Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
VTT Impact on GMing Skills
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 8228460" data-attributes="member: 97077"><p>I don't really find I've set aside any skills with online play, but then I've been doing it since around 2011 (no video ever), so it's pretty much second nature to me now. Prep does go up in general compared to some table games; however, this needn't really be so. A good evocative picture can be used as a splash page in some scenes and challenges rather than a detailed map or the like and that's easy enough to find, upload, and present. Then the DM can improvise while the players have something to look at.</p><p></p><p>Even with detailed maps though, I think the DM really does need to make an effort to stick to the play loop (DM describes environment, players describe what they want to do, DM narrates the result of the adventurers' actions), effectively putting what's in the environment "on the record." And hopefully what is on the map matches what the DM is saying so there is no confusion. I think a DM does the game a disservice when they get sloppy about the play loop.</p><p></p><p>Spotlight management can be something to watch out for as well, particularly if you're not using video. It's important to spread it around so that nobody feels left out. Combats make this easy with initiative, but other scenes can see some players contribute less unless the DM is calling on them with some regularity.</p><p></p><p>Otherwise, the VTT is a great asset, so much so that I use them at in-person games too. Just the speed of the dice macros and rolltables saves so much time as compared to rolling dice, doing math, and cross-referencing tables - time that we can spend enjoying more content per session. Beautifully rendered maps and art (including character and monster tokens) replace hand-drawn maps and figurines, meaning I don't have any cleanup after the game or storage issues. I also buy a fair amount of music online so that I can tailor make some great soundtracks for each of my games. Dynamic lighting means players see what their characters see, too, which is neat.</p><p></p><p>Otherwise, play loop and spotlight management are the main things to keep and eye on in my view (but then that goes for a table game, too).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="iserith, post: 8228460, member: 97077"] I don't really find I've set aside any skills with online play, but then I've been doing it since around 2011 (no video ever), so it's pretty much second nature to me now. Prep does go up in general compared to some table games; however, this needn't really be so. A good evocative picture can be used as a splash page in some scenes and challenges rather than a detailed map or the like and that's easy enough to find, upload, and present. Then the DM can improvise while the players have something to look at. Even with detailed maps though, I think the DM really does need to make an effort to stick to the play loop (DM describes environment, players describe what they want to do, DM narrates the result of the adventurers' actions), effectively putting what's in the environment "on the record." And hopefully what is on the map matches what the DM is saying so there is no confusion. I think a DM does the game a disservice when they get sloppy about the play loop. Spotlight management can be something to watch out for as well, particularly if you're not using video. It's important to spread it around so that nobody feels left out. Combats make this easy with initiative, but other scenes can see some players contribute less unless the DM is calling on them with some regularity. Otherwise, the VTT is a great asset, so much so that I use them at in-person games too. Just the speed of the dice macros and rolltables saves so much time as compared to rolling dice, doing math, and cross-referencing tables - time that we can spend enjoying more content per session. Beautifully rendered maps and art (including character and monster tokens) replace hand-drawn maps and figurines, meaning I don't have any cleanup after the game or storage issues. I also buy a fair amount of music online so that I can tailor make some great soundtracks for each of my games. Dynamic lighting means players see what their characters see, too, which is neat. Otherwise, play loop and spotlight management are the main things to keep and eye on in my view (but then that goes for a table game, too). [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
VTT Impact on GMing Skills
Top