Yea i got it but never used it to complex, and roll 20 just pay to win. now i just use tabletop simulater on steam it only need workshop stuff and you can add thing, plus cheap.
@aaronmizell6578
4 ай бұрын
Lol, exactly!
@iPivo
4 ай бұрын
One thing that i’ve been experiencing for the past 4 years using VTTs: At some point everything comes to a halt and the session becomes a IT stuff… “it os rolling with the wrong bonus”, “did you remember to mark the target”, “why can’t I see anything”, “can you give vision to my familiar”, “I’ll reload, just a second”
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
Facts. 😆 That stuff can happen a lot when using VTTs.
@nickm9102
4 ай бұрын
It is very much a thing of the DM needs to basically run the session as prep just to resolve issues like that. Unfortunately that means one of two things 1. The DM creates a copy of every PC and starts multiple VTT accounts to pretest all the functionality using multiple computers and several hours per session. 2. The DM wings it and if something fails to work they switch it off and try again later.
@michaelmcnamara1839
4 ай бұрын
So true - sometimes that can really break the flow or the immersion! I so often give up and get them to use the generic dice roll thing in chat and then stitch it all together by hand, but its very awkward!
@baitposter
4 ай бұрын
This highlights the true problem: no VTT is good enough for the task yet They need to be flexible, robust, _and_ intuitive.
@taragnor
4 ай бұрын
Yeah it always shocks me how many issues seem to go wrong with VTTs. Even testing it yourself as the GM won't prepare you for the myriad of weird things that may happen due to graphics card drivers, different browsers, unstable connections, or some guy running on a tiny resolution that screws up the UI.
@rylandrc
4 ай бұрын
Another limitation of playing online in general: Only one person can really be speaking at a time when everyone shares the same voice channel. This means that side conversations about the game or players planning something while someone else is taking their turn is much harder to do. When only one person can speak, its more likely that other players are going to lose interest or get distracted, imo.
@WorseSquash9
3 ай бұрын
I play with my friends on discord, and we always use the text chat when we want to make a joke without interrupting the session. For secret stuff we also use DMs.
@VentsongeGaming
4 ай бұрын
one of the main issue i ran with my online groups is that they get so used to having maps for exploration mode that they tend to complain when we have to do theater of the mind once in a while, they tend to not understand the work it can be to setup maps for unpredictable events. and that never happen with my in person game since we just have a barebone flip mat
@EitherProductions
4 ай бұрын
In the Visual Aids Don't Always Aid section, I've found a caveat from my experience with my players, and that is they will forget/ignore most of my description of the room, so having the visual aid will usually end up with players presenting more interactions than theater of the mind. They have virtually no creativity whatsoever unless they can actually "see" something.
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
Yeah it's definitely a double edged sword. Imo it works both for and against the GM at times (of course depending on the group and art).
@baitposter
4 ай бұрын
Good idea to keep decorum to 3-4 items of descriptive interest, or one per party member +1
@EitherProductions
4 ай бұрын
@@baitposter If the idea is to control the number of descriptive hooks for the players to latch onto, then I'd remove the second option. I have 6 players in my main campaign, not including guests, so that would amount to 7 points of interest, which is way too many. I think your original idea of 3-4 works great, regardless of whether you have 3 players, 6+ players, or just one.
@baitposter
4 ай бұрын
@@EitherProductions I stick to the former rule as well, especially since players will often want to investigate the same item, but thought to throw out the other learned option if it appealed
@Den_drummer
4 ай бұрын
Regarding battlemaps, in my personal opinion: unless the battlemap is an exact match of the situation, less is more. Like how with an irl battlemap you usually just draw the basics like walls.
@thedogmaticdirector
4 ай бұрын
I make a lot of my maps using Dungeondraft and export them to Foundry, usually through UniveraalVTT, sometimes as a WEBP file if it's a big map. One thing I try to do is make the map look like a real place by adding things you would expect to find, but keeping the decoration down to the bare essentials to minimize the players finding things that aren't actually important. It also increases the chance that they ask for scene descriptions.
