Virtual Tabletops, which one do you use if any?

[ForestShepherd]

I thought I'd replied- what kind of images are you loading in owlbear.rodeo? I haven't had any problems with it.

No images at all. The site disconnects frequently and has latency up to 5 or 6 seconds for simple tasks like moving an icon. Even hovering my mouse over a tool on the sidebar can take seconds for it to acknowledge that I have done so.

 

[EOTB]

I might ask you about the 1e rulesets later if you don't mind

Sure thing

Are you running the Unity version yet? I had backed that but it was extremely buggy when I tried it, and after Foundry came out I kind of lost interest. Although Foundry doesn't have an AD&D rule system (or Castles & Crusades - FG's C&C ruleset is great), so I might give the new FG another look whenever I'm looking to run one of those again.

Yeah, unity is now working pretty solidly. I'm not using classic any longer. I do pay attention to the AD&D channel on the discord server, and do not download updates first - I let others do that. Sometimes there are screw ups in the updates that take a 2nd update to iron out, but not often. But Unity LOS is working now, and they're hinting heavily that ambient light will soon be dropped.

 

[chuckdee]

No images at all. The site disconnects frequently and has latency up to 5 or 6 seconds for simple tasks like moving an icon. Even hovering my mouse over a tool on the sidebar can take seconds for it to acknowledge that I have done so.

Weird. Definitely haven't seen anything like that.

 

[chuckdee]

Are you running the Unity version yet? I had backed that but it was extremely buggy when I tried it, and after Foundry came out I kind of lost interest. Although Foundry doesn't have an AD&D rule system (or Castles & Crusades - FG's C&C ruleset is great), so I might give the new FG another look whenever I'm looking to run one of those again.

I use FGU to run Rolemaster with no problems.

 

[chuckdee]

I’ve had Roll20 since the Kickstarter but making content on it is counterintuitive to my thinking process.

Same here. I just never could get it for use that justified the sub. I resubbed when we were playing just to support it, but I never used any of the advanced features. There are so many better platforms out there IMO.

 

[KrakaJak]

I used Roll20 for a while (even developed some sheets for it!). It's good.

That being said, I am now a full Foundry VTT convert. Everything runs smoother, I can host myself so I have unlimited storage, and the mod support is pretty great. It's less of a turnkey solution than some, but if you found Fantasy Grounds a bit too difficult, I found Foundry VTT much easier to get going.

 

[Voros]

Love the name of Owlbear Rodeo, anyone used it?

Owlbear Rodeo

A more bear-able virtual tabletop

www.owlbear.rodeo

 

[chuckdee]

Love the name of Owlbear Rodeo, anyone used it?

Owlbear Rodeo

A more bear-able virtual tabletop

www.owlbear.rodeo

Yeah, I did for a very few encounters just to check it out. I found the performance was based on the size of the map you loaded- it would load fine, but using the tools sometimes stalled out. I started using lower res/compressed images, and found the performance increased.

 

[Bunch]

Love the name of Owlbear Rodeo, anyone used it?

Owlbear Rodeo

A more bear-able virtual tabletop

www.owlbear.rodeo

Yeah, I did for a very few encounters just to check it out. I found the performance was based on the size of the map you loaded- it would load fine, but using the tools sometimes stalled out. I started using lower res/compressed images, and found the performance increased.

One thing I do really like about owlbear rodeo despite it's flaws is it plays well on mobile phones.

 

[Tom B]

Foundry was the easy choice for me. I admittedly could probably be doing a lot more with it, but I'm not that technically inclined, and I'm already doing a lot with it.

• One-time purchase, a ton of modules and support so that it does what you want.
• Players don't have to buy or subscribe and have full access to the game. (For instance, if one of them is going to GM a game, you just up their permission level.)
• Don't have to pay for hosting unless you want to. (I'm running it off my laptop with no issues.)
• Integration with D&D Beyond, so I can import any D&DB items that I've purchased and don't have to buy them again.
• Updates Foundry character sheets from D&DB.
• Can either roll dice in D&DB or in Foundry.
• Covers the RPGs I want, and for those it doesn't have yet, the generic set-up works well.

