Online D&D gaming and online D&D groups - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Online D&D gaming and online D&D groups

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
TheMonk
Mar 14, 2010 15:14:08 Ever since my group stopped playing D&D I could not find another group, so I am considering playing it online. I know about OpenRPG, but there is really not a lot of activity there, and even though I have been checking it lately, nothing has come up. I am particularly interested in playing V. 3.5 D&D, as that is what I am familiar with.

So I wanted to ask 2 things here. Firstly, can anyone give me some site swhere I can play some quality D&D online with other people, similar to openRPG?

Secondly, has anyone here ever played D&D on the internet (over any site or program), and if so, what were your experiences. And also, is it worth it playing D&D online?

Thanks a lot for reading everyone, and I hope I get to play some D&D soon.
#2
nikitadarkstar
Mar 14, 2010 17:23:44 I can't really point you to a website since the people I play with are old MMO buddies of mine. As for if it's worth playing online I'd say yes, but it depends on what you like about D&D. RP wise I'd say it's much more fun over IM since you're pretty much forced to RP (not to mention it's more relaxed in my opinion.) but it takes more time. Battles can be tricky, especially if you don't use Maptool or Gametable or some other battlegrid program. (but there's no reason to not use them, both are free and both work great.)

But obviously it depends on the people you play with too. My group just use msn messenger and Gametable, thats it. But I knwo some groups insist on voice chat, virtual dice rollers, webcams etc. but I guess it comes down to a matter of playstyle (and trust.)

So yes, playing online is well worth it, and to me in the end there's not much of a difference between playing over an IM and in person, other than things take abit longer since you're typing. (But then again, things can take for forever irl too if you're goofing around...)
#3
TheMonk
Mar 14, 2010 17:32:38
I can't really point you to a website since the people I play with are old MMO buddies of mine. As for if it's worth playing online I'd say yes, but it depends on what you like about D&D. RP wise I'd say it's much more fun over IM since you're pretty much forced to RP (not to mention it's more relaxed in my opinion.) but it takes more time. Battles can be tricky, especially if you don't use Maptool or Gametable or some other battlegrid program. (but there's no reason to not use them, both are free and both work great.)

But obviously it depends on the people you play with too. My group just use msn messenger and Gametable, thats it. But I knwo some groups insist on voice chat, virtual dice rollers, webcams etc. but I guess it comes down to a matter of playstyle (and trust.)

So yes, playing online is well worth it, and to me in the end there's not much of a difference between playing over an IM and in person, other than things take abit longer since you're typing. (But then again, things can take for forever irl too if you're goofing around...)

I see, that's nice to hear. Good news indeed. And it's true what you say about goofing around, my last group sometimes goofed around a lot, and sometimes we would not get much done, though the group was really great most of the time.

If only I knew of more sites to contact people about gaming that would be great. But I guess I will have to wait for someone to point me somewhere. So far I know about Fantasy Grounds and OpenRPG, though, like I said, OpenRPG has little activity from what I can tell.

Thanks a lot for your reply and your time, I appreciate it.

Oh, btw, you mentioned IM, what does IM stand for?
#4
nikitadarkstar
Mar 14, 2010 17:59:56 IM = Instant messenger, such as AIM, Msn Messenger, Yahoo etc.
#5
TheMonk
Mar 14, 2010 18:01:32 Right, noted. Thanks.
#6
Karsaroth
Mar 14, 2010 20:24:55 To give you another example - I live approx. 2 hours away from the mates I play DnD with, so gaming at a table isn't something we can do regularly. Another point is that the game we are currently playing is only the second for almost everyone (and the first for one person), so we're all new to the game. It's 4th ed.

That said, I'm currently DMing an online game, using Maptool coupled with Ventrilo. We've been playing for a few months now and the feedback I'm getting from the game seems positive, and with Ventrilo, there isn't a need to worry about the speed of typing since we can still all talk to each other. Maptool is free, as is Ventrilo (however you'll need to either host a vent server yourself, or rent one. They don't cost very much.)

The only thing that bugs me a little is the time it takes to prepare a decent map in map tool, but if you're being a player, that's probably not an issue.
#7
bone_naga
Mar 14, 2010 21:09:04 I'm DMing an online game with friends from out of state (my home state, I've moved around a lot). I use MapTool (free and very versatile) coupled with Yahoo Messenger. We open a chat room in YIM, and use voice chat so we can talk without typing all the time, and then use MapTools for battles. Although MapTools has a dice roller, we just roll our own dice and announce the results. It's still not quite the same as playing in person, but its pretty close.

