online is the only way i've played dnd since i was about 13 years old. Way back in 1st edition days.I basically skipped the whole 2nd Edition changes due to cross continental moves and didn't get back into it till couple years ago.
Currently we're using Kloogewerks to play online with a bunch of folks I met playing EQ that all basically loved DnD from their youths and had found the current games just lacked that something that made DnD so much fun.
We played alittle when 3E came out online then got sucked back into some online games and in the last couple months we've been Playing SCAP.
SCAP has been great we're all to busy with work,family,kids to spend to much time developing something really great on our own,SCAP did that for us.They're most of the way thru chapter one down in the malchite fortress.So far everyone seems to be enjoying it and hope to keep it up.
www.ghostorb.com
Works for me.
rooster
How good is D&D online??
Thanks,
WaterdhavianFlapjack
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www.ghostorb.com
Works for me.
rooster
How do you like Ghostorb.com, Rooster? I've never been a fan of online gaming because of the speed of things (both the mechanics of the interface and more often the other players just wandering off); I'm willing to give Ghostorb a chance so my buddies in San Luis Obispo can have a regular game again.
I haven't tried any of the "fancy" graphically oriented websites for playing d&d yet. I run a game (the very old-fashioned way) on a site called www.rpol.net (mainly text based, though there are ways of posting maps and such).
Works well because the nature of posting to threads allows much more room for role-playing than sitting around a table or using a graphic interface. That being said, combat tends to take a little more time resolve.
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Just wondering if anyone plays D&D online here really, and if so then how they go about it?
My groups use standard e-mail for the bulk of gaming, i.e., play by post. On those rare occasions when we can all get together for a game, we use Yahoo Instant Messenger.
It's a slow means to play ... and pacing can get complicated at times ... but we've been at it for nearly two years now.
Incidentally, one thing I've been trying to figure out is how to build .pdf documents of maps and the like to send to my players. Currently, I know how to make one page documents, using OpenOffice, but am having trouble figuring out how to make multiple paged .pdf files. Any suggestions?
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Contributor
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Just wondering if anyone plays D&D online here really, and if so then how they go about it?My groups use standard e-mail for the bulk of gaming, i.e., play by post. On those rare occasions when we can all get together for a game, we use Yahoo Instant Messenger.
It's a slow means to play ... and pacing can get complicated at times ... but we've been at it for nearly two years now.
Incidentally, one thing I've been trying to figure out is how to build .pdf documents of maps and the like to send to my players. Currently, I know how to make one page documents, using OpenOffice, but am having trouble figuring out how to make multiple paged .pdf files. Any suggestions?
You need the full version of acrobat for that.
Something you might try instead however is to use Yahoo Groups.That way you can post a whole bunch of stuff, pics, polls, databases,files and whatever. It's something that has been working pretty well for me.
How do you like Ghostorb.com, Rooster? I've never been a fan of online gaming because of the speed of things (both the mechanics of the interface and more often the other players just wandering off); I'm willing to give Ghostorb a chance so my buddies in San Luis Obispo can have a regular game again.
I am really liking it. I had never played online before, in fact I was distrustful of the whole thing, not believing it would be much fun for me. I've been really happy with the site and the games, despite the bugs (it's still in beta). It's a small community, so you have to be active to get games going. After putting alittle work into it though, I can easily play a few times a week if I have the interest and my real life allows it.
rooster
As someone who has never tried this, I'm completely curious... I could see how in-character dialogue could work over the internet, bulletin boards and the like. But how would combat work in an online game? Is this something completely taken care of by the DM, or ? In melee-heavy games, or at high-level, seems like this would take a really long time?
Also, how would one deal with dungeoneering, making maps and such? If a party is going through the Temple of Elemental Evil, that might be a really long game... how would this be handled, time-wise?
When will GhostOrb be done with their Beta testing? They were going to "go live" in April, then June, then August, then October... I was planning to wait until they got it fully up and running before spending $$ to try it, but I might give it a whirl if it is almost there.
