D&D General Improving your online D&D game

[TaranTheWanderer]

In a different discussion, @DM Dave1 and myself were discussing some frustrations with playing D&D online. We discussed a few tips and thought it might be worth its own Thread:

I've found the most frustrating part of online gaming is using a combat grid while exploring a dungeon - like from a published adventure, for example. People are moving their tokens one square at a time, pinging squares and asking to search whatever, or they are moving their tokens all over the board and I have to stop people and try to narrate things. It's worse when the party splits up.

To solve this, I told people to stop moving their tokens like it's a video game. Narrate to me where your character goes, what they are doing and how they do it. I then narrate the result of this action, then I or the player moves the token to the place they've indicated. This can be done as a group.

It also helps to have roles: someone declares they are searching for traps, someone else is looking for secret doors, someone else is keeping an eye out for danger. Then I use people's passive skills based on what they're doing. It makes it smoother to narrate and, I feel, it improves the flow.

What are your hints, tips or tricks?

 

[Lanefan]

In a different discussion, @DM Dave1 and myself were discussing some frustrations with playing D&D online. We discussed a few tips and thought it might be worth its own Thread:

I've found the most frustrating part of online gaming is using a combat grid while exploring a dungeon - like from a published adventure, for example. People are moving their tokens one square at a time, pinging squares and asking to search whatever, or they are moving their tokens all over the board and I have to stop people and try to narrate things. It's worse when the party splits up.

To solve this, I told people to stop moving their tokens like it's a video game. Narrate to me where your character goes, what they are doing and how they do it. I then narrate the result of this action, then I or the player moves the token to the place they've indicated. This can be done as a group.

The problem I find as a player is that as only one person can be talking at a time* there's no way to show where you're going (and that you're intending to do something once there, even if just keep a lookout) in reaction to what someone else is doing/saying other than to move your token.

* - unlike in-person where if more than one person talks at once it's often possible to hear and discern what's being said, online it just gets garbled in a hurry.

There's also an argument risk with giving the DM control of tokens: if the DM puts a token 'here' where its player really wanted it 'there' and something bad happens...yeah, pass the popcorn.

Probably better to leave token control (except for any NPCs in the party) in the hands of the players, and just enforce that your character is where your token shows it is. (in our group we have the opposite problem: a couple of players who consistently either forget or neglect to move their tokens, meaning they always appear to be getting left behind)

 

[el-remmen]

Since I use a set up with a camera pointed at a battlemat, I move all the minis based on what the players describe, but I confirm with them before moving on. If it gets a little nebulous sometimes, I think that is a fine way to emulate "fog of war" and just increases the ambience of dread.

 

[nevin]

Yeah let the players control movement and if they screw it up, tough. Much better than derailing the game multiple times because the DM made a mistake.

 

[Lanefan]

Since I use a set up with a camera pointed at a battlemat, I move all the minis based on what the players describe,

In this case you have no choice, as you're the only person present with the minis and map.

I think the OP is referring to something like roll20 where PCs are represented by on-screen tokens and, if the DM allows, players have control over where those tokens go on the map.

If it gets a little nebulous sometimes, I think that is a fine way to emulate "fog of war" and just increases the ambience of dread.

I like this part.

 

[el-remmen]

Style of play is really going to determine what works best for your group.

 

[Dioltach]

One big advantage I've found from playing online is having a bunch of pictures prepared showing scenery, NPCs, monsters, that kind of thing. The players get an immediate idea of what they're looking at, it sets the mood, and I find that looking for the pics helps me to prepare the game.

 

[iserith]

Some of what I'm saying here will be specific to Roll20, but can probably be applied to other VTTs.

Use the visual medium to its maximum effect: Include beautiful maps and images that evoke the game you're trying to present. There should never be a white screen with a grid and some art tool doodles. You can do better! This helps keep players' eyes on the screen. But also take advantage of ways to present game information to cut down on back and forth which eats up a lot of game time. As an example, make monster HP bar visible and add the monster's AC to the name plate of the token e.g. "Orc | 13." This eliminates the need for asking "How's that monster looking?" and "Did I hit?" and the DM responding. Instead the DM can just go right into narration. To that end, have all the players change their display name to their character name and passive Perception e.g. "Bruenor - PP 15." This makes it easier for the DM to scan across the bottom of the screen to check passive Perception as needed.

