You down with VTT? (yeah, you know me...)

Choosing a VTT

So, I wanted to make it clear from the title that I don't have much experience with Virtual Tabletops (VTT's). While this is a review post of sorts, it should not be confused with Expert opinion. I am clueless, and I am asking as many questions as I am providing insight. I'm looking for a conversation here.

That said, it's mid-September, and we're back to school. Depending on what that means for you, you might find yourself back where you were last May. My Wednesday night group is made up of three families, including mine. The other two families involved have chosen cyber / distance options this Fall, while my kids' schools only offered going back full-time. I am a teacher, and I am back full-time. So, with two families limiting exposure and my family going full-exposure at three different schools, we can no longer enjoy our Wednesday night session in person.

I'm going to begin with an overview of a lot of your options, and then I'm going to narrow in on My Top 3 recommendations based on how I think it will work with kids. I'm not doing a deep dive here. This is more of a shallow wade... I didn't even look at all of the online options available, let alone the vast number of mobile VTTs. This not comprehensive by any means, and I really hope that I've missed some amazing hidden gem so that someone can share it in the comments and make my life more rich by doing so. 

 

Addendum: Owlbear Rodeo

When I first wrote this post, I shared how you can use Google Slides, a tool almost every student in this country has access to / an account with to stand in as a VTT, along with Discord or Zoom or Google Meet. This was based on  this video by Tabletop Terrors. My argument was that this had the lowest barrier to entry for young players. What if there was something that worked better with a lower barrier to entry (no account necessary for players)? 

Owlbear Rodeo is straight brilliant. Owlbear Rodeo, as explained on the site, is an attempt to make a web app to run tabletop encounters without the complicated setup process needed for other VTTs. For a more in-depth review of this fantastic tool, check out Mike Shea's post on the topic.

So, as you read everything that follows, remember that in my current opinion, Owlbear Rodeo is your absolute BEST option for a VTT, when combined with whatever you use for Voice chat (Zoom / Meet / Discord etc.)

 

The VTT Big Three

Roll 20

I'm starting with Roll 20 because it's the most well-known of the Virtual Tabletops, and there's good reason for that. It works for the DM and the players. Initially I dismissed Roll20. I'm a design guy, and from a design perspective, Roll20 is functional, and that's about it, but it has a lot going for it. First, you can use it for free! Second, it has a great tool for players, called the Charactermancer, which allows them to set up their character in a very streamlined fashion. 

The Charactermancer also allows them to level up their characters as well. Another big feature for me, is the fact that it works well on iPad (as long as you request the mobile version)

The biggest drawback to Roll20 from my perspective is that it doesn't natively interface with DnDBeyond - some folks go all-in with DnDBeyond and want to stick with that. There is a tool called Beyond20, but I think it's a browser extension that runs Macros, so you have to be comfortable with that. 

Astral

I really really want to use Astral! It has all the design that I want Roll20 to have. It's free to use. The interface is great for DM's. It does a lot of really cool stuff for free. I love this tabletop! If I were running live games with one of those cool gaming tables with a TV mounted in the middle, I would definitely be using Astral. 

For various reasons, though, mainly on the player end, I'm not using it. It has no character tools like the Charactermancer. It also has a lot of features that use WebGL for advanced graphics. While this makes it look cool, it also makes it run a lot heavier, and not really work at all on iPad.

Fantasy Grounds

This VTT seems to have the most features and superb automation for many game systems, including support for everything D&D official, including .mod files, which comes with alot of WoTC digital content. 

For me, the deal-breaker is that it is not free and not cheap. At least there is an option for only the DM buys the ultimate version and have everybody else can connect to him / her without paying anything. Otherwise everyone has to buy a standard license for themselves. It also seems difficult to learn and use, particularly for the DM. 

DIY VTT and other initialisms...

Google Slides + Discord / Zoom / Meet

I first learned about this from this video by Tabletop Terrors. The basic idea is that you can use Google Slides, a tool almost every student in this country has access to / an account with. It's also a good bet that they're familiar with using it, including the chat features and everything else.

Here's my modified take on it. First, I set my slide size to 36" x 24" or a 3:2 aspect ratio to match most maps easily. Then, after uploading the maps I need, I use rectangles for my fog of war, if I feel it's necessary. Finally, I upload my player's tokens, place them on the map, and size them ahead of time in order to save time and avoid a lot of unnecessary clicking and dragging by the players at once. For tokens in Google Slides and on Roll20, I use Token Stamp 2, by Roll Advantage.

Theater of the mind + Discord / Zoom / Meet

This is a great option in general, and has the lowest barrier to entry. I love this idea in theory, but we always end up needing to put some tokens on a grid for some reason or another. Maybe it's the time I spent in 3.5 or the fact that my first set was the Black Box, which was based on the old theater-of-the-mind rich B/X rules, but came with a grid map and paper pawns. 

 

I've seen people do this and give their map it's own login for Discord, setting up a phone or tablet to point oat it and use a physical map with minis. Either way, if you just need to get your game online, use the lowest barrier to entry for starters. If all your kiddos are using Zoom for school, use Zoom. If everyone has a Discord account, use that.  

Hardcore DIY with Open Source

If you're a tech-savvy DM, which I am, and have experience setting up servers, which I do, you may want to check out some of the open-source VTT's available. Despite my level of technical skill in this area, I have not done anything with this. Honestly, I don't have the time to devote to it. I am busy, and I do this for fun. I'm not going to make this an extra job. If I did it, I know I would go over the top with it. For now, I leave you with these three promising leads on Open Source Virtual Tabletops.

• MapTool - Also a really good article & tutorial.
  
• OpenRPG
• PlanarAlly

If you have experience with any of these and would like to post a review, I would love to add it to this blog.

My top 3

Okay, so I feel that I should now make some recommendations for those of you playing with kiddos. Ultimately, you're going to choose the option that works best for you. If, like me two weeks ago, you've found yourself in this situation with no idea what to do and no opinion, hopefully my recommendations will help. I've made my top three recommendations base on the following criteria:

• Is it easy for players to set up and use?
• Is it a good facsimile for what I do in my face-to-face games?  
• Does it work on different types of devices? 

First, if you're playing D&D with kids, and you've had to take your game online, I can't recommend enough using Discord / Zoom / Meet to start. It's the lowest barrier to entry, and it works on any device. Your kids probably already know how to use at least one of these. Fire it up, grab your character sheets and dice, and go for it.  

Second, once you've taken the plunge with Discord / Zoom / Meet, it's not difficult at all to add in some visual elements with Google Slides. Again, this is a tool that almost every student in this country has access to / an account with. It's also a good bet that they're familiar with using it. Heck, You can start by just sharing your screen and moving the tokens around yourself.  

Third, if you want to take the plunge and try a real VTT, I recommend Roll20. That's what I'm using with my Wednesday night group, and they love it. They love the maps with the fog of war to reveal hidden areas as they explore. They love the music / sound effects that load from Tabletop Audio (something I use in my face-to-face games). We've run into a few hiccups, but taking the plunge seems worth it. I'll definitely be adding some more help videos to my YouTube channel on Roll20, so maybe they will help your group as well. Here are two of my latest, kept super short for the kids:

Good luck. Great Gaming. DFTBA..