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Online Tabletop RPG resources; Playing PnP RPGs internetz sytlez
Topic Started: 19 Sep 2009, 12:14 (433 Views)
Ankhanu
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Dark Lord
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With things as they are, table top gaming seems to be hard to come by these days. But, for those of us who love to game, distance can be overcome vie the internet. PLenty of resources are available for those interested in taking their table top gaming to the internet, and dungeonmastering.com recently ddi a short article covering some of the options:
"dungeonmastering.com'
 

The Digital Tabletop Gamer’s Toolbox

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 10:05 PM PDT

Things happen to gaming groups. Folks move away, get married, have kids or for whatever reasons just aren’t able to get together anymore. Sometimes people just cannot find groups in  their area at all. That doesn’t mean you can’t play! The internet is a good for more than just brilliantly written blogs and killing time at work, it can let you game with people all over the world. Online games can be a bit tricky, but with right tools you can find them much easier.

Voice Chat

This one seems like an obvious one, but it is sometimes overlooked. Voice is easier and conveys more emotion than text. A computer microphone is a very small investment for each person to make. Many gamers already have one if they play video games. There are several free voice chat programs out there which you can use for your games. I recommend Skype or Ventrilo. If you run a simple game you can get by on just voice chat conferences and an appointed game time. A few more tools can really enhance the experience however!

You could also play via video chat, but a webcam represents more of an investment for some people. Additionally, I have yet to find a program that does free group video conferences, just one on one. If you know of such a program please share in the comments!

Battlemats

If you like using battlemats or are playing a system that requires one, this presents some difficulties for online play. The lowest tech solution would just be to point a webcam at a physical map and have your players dictate their moves. But your options get so much more advanced than that. There are a number of different programs out that that serve as virtual battlemaps that the DM can host while other players log in and move their respective pieces as they would on a normal mat. I have two recommendations for battlemat programs depending on what you are looking for, luckily both are free!

MapTool by RPTools is an incredibly expandable program. It makes potentially infinite maps with art assets imported from anywhere, can be loaded with the framework of any game system, track light and visibility for tokens on the map including their light sources and special vision, and much much more. Of course, all these options make for a steep learning curve. MapTool represents some amazing possibilities but demands a large time investment to see those possibilities realized. I can recommend some great video tutorials, but there is still a lot to learn.

Gametable is the total opposite. It doesn’t try to manage rules for the group, it comes with the simple assets you need and has a very minimal UI. The lack of features doesn’t make it bad, it makes it easy. Anyone can learn to use Gametable in just a few minutes. You can draw on it just like your battlemat at home, drag pieces around and make simple shapes with easy. If you are looking for a virutal battlemat that lets you play and doesn’t complicate your life, this is it.

Organization

In some cases playing online is an advantage! Normally bringing your computer to the game can prove a burden or distraction, but in online play it is entirely an asset. You can take advantage of digital tools during your game. For instance, an Obsidian Portal wiki can keep players engaged between sessions but you can also reference your story notes in a very organized format during the game itself. You can even expand your notes and add NPCs to the tracker as new things are introduced in the middle of the game!

Our own Dungeon Mastering Tools enable you to save your database of monsters, encounters, treasure and traps for quick reference during the game. We also have a new DM screen tool that enables you to very easily track all of your monster stats, initiative order and notes while running encounters.

Lastly, if you’re running a 4e game the D&D Insider compedium is a great tool. You can look up keywords you may have forgotten in the glossary. If the game goes in a direction you don’t expect, you can easily look up new monsters, treasure and traps and your players will never be the wiser.

Do you run an online campaign? What tools do you use in your game?


I have used Gametable along with a couple other forum members to some success... the program was quite easy to use and pretty flexible. It does have its limitations, but the service provided benefits far outweigh its lack. The only real problem we had was a lack of player commitment.

Really, I think that the main issue with online gaming (and table top gaming itself) comes down to commitment. It's pretty easy to brush off an online meeting time because you don't have to see the people being left behind; it all seems a little less real, but when the games do happen, the experience can be great.

Any other good online tools for playing PnP games over the web?
In Real Life ™, people who aim to maximize their potential for lethality are called "dangerous psychotics" and are typically avoided by everyone who isn't forced to endure their company until someone has the opportunity to put them away or else put them down. No one likes that guy. Don't play that guy.

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Neraeos
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I've been using the demo of Dundjinni in order to create some wilderness battlemaps. It's working well enough that I'm considering buying the full program ($40 or so) to get access to more art. See some examples at http://www.dundjinni.com/

I haven't used this for the main campaign yet, but if you're able to access Macray's Keep, look at the tactical maps for the Renegade Hunters subcampaign for examples of what I was able to make with the demo plus touchups in Powerpoint.

Edit: Regarding RPtools, is that something for chat-based gaming, or for more play-by-post gaming? Is it free?
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