Playing long distance, but real time: a solution

[Natediggadoggit]

So, I'll be deploying to Honduras with my army reserve unit soon, but apparently, we're supposed to have a lot of free time, and I'd love to play an RPG as soon as I know when my free time is. But, I'd love to do it in real time, Pbp games just aren't the same.

Someone had said something about how difficult it can be to do those, and I remembered a program made for the purpose:

Does anyone remember the old finished webcomic: Casey and Andy? (it finished back in 2008) He programmed an online RPG table you can connect to your friends with called Game Table; though it doesn't have voice chat, you'd have to use Skype/Discord/Hangouts for that part.

It was released to the community, open source, and even has it's own website now. It was made by Andy Weir, and a Google search for game table and his name will find it. I can't post the link now since I'm too new.

It's an online whiteboard you all have access to, updating real time, with both hex and square grids, markers with which to place monsters and characters, several colors of pen, and a separate layer for the GM so they can upload or paste things beforehand, and reveal it as they want.
There's also a little place for dice rolls, that let's you type in which and how many dice you want to roll, and it generates the numbers for you.

I mainly wanted to let people know this exists, as a useful RPG tool.

Has anyone come across any other good programs that do this?

[Koo Rehtorb]

Roll20 is quite popular.

[Natediggadoggit]

Oh near, roll20 is web based too, nifty. Hadn't heard of that one yet.

[Knaight]

I've used Maptools before, and while it can be a bit finicky at times it's a solid program. There's also a bunch of RPGs that don't need the visual aid at all, and they might work better for slow internet. Audio alone sucks down less bandwidth, and something like IRC uses very little. Both are vastly closer to a face to face game than play by post in a lot of ways, not least pacing.

[Natediggadoggit]

Hey great! I just watched the video on maptool. It looks like a powerful tool, but with a steep learning curve. For people googling it themselves, it's made by RPTools and maptool is one of their programs for download.

I should also put a plug in for Discord, since I'd never heard of it prior to about 3 months ago, but now all my favorite twitch broadcasters use it. If you haven't heard of it, it's an audio and chat communication service for gamers. There's no risk of giving strangers your IP address, as is the problem with Skype, and it's designed to use while you're playing a game, with strangers, friends, whomever. You can set up a separate instance for every game session you use, and then only people who've been invited to it can chat in that channel, or you can set up a server as a hub with several chat and voice channels for a community.

It's also designed to use very little of your bandwidth, thus why it's voice and text only. It also has options for in-browser instances only, in case your friends don't want download the whole program, you'd just give them the link, and it'll open in their browser automatically.

Edit: All of the resources posted in this thread so far are absolutely free!

[Sajiri]

My group used to use, I think it was maptool? You have to be aware though, especially if using text chat instead of using a mic, the games will be a lot slower, and the more people you have involved, the more difficult it will be to gather everyone together if you are all in different timezones. On the plus side, you dont have to organise travelling for a group to gather if you can sit at computers or such, and its easy to get up and walk around and do other stuff if needed without missing too much since you can just read what people have said (if text)

Currently in my 2 person group, we just use steam, and use rolz.org for dice rolling and dont even bother with maps. Discord can be another good option

[Vitruviansquid]

Get Discord for voice. Discord is the easiest thing ever - it's even in-browser if you don't want to download a thingy for it.

Use rolz.org for a dice room.

Use google drawings to all be looking at one thing map you can all manipulate.

Everything's so easy, it all fits in 3 tabs on your browser.

There are powerful programs like MapTool out there with lots of bells and whistles. True. But I've found that powerful programs lead to their own ills. First, for your less tech-savvy people, just the idea of downloading a new and exotic program with its own interface and terminology is intimidating. Second, for your more tech-savvy people, there is a great temptation to play with the program rather than pay attention to the game. Third, your fancy downloadable programs tend to assume some level of tech competence that people don't have, or are just not created well, and can be difficult to get working for everybody. The entire time I was using MapTool, people were mysteriously unable to get it to work once in awhile. People whose MapTool has been working just fine in the previous session.

[hajo]

Get Discord for voice...
Use rolz.org for a dice room.

I get "Rolz is not available in Germany" - what is so special about this site / program ?

[Jeraa]

I get "Rolz is not available in Germany" - what is so special about this site / program ?

This thread is over a year and a half dead.

[Thrudd]

So, I'll be deploying to Honduras with my army reserve unit soon,

Yo, OPSEC dude! Loose lips sink ships.
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