Project Sigil Sigil, WotC 3D vtt game automation no more?

[AlViking]

This is a really good question, and I can only answer it for me. I want the VTT to automate in-game stuff. I'm not one who wants to see a fireball explode in animation or have a sword swing with a "wooosh" sound, although you can do that with most VTTs. That's something I don't care about.

What I do want is the VTT to take care of my character. If I have spells or abilities, I want it to track usage. If I cast a fireball, I want to place a template, have it select whoever is in it, and then roll saves for me. And then apply damage.

I want to be able to target creatures, and have it do all the math for attacking. I don't think this is in 5.5E, but if you flank, it should handle that. And I should be able to apply conditions to a target and have it be automated.

Oh, and I expect to handle initiative or combat order tracking too.

Outside of combat I just just want the VTT to let me easily make skill checks and saves, any die rolls I ask for.

That's just me, of course. You can have it do more or less, but that's the sweet spot for me.

I can see that kind of automation being what people are pushing back against referenced in the video if it's even a thing. As a DM I have no issue with automating stuff for my monsters but I have a lot going on. But as a player? If it tracked everything for me I think I would feel a loss of connection. Of course all of this is personal preference I'm just trying to figure out what the video the OP linked to was talking about if the visuals are already there.

 

[Jolly Ruby]

I'm on the side of "if you want automation you can have it, but if you don't you also have that option".

An example: I love Foundry VTT but I have to be honest, I never used more than half the features it offers. I use if for tracking overworld maps, city maps, dungeons, light and tokens, and sometimes tracking foes HPs. And that's all, I never used the character sheets or rolled dice there. Some of my players use Beyond as a digital character sheet and some use paper and pen.

 

[Zaukrie]

It's back up, but hell if I can remember where the launcher is on my hard drive......speaking of awful UI and ease of use. Then I find it (after using search), and it doesn't update....I must be doing something wrong....

 

[MonsterEnvy]

This is a really good question, and I can only answer it for me. I want the VTT to automate in-game stuff. I'm not one who wants to see a fireball explode in animation or have a sword swing with a "wooosh" sound, although you can do that with most VTTs. That's something I don't care about.

What I do want is the VTT to take care of my character. If I have spells or abilities, I want it to track usage. If I cast a fireball, I want to place a template, have it select whoever is in it, and then roll saves for me. And then apply damage.

I want to be able to target creatures, and have it do all the math for attacking. I don't think this is in 5.5E, but if you flank, it should handle that. And I should be able to apply conditions to a target and have it be automated.

Oh, and I expect to handle initiative or combat order tracking too.

Outside of combat I just just want the VTT to let me easily make skill checks and saves, any die rolls I ask for.

That's just me, of course. You can have it do more or less, but that's the sweet spot for me.

It basically does all that stuff right now.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

It makes sense to me. The more you automate, the less the experience becomes a TTRPG and the more it becomes a video game.

Imho the more I automate Foundry in different systems, the more time per session can be spent on roleplaying and fun stuff instead of long tedious engagements with crunchy mechanics. That doesn’t mean I fill Foundry with animations and explosions - one can automate different things.

 

[mamba]

As far as the billion dollar bit, that's market-speak which doesn't mean much but is more focused on video games, movies and streaming because that's where the real money is. Video games are a big gamble but if successful are far, far more lucrative than DnD game will ever be whether played at a tabletop or online.

I don't know, they are spending as much as a video game would cost as far as I understand it, so they should expect similar returns

 

[Zaukrie]

Ya, this idea that automating if something hits or not makes it a video game and not a ttrpg is really weird to me. Very gatekeepy.

 

[SteveC]

Ya, this idea that automating if something hits or not makes it a video game and not a ttrpg is really weird to me. Very gatekeepy.

I think this is a really important point and one that people who don't play with a VTT may not understand. I play in Pathfinder, which is a rules-heavy system with a lot of bells and whistles. The automation in my VTT makes it much easier to play. It lets me concentrate on engaging with my players rather than having to remember all of the status effects. It helps me run my game much more narratively as if I was using a less crunchy system. So the game is less like a video game and has me narrating things more. I'm not sure if that makes sense, and this isn't for everyone of course.

 

[Yaarel]

Ya, this idea that automating if something hits or not makes it a video game and not a ttrpg is really weird to me. Very gatekeepy.

As long as I can see the actual D&D stats happening (like in a side bar), including AC, ability checks, dice values, during the automation, it is all good.

My difficulty with some "D&D" videogames is they werent using actual D&D gaming stats, but some other system.

 

[Clint_L]

We've been listening to a different message then. I don't blame them for wanting a piece of the VTT pie and having real 3D and some of the features Sigil is implementing could make it stand out from the crowd if they can get it to work. As far as the billion dollar bit, that's market-speak which doesn't mean much but is more focused on video games, movies and streaming because that's where the real money is. Video games are a big gamble but if successful are far, far more lucrative than DnD game will ever be whether played at a tabletop or online.

Is there much of a VTT pie, though? It seems very much like a niche market. I think it'd be a nice feature to have, but how much will folk pay for it, compared to how much you have to pay to build and maintain it? I'm wondering if it is more of a cottage industry thing, much more suited to smaller businesses like Foundry, the same way that Dwarven Forge handled physical terrain for the more hardcore among us.