Any Online Groups to Join? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Any Online Groups to Join? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Warpoet
08-10-07, 08:14 PM Ive been an avid D&D fan for decades, but have found it difficult to find time to play with a group in my area. Are there any places I can go online or on the wizards site to find an online group? Or is that not really possible? Thanks for your help.
Shedeo
08-10-07, 08:33 PM I've thought many a time about starting an online group, but the only problem comes in character sheets (not really too large a problem) but mainly in dice rolls.

I played in an online campaign a long time ago that used some alternative online system for it, but after my computer crashed last august, I lost the info on that little piece.
Wight_Chocolate
08-10-07, 09:30 PM Why are dice rolls a problem? There are plenty of chat programs that will allow (or have addons that will allow) one to roll a Dwhatever. Some of them are even specifically designed for D&D and are capable of adding modifiers to the result or calculating sneak attack damage.

IRC springs to mind.

I'd be inclined to say that character sheets are the bigger issue, and even then there are numerous ways to circumnavigate it; it'll just require a little more effort.
ranewen
08-10-07, 09:47 PM open rpg, and gametable are two more that allow for map sharing, and dice rolls with modifiers, also freeware.. there are of course ones that cost. wizards has a board with online game locators.

i'm currently in two online games, one that is chat based, using openrpg(where i'm DM), the other is via skype with gametable (where i'm a PC). oddly enough, both currently running through the same modules, though the one i'm DM'ing is about 6-7 sessions ahead of the voice chat group.

as far as game sheets, you can type it out, simliar to the monster manual versions of the monsters, or find one of many programs that allow you to write out a character sheet (hero forge comes to mind) and save it as a PDF version (there are free programs that let you print to PDF) which you give to your DM, or upload it to a website (many free hosting out there too)
Warpoet
08-10-07, 10:23 PM Thanks for all the great info, but I still am having trouble finding where exactly on Wizards site they have boards or ads for these online campaigns. Also, I dont really have any of the material for 3.5 and should probably be in a beginner group as I havent had much experience with the new rules...Im old school...ever since the 3.0 revolution I have been a little hesitant about getting back into the game.
Deekin
08-11-07, 12:28 AM If you want to join a Play-by-post game, not Chat style, you can join K Man's Adventures (http://kmansadventures.proboards2.com/index.cgi).

I believe that the Dark Sun game still has some room.
CelineSSauve
08-11-07, 08:32 AM If you don't mind politics butting its head into the forum from time to time, Plothooks.net (http://www.plothook.net/RPG/index.php) has its sahre of good and bad DMs as they allow anyone who can get 4 or more players to express interest to run a game. It is, meanwhile, Play by Post and not live, though a DM or two has attempted to run a live game a few times it's hard to pin down 4 or more people to one regular time to play onlince...
Neutronium_Dragon
08-11-07, 08:36 AM If you're interested in trying the play-by-post format, you might try RPOL, which has a bunch of built-in tools for running various games (not just D&D): http://www.rpol.net/

Play-by-post is often easier to manage if you have limited time to play, since the pace is slower and you usually only need a few minutes a day.
Burrfoot
08-11-07, 10:10 AM Can someone explain me how a post-by-post would work? Wouldn't it take a lot of time to play a game?
metalmayhem80110
08-11-07, 12:52 PM I think play-by-post means you post what you're doing, some one else posts what they're doing, DM posts results and thats a day of gameplay. I might be wrong though.
OneWinged4ngel
08-12-07, 03:11 PM I think play-by-post means you post what you're doing, some one else posts what they're doing, DM posts results and thats a day of gameplay. I might be wrong though.

Play by post is lame. Use tabletop programs and various tools and you can get something almost the same as a face-to-face game. In point of fact, you can potentially do *everything* you can do in a face-to-face game online, *except* touch the other players or hand them stuff physically. You can use miniatures, props, maps, you can even see each other face to face on real-time webcams and talk to them without anything more than a very cheap mic. You can of *course* roll dice and use character sheets. (I like "thetangledweb.net" 3eprofiler online character sheets, myself, and OpenRPG for gaming, which is a simple and versatile program.)

A lot of people who will tell you that they have trouble with such things are generally speaking out of ignorance. I've played quite a few online games with fun results (though Play By Post just takes far, far too long and generally kills pacing, so a real time group is generally much better).

