Roll 20 Virtual Table Top

[AGNKim]

Does anyone use this to play C&C? I do and I really think these guys have hit a home run. It's really amazing. I get my face-to-face fix in Steve's game every week, but I run my game online and we all love it.

I talked with one of the creators about getting C&C listed as one of the default games and he said they usually create default games from the Looking For Group section. If they see a lot of demand for a certain game, they make it a default. So, if you are looking to play, head over and start a post in the LFG section and mention C&C. I'm also in the early stages of creating a C&C module exclusively for Roll20. Seems like it could be fun.

It's the wave of the future, people!

http://roll20.net/

[alcyone]

Yeah, it's perfectly usable for online C&C games. The macro/character sheet stuff has a way to go, but on the other hand, I don't have macros at the kitchen table either. One advantage it has over many of the other VTTs is it's on the web so pretty much cross-platform. I see a lot of people who use it also use G+, though, so those are games I won't be playing. The built in chat is sort of buggy.

[Breakdaddy]

Roll20.net is great. I run a Dark Heresy game from their virtual tabletop interface and the dice macro engine has enabled me to speed up the combat quite a bit. Recommend!

[Aramis]

Does anyone use this to play C&C? I do and I really think these guys have hit a home run. It's really amazing. I get my face-to-face fix in Steve's game every week, but I run my game online and we all love it.

I talked with one of the creators about getting C&C listed as one of the default games and he said they usually create default games from the Looking For Group section. If they see a lot of demand for a certain game, they make it a default. So, if you are looking to play, head over and start a post in the LFG section and mention C&C. I'm also in the early stages of creating a C&C module exclusively for Roll20. Seems like it could be fun.

It's the wave of the future, people!

http://roll20.net/

We use it for our games. The ease of connection makes it very attractive, but like Aergraith says it does not yet compare to the features in maptools, especially as regards macros. Maptools lets you have separate macros for every token on the board, each automatically tailored to the individual creature's stats and primes. So an orc might have "bow attack", "bow damage", "sword attack", "sword damage", "damaged" (i.e. inputing any damage the orc suffers at the hands of the players), and "healing" macros.

Whereas roll20 just has universal macros, not one's tailored to the HD, BtH etc of individual creatures and tied in to separate tokens. Or at least it did last time I tried to use macros on it. It has a few other annoyances with tokens, loading images, maps etc.

But like I said, roll20s ease of connection makes up for a lot of these issues.

In a broader sense, I agree with you completely about virtual tabletops being the future of gaming. So many gamers bemoan their lack of opportunites to game now that they have adult lives and responsibilities, but online gaming makes it quite easy to fit gaming into your week, and the quality of the experience is very close to the face to face version (although you do tend to have technical glitches, people dropping from the call etc)

Eventually, I envision these virtual tabletops doing a lot of the rulebook stuff/ calculations "under the hood". So to throw a fireball, a player would simply drop a circle on the map, and the program would calculate saves, resistance, individual monster immunities etc for all affected creatures for the DM. Then the game would really start to motor along

[Rigon]

Like Aramis said, we use Roll20 for some of our games. But I still like MapTools best.

R-

[alcyone]

Eventually, I envision these virtual tabletops doing a lot of the rulebook stuff/ calculations "under the hood". So to throw a fireball, a player would simply drop a circle on the map, and the program would calculate saves, resistance, individual monster immunities etc for all affected creatures for the DM. Then the game would really start to motor along

This is close to how Fantasy Grounds II works with the Pathfinder ruleset. The C&C one is getting some attention from some volunteers now though so maybe some of that will get ported over. Of course, it's actually harder to do that for a simpler system; when there's a rule for everything you can tell the computer what to do.

[Arduin]

This is close to how Fantasy Grounds II works with the Pathfinder ruleset. The C&C one is getting some attention from some volunteers now though so maybe some of that will get ported over. Of course, it's actually harder to do that for a simpler system; when there's a rule for everything you can tell the computer what to do.

Truth. Plus doing by hand for a million years so having the computer not do it isn't a minus.

[Breakdaddy]

Does anyone use this to play C&C? I do and I really think these guys have hit a home run. It's really amazing. I get my face-to-face fix in Steve's game every week, but I run my game online and we all love it.

I talked with one of the creators about getting C&C listed as one of the default games and he said they usually create default games from the Looking For Group section. If they see a lot of demand for a certain game, they make it a default. So, if you are looking to play, head over and start a post in the LFG section and mention C&C. I'm also in the early stages of creating a C&C module exclusively for Roll20. Seems like it could be fun.