 

[crossmr]

I use TTS, and while it does cost money, it is often on sale very cheap and you can get a 4 pack for a new group also cheaply. Beyond the 3D aspect of TTS, I look at TTS as more of a complete platform than the rest. The rest are just for RPGs, and while many of them do that well in 2D, that's kind of all they do. TTS is more of a group activity and if your group wants to have a break and do something else, or do multiple activities together, it's great in those regards for playing tons of other games.

 

[Bunch]

I use TTS, and while it does cost money, it is often on sale very cheap and you can get a 4 pack for a new group also cheaply. Beyond the 3D aspect of TTS, I look at TTS as more of a complete platform than the rest. The rest are just for RPGs, and while many of them do that well in 2D, that's kind of all they do. TTS is more of a group activity and if your group wants to have a break and do something else, or do multiple activities together, it's great in those regards for playing tons of other games.

So I was just playing Dominant Species on TTS and man I can't tell you how frustrating the 3d physics aspect was. Tiles wouldn't lay flat, tokens slid around. I like the idea of it but the actual use of it was not as much fun.

 

[crossmr]

So I was just playing Dominant Species on TTS and man I can't tell you how frustrating the 3d physics aspect was. Tiles wouldn't lay flat, tokens slid around. I like the idea of it but the actual use of it was not as much fun.

I'll check that out and see if I can see the issue. I can't say that I've had any major issues with the physics in it, but I mostly play euro style board games and RPGs with it where the physics aren't super important. After placing an object you can right click and lock it to make sure it doesn't move around. We do that with character sheets in pathfinder to make sure we don't accidentally click/lift them when going for a text field.

 

[Bunch]

I'll check that out and see if I can see the issue. I can't say that I've had any major issues with the physics in it, but I mostly play euro style board games and RPGs with it where the physics aren't super important. After placing an object you can right click and lock it to make sure it doesn't move around. We do that with character sheets in pathfinder to make sure we don't accidentally click/lift them when going for a text field.

So in DS you are constantly putting pieces on and of hex tiles and occasionally have to move the underlying hex. The problem is after you have three adjacent hex's the one dropped into the slot often won't lie flat which then means the disks you place at the vertices are skewed and the cones you place on top are prone to falling and rolling. It's just a cascade of annoyance.

 

[Moonglum]

I do a lot of on-line roleplaying but don't use virtual table tops, and based on my limited experiences with using them with other groups I would not like to do so. I use a zoom connection with screen sharing to a separate camera trained on a physical play table with maps, figures, etc. I prefer this because it maintains a better sense of connection between players, who continuously see and hear each other, and with a real-world table top.

 

[Bunch]

I do a lot of on-line roleplaying but don't use virtual table tops, and based on my limited experiences with using them with other groups I would not like to do so. I use a zoom connection with screen sharing to a separate camera trained on a physical play table with maps, figures, etc. I prefer this because it maintains a better sense of connection between players, who continuously see and hear each other, and with a real-world table top.

Do you have issues with things appearing reversed?

 

[chuckdee]

Do you have issues with things appearing reversed?

That seems a strange tangent.

 

[Bunch]

That seems a strange tangent.

I only mentioned it because I was using a camera on a tabletop the other day and my writing was reversed for the viewers so it wasn't helpful.

 

[Brock Savage]

Hey Bunch recently rekindled my interest in Fantasy Grounds. How easy is it to do a customized version of B/X? I really want to give it a shot but I just don't have the mental energy to deep dive into programming and modding FG

 

[Bunch]

Hey Bunch recently rekindled my interest in Fantasy Grounds. How easy is it to do a customized version of B/X? I really want to give it a shot but I just don't have the mental energy to deep dive into programming and modding FG

I'm not sure right now. I purchased the 2e rulesets which in theory have a BEMCI extension for them. When I tried to use it I was getting non fatal errors. But I haven't looked into it a lot. Do you have the demo version or higher? I might be able to get it up and we can test it out a bit tonight.