The only challenge is finding a really good group of players. However, since it's the internet instead of your local gaming store or whatever, you know that they're out there and you can find them with a modicum of effort. :)

___

Also, there's another forum for this. Two of them, actually. See the RPG Gamer Classifieds and also the Digital D&D forum.
Neutronium_Dragon
08-12-07, 03:36 PM Pacing can be an issue with play-by-post games, and many of them peter out before getting too far, but the ones that stick can be very good. While it's obviously slower - you probably only post a few times a day at most - you can write out quite an extensive amount of action and description in your posts if you're so inclined, so it allows for a very narrative style of play.

Generally it works out just like a face-to-face game in other ways. You've got a DM and players, and sites like RPOL have built-in dice rollers and other tools so you can deal with the mechanics easily.
CelineSSauve
08-14-07, 08:06 PM Play by post is lame. Use tabletop programs and various tools and you can get something almost the same as a face-to-face game. In point of fact, you can potentially do *everything* you can do in a face-to-face game online, *except* touch the other players or hand them stuff physically. You can use miniatures, props, maps, you can even see each other face to face on real-time webcams and talk to them without anything more than a very cheap mic. You can of *course* roll dice and use character sheets. (I like "thetangledweb.net" 3eprofiler online character sheets, myself, and OpenRPG for gaming, which is a simple and versatile program.)

A lot of people who will tell you that they have trouble with such things are generally speaking out of ignorance. I've played quite a few online games with fun results (though Play By Post just takes far, far too long and generally kills pacing, so a real time group is generally much better).

The only challenge is finding a really good group of players. However, since it's the internet instead of your local gaming store or whatever, you know that they're out there and you can find them with a modicum of effort. :)

It is true that PbyP requires a certain level of patience. It also encourages more roleplaying than other forums because you can think things out and go into your character's mind in the post itself instead of leaving everyone wondering where that crazy idea came from that you know is in character but the DM might call you on if they can't figure out how your PC got the information/idea during a "live" game.

I have attempted two chat based games (in the table-top programs such as OpenRPG) and the main problem I have found with them is that you need everyone's schedules to stack up. Oddly, this rarely seems to happen. People, it seems, don't think of a D&D online meetup the same way as a weekly game.

I stongly encourage Play by Post if you're not sure of your schedule or that the other Players and DM will show up regularly for a "live" game.
Mysteria
08-15-07, 10:21 AM For Play by Post on these forums:

Real Adventures Setup Zone (http://forums.gleemax.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=278) :)
seTiny
08-15-07, 02:39 PM :cookie: <-- This cookie is for Mysteria for advertising the Real Adventures section. :)

There are a few ways to play online and most of them have been said already. There are good points and bad points with any of the methods.

The Chat system:

The chat systems (as simple as AIM or as complex as one with mapping tools) are good for people that can get together. I tried this method a few times, each ending the same way. I will give one example.

A DM wanted to play a game in the setting he created, so he posted on another forum that he was setting up a game. He said that instead of PbP, because he had never done it, the game was going to be in a chat system and he posted the times that he would be available to run it. The fact that we had to meet at a certain time left a few people that were interested, but in different time zones out of the game. The DM did however find enough people to start a game, so we had to meet in the chat room for weekly sessions. The only problem is that real life got in the way for most of us just before the game session. Out of the 7 weeks he was running the game we were able to get 2 sessions of play. Then his work schedule changed and none of us could agree on a new game time, so the game died.

They are still a little slower than face to face play, but if you can get a consistent group, then this is a great way to play.

PbP method:

I however have yet to find a group that I can be consistent with, so PbP works well for me. In the Real Adventures section of these boards I am able to play in about 8 games simultaneously. I can read and post in each one of my games within a short time frame and when I have time I can come back and see if there is a response. I don't have to wait a week for the next game session since the games are continuous. I'm even running two games this way. While I would prefer a faster pace game, I still find PbP is great (i would still play this way even after finding a consistent group, it would just be one more game I'm in).

The bad thing about PbP is that it is very slow. An adventure I am runnning that would have taken about 6 hours in a real life session, has taken about a year to complete.
OneWinged4ngel
08-16-07, 03:30 AM I have attempted two chat based games (in the table-top programs such as OpenRPG) and the main problem I have found with them is that you need everyone's schedules to stack up. Oddly, this rarely seems to happen. People, it seems, don't think of a D&D online meetup the same way as a weekly game. That's not true for everyone, only for flaky idiots you shouldn't want to play with anyways. I've never missed an online game without warning at least a week ahead of time (and even that is extremely rare), with *one* exception being the power going out and the internet failing.