It's the wave of the future, people!

http://roll20.net/

We use it for our games. The ease of connection makes it very attractive, but like Aergraith says it does not yet compare to the features in maptools, especially as regards macros. Maptools lets you have separate macros for every token on the board, each automatically tailored to the individual creature's stats and primes. So an orc might have "bow attack", "bow damage", "sword attack", "sword damage", "damaged" (i.e. inputing any damage the orc suffers at the hands of the players), and "healing" macros.

Whereas roll20 just has universal macros, not one's tailored to the HD, BtH etc of individual creatures and tied in to separate tokens. Or at least it did last time I tried to use macros on it. It has a few other annoyances with tokens, loading images, maps etc.

But like I said, roll20s ease of connection makes up for a lot of these issues.

In a broader sense, I agree with you completely about virtual tabletops being the future of gaming. So many gamers bemoan their lack of opportunites to game now that they have adult lives and responsibilities, but online gaming makes it quite easy to fit gaming into your week, and the quality of the experience is very close to the face to face version (although you do tend to have technical glitches, people dropping from the call etc)

Eventually, I envision these virtual tabletops doing a lot of the rulebook stuff/ calculations "under the hood". So to throw a fireball, a player would simply drop a circle on the map, and the program would calculate saves, resistance, individual monster immunities etc for all affected creatures for the DM. Then the game would really start to motor along

I have individualized macros in my roll20 game that tie to specific stats for individual tokens but maybe Im not understanding what you're referring to here. I do know that you can add stats for tokens/creatures/characters and macros for individual tokens/creatures/characters in the roll20 interface as well as universal macros. Totally agree on the funkiness of the art/tokens interface. It can be really picky and slow but normally its not an issue. A few friends and I were playing a maptool game online and the game itself rocked but we had a couple of very computer illiterate guys with one being on a mac and we had a hell of a time trying to get him and another guy configured past their NAT and even after we did it was hit or miss for them. Really killed the game for us. Not maptool's fault but it can be daunting for total computer noobs to configure, at least it was two years ago when we did it.

[Fiffergrund]

It goes to show you how long I've been out of it - I had no idea this existed. I am going to set this up very soon. Just to have the ability to do a remote session is a big bonus - it's difficult when kids are in the mix to get everyone in the same room all of the time.

[Aramis]

Does anyone use this to play C&C? I do and I really think these guys have hit a home run. It's really amazing. I get my face-to-face fix in Steve's game every week, but I run my game online and we all love it.

I talked with one of the creators about getting C&C listed as one of the default games and he said they usually create default games from the Looking For Group section. If they see a lot of demand for a certain game, they make it a default. So, if you are looking to play, head over and start a post in the LFG section and mention C&C. I'm also in the early stages of creating a C&C module exclusively for Roll20. Seems like it could be fun.

It's the wave of the future, people!

http://roll20.net/

We use it for our games. The ease of connection makes it very attractive, but like Aergraith says it does not yet compare to the features in maptools, especially as regards macros. Maptools lets you have separate macros for every token on the board, each automatically tailored to the individual creature's stats and primes. So an orc might have "bow attack", "bow damage", "sword attack", "sword damage", "damaged" (i.e. inputing any damage the orc suffers at the hands of the players), and "healing" macros.

Whereas roll20 just has universal macros, not one's tailored to the HD, BtH etc of individual creatures and tied in to separate tokens. Or at least it did last time I tried to use macros on it. It has a few other annoyances with tokens, loading images, maps etc.

But like I said, roll20s ease of connection makes up for a lot of these issues.

In a broader sense, I agree with you completely about virtual tabletops being the future of gaming. So many gamers bemoan their lack of opportunites to game now that they have adult lives and responsibilities, but online gaming makes it quite easy to fit gaming into your week, and the quality of the experience is very close to the face to face version (although you do tend to have technical glitches, people dropping from the call etc)

Eventually, I envision these virtual tabletops doing a lot of the rulebook stuff/ calculations "under the hood". So to throw a fireball, a player would simply drop a circle on the map, and the program would calculate saves, resistance, individual monster immunities etc for all affected creatures for the DM. Then the game would really start to motor along

I have individualized macros in my roll20 game that tie to specific stats for individual tokens but maybe Im not understanding what you're referring to here. I do know that you can add stats for tokens/creatures/characters and macros for individual tokens/creatures/characters in the roll20 interface as well as universal macros. Totally agree on the funkiness of the art/tokens interface. It can be really picky and slow but normally its not an issue. A few friends and I were playing a maptool game online and the game itself rocked but we had a couple of very computer illiterate guys with one being on a mac and we had a hell of a time trying to get him and another guy configured past their NAT and even after we did it was hit or miss for them. Really killed the game for us. Not maptool's fault but it can be daunting for total computer noobs to configure, at least it was two years ago when we did it.

