Ways to play D&D online?

[Aeolius]

I know it is hard to argue with free, but it's also hard to complain about paying for FG.

Unless you have Mac OS-using players who are wary of "Wine based cross-platform software". I have a few players who have difficulty with running VTTs and for reasons of their own do not wish to utilize voice/video.

I have been running my Sunday game in an IRC chat room for over 4 years, now. It may sound a bit low-tech, but it works.

 

[Steel_Wind]

Then you're using the wrong codec. Skype sound quality is crap compared to a good Vent/TS codec.

I've tested all three extensively in MapTools games, WoW and keeping up with friends overseas for many years now and I stand-by my assertion that Skype is crap.

I see. Well, how about this not insignificant point then:

What VIDEO Codec does your Vent/TS use? Is the video quality that you get from Vent for your video conferencing superior to Skype's, too?

I know it is hard to argue with free, but it's also hard to complain about paying for FG.

I have no argument with the graphical prettiness of FG2. I own the program for that reason. It is slick as slick can be. I do have some issues with its lack of out of the box support for Pathfinder, but putting that aside, that isn't the issue for my group.

I would point out that there is also a lot of prep work for setting up and running a module in FG2 as well. Part of the prep work is actually kind of fun for people who enjoy that sort of thing (and I do) but it can get tedious over the course of a campaign.

The real issue comes down to the fact that playing with a VTT, however well designed, it's still technology that makes our game session feel like we are playing a computer game. And we don't want that. We use a method which allows us to make our game feel like we are all playing around the same table, face-to-face. Just playing Pathfinder with dice and minis.

The setup I described above accomplishes that rather perfectly in a way that no VTT, by definition, can reproduce.

 

[Kzach]

What VIDEO Codec does your Vent/TS use? Is the video quality that you get from Vent for your video conferencing superior to Skype's, too?

You're the only one that gives a rats about the video. I, and everyone else in the thread, only ever talked about the audio.

 

[OnlineDM]

[MENTION=56189]Kzach[/MENTION]: I'm sure that Vent is awesome. I personally use Skype because it's what I'm familiar with, and I've never had any problems with it. Everyone I play with already has the program, and it works for them, too.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm not saying Vent might not be better than Skype. But I truly have no complaints with my Skype experience, so I've had no reason to look for an alternative.

 

[teach]

You're the only one that gives a rats about the video. I, and everyone else in the thread, only ever talked about the audio.

I also would like audio and video, and many other people have talked about using video with their games as well.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

I've had lots of success with just Skype for games that aren't tactically complicated, and Skype+Fantasy Grounds for games that are. In my experience, Google+ Hangouts basically give you the same functionality as Skype, but with video as the default.

For people who are interested in checking out ConstantCon, which is still ongoing and will be indefinitely, the organizational posts are all on Playing D&D with Porn Stars; the current games available thread (as of right now) is at Playing D&D With Porn Stars: ConstantCon Week 3 Is In Effect
I played in one game, with TavBehemoth as GM--it was loads of fun.

 

[Hussar]

Just as another option for sound, we use https://voxli.com/ for our games. It's pretty simple. It does get a bit buggy from time to time and I'm not sure why - still in Beta. But, for sound quality and whatnot, it's certainly fine for us.

Here's an example from play: Home Again Home Again

I'd like to try Fantasy Grounds, but, (and I've had this rant before) I LOATHE the pay program for FG. There is no way that I'm paying double as the GM. AFAIK the only difference between the GM and the Player versions is the GM can host. That's it. I'm paying extra money to advertise someone's product. Plus, since all of my group also GM's, we'd all need GM versions. No thanks.

When they stop screwing over users like that, then I'll give FG a look.

BTW, has anyone seen EpicTable RPG Virtual Tabletop ? Now that looks interesting. Entirely browser based. Very nice.

 

[IronWolf]

BTW, has anyone seen EpicTable RPG Virtual Tabletop ? Now that looks interesting. Entirely browser based. Very nice.

I had not seen that one before. Are you sure it is browser based though? Their FAQ seems to indicate it is a windows application more than browser based. Perhaps I missed something though?

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, IronWolf, I may have misread that one.

 

[Naszir]

Another vote for Fantasy Grounds here. Such a time saver for tracking effects/conditions. Once you get the hang of it, ease of use is nice. I did a 4e version of the Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde for my group. If you don't mind laying out the cash it is a well done program that still gets good support and they are constantly looking to improve it.