@ddfordummies5099
4 ай бұрын
The general descriptions were accurate: VTTs lead to more distractions, going entirely virtual, cost, time investment, etc. However I would say that with modern gaming, it is harder to avoid. I feel like it is everyone’s preference to play face-to-face if they can. However if real life scheduling conflicts occur it is easier to continue the session if it’s online and accessible digitally. As the player base ages, it is more likely that friendships become remote. The thing that I would mention when it comes to picking a VTT, I would say that if we break those into things to consider: - Subscriptions vs one-time purchase - Hard copies of content vs cloud-based purchases - Time to learn for DMs vs players - Customizability and financial hurdles/upgrades - Developer attention and quality of life Detail on maps is a DM decision. I have seen DMs come with graph paper and markers and others with hand painted textures. I have seen VTTs with basic details sketched on as they were described to an empty grid system and others with 3D and animated features. If you are artistic and have a vision, I would recommend Dungeondraft and Wonderdraft as fantastic custom software to create both battle maps and world maps. I prefer people to do their own research on VTTs when it comes to making a decision if they are going to use one. However I will mention that I’m surprised that Foundry has yet to be sued or shut down for the piracy that happens in that marketplace. Outside of that, Talespire, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, and Tabletop Simulator are definitely highly mentioned but there are definitely many more out there. Even publishers are trying to push into this space. What makes the most sense to you probably differs from table to table.
@neepers
4 ай бұрын
I've spent over probably over 100 hours learning Foundry. This rabbit hole goes incredibly deep. But it does everything you can imagine. I think it can turn it too much like a video game though.
@john-vl3mm
4 ай бұрын
>then you'll most likely be forced to and will have to subscribe to a third-party hosting service While this is still kind of what you referred to, I host on a VPS that I was already using before I'd even heard of Foundry or was interested in DMing. So while I am paying for VPS hosting, it's an expense that using a VTT hasn't added or affected at all. As for giving users access to your network, Foundry's instructions are to simply forward the port and you can put the device in a DMZ and use something like a Cloudflare tunnel so you're not sharing your IP. I also have Foundry set up on a VM behind a reverse proxy with restrictive firewall policies, (also with proxied DNS).
@Joel94162
4 ай бұрын
players having to buy seats (for the GM to own) is why we're switching away from Talespire. $85 bucks for a base VTT (and seats for players) and not getting basic mechanics like any game rules, fog of war, or animations? nah. Moving to foundry :) I did like building maps though :( may still use talespire myself for making custom scenes and animations.
@kildaroy6530
4 ай бұрын
Hi Nate, you touched upon this briefly in the video, but it would excellent to hear about your experiences utilizing VTTs in an in-person game. I do the same thing, as the tools and comfort of VTTs helps me perform my DMing better, but without a "proper" TV-Table, it is often down to my players pointing at an upright TV while we all sit on the couch. It's worked out okay enough, but the topic is vastly underdiscussed beyond "get a table you can put a TV on." Your efforts in every video is always wonderful to see. Thanks!
