D&D IMing - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

D&D IMing

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
sixtymya
Sep 07, 2008 20:03:12 I'm going off to boarding school tomorrow, but I want to continue playing D&D with a friend. We want to do this through IMing, but as he doesn't have a webcam, we are at a loss as to how to show the grid, move characters, do encounters, etc., since one of us can't see the board. Do any of you have suggestions?

PS: I'm new here, so if this is on the wrong board, please tell me what board it should be on in the future. Thanks!
#2
t3hb4k4
Sep 07, 2008 20:08:14 Look into a program called RPTools, I've been using programs like this to play with friends from high school for the past 3 years and it's worked out great. It's got a built in battle grid complete with a miniature maker which can turn any image file into your miniature, as well as a die roller that is easy to learn. One thing I would suggest however is looking into using a voice chat program like Ventrilo as that tends to speed things up a little bit. Depending on how fast you and your friend type using a text chat system can bog things down a little.
#3
mesinock
Sep 07, 2008 20:42:21 check out this web site, http://www.fantasygrounds.com/, best looking online tabletop I have come across. I also recomend ventrilo, absolutely stay away from skype, unless of course you just computer viruses.:D
#4
drmorganes
Sep 08, 2008 6:43:46 Point of fact: up-to-date antivirus software (both in terms of product version and virus definition library) will usually deal with viruses. Outdated antivirus software is, in my opinion, almost worse than no antivirus software because it gives a false sense of protection. All the major players in this market offer free basic antivirus protection. (Norton's is part of Google Pack.)

100% of "virus" complaints I've dealt with in the last year have actually been some other form of malware, which often steal-installs as part of some other application or after a user has been tricked into clicking on an official-looking pop-up notice, or when using material downloaded via "greyware" sites or via peer-to-peer networks (e.g., Limwire, BearShare, et. al.). This stuff often disables antivirus "autoprotect" components.

Get your software from reputable sources, make sure your AV is current, and you shouldn't have a problem at all with ANY legitimate software package.

This PSA brought to you by your friendly local neighborhood independent computer repair guy. Additional questions are encouraged via PM. We now return to our regularly-scheduled "DM over IM" discussion.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 sixtymya Sep 07, 2008 20:03:12	I'm going off to boarding school tomorrow, but I want to continue playing D&D with a friend. We want to do this through IMing, but as he doesn't have a webcam, we are at a loss as to how to show the grid, move characters, do encounters, etc., since one of us can't see the board. Do any of you have suggestions? PS: I'm new here, so if this is on the wrong board, please tell me what board it should be on in the future. Thanks!
#2 t3hb4k4 Sep 07, 2008 20:08:14	Look into a program called RPTools, I've been using programs like this to play with friends from high school for the past 3 years and it's worked out great. It's got a built in battle grid complete with a miniature maker which can turn any image file into your miniature, as well as a die roller that is easy to learn. One thing I would suggest however is looking into using a voice chat program like Ventrilo as that tends to speed things up a little bit. Depending on how fast you and your friend type using a text chat system can bog things down a little.
#3 mesinock Sep 07, 2008 20:42:21	check out this web site, http://www.fantasygrounds.com/, best looking online tabletop I have come across. I also recomend ventrilo, absolutely stay away from skype, unless of course you just computer viruses.:D
#4 drmorganes Sep 08, 2008 6:43:46	Point of fact: up-to-date antivirus software (both in terms of product version and virus definition library) will usually deal with viruses. Outdated antivirus software is, in my opinion, almost worse than no antivirus software because it gives a false sense of protection. All the major players in this market offer free basic antivirus protection. (Norton's is part of Google Pack.) 100% of "virus" complaints I've dealt with in the last year have actually been some other form of malware, which often steal-installs as part of some other application or after a user has been tricked into clicking on an official-looking pop-up notice, or when using material downloaded via "greyware" sites or via peer-to-peer networks (e.g., Limwire, BearShare, et. al.). This stuff often disables antivirus "autoprotect" components. Get your software from reputable sources, make sure your AV is current, and you shouldn't have a problem at all with ANY legitimate software package. This PSA brought to you by your friendly local neighborhood independent computer repair guy. Additional questions are encouraged via PM. We now return to our regularly-scheduled "DM over IM" discussion.