So along with everyone else during the pandemic I’ve had to play dnd via video cam. I tried with Discord at first which we managed to carry out some successful sessions. Now we’re gunna try roll20 which was a little intimidating at first but seems like it will be way smoother now that I’ve gotten the hang of it. I’ve made some maps in inkarnate and am feeling really confident with how next session will go.
This campaign is the first one I’ve DMed a game with the 5E system and while I still like 3.5 better it’s a great system for introducing new players to the game. My campaign has 3 1st time players in it and the background feature is such a great tool for getting players into a character and setting that character up for the world I’ve set up. The campaign setting I’ve made is a homebrew, where the players are all playing Catfolk trying to find the legendary Garden of Catnip. I’ve enjoyed starting from a cheesy premise and scaling up the drama as the players get more and more into the setting.
For those who’ve played 5E what are your opinions on it? I’d love to get some other perspectives on it.
Trapped behind a fortress of toilet paper, but still want to play Tabletop RPGs with your friends? This is my quick and dirty guide to getting started running and playing your games online. Toward the bottom, I'll have links to as many digital resources to help run games as I can find. I will update whenever I find new things, so check back, and comment on what you're looking for.
Requirements
You and your RPG table folks will each need a computer, tablet, or smartphone capable of running Discord, and accessing Roll20 via a browser. Discord can run in a browser as well, but I recommend using the desktop app on your computer, or mobile app on your tablet or smartphone. Also, I strongly recommend a headset or earbuds with a mic.
Every participant will need a Roll20 dot net and Discord App account.
https://discordapp.com/
https://roll20.net/
Discord will primarily provide video and voice chat for your table. It has lots of other potential for community building, but for right now we're just going to use it so you and your fellow gamers can see and hear each other.
Roll20 is where you'll host the game itself. It is where you and your RPG crew will roll digital dice, manage character sheets, look at maps, move tokens on the battlefield, and similar. It takes some setup, but not a lot to get started.
The more preparation the person running the game puts into Roll20, the nicer and more streamlined the experience. This can be done over time, between games. I wouldn't delay play to have everything perfect, just get enough set up to get started and go.
Discord for Gamemasters
Don't worry about setting up or joining a server just yet. You don't really need one, and it often just confuses folks that are new to Discord. At minimum, the person running the game should have all the players added as friends. Go to the Friends Tab, click "Add Friends", and put in their handle, pound sign, and number. Your handle and number will be displayed somewhere in the app depending on whether you have the mobile, browser, or desktop version of the app.
Once the person running the game has everyone added as a friend, they can add them to a Group DM. The New Group DM button looks like a speech bubble with a + sign by it, and should be visible in the Friends Tab. Once everyone has been added to the Group DM, the game runner can hit either the start voice or video call button, prompting everyone else to join.
That Group DM will persist in the Friends Tab, regardless of whether anyone is actually online or in the call. People that drop from connectivity issues can pop back in by just selecting that group DM when a call is ongoing. If people are having connectivity issues, they can send text messages to the Group DM, add files, send GIFs, and similar.
The person running the Game can post news and game schedules to the Group DM, and people can chat about the game off camera/mic in between games.
Yes, you can set up your own dedicated servers, forums, and communities using Discord, but you don't need to. In my experience, Discord is just arcane enough to confuse people the first few times they run it. The desktop version of Discord will continue running in the tray, by default, even if you close the main window.
Make sure you either go into settings and turn this feature off, or shut Discord down from the tray, and/or that you've left the call when you're done. Otherwise, you'll continue to broadcast as you talk to yourself, while browsing the Internet (to the amusement of your friends still in the Group DM.)
Roll20 for Gamemasters
Like Discord, Roll20 dot net is just arcane enough to baffle people. It has a lot of functions and features, and you do not need to make use of them all to get started. Don't delay play while you figure out how to get dynamic lighting to work, or build every map for the campaign.
Just get rolling with it, hands properly dirty.
Once you're logged in, you'll need to create your first game. Once you're logged in, there should be a shiny pink button labeled, "Create New Game". Click that, and head to the next screen. Give your game a name, and don't worry about tags (if you're just playing with friends). Pick the character sheet from the drop down menu that most closely fits the game you're going to run.
This will save you a bunch of time later. Don't worry, you can change it after you've created the game if you don't like this feature.
Once you've created your game, hit the menu button, and go back to Home. Click on your game, scroll down to invite players. You can send direct invitations to the email address they used to sign up for Roll20 with, or copy and paste a link, dropping it into your Discord Group DM text chat.
After your players have accepted the invitation, have them launch the game, at least once, so the Roll20 servers fully recognize that they are participants. This will allow you to assign them control of characters, and access to handouts later. This merely saves you the time of having to make those assignments at the first game.
