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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 8086108" data-attributes="member: 22779">Some fantastic advice here.&nbsp; I've been using VTT's since about 2002, so, this is right in my wheelhouse.Just to add a few thoughts.On the DM's side:&nbsp; Take a bit of time to create some &quot;geomorph&quot; style battlemaps that you can just plonk down whenever you need some sort of background.&nbsp; Make a few for each type of scene that's likely to come up and you'll find that on the fly encounters are actually pretty easy.&nbsp; But, it does take that bit of prep work.&nbsp; Unless, of course, you're doing it all theater of the mind, then , well, knock yourself out.&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin&nbsp; &nbsp; :D"&nbsp; data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Image searching can take a LOT of time.&nbsp; I've dived down the image search rabbit hole so many times.&nbsp; And then suddenly realized that I've spent over an hour looking for an image for an NPC that will likely spend all of ten minutes at the table.&nbsp; <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown&nbsp; &nbsp; :("&nbsp; data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" />&nbsp; Yes, you want your game to look good, but, don't let perfect be the enemy of good.&nbsp; And don't skimp on the other parts of prep - creating personalities for NPC's, and whatnot.&nbsp; That's likely what your players will remember anyway, not that perfect image you managed to dig up on Deviantart.&nbsp; Make a small (or large) library of online resources.&nbsp; Take advantage of them.&nbsp; Art, maps, sounds, setting material, whatever.&nbsp; Reddit Dndmaps is your friend.On the Player side:Yeah, it's a temptation to open up your email, skim Facebook or look at En World during a session.&nbsp; Resist that temptation, or, at least be very good at multi-tasking.&nbsp; Even short pauses every time your name comes up in the game add up.&nbsp; I once had a player whose turns during the session took more time than the total time of the rest of the group, including the DM.&nbsp; Dead air is incredibly frustrating.&nbsp; Don't rely on your DM to walk you through every detail of how the VTT (whatever one you are using) works.&nbsp; Take a bit of time to learn it.&nbsp; At the very least, learn how your own character sheet works and how to add modifiers to die rolls.&nbsp; Again, you are the one holding up the game because you can't be bothered to RTFM.&nbsp; It's impolite to say the least.&nbsp; And, as an added bonus, if the entire group gets familiar with how the VTT works, then the group take take a LOT of load off the shoulders of the DM.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 8086108, member: 22779"] Some fantastic advice here. I've been using VTT's since about 2002, so, this is right in my wheelhouse. Just to add a few thoughts. On the DM's side: Take a bit of time to create some "geomorph" style battlemaps that you can just plonk down whenever you need some sort of background. Make a few for each type of scene that's likely to come up and you'll find that on the fly encounters are actually pretty easy. But, it does take that bit of prep work. Unless, of course, you're doing it all theater of the mind, then , well, knock yourself out. :D Image searching can take a LOT of time. I've dived down the image search rabbit hole so many times. And then suddenly realized that I've spent over an hour looking for an image for an NPC that will likely spend all of ten minutes at the table. :( Yes, you want your game to look good, but, don't let perfect be the enemy of good. And don't skimp on the other parts of prep - creating personalities for NPC's, and whatnot. That's likely what your players will remember anyway, not that perfect image you managed to dig up on Deviantart. Make a small (or large) library of online resources. Take advantage of them. Art, maps, sounds, setting material, whatever. Reddit Dndmaps is your friend. On the Player side: Yeah, it's a temptation to open up your email, skim Facebook or look at En World during a session. Resist that temptation, or, at least be very good at multi-tasking. Even short pauses every time your name comes up in the game add up. I once had a player whose turns during the session took more time than the total time of the rest of the group, including the DM. Dead air is incredibly frustrating. Don't rely on your DM to walk you through every detail of how the VTT (whatever one you are using) works. Take a bit of time to learn it. At the very least, learn how your own character sheet works and how to add modifiers to die rolls. Again, you are the one holding up the game because you can't be bothered to RTFM. It's impolite to say the least. And, as an added bonus, if the entire group gets familiar with how the VTT works, then the group take take a LOT of load off the shoulders of the DM. [/QUOTE]

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