Anyways, if you find a decent group of people, like I mentioned, you don't have any problems like that, because decent people have enough respect for others to be considerate enough of their time given to the game to *show up* or at least say that they can't make it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Warpoet 08-10-07, 08:14 PM	Ive been an avid D&D fan for decades, but have found it difficult to find time to play with a group in my area. Are there any places I can go online or on the wizards site to find an online group? Or is that not really possible? Thanks for your help.
Shedeo 08-10-07, 08:33 PM	I've thought many a time about starting an online group, but the only problem comes in character sheets (not really too large a problem) but mainly in dice rolls. I played in an online campaign a long time ago that used some alternative online system for it, but after my computer crashed last august, I lost the info on that little piece.
Wight_Chocolate 08-10-07, 09:30 PM	Why are dice rolls a problem? There are plenty of chat programs that will allow (or have addons that will allow) one to roll a Dwhatever. Some of them are even specifically designed for D&D and are capable of adding modifiers to the result or calculating sneak attack damage. IRC springs to mind. I'd be inclined to say that character sheets are the bigger issue, and even then there are numerous ways to circumnavigate it; it'll just require a little more effort.
ranewen 08-10-07, 09:47 PM	open rpg, and gametable are two more that allow for map sharing, and dice rolls with modifiers, also freeware.. there are of course ones that cost. wizards has a board with online game locators. i'm currently in two online games, one that is chat based, using openrpg(where i'm DM), the other is via skype with gametable (where i'm a PC). oddly enough, both currently running through the same modules, though the one i'm DM'ing is about 6-7 sessions ahead of the voice chat group. as far as game sheets, you can type it out, simliar to the monster manual versions of the monsters, or find one of many programs that allow you to write out a character sheet (hero forge comes to mind) and save it as a PDF version (there are free programs that let you print to PDF) which you give to your DM, or upload it to a website (many free hosting out there too)
Warpoet 08-10-07, 10:23 PM	Thanks for all the great info, but I still am having trouble finding where exactly on Wizards site they have boards or ads for these online campaigns. Also, I dont really have any of the material for 3.5 and should probably be in a beginner group as I havent had much experience with the new rules...Im old school...ever since the 3.0 revolution I have been a little hesitant about getting back into the game.
Deekin 08-11-07, 12:28 AM	If you want to join a Play-by-post game, not Chat style, you can join K Man's Adventures (http://kmansadventures.proboards2.com/index.cgi). I believe that the Dark Sun game still has some room.
CelineSSauve 08-11-07, 08:32 AM	If you don't mind politics butting its head into the forum from time to time, Plothooks.net (http://www.plothook.net/RPG/index.php) has its sahre of good and bad DMs as they allow anyone who can get 4 or more players to express interest to run a game. It is, meanwhile, Play by Post and not live, though a DM or two has attempted to run a live game a few times it's hard to pin down 4 or more people to one regular time to play onlince...
Neutronium_Dragon 08-11-07, 08:36 AM	If you're interested in trying the play-by-post format, you might try RPOL, which has a bunch of built-in tools for running various games (not just D&D): http://www.rpol.net/ Play-by-post is often easier to manage if you have limited time to play, since the pace is slower and you usually only need a few minutes a day.
Burrfoot 08-11-07, 10:10 AM	Can someone explain me how a post-by-post would work? Wouldn't it take a lot of time to play a game?
metalmayhem80110 08-11-07, 12:52 PM	I think play-by-post means you post what you're doing, some one else posts what they're doing, DM posts results and thats a day of gameplay. I might be wrong though.
OneWinged4ngel 08-12-07, 03:11 PM	I think play-by-post means you post what you're doing, some one else posts what they're doing, DM posts results and thats a day of gameplay. I might be wrong though. Play by post is lame. Use tabletop programs and various tools and you can get something almost the same as a face-to-face game. In point of fact, you can potentially do everything you can do in a face-to-face game online, except touch the other players or hand them stuff physically. You can use miniatures, props, maps, you can even see each other face to face on real-time webcams and talk to them without anything more than a very cheap mic. You can of course roll dice and use character sheets. (I like "thetangledweb.net" 3eprofiler online character sheets, myself, and OpenRPG for gaming, which is a simple and versatile program.) A lot of people who will tell you that they have trouble with such things are generally speaking out of ignorance. I've played quite a few online games with fun results (though Play By Post just takes far, far too long and generally kills pacing, so a real time group is generally much better). The only challenge is finding a really good group of players. However, since it's the internet instead of your local gaming store or whatever, you know that they're out there and you can find them with a modicum of effort. :) ___ Also, there's another forum for this. Two of them, actually. See the RPG Gamer Classifieds and also the Digital D&D forum.