As someone who has never tried this, I'm completely curious... I could see how in-character dialogue could work over the internet, bulletin boards and the like. But how would combat work in an online game? Is this something completely taken care of by the DM, or ? In melee-heavy games, or at high-level, seems like this would take a really long time?
Also, how would one deal with dungeoneering, making maps and such? If a party is going through the Temple of Elemental Evil, that might be a really long game... how would this be handled, time-wise?
You can load the maps online and see them real time. This is really helpful as I wouldn't want to play without them in real time.
rooster
When will GhostOrb be done with their Beta testing? They were going to "go live" in April, then June, then August, then October... I was planning to wait until they got it fully up and running before spending $$ to try it, but I might give it a whirl if it is almost there.
I couldn't tell you. I know it's supposed to be "soon." Regardless, any members are now allowed access to the client so it's not so much of an issue.
rooster
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I'm was made a co-owner of the Shadowrealms.hyperboards.com site. It's a play by message board. I like it, it's a great community of folks. Play can be slow sometimes (sometimes veeeeery slow), and as Rexx said, you do have the occasional player drop off with no warning (and they sometimes pop back up 8 months later and get huffy to find that you dramatically offed their character you had been forced to use as an NPC), but for the most part things go smoothly. We typically work out logistics before hand...everyone should post at least every other day, every day if in combat. Posting more often is allowed.
It doesn't completely replace being at the table, but as far as a satisfying game with a good group of people, it works wonderfully.
Interesting topic,
I found my self in a discussion on tuesday with a player complaining of how paper d&d seemed so slow to him now. (he has been playing games such as EQ and WoW for a few years) Are games such as Neverwinter Nights and World of Warcraft the future of D&D? If so, how soon before we all completely switch over?
I'd be interested in thoughts on this.
Hi Rothandalantearic,
From what little I've experienced of online mmrpgs, they and table top RPGs are like apples and oranges. I don't think that all tabletop players are destined to switch to online mmrpgs because they are "faster", any more than all chess players are going to switch to football because it's "faster."
Online games seem to revolve around hack and slash and levelling up, done with simple quests (which are usually identical for everytone) or player to player combat. To me they seen to be more like PC first person shooters writ large than anything else, and there doesn't seem to be much role playing going on. Granted, this opinion is based a small amount of exposure a few years ago, but nothing I've read since indicates that much has changed.
Tabletop role playing, on the other hand, involves a lot more role playing, is much more complex, and at its best can evoke the feeling of being a character in a good fantasy novel.
I think it will be a looooong time before computer AI can imitate the type of campaign planning, adventure settings, plot hooks, plot twists, etc. that a good GM can come up with, and do it for thousands of people in a massive gameworld.
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Contributor
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I tryed some of the On-line stuff like Everquest and Dragonrealms and I didn't care for it at all. I found it too impersonal. I found myself in competition with lots of other people who were all running around trying to compete with eachother so they could make more money so they could buy more stuff... Which was kind of like real life, except everything was fake. To me, it wasn't real roleplayey and those few people I did like played like 500 hours a week, leveled like crazy (a lot of times by running scripts) and then didn't want to play with me anymore anyway because my character was suddenly was too paltry. I like the small party and a GM model that pen and pencil games have.
That said, I definately would like to thank whoever it was on this thread that turned me on to RPoL. Its one of the reasons why I haven't been checking these message boards as much.
I move every 6 months or so, which makes it difficult to get a tabletop game going. So my friends and I play D&D once a week using AOL Instant Messenger.
It's easy and fun. Everyone joins a chat room; AIM has a built-in die roller so all die rolls are out in the open (except the DM's; he/she rolls dice at his/her computer if he/she chooses - the ultimate DM's screen!) Some sessions are all hack and slash, some are heavy roleplaying with nary a die roll.
For maps, I draw maps in Dundjinni and then save them in MS Paint. I upload the map to my webpage and reload between rounds, using paint to draw the PCs' movements and such.