 

[Brock Savage]

I'm not sure right now. I purchased the 2e rulesets which in theory have a BEMCI extension for them. When I tried to use it I was getting non fatal errors. But I haven't looked into it a lot. Do you have the demo version or higher? I might be able to get it up and we can test it out a bit tonight.

I appreciate your generous offer to help. Unfortunately the last week or so of the month is crunch time at work and at the end of the day I don't have the mental bandwidth to tackle a project with full effort and enthusiasm. Next week on the other hand would be a great time. Hit me up via PM or Steam and we can discuss!

Edit: In other news Bunny wants to get a group together for Overcooked next week. If you are interested it happens to be on sale for like $5.

 

[EOTB]

I didn't know there was a BECMI extension.

One thing about extensions: if the person who wrote it doesn't keep up with it, they start having those non-fatal errors as the underlying engine evolves.

One work-around that might be palatable is to use the 1E AD&D extension and just create copy/tweak the races to drop any AD&D-isms you don't want (can't really recall the differences atm) and then create an elf class with the BECMI spell/hit progressions.

Not sure if that would be more/less work or not. But you'd be operating under a well-supported extension you've customized the widgets used in, rather than well-supported widgets that the extension is not updated for (if the reason for fatal errors is not keeping up with the engine evolving).

 

[Moonglum]

Do you have issues with things appearing reversed?

It is true that L/R is reversed in a secondary camera shared through zoom. This can make for some good jokes the first time you notice it, but in my experience everyone quickly adapts.

 

[Ghost Whistler]

I'm sure it's easy to use but I've found Roll20 difficult to learn. Though I'm not desperate to use maps and tokens so I shoudln't need the more in depth tools. I would like to learn it but i've yet to play online. Discord seems popular though.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

I'm sure it's easy to use but I've found Roll20 difficult to learn. Though I'm not desperate to use maps and tokens so I shoudln't need the more in depth tools. I would like to learn it but i've yet to play online. Discord seems popular though.

I found it very difficult to learn until my players moved and I had to either a) recruit new players, b) not game at all or c) figure out how to still game with them. Suddenly found myself very motivated to figure it out.

 

[Brock Savage]

I'm sure it's easy to use but I've found Roll20 difficult to learn. Though I'm not desperate to use maps and tokens so I shoudln't need the more in depth tools. I would like to learn it but i've yet to play online. Discord seems popular though.

Same here. I sit down to work on Roll20 and get the impression it was made for people with a lot of spare time. I would rather throw money at a VTT system that requires less work on my end.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

Same here. I sit down to work on Roll20 and get the impression it was made for people with a lot of spare time. I would rather throw money at a VTT system that requires less work on my end.

I can assure that it's not. Basically, once I spent a bit of time to figure out the basic functions, my prep is pretty fast now. Keep in mind, that's maps, minis, character sheets and their data entry. And I improvise stuff all the time. If it were too much work, I would have just quit GMing altogether.

 

[Ghost Whistler]

Same here. I sit down to work on Roll20 and get the impression it was made for people with a lot of spare time. I would rather throw money at a VTT system that requires less work on my end.

I'll be honest I don't see myself ever paying for Roll20.

 

[ffilz]

I can assure that it's not. Basically, once I spent a bit of time to figure out the basic functions, my prep is pretty fast now. Keep in mind, that's maps, minis, character sheets and their data entry. And I improvise stuff all the time. If it were too much work, I would have just quit GMing altogether.

