Poll: VTT Users - Do you prefer self-hosted or cloud-based VTTs?

[Lanefan]

The less bandwidth required for all involved, the better. The lower the grade of tech required to use it, the better.

Not everyone has fibre-optic connections and high-end tech, nor should they be expected to shell out for such just to play an RPG.

 

[tetrasodium]

I don't think I would consider either "hosting" option a deal breaker, but i currently run arkenforge with a touch panel enabled tabletop display during in person meat space play. The big killer feature for me would be meaningful support for the touch panel on the tabletop display so players can move their tokens and such.

edit: Meaningful touch support means that the implementation takes into account that windows/ios both have crap support for mouse+touch panel & one will steal focus unless there is a second device to handle the touch panel's input & relay it to the primary one running the whole thing. Simply letting one computer handle both oinput devices would require not using minis on the display & being unable to use the GM interface while players are moving their tokens/vice versa. Arkenforge has a pretty good writeup on it here & here

 

[LordEntrails]

I’m somewhat surprised that all the handwringing about not wanting to pay for a cloud service, there’s surprisingly little handwringing about having to buy the same books several times to make the most of some platform.

Why would you need to buy more than once? If you actually plan ahead, and find the VTT that's right for you and they actually sell legal conversions, you would only ever have to buy that platforms versions. I haven't bought a printed RPG book since I picked a VTT (edit: a decade or so ago). And I've only bought PDFs of stuff that wasn't converted.

So, sure, if you are indecisive or insist on printed versions, then maybe you might want to buy multiple copies of the same product. But that's not required, every VTT I know of you can enter the info on your own if you so desire and your time is less valuable than a purchase.

 

[Heilemann]

Why would you need to buy more than once? If you actually plan ahead, and find the VTT that's right for you and they actually sell legal conversions, you would only ever have to buy that platforms versions. I haven't bought a printed RPG book since I picked a VTT (edit: a decade or so ago). And I've only bought PDFs of stuff that wasn't converted.

So, sure, if you are indecisive or insist on printed versions, then maybe you might want to buy multiple copies of the same product. But that's not required, every VTT I know of you can enter the info on your own if you so desire and your time is less valuable than a purchase.

Sure, that's certainly true. But not only are you locked into that VTT now, which great that that works for you, but that's a hard pass from me. Moreover, you're locked into reading your rulebooks... in... your VTT? Again, hard pass. That company might go bankrupt, they might do some shady stuff you won't like, they might worsen the reading experience... the list goes on; you're not in control.

Moreover, deciding to read beautifully and lovingly designed books in a VTT window is like watching a film on a pan and scan VHS to me, instead of a 4K restored blu-ray, but... you do you!

 

[Thomas Shey]

I still say this assumes the rules book content needs to be baked into the VTT for the latter to be useful/useable, which is a kind of odd idea to me. But then, as I've said, a lot of people seem to demand more automation from their VTTs than I see as at all necessary.

 

[Lanefan]

I still say this assumes the rules book content needs to be baked into the VTT for the latter to be useful/useable, which is a kind of odd idea to me. But then, as I've said, a lot of people seem to demand more automation from their VTTs than I see as at all necessary.

Further, the more rules that get baked into the VTT the harder it becomes to add in houserules and-or kitbash the rules system and-or use the VTT for a non-standard system.

 

[schneeland]

I still say this assumes the rules book content needs to be baked into the VTT for the latter to be useful/useable, which is a kind of odd idea to me. But then, as I've said, a lot of people seem to demand more automation from their VTTs than I see as at all necessary.

My impression is that there is at least three categories of people:

1. People that mainly need a shared map or background image, tokens, and maybe smaller supplementary tools like a pointing tool, an initiative counter or some form of distance measurement
2. People that want a character sheet from which they can roll virtual dice, including options for the main rules affecting this (modifiers, advantage/disadvantage, etc.) and potentially some sort of result check (e.g. 6 = success in Year Zero games)
3. People that want more or less full automation of the game mechanics, including target selection, determination of the result for opposed rolls, applying mechanical effects on characters, etc.

I have the feeling, that there's a lot of talk about the people in (3) and their needs, but there's enough people that are fine with or even prefer (1) or (2). However, this is just my personal feeling based on my immediate surroundings and what I read in online communities, and I don't have any numbers to back this up.

 

[CleverNickName]

Further, the more rules that get baked into the VTT the harder it becomes to add in houserules and-or kitbash the rules system and-or use the VTT for a non-standard system.

I haven't played every VTT, but this does seem to be the case.

 

[Thomas Shey]

My impression is that there is at least three categories of people:

1. People that mainly need a shared map or background image, tokens, and maybe smaller supplementary tools like a pointing tool, an initiative counter or some form of distance measurement
2. People that want a character sheet from which they can roll virtual dice, including options for the main rules affecting this (modifiers, advantage/disadvantage, etc.) and potentially some sort of result check (e.g. 6 = success in Year Zero games)
3. People that want more or less full automation of the game mechanics, including target selection, determination of the result for opposed rolls, applying mechanical effects on characters, etc.

I have the feeling, that there's a lot of talk about the people in (3) and their needs, but there's enough people that are fine with or even prefer (1) or (2). However, this is just my personal feeling based on my immediate surroundings and what I read in online communities, and I don't have any numbers to back this up.

That's pretty much where I am on it; all I really want usually is the sort of thing you have in 1 (as long as a die roller is possible, and even that's not strictly necessary).

 

[kronovan]

I voted for #1 because I definitely want the option to self host. That said, if a VTT has quality, free hosting I'll use it - doing that with Fantasy Grounds. I wouldn't pay for it though, for the same reasons I no longer use the subscription-only based roll20. I like the option to use my VTT like a GM screen on my laptop while disconnected from the Internet (a reality for 1 of my gaming venues), or host on a LAN. So running independently, without a need to be connected to the Internet is important.