I was wondering if people here did games over discord/skype etc? I have tried looking at reddit but the RPG group pages there are about what you would expect, and seem to be a little elitist with regard to gaming experience. I'd like to find a game but between my real world location and the lockdowns the pickings are slim.
Try the Roll20 game directory. My own game there is full, but there are lots of open games. Mostly 5e, but a few for other systems.
Quote from: Cigalazade;1142626I was wondering if people here did games over discord/skype etc? I have tried looking at reddit but the RPG group pages there are about what you would expect, and seem to be a little elitist with regard to gaming experience. I'd like to find a game but between my real world location and the lockdowns the pickings are slim.
Start a YouTube channel. Players will come to you.
Yeah, playing and running on Discord/roll20 (discord for the speaking, roll20 for the maps & dice rolling. Works well for D&D5E, D&D3.5, CoC - some people use it for pathfinder too but I haven't tried that. I'm playing mostly with people I know (3 groups) but I'm also running a couple of convention games online at the end of August.
Personally, I'm not into all that d20 lark. I find it a lot of hassle.
We use google hangouts and an honor system, when it comes to people rolling their own dice.
There's a good lot of guys and gals on Facebook, in groups dedicated to online gaming. There's a wide variety of games too and not just D&D.
I've used Discord, Hangouts, Zoom, and even messenger for chat. In some cases Discord for dice, but usually we just roll our own dice. I don't play grid-combat games, so no virtual tabletop.
For me it would be better than no gaming at all, but not even in the same league as in-person games.
When I moved, I found Meetup was helpful in finding the local gaming semi-organised group.
Found they are a decent bunch of people with a wide range of RPG interests.
They use Discord for a common meet. Nice thing about discord and 5e is the tie-in with Avrae dice roller and D&D Beyond so it automates a lot if that's your thing, but can use it for the story or other RPG's and just pull up a VTT for combat if you want.
Also, the game channels are setup in the same discord group so easy to setup and go.
A benefit right now with covid is almost all these gatherings are online so easy to join and participate.
Then, at some point (who knows) when they go back to physical meetups you will already know them and they will know you so no awkward introductions.
Or you could just go Roll 20 and DM a game: Instant guaranteed players. Not sure what caliber you might end up with but will probably be able to whittle down a good group. Plus, if you feel you can't DM and screw it all up: who cares? It's online! Learn from mistakes and start again and get another guaranteed set of players and do better every time.
Eventually you're going to get some players who also DM and you can be players in their games.
Some other LFG forums:
http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/forum.php
https://rpol.net/display.cgi?gi=16&ti=989&date=1178463136
Wish this forum had a LFG forum but I think the closest is the Play by Post section.
It's clunky as hell, but since I wasn't feeling Roll20, and want to use my physical -stuff- I've been doing it over Discord.
Dice roller in one window: https://rolz.org/
Rough test of what I'm using here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvMehQzzF5I I've since 'refined' it with a second camera for my ugly mug ($9.99 for a PS3eye)
The Exploited probably has an easier solution with Google Hangouts.
With my having to do so much alt-tabbing, players having MORE distractions at home, and the lack of face-to-face, we're getting less done.
I do this a lot. Been playing online for maybe 10 years or so. I full time in a RV so local groups aren't an option for me.
What seems to work best: Pick your game and find the Discord server for that game. It seems like rpg forums and reddit are dead and now everyone is just chatting about their favorite game on Discord these days. The game's Discord will likely have a LFG section for putting together and finding online games.
For playing the game, Roll20 + Discord for voice seems to be the popular combination. Fantasy Grounds works well if you want to purchase official modules/systems and like automation. Foundry VTT is the way to go if you want to self host on the internet your own virtual tabletop or you're a little more technical in general. Roll20 for now is still the most popular platform though.
I've never played online before. Do any particular RPG rules sets work better than others when it comes to online gaming? Are rules-light rules sets usually better for online gaming, or not necessarily?
I've tried, but I really hate some of the limitations of the tech. People talking over each other, can't see facial expressions or body language, technical issues with sound quality and volume. The host software glitching out.
I wish I could get into it, because as you say, the Covid situation makes it the only real venue for RPGing right now.
