Best VTT to support F2F play

[Alan Sinclair]

I have sitting on the wall, beside my game table, a 36" flat screen hooked up to my mac mini media server.

I can make quite reasonable battle maps using CC3 from profantasy (although printing them can be expensive).

Whilst clearing away the last session's figures, maps etc, I looked at the TV on my wall and though to myself there has to be something easier than this.

So, what software do people recommend I use for a VTT to support face to face play. The priority is displaying maps and moving characters about. Lighting and spells effects would be nice too.

I am not that much of a tech (it took me forever to get to grips with CC3), so in any replies, please assume I know nothing.

I have at home the mac mini and a PC with a reasonably fast wi-fi network.

[sozin]

I am using Maptools at home with exactly this setup. It works very well. Players can move their pogs around with a player mouse (aka initiative token), resize the map, add spell template effects, etc. As the DM I always flash pictures of the monster they are fighting, player handouts, and of course gorgeous Paizo maps with fog of war.

[Andrew Betts]

I exclusively use TTopRPG for just that reason, although it's Windows only so it wouldn't work on the mac mini.

[Archmage_Atrus]

I, too, use Maptools hooked up to my 50" flatscreen.

I can run two instances of maptools - a DM instance and a PC instance - then just connect the PC instance to the DM one and show the PC instance on the big screen, at Full Screen mode, so all they see is the map and not the tools and menus.

Looks beautiful, and maps are pretty easy to put together on Maptools. (A lot easier than CC3 - though if you've mastered CC3, you can port maps from CC3 into Maptools as well!)

[Alan Sinclair]

Thanks for the feedback, I think I shall check out Maptools.

Cheers

Alan