D&D General Improving your online D&D game

[TaranTheWanderer]

I've been working on a 'home-screen' as well. I'll be putting up a calendar and updating campaign events. Then the players can use the writing tool to add stuff to it. At the end of a game month, I can create a hand-out.

But, generally, I find Obsidian Portal is an excellent way to track game info: NPCs, PCs, letters, random info. All the players can edit it and track whatever they want. They can add their own NPC, create a wiki, link to important things and track treasure. It's great! Much better bookkeeping system than what roll20 has to offer.

 

[cmad1977]

If creatures are in the combat but the players aren’t aware of them you can roll their initiative from the GM layer and it adds them into the initiative order without displaying their presence to the players

 

[iserith]

Adopt a table rule/convention wherein nothing a player does in the VTT interface should ever take longer than it would at a regular table. As an example, if you can't roll dice as fast in the VTT as you can at the table (or, ideally, faster), then you need to work on setting up some macros or getting more proficient with the dice roller tool or character sheet. To this end, nobody should be typing out roll commands in chat as it will naturally take longer than rolling a physical die. Better to use the dice roller and do the math in your head in the moment, then set about creating a macro later.

Side tips for Roll20: Don't use 3D dice - it's slower for no good reason in my view. Rolling everything with advantage and always defaulting to the left column for the result when there isn't adv/disadv, plus rolling attack and damage at the same time (all options on the character sheets) saves on clicks. Fewer clicks means everything goes faster and is less prone to user error.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Speaking of rolling dice: With groups that I trust all the players, we use physical dice. It's way faster. And, as a DM, It's one less window I have to toggle to.

 

[Rhenny]

I use maps and images for orientation and often just use narrative and the combat tracker for theater of the mind exploration and combats.

Some combats (larger mor complex ones) we’ll play on a map/grid, but I still ask players to tell me what their pc is attempting to do or target, especially with spells. When players try to figure out area of effect it often bogs down the game so i handle that and just tell them which foes, etc can be affected.

i also use turns even when PCs are interacting with NPCs, the environment, and sometimes in exploration mode. This prevents talk overs and guarantees all players have a voice.

 

[prabe]

Speaking of rolling dice: With groups that I trust all the players, we use physical dice. It's way faster. And, as a DM, It's one less window I have to toggle to.

I guess my feeling is, if you don't trust them enough to report their own dice-rolls, why are you gaming with them?

 

[LordEntrails]

I just haven't found exploration to be all that difficult on a VTT (FG for me). We did Undermountain old school for about a year or so. Even made the players map for most of that time. But also have run it with a single party token to represent the general location of the party as I revealed parts of the map as needed.

VTTs are really bad at exploring dungeons.

Not my experience, not at all.

There are something you need to do, or assume, but it's not really different than at the table top. Do you make your players search every square? Of course not. Not on a tabletop, not on a VTT. That's what common sense and passive checks are for.

I believe in putting lots of details on the maps. I hate bare wall only maps. It gives the players a great chance to imagine further. They don't need me to tell them their is a firepit over there, or a bedroll in that corner, or a skeleton next to a broken table. They can see all of that on the map, and instead of spending my time describing what they can see, I can tell them about sounds, smells, or what their intuition tells them.

But VTTs are just a tool, use the tool that right for you, and adapt to the strengths of the tools you use, don't fight them. Sure, you can use a box wrench as a hammer, by your not doing yourself or your players any favors.

 

[LordEntrails]

Speaking of rolling dice: With groups that I trust all the players, we use physical dice. It's way faster. And, as a DM, It's one less window I have to toggle to.

IME it depends on the players and the VTT. For us, the VTT dice (FG) are much faster to use then physical dice. All the mods are added in automatically, effects are taken into account. Hit/miss/damage and resistances and immunities are accounted for. Way faster.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

When players try to figure out area of effect it often bogs down the game so i handle that and just tell them which foes, etc can be affected.

For roll20, I make a character token associated with a character sheet that all players can control. This character is named AoE. They can drag AoE onto the board, use the aura function to create an area effect and place it where they need. I make sure AoE isn't 'snap to grid' so they can place it with precision. They may drag AoE onto the map while it isn't their turn in order to make sure AoE is ready to go when their turn rolls around.

I guess my feeling is, if you don't trust them enough to report their own dice-rolls, why are you gaming with them?

One of the groups I dm online is a group of kids. They are notorious cheaters....two of them are also my own kids. Probably why I'm gaming with them. I'm also trying to teach them that they can't always succeed/win, which is a hard lesson to learn, sometimes.

 

[prabe]

One of the groups I dm online is a group of kids. They are notorious cheaters....two of them are also my own kids. Probably why I'm gaming with them. I'm also trying to teach them that they can't always succeed/win, which is a hard lesson to learn, sometimes.

I apologize. I was thinking both "adults" and "friends."