I while back, I saw a youtube video that was showing off a new online version of D&D. I am specifically not talking about D&D online! What it was, is basically a table top version of D&D (with the grid laid out and everything) that people could play with each other online, allowing for the unlimited creativity and imagination that I like so much about this game.
I ask because me and my friends would like to play Dungeons and Dragons, but have scheduling and geographical problems that make it hard for us to all be in the same physical room at the same time. Does anybody here know what I’m talking about, and if so could you provide some links for me so I can get more information?
I’ve been waiting for years for someone to come up with this kind of program. I have the same problem as the OP - I’d love to play, but getting the gang together is a real pain in the butt.
When D&D 4th Edition was first coming out they announced that they were developing just such a program to coincide with its release. All the 4th Edition books I’ve had have adverts for this on the inside cover. But I don’t think they’ve released it yet. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
My friends and I have been using OpenRPG for years. It’s free and it’s adequate. Once upon a time, we communicated with just the built in chat line function, but then somebody invented Teamspeak, so now we can just talk directly. We use a shared Google Docs spreadsheet to keep track of current conditions such as hit points, which powers have been used, etc.
Wizards of the Coast was, for a time, going to make a digital tabletop. I think they stopped production on it though.
For the last few years I’ve been using the maptool program at rptools.net (along with skype to communicate) to allow a friend that moved away to play with us.
It’s kind of fiddly and there is definitely a learning curve. In its simplest form it allows the GM and players to share a map. The players can control and move their tokens and the GMs can move everyone else. Each player can roll virtual dice and use a text chat window. If necessary the players can silently message the GM so no one else can see what they’re saying.
If you want to get more complicated you can write macros that allow you to do fairly complex stuff. In the game we’re playing we’ve got them set up so attack and damage are resolved at a button push. We can click to put damage conditions on the tokens to speed play (like a token having a little paralyzed marker on it or whatever). The tokens track HPs and remember the characters stats and save numbers. Initiative is tracked by the program and it remembers the bonus from the token, so all you need to do is hit a button. It’s pretty useful.
So when we get together we all set up our laptops and instead of a physical map we have the map on the screen. When we first started this we tried using a projector and even built a table with a mirror so the projector shot up from underneath, but it works much better if you have a bunch of laptops so everyone can move their own tokens.
We use Fantasy Grounds II; it’s harder to set up than MapTool, but once you do have it set up, it’s got some nifty advantages- you double-click on your skills and it rolls, adds up damage, etc…
(obviously we use something else to speak (skype), because none of these tools supports voice chat)
My favorite online-tabletop of this type was JParanoia. Unfortunately, it’s only for Paranoia. But then what other game needs a feature where you can forward whispers in a way that looks like it can’t be faked, but actually can if you know what you’re doing (but of course you don’t have a high-enough security clearance to know what you’re doing)?