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

[pogre]

Zoom with multiple cameras. Plays like in person with scenery and minis - just a little slower. I have found after teaching behind a camera all day I'm only good for a couple of hours of online gaming.

 

[Shiroiken]

Roll20 has the advantage of being free. It's tricky at first, for both DM and Player, but once you pass the learning curve it's pretty solid. I've played under Foundry, and feel it's a superior setup... for the players. As I understand it from the DM, there's an initial cost to purchase, and you have to do a lot of additional setup with the system to customize it. While it may be better for players, as a DM I'm sticking with Roll20.

 

[DND_Reborn]

We use Zoom for video and sharing screen and the DM has a powerpoint of the maps, dungeons, etc. with tokens on it for the VTT. It works great and allows the DM to set up stuff easily and quickly.

 

[Azuresun]

I bounced off the complexity and un-intuitiveness of Roll20 back in March, and I've been using Fantasy Grounds ever since. It took a bit of time for me to get used to stuff, but I'm really appreciating all the shortcuts it provides.

 

[Azuresun]

I bounced off the complexity and un-intuitiveness of Roll20 back in March, and I've been using Fantasy Grounds ever since. It took a bit of time for me to get used to stuff, but I'm really appreciating all the shortcuts it provides.

 

[DaveDash]

I've been using Roll20 for years but I find their development roadmap extremely slow, and the whole system just underwhelming. Also the quality of the WoTC modules seems to be going down in terms of Roll20 implementation. I can run Flight Simulator 2020 but Roll20 lags my computer like it's a 286.

Thinking about switching over to FG.

1. Is it easy to host games for people to connect to?
2. Do they get new modules on release (and configured)
3. Can I pay for all my players to join, or do they all need to buy a copy? This is the biggest barrier really since I run with a group of 6 players.
4. FG classic or FG unity?

EDIT: I see, I can buy Ultimate and my players can play for free.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I've been using Map Tools for at least a decade, but only in face to face gaming.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

@DaveDash In answer to you questions
1) it is easy to connect with the FG Unity version, Classic can cause issues.
2) I am not completely sure what you mean. If my interpretation is correct, then no. There is a lag from when WoTC releases a new module and FG creates the FG version.
3) as you observed, you can buy the ultimate licence and pay for all your players.
4) I have being using unity for a few months now with few issues. Just make sure everyone updates before a session. Most of our issues have been as a result of incompatible updates. I would not buy Classic at this point both from the upgrade cost to Unity and the new join game method just works better. If there are issues in joining a Classic game it can be a complete pain to troubleshoot.

 

[Brak]

Due to social distancing, etc. I researched VTTs extensively and settled on Foundry VTT for the following reasons that are important to me, but may or may not be important to others:

• One-time purchase of $50, no ongoing subscription or features locked behind a paywall
• Only the DM needs to buy it. The players don't need any software. They just connect up to his server via a web browser.
• Self-hosted. I don't have to worry about a company cutting support for it, making my investment into it worthless - if you don't want to self-host there is a paid hosting solution available for it through The Forge.
• Extremely extensible! If you know a bit of Javascript, HTML, and CSS you can make it do whatever you want. If your RPG system isn't currently supported (it currently supports 67 systems!), either just wait a while or make your own module to support your system of choice. The dev makes the API fully available and gives documentation on how to develop for it.
• The community support is incredible. People are churning out free add-on modules and system support at an amazing rate.
• I find the UI very intuitive, though others may not find it so

There are some drawbacks though. It may require a bit more technical knowhow that other VTT solutions, re: hosting, etc. Unlike Roll20 and FG it currently has no licensed support from WOTC or anyone else to buy pre-made adventures and sourcebooks, although there is a module that allows you to import data from D&D Beyond if you have a subscription. The 5e support is SRD-only unless you either add in additional content yourself (easy, but time consuming) or import books from DDB. I believe the developer is working towards getting licenses with WOTC, etc. though it is still early days (Foundry was just released in May). However even though I can't buy premade adventures, using Foundry in conjunction with Dungeondraft (there is export/import functionality that preserves walls, etc.) allows me to crank out good-looking maps quite quickly and I have close to no artist talent.

It's hard to get a feel for it by poking around the demo server on its website. I suggest watching some of the YouTube videos put out by EncounterLibrary and others to really see what it can do and decide if it right for you.


Brak

 

[Zaukrie]

Beyond20 now works with Astraltabletop. That's a huge step forward in my willingness to try a new one.......