While your players are in the game, have them go to the "My Settings" tab, by clicking the Gear Icon in the upper right corner. Have them scroll down and set Player Avatar Size to "Names only", and Chat Tech to "None" (no video/audio). You're using Discord (which is way better), so you won't need these features.
On your game's landing page, there is a place for Game Discussion where you, or any player, can post topics, people can reply, and so forth. For important game things, you can flag posts to hang around at the top of the Discussion Feed. This is a good place to put house rules, leaderboards, game schedules, and more.
There is also a place to indicate when the next game will be, the time adjusted from your timezone, to whatever everyone else has, depending on where they live. Handy!
When you launch the game to work on it, I recommend having the Roll20 Wiki up in another browser tab. I'm going to run through some of the basics, and give a tour, but there's too much to detail in a single blog post. I'll be focusing on what you'll need to just get started.
https://wiki.roll20.net/Main_Page
The game view has three visible points of user interface. The vertical bar of icons on the left, the horizontal bar of icons at the top of the chat log on the right, and the game board itself. The first thing in the Chat Log should be a "Welcome" message with some helpful chat window commands. At the bottom of the Chat Log is a toggle letting you change your role from yourself, to NPCs, monsters, and even player characters (should they find themselves charmed by a dryad).
Also, note the little blue Page Toolbar button at the top in the middle. This is what you'll use to navigate between different maps, and change what players are able to see on their screens. Your view doesn't have to follow what the players are seeing.
The learning curve with the Roll20 interface is going to feel very steep at first, for you and your players. If you're already anxious about running games, this can feel overwhelming. However, once you learn even a little of how it works, Roll20 is a very powerful tool. I use it to run my local games now with a big screen TV.
It's that good. Trust me, hang in there.
Okay, you're logged into Roll20, click on the games tab, mouse over it, and click the tutorial. Watching a YouTube video is a fine way to learn, but this gets you accustomed to the tools, where things are located, and so forth. Breaking through this initial learning curve, understanding where your game assets are stored, and how to control what your players see and hear takes a minute.
If you've ever used Photoshop or any image editing tool, even Microsoft Word or OneNote, a lot of the user interface will feel familiar, functions and features much the same.
Okay, some general tips that should streamline things for you.
Make a character called "Dungeon Master", "Game Master", or similar. In the Attributes & Abilities tab create several that are going to automatically roll for yourself via /gmroll, or for players using /roll, the most commonly used things. Passive Detection, Surprise, Random Encounters, Treasure, Initiative, and anything else you roll for multiple times per game.
Then, click the "Show in macro bar" box so they are on screen for you whenever you need them.
When uploading assets, give the file names that are searchable in an intuitive way. You can make folders and to organize your art library, but it isn't really necessary. The search feature is robust enough it'll pick through the pile very quickly, provided your file names reflect what the asset is.
Asset0023.png <- No
GoblinShaman.png <- Yes
Finally, in the settings for your game, add any applicable compendiums for your game, and click the box that makes them available for players. There are compendiums for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Ed, Pathfinder 2nd Ed, Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, Dungeon World, Fate, Kids on Bikes, Pathfinder 1st Ed, Starfinder, Burn Bryte, DramaSystem, and Dialext.
A lot of these are paid upgrades, but worth the investment if you plan to stay on and use Roll20 for any particular duration. You'll find the full list on Roll20 dot net, under the Tools Menu Tab, in Compendiums.
Roll20 & Discord For Players
In the beginnning your goal should be to have fun, and understand how Roll20 works enough that you aren't slowing the game down for anyone else. Worry about macros and navigating the game as you play. Definitely watch YouTube videos, read the Wiki, and do whatever else you need to feel comfortable.
But, first, make sure you are using best application available to you for accessing the game.
There are these options for Android and iPad. (Keep reading, don't just grab one of these yet.)
Android
iPad
As far as I'm aware, these are horrible, 1-2 star applications with problems, and lacking in support. Only resort to these options if you've tried every browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) available for your platform, and can't get it on your desktop or tablet.
Likewise, do this for Discord.
Make sure you are accessing the Discord App using the best option for your platform. I have yet to find a platform where Discord isn't pretty great. Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux, all awesome with a dedicated app, or in the browser.
Figure out how to mute yourself, and be courteous to other people participating. No one wants to hear you eating chips or yelling at your kids. ;-D Also, perform and audio test with your computer and headset. Have a friend or the game master meet you online and make sure everything is working properly.
