D&D General Should We Start Using a VTT?

[DEFCON 1]

I hope I’m not putting words in Yenrak’s mouth, but I don’t think they are looking for the simplest system, they’re looking for something that could dramatically improve their online experience, and is that improvement worth it.

Perhaps (although they did say the easiest to pick up). But Owlbear Rodeo gives them almost exactly their current set-up without needing to have multiple cameras running at the same time, all for free, and no additional time for the players spent learning anything.

@Yenrak said they have everyone on Zoom and that they point their camera(s) at a map when needed, presumably on a Shared Screen. Owlbear Rodeo is exactly the same set-up, other than you don't need to point your camera at a map, the map is already onscreen for everyone. But the whole process is the same... everyone is on Zoom in one Window, and Owlbear Rodeo is open in your browser in a second Window (allowing a player to have both the Zoom and Owlbear split screened and thus a person can see everyone and everything at the same time.) The DM has all the maps pre-loaded and pre-programmed (with any and all PC and monster tokens placed and fog-of-war set up)... and when the current map is loaded onscreen, every player logged into Owlbear can see the revealed portions of the map and move their own tokens across it

So the effect for the entire group is almost exactly the same as what they are currently using-- all free of charge, with no need to learn anything (except for the DM who needs to take like 15 minutes at some point to fiddle with the token generation and how to cover and reveal fog of war.)

Now yes... if the OP want a full-service system that includes all the things... monster stats programmed in, purchaseable adventures with all information (like maps, tokens, NPCs, stats etc.) already installed... Roll 20 or Fantasy Grounds would work. But if all they need is just an online map table that players can move their tokens on... Owlbear is a really simple and easy choice.

 

[Oofta]

I use Roll20 integrated in with DndBeyond with Beyond20. We use zoom for video/audio because we wanted zoom anyway for connecting with people.

But other than dynamic lighting (which I do like) I don't use a lot of the options. I chose Roll20 because there were a lot of video tutorials and finding/prepping appropriate maps already takes more time than I care for. I have gotten to the point though where I just find a map and rarely create my own in the tool. If I do need a custom map I create it offline.

I create icons using Token Stamp, and don't really add them to my library, I just drag and drop from file explorer onto whatever map I'm working on.

Foundry would probably be overkill, I haven't made the time to look at owlbear rodeo yet.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I use Roll20 integrated in with DndBeyond with Beyond20. We use zoom for video/audio because we wanted zoom anyway for connecting with people.

But other than dynamic lighting (which I do like) I don't use a lot of the options. I chose Roll20 because there were a lot of video tutorials and finding/prepping appropriate maps already takes more time than I care for. I have gotten to the point though where I just find a map and rarely create my own in the tool. If I do need a custom map I create it offline.

I create icons using Token Stamp, and don't really add them to my library, I just drag and drop from file explorer onto whatever map I'm working on.

Foundry would probably be overkill, I haven't made the time to look at owlbear rodeo yet.

Yeah, like, this. I play in four D&D groups on and off and all of them are similarly set up to this. Different DMs are differently competent with it, and it's clearly slightly painful, but it works.

I think next time I run with a VTT I'm going to try Owlbear Rodeo myself.

 

[ArwensDaughter]

Another vote for owlbear rodeo, at least as a starting point. Your question is “should we start using a vtt?” Meaning, as I understand it, that you are wanting to assess if VTTs are for you and your group, and if they will add/improve anything for you all. Owlbear rodeo has (by far!) the easiest learning curve of the various VTTs. It is light and simple. It will let you try out the VTT experience without having to spend a lot of time and effort learning a more complicated system. If you try it and you and your group like it, you can the asses if you are comfortable with what it provides or if you want more bells and whistles and look to another system. The learning curve is so shallow, I don’t think you will feel like it was time wasted, whether you decide VTTs aren’t for your group, or that you want a more powerful VTT. (Obviously if you stick with owlbear, it’s not time wasted)

A couple of things to know about owlbear if you go that route 1) you need to save/bookmark the url, since there isn’t a login or account feature. 2) everything is saved in local browser memory, so you need to prep on the device you will be running the session from. (And I’ve only done so from a computer, not sure if it mobile can store stuff in memory, although I do know that players can access it from a mobile device)