Yes, we had similar problems with maptools. It does tend to be a bit tricky at the beginning, especially for the host. Plus it used to be updated a lot, but it seems to be a more stable build now.

As to my maros complaint re: roll20. Perhaps you can do it in roll20 and I just missed it. I have never DMed roll 20, just played. But last time I tried to make macros for my PC's token they were not tied specifically to the token. so I would have a universal macro that was /r 1d20+3+2+1 for my "to hit". Not a problem as a player, but as a DM I want separate ones for each token on the map. The idea is I would just click "sword" once I selected the evil blackguard token and it would know to roll "BtH+StrBonus+magic weapon Bonus+specialisation bonus" all tailored to that token. Then I can click a different opponent, and they have a whole different set of macros, tied into their different HD, BtH, stat bonuses, magic bonuses etc. The whole set of macros changes each time I click on a different token

So, if roll20 is actually doing that, that is most excellent. Maptools does do all of that, which is why we like it, even with its other complications. But we enjoy roll20 as well.

[alcyone]

As to my maros complaint re: roll20. Perhaps you can do it in roll20 and I just missed it. I have never DMed roll 20, just played. But last time I tried to make macros for my PC's token they were not tied specifically to the token. so I would have a universal macro that was /r 1d20+3+2+1 for my "to hit". Not a problem as a player, but as a DM I want separate ones for each token on the map. The idea is I would just click "sword" once I selected the evil blackguard token and it would know to roll "BtH+StrBonus+magic weapon Bonus+specialisation bonus" all tailored to that token. Then I can click a different opponent, and they have a whole different set of macros, tied into their different HD, BtH, stat bonuses, magic bonuses etc. The whole set of macros changes each time I click on a different token

You can tie macros to your character sheet now. Still, though, it doesn't have a rich macro language like MapTool. You can write simple expressions, but you couldn't automate your character sheet completely, or test for certain values; it's just there to print results.

NPC tokens can be optionally associated with a character sheet. If you do that, you can make macros based on their abilities. If you had a lot of them though, it would be pretty unwieldy, it's not as object-oriented as MapTool where a token can contain all of the behavior and data it needs, and there is no right click menu to get you fast access to the macro.

[AGNKim]

Not gonna copy-paste a bunch of stuff...

You can have macros for each character. I have made character sheets with macros for melee-attack, ranged-attack and all the attribute check tailored for each person based on their ability scores, BtH, level, etc. All my players have to do is click one button and everything is rolled for them. The monk in the party automatically gets both attacks, the fighter has his Weapon Specialization built in. I made a ton of handouts by taking screen shots of relevant info from the PHB then linking that to the character sheet, so when the Cleric, for instance, wants to use his 'Turn Undead' ability, he can click a link on his character sheet and the applicable write-up in the PHB pops up on screen so he can roll the correct number of dice, etc. There is an init tracker that I open before combat and everyone rolls his initiative. I use d10 for init plus your Dex bonus. I made macros that roll for each person and automatically adds this number to the tracker. Seriously, it is really cool. And I'm still on the Free user level. I'm thinking of bumping up to a paid level soon. You can actually write scripts (code) in the Mentor level and upload them to your game. I'm in Breakdaddy's online game and he showed me how deep the game can be from input from a good GM.

[alcyone]

You can actually write scripts (code) in the Mentor level and upload them to your game. I'm in Breakdaddy's online game and he showed me how deep the game can be from input from a goof GM.

Yeah, there is work-in-progress Javascript API.

[DeadReborn]

I've actually been thinking of using Roll20 to run Dark Journey soon.

[Breakdaddy]

I've actually been thinking of using Roll20 to run Dark Journey soon.

I heard that that Kim Hartsfield dude writes a pretty mean adventure

[DeadReborn]

It's definitely made with Awesomeness. I'm looking forward to some more.

[AGNKim]

I've actually been thinking of using Roll20 to run Dark Journey soon.

That map would be enormous.

I really need to get Dundjinni...

http://www.dundjinni.com/

[alcyone]

I've actually been thinking of using Roll20 to run Dark Journey soon.

That map would be enormous.

I really need to get Dundjinni...

http://www.dundjinni.com/

Don't actually get it, though.
Their web store will actually sell it to you, but you will get no support because the person running the company has gone absent. The people in the forums support it as well as they are able, but it might not even run on a new OS. It's a shame, it was nice. I bought it for my old G4 mac, but can't get it to run on a new mac or pc (weird, since inside it is Java).

Right now I recommend dungeonographer thought you'd need to import a lot of images to make it look as nice. Profantasy's Dungeon Designer is capable of really nice dungeons, but I still haven't figured out how to use it.