D&D 5E Which Virtual Table Top are you using right now and what do you like best about it?

[Swarmkeeper]

Aside from home games with family or within our bubbles, we are presumably all playing online these days for obvious reasons. I'm curious which VTT most 5e DMs and players on EN World are currently using. Especially interested in hearing comments about what features you find most helpful in running/playing your games. Also, for those of you who have used more than one of these VTT options, which one you do you prefer?

 

[J-H]

Discord for voice+text+dice, plus screenshotted Excel battlemaps.

 

[Oofta]

I use roll 20 with Beyond20 chrome extension and make tokens with token stamp. We use zoom for video chat.

I don't use most of the functionality other than maps. I have a love-hate relationship with the maps because I usually run a very improv heavy game and having enough maps is a pain. I also use the line of sight (which I like) but is also a pain because I have to manually go in to every map to put them in, even purchased maps.

On the other hand darkness, heavy fog, blindness really do work better when the screen only displays what your PC actually sees. Because I use Beyond20 I can do all my rolls in DndBeyond and also use it to display many of the monster images.

 

[TheSword]

I use roll 20 with Beyond20 chrome extension and make tokens with token stamp. We use zoom for video chat.

I don't use most of the functionality other than maps. I have a love-hate relationship with the maps because I usually run a very improv heavy game and having enough maps is a pain. I also use the line of sight (which I like) but is also a pain because I have to manually go in to every map to put them in, even purchased maps.

On the other hand darkness, heavy fog, blindness really do work better when the screen only displays what your PC actually sees. Because I use Beyond20 I can do all my rolls in DndBeyond and also use it to display many of the monster images.

Is Beyond 20 worth it? I use roll20 a lot and love it, but haven’t really tried add ons, other than the modules I run.

 

[Oofta]

Is Beyond 20 worth it? I use roll20 a lot and love it, but haven’t really tried add ons, other than the modules I run.

Beyond20 is free and if you have DndBeyond, you can do practically all of your rolls in DndBeyond for both characters and monsters. So it's a nice convenience feature. It is limited to chrome, but as long as you're running both on the same machine I've found it handy. Lot easier than trying to create all the characters and monsters in Roll20 for me, anyway.

So for example for my Allosaurus I can click to get a dex save, get the DC for the pounce or the attack and randomized damage for the bite. It shows up in the chat (DM only) for monsters, shows up in the chat for everyone for my PC if I'm not DM.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Switched to FantasyFrounds from ROll20 when FG got official WoTC support. Really like the combat tracker and other automation. It took a bit of getting used to it though. I would not switch away from it now.

 

[LordEntrails]

FG.

I know many people feel differently, but I found Roll20 to be a horrible interface and extremely difficult to use. Not so with FG, I like the UI and found it very easy to learn. I also prefer not relying upon a service from a company I don't trust (Orr Group) and like the architecture of FG (I can create and play offline).

Never used Foundry. It's too new for me to spend time on. No idea if it will still be viable in a few years. But it gets good reviews.

 

[Mort]

Beyond20 is free and if you have DndBeyond, you can do practically all of your rolls in DndBeyond for both characters and monsters. So it's a nice convenience feature. It is limited to chrome, but as long as you're running both on the same machine I've found it handy. Lot easier than trying to create all the characters and monsters in Roll20 for me, anyway.

So for example for my Allosaurus I can click to get a dex save, get the DC for the pounce or the attack and randomized damage for the bite. It shows up in the chat (DM only) for monsters, shows up in the chat for everyone for my PC if I'm not DM.
View attachment 126976

I use Roll20 with beyond20 as well. Initially I loved it, but cracks are developing.

1. I've noticed more and more lag when rolling dice using beyond20. Initially it was almost instantaneous but lately dice rolls take upwards of 30+ seconds. That's just too long and I've stopped using the dice roller. I suspect, but have not yet confirmed, that the culprit is the 3D dice from D&D beyond - which seem to be getting more and more laggy (you can turn off 3d dice on Roll20 but not on D&D beyond - at least not without disabling the dice roller completely). Hopefully this will improve, but it seems to be getting worse over time.

2. While I love the combat tracker in D&D beyond, using it with beyond20 is annoying. The combat tracker displays exactly what monster you are using (if there is a way to hide it I don't know it). Which means it's that much harder to surprise the group; and reskinning (which I love to do) is also problematic.

3. As I DM more with Roll20, I've just noticed more and more problems with the interface. I've gotten better with it but the limitations are really telling. Such as you have to be very careful with maps, and you MUST test prior to the session - trying to improvise a map on the fly risks it not loading properly and massive amounts of lost time.

4. The customer support is, so far, terrible. I emailed them a question and, in addition to taking over a day to respond (even though I marked the issue as important) the answer was literally to a different question! My question was clear and straightforward - the rep must have
read the first sentence and assumed I was asking a different question without bothering to read the rest. Not encouraging!

So right now, I'm reluctantly sticking with Roll20, but I'm not thrilled with it.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I use zoom for the video chat and had been using Microsoft Excel on a shared screen for the map and tokens.

But then one of my players told me about Owlbear Rodeo, a new free basic VTT that works like gangbusters for someone like me. Upload a gridded map (or use one of their basic blank ones), use the tokens provided or upload some of your own, cover the map with fog of war, then send your players the web address to load in. They then can move their own tokens around the map.

It is a simple and easy VTT that doesn't bother with adding in all the rules of 5E, it's just for easy mapping. As my players all have their characters on D&D Beyond, the easy map is all we need.

 

[ninjayeti]

FG is my favorite either as a player or GM. The automation has a bit of a learning curve but it is great once you get the system down. I even use it offline to run test encounters and such because it makes it really easy to run fights.

Roll20 is fine. It has a big community which makes it easier to find games in the limited time slots I have available to play. But even after 200+ hours on it I find the interface clunky and hard to navigate.

I have only used Foundry once on the player side - it seemed like a solid system, but I don't have enough experience with it to give it a more detailed review than that.