Curious about online olay

[WaterScorpion]

I'm curious about online play as it looks like I can't make any local sessions due to Sched. Could anyone point me in the right direction and brief overview how it works lol sorry total newb

[bhampton]

So, there is a forum for recruitment for online games, I'm pretty sure it is this one.
There is play by post, and also online in terms of using a virtual tabletop (VTT). I'll talk about VTT as that's what I use.

There are a few different VTT out there, two of the most common ones (that I know of) are Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds, I use Fanatasy Grounds so I'll talk more about that, there are a few on here who use Roll20 and they can fill you in on the details of that one.

For Fantasy Grounds, if the DM has the Ultimate Version anyone can join the game with the free version, otherwise everyone needs a copy of the regular version of Fantasy Grounds (either a one-off or a monthly payment). It has a basic version of the Pathfinder ruleset preloaded, and the community has done a great job adding additional rulesets (like advanced classes and several bestiaries). It does take a bit of use getting use to, and for the DM it is a little more work trying to set up encounters and the like, but it can be a great fun.

[Java Man]

Roll20 is free for everyone. If the GM pays a small monthly fee they get a few perks, but I'd definitely try out the free version first.

My group uses google to talk and roll20 for the VTT, really just a shared map. I run the game like I would in person, that is I do mybstats and encounters by hand, ao I couldn't say how those functions work for any application.

[SheepishEidolon]

Java Man wrote:

Roll20 is free for everyone. If the GM pays a small monthly fee they get a few perks, but I'd definitely try out the free version first.

I GMd roughly 55 sessions with a free Roll20 account. While I don't miss the advanced features, at some point I noticed the limited space for free useers. Keeping maps to JPEG with roughly 20*20 pixels per square and creature tokens to PNG with 200*200 pixels (Medium size) helps.

I'd actually pay an one-time fee for Roll20, but this subscription model puts me off.