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
So I've done both methods before, but I mainly use the standing TV method because it's easier to setup, I don't have to make/buy a special table/stand, and I mainly run online sessions nowadays. But with the standing TV method I've tried a couple different methods for allowing the players to point out/interact with the battlemap, but probably my favorite was using a projector to show art, battlemaps, and stuff like that, and then you can handout little $1 laser pointers to your players so they can point out where they want to move and stuff. But of course there are downsides to this cuz projectors are prone to getting hot, you sometimes need to replace bulbs, and they can be loud or pricey. ☹️ IMO, the TV battlemap table method is the ideal strategy for integrating VTTs into your in-person game session, but it doesn't work for everyone because you might not have the space to replace/put in a new table, the cash to buy a TV or replace your current one in case it breaks, etc. But as always, everyone has their own method of doing things, whether it be making/buying a table for your TV to act as the battlemap, using projectors, having dedicated chromebooks/tablets for viewing the battlemap, or whatever. There's of course downsides/sacrifices to each method, it all just depends on what works the best for your group. 🎲 Hope this helps and happy gaming! 🧙♂️
@isaace8090
4 ай бұрын
I've been using roll20 for almost 3 years for a Stars Without Number game and for a number of years before that for games such as Magic World. I also used to play on the old Fantasy Grounds before the update. They key is to keep it simple. I have a bunch of maps uploaded and I also have a few that I will reuse just for a battle map depending on location (another fight on the space station? Well, here is a similar corridor that is the same map with a few extra items thrown on it). I will also scribble a map if I need to show something that is difficult to explain. I don't use music, sounds, or sound effects. They become more distracting and can be annoying for some people. The problem seems to be when people try to turn the game into an MMO and it becomes a huge time sink and disappointing. Sound and lighting can be time sinks for what I find to be minimal value added. Just reveal the fog on the map. If something sneaks in behind i nthe dark, just plop it down on the map after it does it's thing. My only vice is AI NPC portraits. I can't draw and most sci-fi portraits already out there seem to be Star Wars related. I want the game to have it's own feel. So far my portraits page isn't killing anybody's PCs. Actual IT issues are minimal. It usually takes a few minutes and we are all up and running on roll20 and Discord. Most of the players are proficient enough at roll20 they rarely run into problems. To keep player attention, keep the shoe leather to a minimum. Let the characters roleplay, but don't get bogged down to the point the game grinds to a halt. Be careful on long drawn out descriptions of locations. I find it better to give a description and then have the PCs ask some questions to help fill in the gaps. They seem to remember that better. I've been guilty of shoe leather earlier in the game, but I got better.
@misterb6
4 ай бұрын
In answer to your question on rolling, we use Foundry with Dice So Nice and all rolls are virtual. While you don't get the tactile feel of the dice actually in your hand, the visual and sound effect is close enough, I think. And a few of us have added extra sounds to Nat 1s and 20s for more fun.
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
I love that DSN let's you add in custom sfx, such a cool feature.
@RAVANAZAR
4 ай бұрын
GoDice are physical dice with a bluetooth connected app and Foundry has GoDice module. V12 will have support built in.
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
@@RAVANAZAR yeah I've been seeing more and more Bluetooth dice sets coming out, but I've always been weary of buying them because of some of the reviews and frankly the price. But one of these days I'll have to get a set and see if they're worth the price. 🤔
@mikebearthegamer1365
4 ай бұрын
For my group who uses roll20, it's more out of necessity since 2 of my players live away from me and my other players and also just easier, but how I do it is that if it's not a battle map, we'll be in a white void and my players are actually gkod artist so they just start drawing my description of backgrounds and also just funny memes too. But one day we'll play in person, and it'll be chaos cause then they'll have to count in their minds
@BouncingTribbles
4 ай бұрын
It makes sense if you're only online, but as a partially offline DM I just don't like them because they at least double my work. Unless I do my design and writing work directly in VTT I have to do all the transcription myself, and if I do it directly in the VTT I don't have a physical copy. Main quests are fine, but what about locations/quests/lore that you're not sure they'll ever encounter? Writing some notes and sketching a quick battle map on graph paper takes 15 minutes, recreating that same encounter in a VTT is going to take longer; and they might never see it. To me it's the level of investment that determines if it's worth using. If I was trying to be a professional DM and running multiple paid sessions a week then I would definitely think about using a VTT. As a regular DM who is mostly worried about getting sessions scheduled it's actually insanity to even consider using a VTT.
@michaelmcnamara1839
4 ай бұрын
Having the right thing selected and targeted is the thing that always gets me. As a GM I'm always opening a bunch of different stat block windows to select the attack action. I always forget to un-select the token for the stat block I just opened and re-select the unit I'm actually targeting! I guess I should write a macro or something to get around this.