It works great and lets me keep playing with my friends no matter what country I'm in. :-)
-Amber S.
online, as in play by post, has never really given me the DnD expeerience so i just play my temple of elemental evil or diablo online
Anyone who is interested in checking out what sessions are like online can see a direct posting (with some of the out of game BSing cut out) of my Shackled city game here:
[url]http://forum.vallusgames.com/viewforum.php?f=31&sid=85a60183a54571aa2b0 8c99d425ab5e5[/url]
I use OpenRPG which is really just an interface to a IRC style chat room with built in dice rollers. It also lets you keep a node for your character (meaning you can preprogram it to say "Kendalar swings his mighty axe at his foe. [1d20+4] to hit." with just one button (saves time). Also, there is a map that can be seen by all during the game and makes things easy. I have scans I place up there of maps or pics of people the players are talking to... works pretty well I would say.
Be warned that there are spoilers for anyone playing the Shackled City Adventure Path as that is the campaign we are doing (of course we are still in Life's Bazaar though).
Sean Mahoney
I also like the openRPG software tool.
I've actually been tempted many times to try out Fantasy Grounds; the screenshots look really cool and I love the concept of a virtual tabletop. Alas... half the folk I'd like to try it out on use Macs... same old story there, I guess.
Forget Fantasy Grounds; The only virtual tabletop you will ever need is Maptool. I have been negligent in updating my journal but there are some excellent screenshots, like this one, there that can demonstrate what I am talking about. This program is seriously wonderful. It is powerful, stable, and best of all... free.
Ps. It works on macs.
I am playing online with my group for three years now.
For the communication, we use Skype, so everything is vocal. The sound is excellent.
There is no way we would play by text. Why bother ? Vocal is so much better.
For the maps, we use OpenRPG. I don't really like saved maps. I prefer to draw them live, section after section, so i don't have to bother with the "fog of war", and i can improvise maps for taverns, buildings, caves, forests, etc. Open RPG also provides miniatures, so we can position the characters and npcs on the map when necessary. It also has a diceroller, that we were using in the beginning but decided to drop.
Altogether the result is quite satisfying : online vocal chat and live maps.
It is not as good as a real game around a table, but that's not that bad.
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From what little I've experienced of online mmrpgs, they and table top RPGs are like apples and oranges. I don't think that all tabletop players are destined to switch to online mmrpgs because they are "faster", any more than all chess players are going to switch to football because it's "faster."
I think your assessment is pretty much spot on with regards to the Commercial MMOs, that truly fit the 'massively' aspect. While it is certainly possible to roleplay within the confines of a game like World of Warcraft, Everquest, Ultima Online, or any number of other examples of the genre, it certainly isn't easy. The game itself is just not geared for the sort of story-driven, roleplay oriented game.
Neverwinter Nights is something of a different animal, though. Though necessarily smaller in scope (most servers run with a player cap of around 40, though I've seen up to 96), because NWN is at its heart a set of tools to effectively create, run, and play your own D&D based MMO, there are a lot of things that can be done with it that just aren't possible in WoW, for instance.
To give an idea of what is possible, I help run/play in an NWN server, set in the Forgotten Realms, that focuses on roleplaying and character-driven storytelling. It relies on a number of active DMs, with major and minor plots going on, and focuses on developing those stories rather than on repeatedly bashing monsters, or playing against the built-in AI. Characters likewise advance ultimately due to roleplaying, character development, and participation in these plots/quests, rather than from monster-killing.
That being said, it's still a distinctly different experience from tabletop gaming, and has its advantages and disadvantages. For one, it's available anytime, over wide distances, and can involve visuals that help establish the characters and the world around them. At the same time, it is inherently restrictive, because the underlying rules system is much more difficult to change once set in place.
My biggest regret though, is that companies don't seem to see any profit in continuing this sort of product. NWN2, for all its promise, focused much more on the single player aspects, to the detriment of the multiplayer client. Furthermore, no one else seems interested in trying to emulate this model under different rulesets, to the point that Bioware, the maker of the original NWN, announced that there would be no multiplayer in their upcoming Fantasy CRPG, Dragon Age. ;)
I've been running an Age of Worms campaign using Fantasy Grounds for a while now, and I love it! The software is great at creating a virtual tabletop to play on, and is updated regularly in response to user feedback. There's also an excellent community of helpful folk over there.
