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1 year ago ::
May 05, 2012 - 11:32AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Sep 16, 2011
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while im not the DM i am usually the one to organize when we play, so i figured this would be the right board to post
so we've been finding it harder and harder to get together and play, its been that way to the point where we havent had our full party in months. we decided to try online ways of playing like maptool and traipse but none of us can even get these to start working properly let alone run a game
all we need is a map and tokens and we can figure out the rest
any suggestions?
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1 year ago ::
May 05, 2012 - 3:31PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Dec 13, 2010
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If you are having trouble with programs just have everyone use skype, with an extra camera set up for the DM to display maps and such on the desk. Display the map video large on your screen and your friends can be linked through voice only or smaller video displays. Otherwise you'll have to wait till Roll20 is released. roll20.net/ - This will be how we play D&D online in the future.
Just in case I failed to mention; I am playing D&D 3.5e.
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1 year ago ::
May 05, 2012 - 4:14PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Sep 16, 2011
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im actually well aware of roll20 and im pretty hyped about it
unfortunately for the webcam thing, i dont even have the money for a headset, let alone 2 webcams
for the moment we found a website called rpgtonight.com that seems to be simple enough and we are going to try to use that
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1 year ago ::
May 13, 2012 - 10:00AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jan 12, 2012
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Tabletopforge works now. It doesn't have many features yet, but it is improving . tabletopforge.com/From my experience, you can easily play without a webcam, but it doesn't work well to play online if you cannot speak to eachother, so you do need a headset.
DISCLAIMER: I never played 4ed, so I may misunderstand some of the rules.
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1 year ago ::
May 13, 2012 - 11:11AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Mar 10, 2011
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Unless you do a play-by-post game... then you only need an internet connection, a forum to post in (or a way to e-mail each other), and plenty of motivation and patience.
My experience with play-by-post games is that the quality of the writing and storytelling seems to be pretty high, but they are slow-paced, it's tough to organize the games and keep everyone motivated, and it seems that the games tend to fade out after a couple months of activity.
So, very ambitious, long-term campaigns really get no justice from play-by-post games, and tactical numbers-crunchers would find a harder time getting into them than the talky storyteller types. But, play-by-post games can be done, they are inexpensive, and it's hard for anyone to claim that they can't find any time to play in them, as long as they can set aside an hour or so to write an e-mail or forum message every couple days.
New DM Tips
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- Trying to solve out-of-game problems (like cheating, bad attitudes, or poor sportsmanship) with in-game solutions will almost always result in failure, and will probably make matters worse.
- Gun Safety Rule #5: Never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. (Never introduce a character, PC, NPC, Villain, or fate of the world into even the possibility of a deadly combat or other dangerous situation, unless you are prepared to destroy it instantly and completely forever.)
- Know your group's character sheets, and check them over carefully. You don't want surprises, but, more importantly, they are a gold mine of ideas!
- "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It's a problem if the players aren't having fun and it interferes with a DM's ability to run the game effectively; if it's not a problem, 'fixing' at best does little to help, and at worst causes problems that didn't exist before.
- "Hulk Smash" characters are a bad match for open-ended exploration in crowds of civilians; get them out of civilization where they can break things and kill monsters in peace.
- Success is not necessarily the same thing as killing an opponent. Failure is not necessarily the same thing as dying.
- Failure is always an option. And it's a fine option, too, as long as failure is interesting, entertaining, and fun!
"Broken or not, unbalanced or not, if something seems to be preventing the game from being enjoyable, something has to give: either that thing, or other aspects of the game, or your idea of what's enjoyable." - Centauri
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1 year ago ::
May 13, 2012 - 12:14PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Nov 16, 2006
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I have been using Google+ Hangouts combined with a shared Google Drawing Doc. You can see and hear everyone; additionally, everyone is able to control token on the map. Obviously, you don't get all the specialized tools from programs like MapTools, but we found those tools to be too cumbersome to deal with anyway.
I've gotten a bit annoyed with online play as I simple don't enjoy it as much as being in person around a table, but using G+ made things smoother than anything else I had tried.
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1 year ago ::
May 13, 2012 - 2:38PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jun 19, 2004
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Using things like Maptools and such is free and pretty easy. I'd also recommend the VTT for something that is pretty generic and easy, but if you are having money issues that might be a problem.
Currently working on making a Dex based defender. Check it out hereSpoiler:
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Need a few pre-generated characters for a one-shot you are running? Want to get a baseline for what an effective build for a class you aren't familiar with? Check out the Pregen thread here
If ever you are interested what it sounds like to be at my table check out my blog and podcast here
Also, I've recently done an episode on "Refluffing". You can check that out here
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