@michaelmcnamara1839
4 ай бұрын
Oh and last thing - maybe this is on me - I always hand wave giving the party loot or items then think "Shit! I have to create that now!" Their inventory ends up becoming a bunch of IOU's I have to wire up in the break between sessions! thats probably down to my own impulsiveness and poor preparation I guess!
@aperson7552
4 ай бұрын
Myself and a fellow GM I play with regularly have both been using Fantasy Grounds for years... VTT was the only choice as we are spread all the way across the US and Europe, so in person wasn't an option. It definitely has its quirks and annoyances but everyone we play with is relatively familiar and comfortable with its use at this point and the automation definitely makes it easier for newer players less familiar with all their skills etc that modify roles so they're not endlessly looking things up on their character sheet, or constantly being asked by the GM to confirm if they have a particular ability that they should have applied. However for our latest campaign, the other GM has suddenly decided to use Foundry and is adamant its "better" (no specifics given).... the learning curve is not going well to say the least. Hard to say whether FG was as bad when we first started, but I don't remember it having quite as many teething troubles. Might just be rose tinted spectacles. I'm still waiting to see the benefits, but I would tend ot say at this point unless you have a very clear and specific reason to swap once you're familiar with one, don't!
@Stirrups
4 ай бұрын
I run into the visual aid problem a lot. It's so bad that my players get mad at me when I forget to un-pause the game just because they want to move their tokens around. At the same time, constantly relying on maps for every little thing is a) very time consuming and b) more of a hinderance to my own growth as a GM, because I never have to actually work on improving my descriptions/narration. It also just feels slower, harder to keep people engaged, and less like a real social event. The few times I've been able to play in person, it's like a completely different game, and I'm so much more in love with it. Sadly, I have party members in completely different parts of the country.
@WillyEast
4 ай бұрын
I would like to hear what players love about VTTs. I am just starting to go online with DnD after 15 years of TT and it has been a struggle to learn even what programs I need .
@lukaarsovski2995
4 ай бұрын
For the life of me, i couldn't get into it. I just get aggravated trying to set up a game as a dm. I hate using avrae and d&d beyond in discord, so a vtt is basically my kryptonite. I absolutely despise the time consuming chore that is to use it, nevermind the cost of the premium ones
@LeeJCander
4 ай бұрын
Love using them online. Hate using them in real life. It’s very easy to get sucked in to fiddling with them and losing some of that theatre of the mind stuff.
@BrandonPatrk317
4 ай бұрын
The immersion issue is a problem across the board. I have 4 players, 1 hates theater of the mind and another literally cannot put words to images in their mind. For those two, we have to use physical maps. And if I;m using map TILES vs a full MAT, there's a bit of setup. And I find that the more physical things I add to help them, the less the OTHER two ask about (or remember) details provided outside of the maps. It's a constant push and pull that usually just requires me to be extremely loosy goosey with the things they remember. Yeah, they stepped over a spot that had a trap in this one round, 2 rounds later, someone else says, "I can't move there, right, because there's a trap, right?", I just say, "Yeh", and move on for the sake of the game. It's like a quantum landscape. Stuff is simultaneously there and not there depending . . .
@garykinney16
4 ай бұрын
We only use digital dice. I was rolling secret checks with Physical dice, but I have found it easier to whisper a roll from their sheet.
@justinblocker730
4 ай бұрын
2 words: Owl-Bear Rodeo
@Uajkoniak
3 ай бұрын
One of the issues I had with VTTs was the amount of additional prep required for homebrew. E.g. I sometimes add custom magic items for my games like "Tome of Blessing" that works exactly like "Wand of Magic Missiles" but with Bless spell and reflavored. With in-person game, I usually just say the description but with heavily automated VTT, you have to create a custom magic item, share it, make sure it works properly and add all the bonuses etc. I once ran a whole campaign converted from D&D 3.5 to 5E where 50% of monster stat blocks were custom. My second issue was that the ability to make something look and work well triggered my perfectionism. I noticed that at some point my prep was taking twice as long as usual because I started creating scripts, automation, looking for perfect maps and tokens (or even creating them myself).