Neutronium_Dragon 08-12-07, 03:36 PM	Pacing can be an issue with play-by-post games, and many of them peter out before getting too far, but the ones that stick can be very good. While it's obviously slower - you probably only post a few times a day at most - you can write out quite an extensive amount of action and description in your posts if you're so inclined, so it allows for a very narrative style of play. Generally it works out just like a face-to-face game in other ways. You've got a DM and players, and sites like RPOL have built-in dice rollers and other tools so you can deal with the mechanics easily.
CelineSSauve 08-14-07, 08:06 PM	Play by post is lame. Use tabletop programs and various tools and you can get something almost the same as a face-to-face game. In point of fact, you can potentially do everything you can do in a face-to-face game online, except touch the other players or hand them stuff physically. You can use miniatures, props, maps, you can even see each other face to face on real-time webcams and talk to them without anything more than a very cheap mic. You can of course roll dice and use character sheets. (I like "thetangledweb.net" 3eprofiler online character sheets, myself, and OpenRPG for gaming, which is a simple and versatile program.) A lot of people who will tell you that they have trouble with such things are generally speaking out of ignorance. I've played quite a few online games with fun results (though Play By Post just takes far, far too long and generally kills pacing, so a real time group is generally much better). The only challenge is finding a really good group of players. However, since it's the internet instead of your local gaming store or whatever, you know that they're out there and you can find them with a modicum of effort. :) It is true that PbyP requires a certain level of patience. It also encourages more roleplaying than other forums because you can think things out and go into your character's mind in the post itself instead of leaving everyone wondering where that crazy idea came from that you know is in character but the DM might call you on if they can't figure out how your PC got the information/idea during a "live" game. I have attempted two chat based games (in the table-top programs such as OpenRPG) and the main problem I have found with them is that you need everyone's schedules to stack up. Oddly, this rarely seems to happen. People, it seems, don't think of a D&D online meetup the same way as a weekly game. I stongly encourage Play by Post if you're not sure of your schedule or that the other Players and DM will show up regularly for a "live" game.
Mysteria 08-15-07, 10:21 AM	For Play by Post on these forums: Real Adventures Setup Zone (http://forums.gleemax.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=278) :)
seTiny 08-15-07, 02:39 PM	:cookie: <-- This cookie is for Mysteria for advertising the Real Adventures section. :) There are a few ways to play online and most of them have been said already. There are good points and bad points with any of the methods. The Chat system: The chat systems (as simple as AIM or as complex as one with mapping tools) are good for people that can get together. I tried this method a few times, each ending the same way. I will give one example. A DM wanted to play a game in the setting he created, so he posted on another forum that he was setting up a game. He said that instead of PbP, because he had never done it, the game was going to be in a chat system and he posted the times that he would be available to run it. The fact that we had to meet at a certain time left a few people that were interested, but in different time zones out of the game. The DM did however find enough people to start a game, so we had to meet in the chat room for weekly sessions. The only problem is that real life got in the way for most of us just before the game session. Out of the 7 weeks he was running the game we were able to get 2 sessions of play. Then his work schedule changed and none of us could agree on a new game time, so the game died. They are still a little slower than face to face play, but if you can get a consistent group, then this is a great way to play. PbP method: I however have yet to find a group that I can be consistent with, so PbP works well for me. In the Real Adventures section of these boards I am able to play in about 8 games simultaneously. I can read and post in each one of my games within a short time frame and when I have time I can come back and see if there is a response. I don't have to wait a week for the next game session since the games are continuous. I'm even running two games this way. While I would prefer a faster pace game, I still find PbP is great (i would still play this way even after finding a consistent group, it would just be one more game I'm in). The bad thing about PbP is that it is very slow. An adventure I am runnning that would have taken about 6 hours in a real life session, has taken about a year to complete.
OneWinged4ngel 08-16-07, 03:30 AM	I have attempted two chat based games (in the table-top programs such as OpenRPG) and the main problem I have found with them is that you need everyone's schedules to stack up. Oddly, this rarely seems to happen. People, it seems, don't think of a D&D online meetup the same way as a weekly game. That's not true for everyone, only for flaky idiots you shouldn't want to play with anyways. I've never missed an online game without warning at least a week ahead of time (and even that is extremely rare), with one exception being the power going out and the internet failing. Anyways, if you find a decent group of people, like I mentioned, you don't have any problems like that, because decent people have enough respect for others to be considerate enough of their time given to the game to show up or at least say that they can't make it.