I've played in a few online sessions. It's okay, but I find it to be a lesser experience than face-to-face, and I haven't gone back to it because of that. Not saying I never would, but online is definitely a tougher sell, for me.
FWIW, I'd say 1e AD&D is one of the better D&D rules sets for theatre of the mind combat. Most of that is the very abstract way it handles melee, by default. There's a kind of "cloud" of melee with position in the melee assumed to be fluid and changing. If you're within 1" (10 ft or 10 yards outdoors) you're within melee engagement range. If you're farther away than that you need to either "close to engage" (move up and start fighting, but you don't get an attack roll this round, and neither does your opponent unless they've charged) or "charge" (aggressively enter combat, getting an attack roll the same round) to enter the melee. There's the "Who Attacks Whom" rule that can be applied (often ignored when positions are more defined, but perfect for an abstract "cloud" of melee). The round is a full minute, and an attack roll isn't a single swing/attack, but just your "best opportunity" during the round of melee. Et cetera.
I've been playing a 5e D&D Roll20 game since the playtest of 5e began 6 years ago, every week on Wednesday with a brief break one time. It's been a blast, and a godsend these days with the quarantine. It's kept our old gaming group together after people moved. I am in Los Angeles along with one other player, and then we have players in northern California, New Mexico, Colorado, and sometimes in Oklahoma/ sometimes California.
I now have a second Roll20 game to replace our lost in-person game going as well. Different group of players mostly, and one is on the east coast.
Quote from: Crusader X;1142774I've never played online before. Do any particular RPG rules sets work better than others when it comes to online gaming? Are rules-light rules sets usually better for online gaming, or not necessarily?
Only systems that can have an issue are ones that use card handouts, like Torg or Savage Worlds(Adventure deck). But those can be well supported on certain virtual tabletops. Popular systems tend to have better supported rulesets though. Like I can easily scrape DnDBeyond character/NPC/spell stats into Foundry with a browser addon.
Quote from: Philotomy Jurament;1142782I've played in a few online sessions. It's okay, but I find it to be a lesser experience than face-to-face, and I haven't gone back to it because of that. Not saying I never would, but online is definitely a tougher sell, for me.
FWIW, I'd say 1e AD&D is one of the better D&D rules sets for theatre of the mind combat. Most of that is the very abstract way it handles melee, by default. There's a kind of "cloud" of melee with position in the melee assumed to be fluid and changing. If you're within 1" (10 ft or 10 yards outdoors) you're within melee engagement range. If you're farther away than that you need to either "close to engage" (move up and start fighting, but you don't get an attack roll this round, and neither does your opponent unless they've charged) or "charge" (aggressively enter combat, getting an attack roll the same round) to enter the melee. There's the "Who Attacks Whom" rule that can be applied (often ignored when positions are more defined, but perfect for an abstract "cloud" of melee). The round is a full minute, and an attack roll isn't a single swing/attack, but just your "best opportunity" during the round of melee. Et cetera.
Agree with this. It's particularly good for play by post as the DM can handle so much of the crunch that in say 3e-5e would take days of back and forth posting.
Quote from: Crusader X;1142774I've never played online before. Do any particular RPG rules sets work better than others when it comes to online gaming? Are rules-light rules sets usually better for online gaming, or not necessarily?
Well rules light are usually easier to implement and less dice and mouse clicking so I would say yes.
However, more complicated systems can be well done. Sometimes it is better to approach with the main game you want to play in mind and go from there.
Some examples of which game on which VTT works best:
Roll20: Burning Wheel
Fantasy Grounds: 1e/2e D&D
Foundry VTT: Warhammer 4e
Personally, I think Foundry is the best deal going, expanding very rapidly and the best price point if you need more than Discord, dice-rollers and theatre of the mind.
Quote from: S'mon;1142793Agree with this. It's particularly good for play by post as the DM can handle so much of the crunch that in say 3e-5e would take days of back and forth posting.
I really miss a more theater of the mind style of play. Both my groups are just not into it. I much prefer it. Combat drags so much without it. It can be fun to move icons precisely on a grid sometimes, but there is only so much of that before I just want things to go faster.
