What is the verdict on Roll20.net? Is it worth creating an account for? Can online beat pen and paper tabletop?
>>45277958
If you move away from your friends, and want to play long distance, accept no substitute. Otherwise just play in person.
Personally, I feel online can never beat a real table. But since the latter is harder to get compared to the former, sometimes you have to make sacrifices.
Yes, roll20 is good. It's actually pretty widely used, as far as I can tell. I'd recommend using a second program for out of character that, though.
Roll20 is a great system
The Roll20 community is worse than cancer coated cancer with cancer filling.
>>45278233
This, find players elsewhere and use Roll20 to have your games. Finding players via Roll20 is not recommended.
But if you're going to do games online, Roll20 is the absolute way to go.
>>45278233
Agreed, don't try to join a game with strangers, you will find mouth breathers and fetishizers.
I wanna play, but I either get a crisis of confidence, or they require Skype, which I believe requires a webcam and isn't free (I don't need people seeing my mug). Plus finding a game that's not Stupid o'clock my time, plus the horror stories....
>>45278199
I've been playing with my college buddies since we all went our separate ways and got to agree that roll20 is great for this.
The only new people I've accepted are IRL friends of my friends, and so far it's been pretty good.
>>45278286
What, skype is free. it's just shit
>>45278286
No and no. Skype is free and works without a camera just fine.
Just make sure you don't mouth breath on the mic.
>>45278286
>Skype, which I believe requires a webcam and isn't free
>>45278286
What? How can someone not know what Skype is in this day and age? Serious question, are you middle aged?
>>45278286
>Skype
Google hangouts. Have A mic. Set up push to talk. Revel on the silence?
>>45278348
Really? Thanks. This opens a lot of fucking doors, believe me.
>>45278419
Skype actually hogs fewer resources and will work better if you have slow connection (both in the terms on bandwidth and latency). The only problem of Skype is that you need Skype client, G+ is more "open" in that regard.
>>45278419
There is no push to talk on google hangouts, but there is on skype
>>45277958
>players hear different clothes
>>45277958
Roll20 is great for what it was originally created for - giving a way to play long distance with people you already knew or met via other methods.
>>45278551
>make one of the players DM
>recognize that he's going to have to learn how to do things properly and be willing to give him that time
It's not that hard people
I mean if you're already gathering up to stare wistfully at the spot where a DM should be, just sit someone in that chair. Let them spin around in it a little. Practice their 'you done deliciously fucked up' smile.
>>45278579
Oh everyone but one in my group is a very competent DM. Just none of us want to do it. Apparently I'm the best but I want to be a player. When ever I make adventures I just get I dont know if its the right word but annoyed. I want to solve these puzzles and go through the adventure. I just sit there and look at what I made and get angry and start to think things like "Why do they get to run through this and get to solve things."
>>45278233
>>45278250
I've played with like 10 people found on roll20, only had a problem with 1 and that's because they flaked out after a single session and never spoke to any of us again.
As long as you're the one accepting people you can accept only the non-shit
>>45278675
Play a system like Ars Magica where the players take turns at being the DM every few sessions, that way everybody can play
>>45277958
>Is it worth creating an account for?
It's free, so the buy-in is as low as can be. So, yeah?
>Can online beat pen and paper? Not in my experience, it's definitely a better experience to be with the other players physically. Play goes faster, it's easier to riff off of each other's characters etc. But the idea is that it's for people who can't get groups together for whatever reason. Like, I work the night shift so I can't go for most games, so I game on roll20 with people on different time zones.
>>45277958
I like it because it was a good place to get started as a scrub who had 0 experience in the hobby.
I hate it because I've run into a shit ton of expy retards, slut players and have been tricked into receiving one too many tavern privvy/chimera backseat handjobs to be willing to RP with strangers anymore.
>>45277958
I love the macros and how digital dice rolls speeds up play. I remember how much of a pain in the ass it was when the cheeto that couldnt math had trouble adding up the dice for his fireball or when the summoner didnt know his summon details. Nowadays there is literally no excuse to not have prepped every single macro for every single action.
>>45278763
I think you're relying somewhat on luck even with some decent screening. My game lost four players before finally stabilizing, while rejecting several others.