@wingedhussar2909
4 ай бұрын
People like using them and you can do as little or a much as you want. It's a great tool.
@Zych.Grzegorz
4 ай бұрын
Without a VTT I wouldn't be able to play more then once or twice a year.
@nickm9102
4 ай бұрын
I would say that your evaluation is flawed. You can play D&D without a VTT online. It just means ToM with the DM having a labeled grid image to send everyone and you all use that as a reference. I do understand that your meaning is that you are either unwilling or unable to find a group that plays in person. I host one of the games I am in at my house and I found myself trying to decide if I wanted to bother with the hassle of going to the game store to play in another game.
@vincentmiller9555
4 ай бұрын
While I absolutely adore the automation suite of tools in vtt's, it just wasn't working for some of my players. We switched to an in person style with an advanced camera setup for our one out of town player and it has changed everything for the campaign. The way I DM, the way the players engage, the tension in scenes, it's all so much more potent. If the need ever desired to switch back to a vtt, I would be at peace with it, but would heavily filter my players before starting a campaign there.
@subterranean327
4 ай бұрын
When I DM online, I literally doodle my own maps, import pictures of player tokens, and screen share my drawing software. The downside is that I have to move tokens for my players, but man. Players still have to use physical dice, and the map has minimal detail, so imagination still applies.
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
What a cool idea! I'd probably never be able to do this tho cuz I suck at drawing. 😆
@aaronmizell6578
4 ай бұрын
My brother's all live hours away and I use VTT to bring us together every other week. That would not be possible without this platform 💕
@SamuelDancingGallew
4 ай бұрын
For the map thing, I've started just drawing the basic scribbly maps, rather than grabbing maps from online (especially since there aren't many sci-fi maps, plus, some maps are way too detailed). And that usually keeps the PC requirements pretty low for everyone. As for visual aids, I don't use them for much more than representing a large area, such as a city or world map. This may also have something to do with the fact that I don't have any visual aid images. Now if I did have visual aids, I don't know that I'd use it for much other than to establish "Hey, you're in a cave, not under the moonlit sky" since as was mentioned, the details can get in the way. Ultimately, my ideal TTRPG setup would be a table with a map that I can easily change or set up in seconds (an expanding table for big setpiece maps would be perfect), walls that change appearance to reflect the environment, lights that can be used to illuminate the Players individually from everything else, and sound effects that help to key into everything that's happening. Basically the Critical Role Set, but more advanced and refined for in-person games. Also, I do like having some automation for character sheets at the very least. This way, the Players can do their book keeping without much hassle.
@Rastayeti666
4 ай бұрын
for keeping attention, in my sessions the phones must be off. i explain the players why and remind them i spend countless hours to prepare the session, especially in a vtt, and its a sign of respect for the work to turn the phones off for a while AND everybody will have more fun. And after a few sessions, the magic happens and most people love to have a reason to turn their phones off for a while and live in the moment.
@nojusticenetwork9309
4 ай бұрын
Phones off feels unreasonable for a variety of reasons. Sure, you might want players to pay attention to what you are working on but life is still happening outside of your session, situations and emergencies happen. If people can't get ahold of your players because YOU think this game of make-believe is so important that they have to cut off the main source of communication, priorities need to reevaluated.
@Rastayeti666
4 ай бұрын
@@nojusticenetwork9309 omg, how could people survive back in the days there were no cell phones. 30 years ago we all lived in pure chaos. and hey, if you want to keep your handy, search for another table. btw exceptions can be made in case the world outthere need you so much, but 99% that isnt the case
@amyloriley
4 ай бұрын
I'm not sure about this because I just started doing it myself and I don't have a lot of playtest feedback; but a good middle road between battlemaps and theatre of the mind could be to have area descriptions, as text on index cards or stick-it notes, in otherwise empty-looking rooms on the battlemap. Instead of just narrating the skeletal bones on the floor when the PCs enter the room, try also bullet-pointing that description on a note card and put it in the players' view. On the table, or virtually. That way, players can reference the room layout long after you first narrated it and trying to remember certain details that might already be lost. -- BASEMENT -- - Skeletal bonus scattered on the floor - A magical aura coming from a wall - Door on northern side looks scratched up heavily -- HIDDEN BASEMENT -- - A vent in the ceiling, steam coming through - An altar with a tome - Walls look and feel slimy
@rogerwilco2
4 ай бұрын
Why the distracting music in the background?
