine. Mind you, we don't use any frameworks or anything - MapTool, for us, is really just that: a map tool.

 

[Hussar]

For those who don't use macros in Maptools - How is your typing speed?

I played once with a DM who refused to use macros. The only problem was, he typed about 20 words per minute. Which meant that EVERY SINGLE turn for the bad guys lasted 10-20 minutes. My very first 4e combat (the first real encounter in the WOTC adventure path (forget the name) with 4 or 5 hobgoblins took over THREE HOURS.

Not because of grind or anything like that, but because the DM was just so glacially slow.

If you have to type out the monster's attacks every single time, how do you keep your pace up?

 

[DNH]

[MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION]: I can see how that could be a problem. Personally, we don't use MapTool for anything other than managing the map/tokens/LoS. I use a separate tool (4eTurnTracker) for managing the combat encounters and all dice rolls are made by, wait for it, actual physical real-life dice! The players all have their printed out character sheets before them too and make pencil notes on there for hit points and so on. It's a low-tech approach but we like it. We have played the other way too and didn't like how things easily became complicated ("How do I target the ally who I want to get the power bonus effect from this power when I hit the goblin?" - "Click on the goblin as your target, then shift-click the ally, hold down the control key while you double-click the attack dice and that *should* work ... but you'll have to check it." And things can become over-automated too, which we don't like either.

 

[Ferghis]

If you have to type out the monster's attacks every single time, how do you keep your pace up?

I imagine they don't use chat at all, or very little. Personally, if macros aren't being used, I'd rather communicate via VOIP and just apply all effects to my character or monsters myself. In the veggiesama framework, you still have to apply much of the stuff yourself anyway.

 

[Mirtek]

For those who don't use macros in Maptools - How is your typing speed?

I played once with a DM who refused to use macros. The only problem was, he typed about 20 words per minute. Which meant that EVERY SINGLE turn for the bad guys lasted 10-20 minutes. My very first 4e combat (the first real encounter in the WOTC adventure path (forget the name) with 4 or 5 hobgoblins took over THREE HOURS.

What exactly was he typing? There's no need to type anything but the attack and damage roll (if you want MT to do the rolls) anything else he can just tell his players.

If you have to type out the monster's attacks every single time, how do you keep your pace up?

What would you type? You type 1d20+X and xdx+x and tell the attacked player that if the attack roll hit he takes the damage plus the effect you are just telling him.

Or are you playing with chat only without VoIP talk?

[MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION]: I can see how that could be a problem. Personally, we don't use MapTool for anything other than managing the map/tokens/LoS. I use a separate tool (4eTurnTracker) for managing the combat encounters and all dice rolls are made by, wait for it, actual physical real-life dice! The players all have their printed out character sheets before them too and make pencil notes on there for hit points and so on. It's a low-tech approach but we like it.

That's also how we play, except that I don't even use any separate tools. Only the players have MT roll dice, the DM rolls his physical dice so that it's easier to cheat if necessary

 

[OnlineDM]

In my own MapTool games, my macros are fairly simple (compared to the fancy frameworks).

Each attack for each PC and monster has a button that will display the attack roll and damage roll and any effects in the chat window. It's up to the players to say who they're attacking and to apply effects (damage, conditions, etc.).

Each special ability that needs to be tracked has a button (magic item daily powers, utility powers, etc.). When the button is clicked, the macro displays the appropriate text for the ability in the chat window and changes a variable for the token that tracks which powers have been used up.

Each token has a button for gaining hit points, taking damage and gaining temporary hit points. PCs also have a second wind button.

Each token has buttons for skill checks and ability checks that display the result of the roll in the chat window. Same goes for saving throws.

Whenever I toggle a condition on or off a token, the macro will ask me when the condition expires (end of someone's turn, beginning of someone's turn, save ends, or no particular end time). That's about as advanced as I get.

So, I don't deal with targeting. I don't deal with automating whether an attack hits or misses and automatically applying damage and conditions from it. I don't have automatic import of monsters or PCs from DDI - I have to set them up myself (mainly their powers). It works for me.

 

[Hussar]

What would you type? You type 1d20+X and xdx+x and tell the attacked player that if the attack roll hit he takes the damage plus the effect you are just telling him.

Or are you playing with chat only without VoIP talk?

In the example I gave, it was chat only. So the 20 wpm was PAINFUL.

In a combat with 5 different monsters, all giving different status effects, tracking that with pen and paper without having any of those status effects visible on the game table would not be fun for me. I'd forget too much (oh, right X is marked by Y, oh yeah, well... ummm).

The whole point of using a virtual table top, for me anyway, is automating most of the grunt work and then getting down to play. Even with a fast typer, X+Y to hit Character A for X+Y damage is going to take some time to type. Multiply that by a half dozen attacks per round and it takes WAY more time than one clicking a macro.

 

[Hussar]

Well, took a second spin and I'm less enchanted than I was at first blush.

I just took a stab and getting a Chaos Scar campaign done up. Now, adding the monsters? That's super, super easy. But, I tried to build the map for the Chaos Scar overland area and the first A1 module (Stick in the Mud) and WOW, does that blow. It took me forever to build those three maps (one for the general map, two for the module). And, they are NOT pretty. The lack of tiles really, really hurts here. Never mind the lack of token art.

I still haven't run a game on the VTT, so, I'm reserving judgement, but, given that Maptools would let me build those maps in about 30 seconds, any time saved by building tokens is pretty much washed out.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Well, took a second spin and I'm less enchanted than I was at first blush.

I just took a stab and getting a Chaos Scar campaign done up. Now, adding the monsters? That's super, super easy. But, I tried to build the map for the Chaos Scar overland area and the first A1 module (Stick in the Mud) and WOW, does that blow. It took me forever to build those three maps (one for the general map, two for the module). And, they are NOT pretty. The lack of tiles really, really hurts here. Never mind the lack of token art.

I still haven't run a game on the VTT, so, I'm reserving judgement, but, given that Maptools would let me build those maps in about 30 seconds, any time saved by building tokens is pretty much washed out.

If you want to build a map with free hand drawing tools in the VTT then a graphics table is a must IMO. It wil be pretty quick then but as you say not pretty to look at.
Not being ableto import art for the maps is a real issue.

 

[Baumi]

Is it possible to play with a non-DDI Members?