I agree. I don't use anywhere near all the functionality of Roll20, but what I do use is pretty quick and easy. Though sometimes I get stuck with some things. But most of the time, we just whip along. Some players use macros for rolls (I run Classic Traveller with modified Supplement 4 and RuneQuest 1e both of which are not supported by usable character sheets), some at least are using /r 1d100<60 to make a skill roll, others just do /r 1d100 and check the result manually. I use fog of war and use auras (or whatever they are) to show the extent of torchlight or whatever.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

I agree. I don't use anywhere near all the functionality of Roll20, but what I do use is pretty quick and easy. Though sometimes I get stuck with some things. But most of the time, we just whip along. Some players use macros for rolls (I run Classic Traveller with modified Supplement 4 and RuneQuest 1e both of which are not supported by usable character sheets), some at least are using /r 1d100<60 to make a skill roll, others just do /r 1d100 and check the result manually. I use fog of war and use auras (or whatever they are) to show the extent of torchlight or whatever.

Yup. We usually use what other people have built into the character sheets for us. And for Savage Worlds, I've uploaded "decks" to use for bennies and the Adventure deck. Everything else is completely situational (me adding tokens and maps as needed, which is such a quick process that I've searched maps in play and added them while we were still setting the scene).

 

[ffilz]

Yup. We usually use what other people have built into the character sheets for us. And for Savage Worlds, I've uploaded "decks" to use for bennies and the Adventure deck. Everything else is completely situational (me adding tokens and maps as needed, which is such a quick process that I've searched maps in play and added them while we were still setting the scene).

I looked at the available Traveller and RQ character sheets and all of them had issues that were a pain to deal with.

 

[Supervisor194]

So I was just playing Dominant Species on TTS and man I can't tell you how frustrating the 3d physics aspect was. Tiles wouldn't lay flat, tokens slid around. I like the idea of it but the actual use of it was not as much fun.

This was my first experience with TTS. I shelved it for the longest time. Now, I will never be without it. Once you learn the how to control the physics and create your own content it is an awesome experience.

 

[Tommy Brownell]

I looked at the available Traveller and RQ character sheets and all of them had issues that were a pain to deal with.

Not familiar with those. Everything I've used has been fine. Savage Worlds, 5e and ICONS I've used extensively. Others I've just kind of horsed around with.

 

[Bunch]

This was my first experience with TTS. I shelved it for the longest time. Now, I will never be without it. Once you learn the how to control the physics and create your own content it is an awesome experience.

I've played plenty of games with TTS. For the most part it's fine once you get used to it. DS just really highlighted where it's not ideal.

 

[ffilz]

Not familiar with those. Everything I've used has been fine. Savage Worlds, 5e and ICONS I've used extensively. Others I've just kind of horsed around with.

Very old school. 1977 for Traveller and 1978 for RuneQuest 1e. There is a Classic Traveller character sheet but you can’t add skills so it can’t handle the fess was skills I add from Supplement 4 (I don’t add all the new skills just a few) of the odd GM special. The closest to RQ1 is for RQ3 which has different math (plus I have house rules which also change the math).

So really I need custom sheets which means paid subscription and some effort.

 

[Spellslinging Sellsword]

Do any of them have Talislanta sheets? I tried finding one on Roll20 and didn't find anything.

 

[Arcane_Avatar]

I don't think FVTT has one. How different is it from 3.5D&D or even 5e?

 

[Bunch]

I believe there is an extension to MoreCore that does Talislanta in fantasy grounds

 

[Spellslinging Sellsword]

I don't think FVTT has one. How different is it from 3.5D&D or even 5e?

Fairly different, but ultimately I guess I could just have people use a sheet from another game or just have them in print and trust what they tell me is on the sheet.

 

[Arcane_Avatar]

You could certainly do it with I think Role as that allows you to use a pdf of the sheet and add options for die rolls to it. FVTT has a PDFoundry module which allows you to use one of the generic rule systems (Sandbox or Simple World Building) to use a fillable pdf as a character sheet but that's bit more work.