@Lycaon1765
4 ай бұрын
I like stuff such as roll20 personally, but I've played irl before and that's pretty good too. I don't like most other VTTs because they just are so obnoxious to use. Foundry is just overengineered, yes it does what it does well but as a player it's just buggy, frustrating, and a pain on the senses (and wifi) when the GM has 8 billion effects turned on. And from what I understand/hear it's fairly time consuming to use as a GM, meanwhile I can have a roll20 game up in a minute or less. I've tried something liek aboveVTT for 5e and Shard. Above was glitchy and shard needs to show people how to use their sheets cuz I got lost the first time around, but otherwise it's pretty interesting. Don't have any GM experience with those.
@skexis1212
4 ай бұрын
Could you give a link to the background music?
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
The majority of the music I use is made by Travis Savoie, I'd definitely recommend supporting him! kzitem.info/news/bejne/0quM2qqXfYaQoIIsi=iHqI2oHhiyMBCFl0
@nickm9102
4 ай бұрын
I am waiting for the point where everyone gets together at the same place to use a VTT while in person playing. This is getting closer than I would like considering that the groups I play with all use either our computers or phones for Character sheets and the DM typically is running from a module or campaign notes on their computer.
@formergoat9257
4 ай бұрын
My group uses Foundry for mapping only (we play in person). All dice rolls must be done with physical dice.
@porkers7792
4 ай бұрын
While there are certain systems that are def amazing to play in person, I feel VTT's are great for systems which have a lot of crunch, the automation helps alot.
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
Couldn't agree more
@vernonhampton5863
4 ай бұрын
As a professional game master, I have to say, this is an outstanding video. Thank you.
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
Happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 😁
@baitposter
4 ай бұрын
VTTs need to be flexible, robust, _and_ intuitive, and none of them have fully nailed that yet
@WillyEast
4 ай бұрын
Update after watching the video: I am even more nervous about getting started with VTTs as I am not computer literate. I finally found out that I will need a map program and a VTT but now am worried about having the players interact with the battle maps to move their pieces, etc. It is becoming more of a distraction as I should be focused on the actual game development.
@MyrKeys
4 ай бұрын
I use TablePlop (used to use Owlbear Rodeo v1, I dislike v2) and form-fillable PDF character sheets (for games that have those as an option / someone in the community made them)! Keeps the in-person "feel", in my opinion. Incredible simple maps, usually drawn in the moment, simple tokens, no animations and no automation.
@Iancoghlan
4 ай бұрын
Hey Natertot, I’m a new viewer of your channel, I’m currently going through setting up FoundryVTT, and you raised something at the start of your video I’m interested in. I’m not sure if you’ve done this before, but is there any chance you could do a video, or just link to a previous one, around finding battle maps and sources and stuff?
@nattertot
4 ай бұрын
I'm planning on making a video like this, but I would heavily recommend looking into any of the battlemap creators I have linked in the description (especially Forgotten Adventures). They all make high quality battlemaps and some even come premade, meaning that you can just download the maps as a mod and they come premade with maps, sounds, lighting, and all that stuff.
@Iancoghlan
4 ай бұрын
@@nattertot awesome! Thanks for the quick reply, and I’ll be sure to check those out
@BrandonPatrk317
4 ай бұрын
TaleSpire is such a PITA. nice video, though, as always.
@edwardkopp1116
4 ай бұрын
I just supported RPG Stories because I want to move to VTT DMing professionally and they're DM Tier Kickstarter came with 5 free player passes and players only need to download the free player version. I'm looking forward to learning it over the summer.