This is, literally, 75% of the battle for a game master running their first online game. Just getting people online with the right software, hardware configured properly, with a modicum of understanding of how it all works. The absolute best thing a player can do is be responsible for learning and helping others learn Discord and Roll20.
Preparing games for Roll20 takes more effort for the dungeon master than normal. You can help this along by writing background stories, doing illustrations of your character, or just making a wish list of magical items your character hopes to encounter. Taking some of the guesswork out of making the game fun for you, will greatly streamline the process for the game master.
Likewise, organizing games online is time consuming and stressful as compared to just meeting at the local game or board game cafe. Make sure you communicate with the game master your availability, and be on time for games. This sets a standard for other players. Supporting the table with your reliable presence makes it nicer for you, and everyone else.
Build some custom emote macros for your character in the Attributes & Abilities tab or your character sheet in the Journal tab above the chat log. Whenever my Warlock uses one of his class abilities at my 5e table, I click a macro button that executes one of these commands.
/em holds a rod aloft, summoning hellish fortitude! (Using his Rod of the Pact Keeper)
/em grasps a shard amulet around his neck, closes his eyes, and reaches across into the hellscape it came from. (Using his Dark Shard Amulet)
/em gains terrible fortitude following the slaying of an enemy. (Dark One's Blessing Class Ability)
/em produces a shadowy tome, bound in the hide of an otherworldly beast, flames leaping up from the script inside. (Book of Shadows Class Ability)
/em reaches back into the void, altering his fate. (Dark One's Own Luck Class Ability)
/roll 1D10 [Add To Current Saving Throw]
This accomplishes three things.
It lets the game master know you're using a class ability without breaking the flow by babbling about game mechanics.
It marks the use of that class ability in the chat log for tracking purposes.
It enhances the game for other players, giving them a more vivid picture of what your character is doing.
Resources
As of writing this, Roll20 has a ton of things in the marketplace for free, tokens, maps, and modules. It is part of the response to people being stuck at home. I've included links to some notable items, but definitely cruise through all the things.
The Master's Vault, D&D 5e (Free as of writing this)
Quick-Start Rules Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
The Lightless Beacon - Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
The Strange: Starter Pack -
Pathfinder Playtest Flip-Mat Multi-Pack
Lone Wolf's Hero Lab things provide for Online Character Creation, Campaign Management, and regular old Classic Character Creation. It looks like they primarily provide online support for Pathfinder 2e, Starfinder, and Shadowrun 6th Generation, and classic support for Pathfinder 1e, D&D 5e SRD, and Savage Worlds.
For 5th Edition Shadowrun, there is a keen Character Chummer on Github.
Also, this tool for figuring out your Priorities before you start writing things down.
For Star Trek Adventures, there is a Character & Starships tool here.
Also, this fan site looks like a keen source for ideas and things.
@Tartle_Games on Twitter turned me onto a service called Astral. I haven't checked it out in detail yet, but folks that play Call of Cthulhu, Pathfinder, Vampire: The Masquerade, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Exalted, Forbidden Lands, or Fantasy Age should probably head there and see what they've got. It looks like those games are specifically supported for playing online, and Astral appears to be free? https://www.astraltabletop.com/
Even More Resources
PCGen
"Compatible with Pathfinder 1e, Pathfinder 2e (coming), d20 Modern, Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Edition, Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Starfinder, and many more..."
This service went into archive mode December 17, 2019. Take advantage of it while you can.
Fast Character
"Need a few quick pre-gens for a game convention or organized play group at your local game store?
Your cousin from out of town wants to sit in and join this week's game?
The party insists on hiring that NPC to join them for the adventure?
That failed stealth check got half the party killed and now the fallen are playing back-up reinforcements?
You don't have time to min/max your way through a character build but want to try something new?"
Support for D&D 5e, and Cypher System (Numenera, The Strange, etc)
Also, don't forget about ye old' Google Search for free assets and dungeon maps.
I really have no fun playing online in games, but with fighting games, playing online is the most draining and depressing thing ever.
It's never any fun to lose, especially in a professional match, but I never see the problem with just a plain casual match. The fact everyone begs to play ranked matches and league matches sucks all the fun out of playing. In that setting, I just feel like everyone's trying to outdo everyone else in the room and it becomes a big dick measuring contest to see who can perform the most combos, do the lobgest combo chains, get the most kills, rank up the fastest, rank up the highest - why is there not more people who just wanna mess around and play the game casually (or at least somewhere between casually and professionally) without this impetus to be the best?
I like playing games, but I avoid playing online. Even playing Super Smash Bros., of which I'm a huge fan and am quite okay at, I've lessened my online presence. I hate playing people online. Say what you will, I'm fine with being called unskilled or that I need to "git gud." All that means is that I know which crowd to be around.
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