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<blockquote data-quote="mattcolville" data-source="post: 5467951" data-attributes="member: 1300">Ok, so, let's just agree that the video game thing is a distraction. No one's talking about video games, we're talking about playing D&amp;D using a virtual tabletop. Video games are no more relevant than cooking or running a marathon.Now, my first point is: WotC hasn't put together a virtual tabletop. It's a virtual battlemat. There's a difference, I feel. If I want to hand the players a map of the local area, and a handbill from the Overlord, and a portrait of an NPC, *and* a battlemat and let them all manage those images as they see fit, I can't do it in the WotC solution. I think that's a problem for anything calling itself a Virtual Tabletop. Especially when playing online, you need a lot of visual cues and references, as the players are otherwise in something of a sensory deprivation tank.But my second point is that IF they can make a tool that makes running the game easier but they do NOT then they screwed something up. Now, certainly you could argue--as it seems you are--that really all you need is a chat client and some whiteboard software and the player's and GM can do everything else, just as they would at the table, and that's fine. But why should the goal be &quot;do as little as possible?&quot; You can play D&amp;D without minis or tokens.&nbsp; Should you? Should the VTT say &quot;nope, it's all abstract shapes and M&amp;Ms! No tokens and tiles for you!&quot; There are other 4E VTT solutions that have lots of automation that let you switch on and off whatever you're comfortable with. Is that a flaw? Is giving the user...the guys *paying* for the tool...the ability to, say, target 5 dudes and roll one damage roll and have the tool automatically apply damage--just that OPTION--somehow bad?&quot;No, you must do it by hand! The long way!&quot; Nonsense. The goal should be making getting into a game, running a game, and playing a game as easy as possible, and a tool like this could do that.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="mattcolville, post: 5467951, member: 1300"] Ok, so, let's just agree that the video game thing is a distraction. No one's talking about video games, we're talking about playing D&D using a virtual tabletop. Video games are no more relevant than cooking or running a marathon. Now, my first point is: WotC hasn't put together a virtual tabletop. It's a virtual battlemat. There's a difference, I feel. If I want to hand the players a map of the local area, and a handbill from the Overlord, and a portrait of an NPC, *and* a battlemat and let them all manage those images as they see fit, I can't do it in the WotC solution. I think that's a problem for anything calling itself a Virtual Tabletop. Especially when playing online, you need a lot of visual cues and references, as the players are otherwise in something of a sensory deprivation tank. But my second point is that IF they can make a tool that makes running the game easier but they do NOT then they screwed something up. Now, certainly you could argue--as it seems you are--that really all you need is a chat client and some whiteboard software and the player's and GM can do everything else, just as they would at the table, and that's fine. But why should the goal be "do as little as possible?" You can play D&D without minis or tokens. Should you? Should the VTT say "nope, it's all abstract shapes and M&Ms! No tokens and tiles for you!" There are other 4E VTT solutions that have lots of automation that let you switch on and off whatever you're comfortable with. Is that a flaw? Is giving the user...the guys *paying* for the tool...the ability to, say, target 5 dudes and roll one damage roll and have the tool automatically apply damage--just that OPTION--somehow bad? "No, you must do it by hand! The long way!" Nonsense. The goal should be making getting into a game, running a game, and playing a game as easy as possible, and a tool like this could do that. [/QUOTE]

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