D&D 3e/3.5e/d20The forum for conversations specifically related to the rules and procedures of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, or any fantasy game using the d20 system or a variant thereof (commercially published or not).
My brother in law and some of his friends (5 total, all ~16 years old) are interested in trying D&D. I live in Texas and my brother in law and his friends live in NY, but if possible, I'd be interested in DMing their games, at least initially, until one of their group feels comfortable enough to step up and do it themselves.
I have read about some programs that make this viable, such as Fantasy Grounds II, but I was curious as to how others have accomplished remotely playing D&D, and what their suggestions would be for such methods. If anyone has any feedback concerning this, I'd greatly appreciate hearing it.
My group is spread out and we use MapTool and a Skype conference call (not video). I can't say it's the same as being together, but keeping the group in tact makes us happy.
Each person or location needs a computer running the software. The good news is it's free, and because the software is several years old, it's well developed.
I've also looked at Roll20.net, which is web-based, but I haven't used it. It looks good, but not better enough for me to switch. Starting from scratch, though, the web-based approach has merits.
I've been using roll20.net for the last month and the experience has been nothing but positive.
__________________
"It is the spirit of the game, not the letter of the rules, which is important. NEVER hold to the letter written, nor allow some barracks room lawyer to force quotations from the rule book upon you, IF it goes against the obvious intent of the game. As you hew the line with respect to conformity to major systems and uniformity of play in general, also be certain the game is mastered by you and not by your players..."
My group is spread out and we use MapTool and a Skype conference call (not video). I can't say it's the same as being together, but keeping the group in tact makes us happy.
Each person or location needs a computer running the software. The good news is it's free, and because the software is several years old, it's well developed.
I've also looked at Roll20.net, which is web-based, but I haven't used it. It looks good, but not better enough for me to switch. Starting from scratch, though, the web-based approach has merits.
Hmm... Free to use would be a huge bonus due to the fact that the kids are all in high school at the moment and don't have jobs, and with the hurricane that hit the area (they all live in Staten Island; one of them lost his house but the rest were pretty fortunate), paying money for an application to play remotely is probably something that should be avoided if possible. I saw a little bit about MapTool, but I haven't really looked into it yet, and I've not heard about roll20.net, so I'll go check those out. The group is constantly on Skype, so I imagine that using that to conference call would not be a problem (I've personally never used it, though). Thank you for the information.
Two members of our local (RI) group recently moved to Florida. We've had no big problems using google plus (I think) video chat. I've heard nothing but good things about roll20.net. It seems to be more than we need, but it's certainly worth checking out.
Edit: We do in fact use google+. Obviously I'm not our groups tech geek. Roll20.net looks to be more suited to 4 people in 4 different places or everyone having a machine in front of them. As I think about it, our group runs the way does because the GM, battle map, and most of the players are in one spot. The 2 people in FL basically are tuned in. If you, as the DM, are the only one remotely located roll20 might be much better suited for your group.
__________________
I used to be with 'it'. Then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it' and what 'it' is, is scary and weird. It'll happen to yooouuu. - Abraham Simpson, proud member of the Fighting Hellfish.
Last edited by nyjastul69 : 11-04-2012 at 08:26 PM.
RSS Feeds: 
Suggestions on DMing a game remotely?