@duncbot9000
4 ай бұрын
12:50 "they might get distracted and go play _cool math games_
@DustinDustin00
4 ай бұрын
Give me the STANDARD APP MENU... You know: "File | Edit | View | ... | Help" make every feature easy to find in those menus and include the hotkeys there. Don't hide every clever feature behind some UI-invisible action. The moment one of them, and I seriously do not care which garbage company does this, any one of them includes a full feature menu, I'm switching to it.
@perkysaurus2307
4 ай бұрын
I just use discord and a bot for the dice. I found out that though i bought foundry it is not worth it to me. I would rather focus on the story and setting which I can work on anywhere a have a bit of time with pen and paper than trying to get program to represent exactly what I want.
@AKA_Kira
4 ай бұрын
We have only one player that is insistent on rolling physical dice
@neonGliiitch
Ай бұрын
As a GM, I hate how video gamey they feel. At a real table players aren't hovering over a map constantly moving their tokens and fidgeting with them, and so on. They sit back, look at the GM, listen to the GM, maybe stack up some dice. But there is no constant map hovering, token controlling. In a VTT, that's all it is. I've used party tokens before where everyone could see from it but I was the one moving it around, and I've been told by players that it felt less engaging for them to not have a token they were moving around. But why? You should be engaging with me, not your token. If a token is where your engagement comes from then I feel you're here for the wrong reasons. IDK. It's just something I've struggled with as an eternally online GM. I love VTTs in a lot of ways, but boy oh boy do I hate tokens and dungeon exploration. Also as a side note, this is only on published adventures. When I make my own, I only make maps for combat encounters. I don't sit here and map out an entire dungeon. Think of it like how Matt Mercer runs his games and only pulls out a battle map for combat. That's how I do my own stuff, but I also run published adventure paths and people hate if they aren't looking at a map and playing with tokens, but for me it's the worst aspect of a VTT. Listen to your GM, put the token down. You'll get to play with it during combat. Exploration mode should be a conversation between you and the GM, not you and a token on a map.
@SplotchyInk
4 ай бұрын
How do I say this One, I trust my players with their rolls, and they trust me with my rolls. So we use physical rolls. Mostly cause I'm superstitious and have constantly seen digital RNG programs really screw people up. Its mostly one of those "You can use the digital dice but you can use physical", and I've always used my own physical in person dice cause I've seen the computer seemingly just bully a player with BS rolls perpetually. You cant SEE THE CODE Physical dice are the one true randomiser as you cant simulate the CHAOS OF REALITY *waves arms around making spooky noises* Though other than that, we just use a simple VTT, either vague maps or I've made a target map, mostly just using it as a way to show people general distances.
@nojusticenetwork9309
4 ай бұрын
The whole immersion/keeping player attention point is kind of meh for me. DM's who are really that pressed about how much their players paying attention are a little full of themselves. As was mentioned, people play these games for a variety of reasons and the GM should know what those reasons are for their player and be willing to give grace. Not every word you utter is of such great importance, not every piece of RP will be that interesting or engaging, and not every combat will be a nail biter. GM's need to accept that in 2+ hours of game time, players will be distracted and even bored at some points. The only thing a GM needs to do is ensure that those moments are outweighed by the fun the players have because when they think back on those sessions, they will hardly remember the out of game moments.
@Akeche
4 ай бұрын
When it comes to battle maps from actual products stuff put out by Paizo, WotC but also smaller companies like Frog God games. Their maps are never super detailed and in fact might come off as "barren" to a lot of people because of how OVERcrowded we've gotten used to even smaller creators making their maps. Yet people who play these using the map straight from the source material don't seem to have any problem understanding that yes there is something there that isn't a highly detailed drawing on the map.
@martijnsanders8527
Ай бұрын
About your 'it ain't cheap' argument... its false. I used to play IRL after work. Drove into amsterdam, had to grab some food and then pay 5 hours of parking before driving home after eleven. Each evening of play easily cost me 50$, twice a month. Online play is super, super cheap.
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