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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rhykker" data-source="post: 5964993" data-attributes="member: 6696572">(Long-time reader/lurker, first-time poster <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />)     Virtual tabletops are the future.      While nothing can ever replace real-life sessions, technology progresses with each passing year and the value that a virtual tabletop can add to your physical tabletop is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. For those going completely virtual, webcams and voice-chat recreate the face-to-face experience and give gamers from around the world to the opportunity to connect with distant friends, relatives, or even strangers and roll some virtual d20s.     We're a group of gamers with over a dozen years of D&D experience who took the virtual plunge five years ago, and we want to share the message of virtual tabletop gaming with the greater tabletop community, explain the setup we use during our live-streamed sessions, and answer any questions you may have.      Join us this Thursday for a live-streamed Q&A and roundtable discussion about virtual tabletop gaming. With us will be special guest Keith Athey, author of The New Moon Murders and member of the development team behind the popular virtual tabletop application MapTool, to help demonstrate what a virtual tabletop can do and provide some insight into the virtual scene.     When? July 12, 9:50pm EDT (July 13, 1:50 GMT)  Where? <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/rhykker" target="_blank">(Rhykker)</a> You can sign up for a Twitch.tv account and live-chat with us during the stream.     If you can't attend the live-stream, post your questions here or email me at rhykker-at-gmail.com. The video will be archived on YouTube for you to view at your leisure.     _____________________________________________________________________________    What is a Virtual Tabletop?     In the context of tabletop RPGs, a Virtual Tabletop (VTT) is a software application that emulates a battle grid with moveable tokens and often has inbuilt dice rollers, initiative trackers, and the ability to connect multiple users to the same server. Some VTTs can even handle character sheets and enable you to run a completely paperless game.     Why should I care about VTTs?    How often have you met someone who has said that they always wanted to play D&D, but never knew anyone in their neighborhood who played? How often have you seen a campaign die because one or more group members moved to another city?     VTTs shatter geographical boundaries and bring our favorite hobby to gamers who would have otherwise never had the opportunity to play. VTTs allow your former roommate to continue attending your sessions virtually even though he moved upstate. Combined with voice chat or video chat, VTTs can come as close as possible to emulating the tabletop experience -- while leaving your books unsullied by your friends' Cheeto-fingers.     I want to play D&D face-to-face. Why should I care about VTTs?     VTTs needn't be substitutes for real life (RL) sessions -- they can serve to enhance RL sessions and take a load off a DM's shoulders with easy initiative tracking, digital battlemaps, and virtual character sheets.     Two decades ago, using VTTs during RL sessions wouldn't have been feasible, but in today's day and age, the hardware is readily accessible. Turn your laptop into a DM screen. Project a digital battlemap onto a wall or table. Never, ever run out of space to lay down dungeon tiles.</blockquote>

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