Though I was also advertising on gamefinder. I wonder how many of the flakes came from there.
>>45277958
>Is it worth creating an account for
Worth what?
>Still not using Rolisteam
Seriously, it's really good (and very simple).
>>45279883
How does it compare data usage and bandwidth usage wise compared to roll20?
>>45279883
how are the drawing tools. the annoying thing about roll 20 was that it has none.
>>45277958
>What is the verdict on Roll20.net?
IT works well enough for what it is.
>Is it worth creating an account for?
Sure, it's free.
>Can online beat pen and paper tabletop?
Nope
What do most people do? Text, voice, or voice + camera?
>>45280477
Depends
Text if you don't mind slow progress and like to really get into roles.
Voice if you want things to move along, and for the more casual.
And I'm not sure why someone would have voice + camera.
>>45279883
Honestly never heard of Rolisteam, what's special about it?
>>45280372
Roll20 has drawing tools.
They're basic but that's pretty much all you need.
>>45279883
Jesus fucking Christ, how big are those tables?
Awful mapping skills senpai.
>>45277958
Online will never ever be as fun or immersive as in person gaming, especially if you go from gaming with friends to gaming with the filth that make up the R20 community
>>45283499
I don't know, doesn't the relative anonymity and the selection process make for better role-playing?
It seems like whenever I play at the tabletop, whether at a store or with friends, there's always at least one person who is playing Level 5 Human Fighter, not role-playing a character.
>>45283596
but the exact same thing can happen with anonymous people, it will just be glaringly more apparent because you don't even see them as your friend who isn't role playing, they're just some blank slate that isn't role playing.
>>45277958
I've been playing on roll20 for years, and it has kept me in touch with my oldest and fondest playgroup. It's a good tool and well worth it; its strengths are in the maps, dice systems, music and other stuff you'd want in a campaign. I recommend using Skype or some other program for voice, though.
I'd compare it to taking a bus to work. Sure, you'd rather do things in person and take your car, because there's a lot of sketchy people on the bus, but maybe you won't have a car for a while. So even if the bus doors don't work right sometimes, it's pretty nice to have it, especially since it will take care of the driving for you.
>>45281248
voice+cam is for the paranoid types who think people are just being quiet and secretly not there.
>>45283596
the anonymity means you don't know what they like and you could be a poor match to them.
I had a lot of bad times trying to find people interested in a politics-averse 5e game, specifically because everyone joining kept assuming i was going for something I wasn't, then quietly vanished when i didn't meet the expectations they literally never told me about.
At this point, i've fought this by making my selection process literally a month long before taking anyone in earnest. Which, honestly, only half-works.
>>45285554
Sounds like Roll20 could benefit from one of those dating site algorithms. Ask players the occasional question or what their habits are, that kind of thing.
>>45277958
It's all we use, their dice roller seems broken as we tend to get the same results multiple times, but whatever it works well enough, we used to use maptools, but that was a pain sometimes
>>45283499
>having friends
>>45277958
It's not better than IRL tabletop, but it's still good.
I'd find a real game, but the tabletop community in my city is run by furries. So roll20 is my best option, really.
cuck senpai
It's worth it. There's a lot of trash on there but there's also some amazing games. I run games on there, got 2,600 hours in.
>>45287413
Joined up a few years ago due to scheduling problems irl for games. I joined a game and ran one (neither dnd). Most of the players turned out really good people and we all still hang out in our chat rooms. I guess i got the lucky experience but its been really boss so far.
As other have said, it's great for playing with friends who can't get there in person, otherwise I just stick to in person shit.
>>45280477
Text, and maybe voice.
I can't see any reason for cams.
I have been lucky enough to find a decent core group of players, but after filing through over a dozen players who just don't show up. People are right when saying that the playerbase is made up of terrible people.
The system itself is pretty good. While it may not have as much automation as Maptools, the ease of use makes up for it by far.
>>45288843
Especially with buttons next to everything on the character sheet. Does all the math for you.
>>45278250
>, you will find mouth breathers and fetishizers.
I almost want to try now
My group either lives far away or has conflicting schedules
So roll20 has kept us going