Quote from: Mistwell;1142799I really miss a more theater of the mind style of play. Both my groups are just not into it. I much prefer it. Combat drags so much without it. It can be fun to move icons precisely on a grid sometimes, but there is only so much of that before I just want things to go faster.
Well, if you just need an occasional quick grid map with interactive tokens and a virtual dice box, the browser free-to-use Owlbear Rodeo might be just what you need.
used it a couple times and it's nice and handy for those occasions.
https://www.owlbear.rodeo/
Edit: I plan on running this on an iPad, instead of having to bring a rolled up gridmap and miniatures next time I live group game at a bar with friends.
My group has been using Discord for our lock down gaming sessions and even managed to pick up a new player from the US of A.
Quote from: LiferGamer;1142682It's clunky as hell, but since I wasn't feeling Roll20, and want to use my physical -stuff- I've been doing it over Discord.
Dice roller in one window: https://rolz.org/
Rough test of what I'm using here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvMehQzzF5I I've since 'refined' it with a second camera for my ugly mug ($9.99 for a PS3eye)
The Exploited probably has an easier solution with Google Hangouts.
With my having to do so much alt-tabbing, players having MORE distractions at home, and the lack of face-to-face, we're getting less done.
Please tell me how you do it and have the overlay with your camera feed and all!
Quote from: rocksfalleverybodydies;1142802Well, if you just need an occasional quick grid map with interactive tokens and a virtual dice box, the browser free-to-use Owlbear Rodeo might be just what you need.
used it a couple times and it's nice and handy for those occasions.
https://www.owlbear.rodeo/
Edit: I plan on running this on an iPad, instead of having to bring a rolled up gridmap and miniatures next time I live group game at a bar with friends.
This seems a bit easier to use than the Roll20 interface, at least for me
Quote from: Batjon;1142824Please tell me how you do it and have the overlay with your camera feed and all!
I'll be home in about an hour I'll try to summarize sensibly when I'm in front of my PC.
Quote from: Batjon;1142824Please tell me how you do it and have the overlay with your camera feed and all!
Short version: When going live on Discord, I share software, and point it at my OBS setup.
I'll post what I setup here in case it helps/inspires anyone else.
Software/Websites/Resources:Windows 10
Discord (https://discord.com/new/download)
OBS (https://obsproject.com/download)
ROLZ (//rolz.org)
CL-Eye Drivers (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXVsRGpsV1JrY0tZUGhCeFdDTTdLQnlJZ1NxQXxBQ3Jtc0trR3VEa1JMQm9tbk44TG5fSDRuWUd2VmFiZUZ1WWZoMHU5UWFlRWRBMHg1N2g1VkZjNTR6QmJQbng4a0NqMDdVaF9XbG1BbjBnQVVJR2tTUEVscGRmWXZhV08zd1RwNkI4dVFHZUVCMDZ3RlhhOUc5cw%3D%3D&event=video_description&v=JLdrVNrXzjw&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdownload%2FCLEyeDriver5.3.0.0341Emuline%2FCL-Eye-Driver-5.3.0.0341-Emuline.exe) (for PS3 Camera specifically)
Setup Instructions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdrVNrXzjw)
You MIGHT be able to skip OBS, have Discord Share your screen, and use the built in Camera software... I couldn't set it up with Discord easily visible (to keep an eye on what the players are seeing) so I went with OBS:
What the players see: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/702406055648296970/739688956156837958/Setup.jpg
OBS Setup:Since I'll occasionally post a video to Youtube, I've played a little with OBS, so it was already -mostly- configured for how I'm using it now.
The one in the video has been refined a bit - I have 8
sources active in OBS - each component is a source, and many of them are optional graphical things.
To start, I close everything under View/Docks but
SOURCES I also undock it so I can move it off to the side of my face capture.
Then its just click on the + and add my sources one-by-one:
Each source will appear as its own bracketed window that you can resize and move around, and will be layered in the order they are in the list - top of the list, is on top of everything else, and you can drag it in the Sources list or use the two arrows on the bottom.
You will be using some number of Image Capture, Display Capture, Window Capture, and Video Capture device.
ALL sources can also easily be toggled as visible or invisible with the EYE icon (EYEcon?) and once you're happy with their placement, Lock them with the Lock icon. I recommend you lock everything, so you don't drag something you don't mean to.