This doesn't necessarily need to be just in online games, but it may address one of things you were seeing in your game: Consider making a distinction between moving around the adventure location and exploring it thoroughly. While moving around, the characters (with player buy-in) are keeping alert for danger while the DM describes the environment including the basic scope of options that present themselves. But if they want to explore more thoroughly, you go into an "exploration phase" that takes 10 minutes in a given area (say 1000 sq. ft.). Each player declares what they want to do - check for traps, hide, keep watch, loot, perform a ritual, pick a lock, search for secret doors, track, work together etc. Resolve each task as normal, then make a wandering monster check (or otherwise take note of the time spent if there's a countdown to doom). Repeat as needed. Figuring out a trap or secret door and disabling a trap would, in this setup, be another 10 minute task that occurs only after the trap or secret door is detected. This means that any given trap interaction takes about 30 minutes of game time or 20 minutes for a secret door.

As well, to deal with everyone splitting up, you might have one of the party designated the point character in the marching order. Then all characters/tokens must follow that person. They move when he or she moves and stops when he or she stops. The only time they split up potentially is when they're engaged in exploration as above. Again, this requires players to buy in on this approach as a means to streamline gameplay.

 

[el-remmen]

I think the OP is referring to something like roll20 where PCs are represented by on-screen tokens and, if the DM allows, players have control over where those tokens go on the map.

Sure! I just thought sharing would demonstrate that it is possible for the DM to do the moving based on player description/indication (assuming the online system allows for this).

The fact that players can only barely see the actual boxes means we have a lot of "can I move far enough to get to X?" questions that I am fielding, but I don't mind - kind of a hybrid "theater of the mind" style.

 

[Quickleaf]

In a different discussion, @DM Dave1 and myself were discussing some frustrations with playing D&D online. We discussed a few tips and thought it might be worth its own Thread:

I've found the most frustrating part of online gaming is using a combat grid while exploring a dungeon - like from a published adventure, for example. People are moving their tokens one square at a time, pinging squares and asking to search whatever, or they are moving their tokens all over the board and I have to stop people and try to narrate things. It's worse when the party splits up.

To solve this, I told people to stop moving their tokens like it's a video game. Narrate to me where your character goes, what they are doing and how they do it. I then narrate the result of this action, then I or the player moves the token to the place they've indicated. This can be done as a group.

It also helps to have roles: someone declares they are searching for traps, someone else is looking for secret doors, someone else is keeping an eye out for danger. Then I use people's passive skills based on what they're doing. It makes it smoother to narrate and, I feel, it improves the flow.

What are your hints, tips or tricks?

@TaranTheWanderer My (limited) experience with Roll20, AstralTabletop, and Discord has – surprisingly – led to a similar lesson I learned about using maps at a physical table.

Simply the process of setting out a map and placing minis/tokens activates a certain "board game think." This can be much stronger for some players than others – nothing wrong or right about it, just some of us are more wired to confine our thinking when presented with what visually looks like a board game.

I've observed this happen both at a physical table and when playing online.

My approach has been to not always assume that the same approach is warranted for every situation. Sometimes I'll use theater of the mind (for brief scenarios or those that don't lend themselves handily to mapping). Sometimes a vague evocative map without gridlines (for scenarios where the focus isn't on the combat, per se, but rather another objective). Sometimes I'll use a complex gridded map (for scenarios involving detailed tactical combat). And sometimes I'll even create a 3D map (for scenarios emphasizing verticality), which may be vague & evocative or gridded & detailed, depending on the needs of the scenario.

Getting a feel for which approach is best suited to each scene/scenario takes some getting used to. Sometimes I choose the wrong one, but with practice now more often than not I can sense which approach is a best fit.