So most of my RPG buddies are spread all over the world, and I've been itching to get a game together. I've done a bit of research but I wanted something a bit more PF specific in terms of opinion, since that's the system we want to use.
So a few questions:
1) Have you used a virtual table and been in a "successful campaign", meaning finished a campaign arc.
2) Which system did you use? Wizards VTT, d20pro, roll20.net, maptools, or other?
3) If you've used more than one virtual table extensively, which one did you prefer and why?
1) Yes.*
2) Fantasy Grounds GM/player for the past 4-5 years.
3) N/A as other VTTs have only been used as backup.
*Several unfinished as we wanted to play a different AP or system.
I'm closing in on finishing a 3rd AP doing everything through Maptool. So long as everyone can run it, it gets the job done. I hear good things about roll20, but it seems like more of a hassle, if only because I can't easily tab back and forth between the minis and my giant wad of browser tabs with monster stats/spells/character sheets/etc.
1.) We haven't finished an AP but we've run through teh first 3 parts of Serpent's Skull and the first part of Carrion Crown over about 8 months of playing and we're still going strong.
2.) Roll20.net
It works great, just make sure at LEAST half the party has a microphone (and everyone has the capability to hear voice), otherwise it gets boring real fast.
1) I haven't played a campaign, but I've played in at least a dozen Pathfinder Society scenarios through VTT software.
2) I've used Maptools and TTopRPG.
3) They were both good (and 100% FREE!). Maptools has more capabilities, but that could be either an asset (if you like tinkering around with stuff) or a liability (if you get easily confused by a multitude of options).
My gaming group has had a few difficulties meeting up, recently, due to separation and travel issues. We've been using Roll20 as our VTT to continue adventuring for our last three sessions, and it's been working great.
A few challenges have cropped up while using it, though. Firstly, we've found the video/voice to be a little problematic (mostly due to varying camera and microphone setups), and have found ourselves reverting to Skype conference calls to maintain solid verbal connections (none of us are subscribed to Skype, so we can't do conference video).
As GM, I have to manage a lot more information than my players do, but we all have access to HeroLab, which we use for character management, and we all have dual-monitors, so it's trivial to keep Roll20 and HeroLab on-screen at the same time. When it comes to NPC management, I just add them to a copy of the PC portfolio in HeroLab, so I have quick access to all characters at once.
From a logistics point of view, integrating Roll20 into adventure prep is a must - having maps ready, selecting tokens for NPCs, writing macros in advance, and having an idea when NOT to use a map are essential. For me it's required a shift in thinking, because I do a fair bit of on-the-fly GMing, and I don't find VTTs conducive to that because it's harder to just sketch a map you suddenly need.
I've looked at a number of different VTTs over the years (one of my players is physically unable to attend at all, so I've spent a fair bit of time looking at how to seamlessly integrate him via the 'net), and Roll20 has been the one to tick all of my boxes, because of ease of access and the fact that it can be used as much or as little as you need during the actual game.
1 Yes, we switched to digital minis 6 years ago and have not looked back.
2. Maptools.
3. I have used everything on the market. I actually still have licenses for Battlegrounds, Fantasy Grounds and d20Pro. I always go back to maptools as I find myself waiting for the others to catch up in terms of quick play use. By that I mean i am an on the fly DM. I don't want to use special file formats and design every NPC from scratch. The Pathfinder Framework for Maptools allows me to quickly cut a statblock, paste it into a window and onto a character. Then have that characters skils and attacks at the push of a button. It also allows me to simply drag a map onto the board. No need for searching through a file menu or converting to a special format with specific graphs.
I'm not sure why in 6 years no one has simply just copies this technlogy. But i keep going back to look. Still can't find one that does.
I'm in the "MapTool is easy" camp. Where it gets complex is if you decide you want to automate everything. Stay away from the temptation to use a campaign framework, and you'll find it an amazingly simple and powerful.
Once you are used to it, you'll likely start to play around with macros and various other campaign settings, but if you are planning to use pen and paper for tracking, and just need a map/token/die roller, MapTool is free and easy.
Did WotC ever get its VTT up and running? I remember watching a demo for it in the early days of 4E and thought it looked really cool. I don't recall hearing much since though.
Did WotC ever get its VTT up and running? I remember watching a demo for it in the early days of 4E and thought it looked really cool. I don't recall hearing much since though.
No, they got into a 'beta' for their D&D Insiders which was more like a rough alpha. Wizards has had a bad track record of backing the wrong technology and picking Silverlight(virtually no mobile support) was no different this time. They finally canned it back in July last year due to "lack of interest".