Image Capture will allow you to put any graphic (JPG etc.) up on the screen - If you keep one near the top you can overlay it; putting the map over your camera image if you desire.
Display Capture will let you share the entire screen - I have Rolz (//Rolz.org) open on my 2nd Monitor, and size it to fit in the upper corner of the screen. I also have an alternate full screen source for the same monitor, for when I want to share a particular image/map/glance at the OneNote page.
Window Capture is used to capture a particular piece of software, open your program first, and then go to add it as a source. (Capture Method: Automatic, Match Title, otherwise find window of same type).
If it doesn't see it, delete and try re-adding it. Sometimes it's flaky.
Video Capture Device is obviously your webcam.
My personal sources setup:
- Image: Corner logo (my transparent Dd in the corner)
- Image: Banner - Campaign name. Only important because I thought I might record some real plays; then I remembered I hate real plays.
- Image: King's Banner - my chucklefucks technically work for him. They don't know his name even though its posted there every session.
- Display Capture: Your WebCam - in my case is pointing at the miniatures/board setup.
- Window Capture: Notepad.exe - I keep this as a little bar across the bottom, where I can jot down the spelling of NPC names or whatever for the players.
- Window Capture: PSEye - this is a 'trick' with two cameras, I can only capture one as a Video Capture Device
- Display Capture: Rolz Website.
- Image: Dice background image - just a wallpaper.
I have several other images that I don't necessarily save over more than a couple sessions; but you could have a large list of sources with visibility toggled off.
Just like my gaming style, its probably overcomplicated, obtuse and could be better organized, and more obtuse, but hey, we all have fun!
Quote from: Cigalazade;1142851This seems a bit easier to use than the Roll20 interface, at least for me
Yea, it's pretty nice and straightforward.
Having the fog and paint options, etc. for free is pretty nice.
Had a bit of back and forth with the two developers and they are going to be integrating hex maps (to allow snapping).
They are looking into macros abilities as well for all those nice dice variations.
They post updates and you can provide feedback here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OwlbearRodeo/
Quote from: LiferGamer;1142887You MIGHT be able to skip OBS, have Discord Share your screen, and use the built in Camera software... I couldn't set it up with Discord easily visible (to keep an eye on what the players are seeing) so I went with OBS:
...
Nice writeup. OBS Studio is great.
Batjon, there's these two D&D1e fanatics on YT I follow that have a pretty in-depth video on setting this all up for group play if you haven't done it before and want a visual step-by-step to accompany LiferGamer's text guide:
https://youtu.be/KZMSMBeNqdA
Quote from: rocksfalleverybodydies;1142802Well, if you just need an occasional quick grid map with interactive tokens and a virtual dice box, the browser free-to-use Owlbear Rodeo might be just what you need.
used it a couple times and it's nice and handy for those occasions.
https://www.owlbear.rodeo/
Wow, that's a
really nice interface. The responsiveness puts Roll20 to shame. I hope they don't ruin it with bloat.
Quote from: rocksfalleverybodydies;1142969Nice writeup. OBS Studio is great.
Batjon, there's these two D&D1e fanatics on YT I follow that have a pretty in-depth video on setting this all up for group play if you haven't done it before and want a visual step-by-step to accompany LiferGamer's text guide:
https://youtu.be/KZMSMBeNqdA
Thanks for the kind words rocks.
If I could bring myself to ignore all my terrain and mini collection, Owlbear rodeo looks about what I'd use.
Anyone wants a closer look or whatever, PM me or respond here - I'm home the next couple (few?) days waiting on the results of my Kung-Flu test. -_-
Dusting this off - because we're still remote, I'm trying out Owlbear Rodeo because of my need for a bigger play area. Thanks rocksfalls.
I play a lot online, mainly d&d 5e but also some Deadlands Savage Worlds, and use Discord and Google Slides exclusively. Discord handles the chat side of things, with the Avrae bot handling dice rolling and character sheets using the dnd beyond links, and Google Slides handling maps and combat. Google Slides is great as a real time collaboration, if I was more of a nerd I would figure out how to have intro fade ins and special effects in the maps for the players to witness.
But honestly I can't be bothered putting in that much effort.