Roll 20 online tabletop

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Never played DnD or Pathfinders but have always been interested. Anyone ever use roll20.net? Watching videos on how to get started and it seems a touch daunting. lol

/pushes up his glasses and adjusts his pocket protector as he awaits a reply

[Ragged Robin]

I wouldn't recommend it for new players, it's just not the same experience you get in person and I think those first few experiences is what makes or breaks it for people in long run.

[NewChief]

Yeah. Don’t start on a virtual tabletop. If you have a local gaming store, go there and see if they have a group you can join. They will often have beginner and intro groups or events.

[Ragged Robin]

If you're a big fan of Critical Role or whatever ever dozens and dozens of live streams or podcasts that have cropped up, you should have enough feel for the game to buy the Player's Handbook and run a one-shot with some friends. Even better if they haven't played before. It's always easier to start a new group than it is to track down a DM and other people you haven't met before if you don't already know people who are into it.

A couple of other things I think are important to understand also:

• One-shots can be fun but there is nothing like playing a longer campaign, largely because half the enjoyment is from investing in your character and watching them grow -- neither of which you can get from a one-off session where the characters are thrown away afterward. On the same note, scheduling time for a bunch of people to be in the same place for a good amount of their day on a routine basis is extremely difficult so starting one to begin with is very hard.
• You can avoid a lot of drama by discussing with the group beforehand about the expectations of the game. For example, it's best to tell them to try not to metagame too much and do their best to make all discussions in-character. I also think it's important to remind them that the character is their avatar and that they are not their character which is hard for new players to understand. The player themselves might "know" or figure out something but that doesn't necessarily mean their character does, especially in the context of game mechanics.

I've had situations where people read ahead of the campaign book and knew everything that was coming, had arguments about how such and such attack wouldn't work because the range didn't fit the Pythagorean Theorem, debates about whether or not saving an NPC in a certain way was a Women's Rights issue, etc. If house rules were set and enforced as in my second point, all of this could be avoided. As a DM you need to be savvy enough to manage your players appropriately and sometimes even navigate their characters for them (as appropriately justified by whatever dice roll check/save/etc you make them do).

[Indian Chief]

Roll 20 is okay. I've used it a few times, but in my opinion you lose too much of the experience. It's fine to use in a pinch but I wouldn't run a complete campaign using it. And I have to agree with the sentiment that it's not ideal for a first game.

[allen_kcCard]

I played it for a while before the game we were playing lost steam of it's own accord, and i think if it is used, then the DM needs to call for rolls more, not less, so that people stay engaged, especially when it is so easy to roll on there.

The thing I hated the most was the line of sight. If your character is standing next to a tree, or something like that, the line of sight was blocked for like 3/4 of the map. I'm all for something of a fog of war, but it just sucks when you are looking at a battle map and all you see is your guy, where you just walked from, and the redwood you apparently stood behind.

[Mephistopheles Janx]

Well shit.

I guess I'll have to see about a gaming store because I don't have friends that want to DnD. Bummer... was really hoping this would be a way to play without having to go physically be around strangers (bad anxiety).

Thanks fellas!

[allen_kcCard]

Originally Posted by MephistophelesJanx

Well shit.

I guess I'll have to see about a gaming store because I don't have friends that want to DnD. Bummer... was really hoping this would be a way to play without having to go physically be around strangers (bad anxiety).

Thanks fellas!

Bad anxiety....I think that is one of the prereqs for entering the gaming stores so you should be golden.

[Frazod]

When I want to DnD, I do this:



Just saying.

Sure I had fun playing when I was a kid. I also had fun shooting my .22 when I was a kid.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Frazod

When I want to DnD, I do this:



Just saying.

Sure I had fun playing when I was a kid. I also had fun shooting my .22 when I was a kid.

I totally get that and love rpg computer games. There is something different about the social aspects of a pen and paper tabletop rpg though. It’s why there’s been a total renaissance of DND and other tabletops. People raised on the screens recognize the value in face to face and older folks are nostalgic for those days.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by NewChief

I totally get that and love rpg computer games. There is something different about the social aspects of a pen and paper tabletop rpg though. It’s why there’s been a total renaissance of DND and other tabletops. People raised on the screens recognize the value in face to face and older folks are nostalgic for those days.

I know a few people that do it, but I just don't see the allure. I think I'd get bored with it after about an hour.

Of course, my best friend, who was generally the DM of our group, has no interest whatsoever in computer games like this, but would probably still play D&D. I've tried for years go convince him, but he's just not having it.

To each his own, I guess.

I do still have the original six books, though. And probably some dice in a box in the basement somewhere.

[Ragged Robin]

Originally Posted by Frazod

When I want to DnD, I do this:



Just saying.

Sure I had fun playing when I was a kid. I also had fun shooting my .22 when I was a kid.

Originally Posted by Frazod

I know a few people that do it, but I just don't see the allure. I think I'd get bored with it after about an hour.

Of course, my best friend, who was generally the DM of our group, has no interest whatsoever in computer games like this, but would probably still play D&D. I've tried for years go convince him, but he's just not having it.

To each his own, I guess.

I do still have the original six books, though. And probably some dice in a box in the basement somewhere.

Backwards for me. When I play a video game RPG (even a more traditional one like Divinity Original Sin or Pillars of Eternity or whatever), it makes me want to play D&D.

It's just a completely different experience when you can choose to do whatever the hell you want and also interact with other people who have their own ambitions and agendas. Video games are great and there's something to be said about just having "alone time" while you're stuck in the game immersed by yourself, but it's just a different kind of enjoyment. The story, gameplay, interactions -- everything is "on rails" in a video game whereas D&D is more of a collaborative storytelling experience. Yes there is an element of "on rails" when you're using a campaign book but if you've ever DM'd you'd know that it's very loose and open to the DM and the players rather than full-script and you can go off the rails indefinitely (not to mention the DM can write the story/universe/etc themselves). You can invest hundreds of hours on a character and when they die, there is no reload save game. The story just goes on and players have to deal with the consequences.

[Silock]

Tabletop is more fun.

[AssEaterChief]

Originally Posted by Ragged Robin

I've had situations where people read ahead of the campaign book and knew everything that was coming, had arguments about how such and such attack wouldn't work because the range didn't fit the Pythagorean Theorem, debates about whether or not saving an NPC in a certain way was a Women's Rights issue, etc.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Ragged Robin

I wouldn't recommend it for new players, it's just not the same experience you get in person and I think those first few experiences is what makes or breaks it for people in long run.

I always wanted to get 3 or 4 guys together to play Blood Bowl.







So take football, add DnD elements to it, and then a bit of artistic flair in painting your miniatures/team your own dream expansion colors.

To me it sounds like the perfect thing to do twice a month while drinking beer during the NFL offseason...