 

[TheVirtualDM]

I think that the inherent problem with any discussion around VTTs is the end goal and your attitude toward that way of playing. If you love sitting around a table with a group of friends to play your favorite RPG, you are likely not going to find any VTT that will make you happy. All of it will just seem like a poor substitute for the way that you love to play, and that is completely understandable. I have seen so much of this as in-person tables have turned to a VTT to try to keep their games going during the past year. On the other hand, if you are open to a new way of playing your favorite RPG, VTTs are amazing. I personally like Fantasy Grounds, but there are lots of great VTT options out there. It is a completely different way of playing RPGs. If you accept that going in and learn how to use it properly, you will love it. It allows me to play twice a week including a virtual table with four different people living in four different cities spread out over two different countries. That is awesome! If you are just trying to find a way to match your in-person game, you probably won't like it... ever.

 

[DEFCON 1]

If you love sitting around a table with a group of friends to play your favorite RPG, you are likely not going to find any VTT that will make you happy. All of it will just seem like a poor substitute for the way that you love to play, and that is completely understandable. I have seen so much of this as in-person tables have turned to a VTT to try to keep their games going during the past year.

Oh absolutely. I'm using Owlbear Rodeo not because I want to... but because I have to due to quarantine. I'd love to be able to go back to in-person, around-the-table playing... but that's just not feasible right now. Which is actually why I'm an Owlbear proponent... because it is entirely a shallow, easy system that I will have absolutely no issue with stopping its use if/when the U.S. opens back up again. It wouldn't be like having spent X amount of dollars to get Roll20 up and running with all the bells and whistles, only to pull the plug on it 6 months down the line. I'm actually afraid of the money I've already spent on D&D Beyond for just this reason. But at least with that program my players could bring tablets with them to in-person games when they happen and it could still get some use.

Use a VTT if your current system of cameras on real minis is unwieldy and getting annoying. Then decide just how much "stuff" you need as that will influence which system you ultimately use.

 

[embee]

My only recommendation is to call up your FLGS and see if they have any trial codes for VTTs. If you can try before you buy, you should.

Roll20 is not simple but fortunately it has a steep learning curve. With a little effort and trial-and-error, you will pick it up.

 

[Umbran]

It’s buried in my other post but while I don’t disagree that while Roll20 has a huge number of features and benefits over a simple zoom... you don’t have to use them.

By that measure, D&D itself is the simplest game out there, because you don't have to use all the rules! But, in reality, the presence of those other features impacts the interface and experience, and it is very easy to have those get in the way.

 

[Mistwell]

I've used Roll20 to play at least one game (playing 2 now) since the beta test of 5e. I love it. We started with the free version.

Some of our players roll actual dice at their house and just tell us the results while others use the Roll20 character sheets to roll while others just type in the /r1d20+x while others use the Beyond20 extension to roll from DNDBeyond and it all works fine simultaneously in Roll20.

We like to play some thematic music, and some use it while others don't. We used to use Skype for audio, then we used Roll20's built-in audio, and now we're using Discord for audio.

Sometimes we use fog of war and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we use line of sight with light sources, and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we use paid-for adventures which set everything up for us and sometimes we just throw our own stuff in there and sometimes we just use a basic grid and a few tokens just to show where stuff is briefly.

The fact we can do all these things and Roll20 continues to plug along just fine is a testament to it's flexibility to be used however you want to use it. It can be as simple or as complex as you want. And the fact that it's the most popular platform means you can always Google a question you have and find a quick answer, and you can always find other people to play with on it.

It's...like 5e is to RPGs as Roll20 is to virtual table tops. Yes, there are other systems out there, but Roll20 is so far on top of the list that it's probably a system you at least want to try out and see if you like it like so many others like it.

 

[collin]

Yet another positive recommendation here for Owlbear Rodeo. I started using it last November and love it for its simplicity and less steep learning curve than Roll20, Fantasy Groups, etc. No bells & whistles and no character creation. It is literally like having maps and minis that you can easily just pluck down on a table (or in this case, on a screen). It does have fog of war capability, although it is a little clunky at first. But if all you want is a way to share maps with figures on it, I highly recommend it. You will also need something like Discord or Zoom for audio communication.