I have decided that even if I start DMing a game in person again, I will use MapTools to run the battles (I have plans to build a gametable using a 42" LCD TV built into the center and some old laptops to track character data and send messages that the other players don't need to see).

The website for MapTool is rptools.net (I also recommend TokenTool which makes it extremely easy to make all kinds of tokens for MapTool). I believe they also have a forum for meeting other players for online games.
#8
TheMonk
Mar 15, 2010 7:00:20
To give you another example - I live approx. 2 hours away from the mates I play DnD with, so gaming at a table isn't something we can do regularly. Another point is that the game we are currently playing is only the second for almost everyone (and the first for one person), so we're all new to the game. It's 4th ed.

That said, I'm currently DMing an online game, using Maptool coupled with Ventrilo. We've been playing for a few months now and the feedback I'm getting from the game seems positive, and with Ventrilo, there isn't a need to worry about the speed of typing since we can still all talk to each other. Maptool is free, as is Ventrilo (however you'll need to either host a vent server yourself, or rent one. They don't cost very much.)

The only thing that bugs me a little is the time it takes to prepare a decent map in map tool, but if you're being a player, that's probably not an issue.

That's good news indeed. All I am hearing are positive experiences as far as online D&D is concerned. I am actually surprised at the amount of positive feedback so far.

#9
TheMonk
Mar 15, 2010 7:03:09
I'm DMing an online game with friends from out of state (my home state, I've moved around a lot). I use MapTool (free and very versatile) coupled with Yahoo Messenger. We open a chat room in YIM, and use voice chat so we can talk without typing all the time, and then use MapTools for battles. Although MapTools has a dice roller, we just roll our own dice and announce the results. It's still not quite the same as playing in person, but its pretty close.

I have decided that even if I start DMing a game in person again, I will use MapTools to run the battles (I have plans to build a gametable using a 42" LCD TV built into the center and some old laptops to track character data and send messages that the other players don't need to see).

The website for MapTool is rptools.net (I also recommend TokenTool which makes it extremely easy to make all kinds of tokens for MapTool). I believe they also have a forum for meeting other players for online games.

Hmmm I'll check out rptools.net then, thanks for the suggestion. I like your idea with the 42" LCD TV and the laptps, it's great for preventing metagaming in the group. I guess that's kinda the advantage of having a chat system instead of gaming at the table. There is no possibility if metagaming.

Thanks a lot for the help guys and girls. If anyone has any more suggestions be sure to throw them my way please, if you have the time
#10
icedcrow
Mar 15, 2010 7:34:41 www.fantasygrounds.com
#11
TheMonk
Mar 16, 2010 4:20:41 I already checked fantasy grounds, not a lot of activity, but I did find a lot of activity on rptools.net, though. Thanks for your suggestion mate
#12
Pinnacle
Mar 17, 2010 12:54:22 There's also play-by-post gaming if you're interested. It's not instant (and is in fact slow), but it doesn't require players to be online at the same time or for any amount of time.

www.rpol.net/
www.myth-weavers.com/

And AIM chat rooms do have a built-in dice roller.
#13
TheMonk
Mar 17, 2010 18:34:02
There's also play-by-post gaming if you're interested. It's not instant (and is in fact slow), but it doesn't require players to be online at the same time or for any amount of time.

www.rpol.net/
www.myth-weavers.com/

And AIM chat rooms do have a built-in dice roller.

Thanks a lot for that, it sounds very interesting. I'll check it out. I haven't actually considered play by post so far but it sounds fun.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 TheMonk Mar 14, 2010 15:14:08	Ever since my group stopped playing D&D I could not find another group, so I am considering playing it online. I know about OpenRPG, but there is really not a lot of activity there, and even though I have been checking it lately, nothing has come up. I am particularly interested in playing V. 3.5 D&D, as that is what I am familiar with. So I wanted to ask 2 things here. Firstly, can anyone give me some site swhere I can play some quality D&D online with other people, similar to openRPG? Secondly, has anyone here ever played D&D on the internet (over any site or program), and if so, what were your experiences. And also, is it worth it playing D&D online? Thanks a lot for reading everyone, and I hope I get to play some D&D soon.
#2 nikitadarkstar Mar 14, 2010 17:23:44	I can't really point you to a website since the people I play with are old MMO buddies of mine. As for if it's worth playing online I'd say yes, but it depends on what you like about D&D. RP wise I'd say it's much more fun over IM since you're pretty much forced to RP (not to mention it's more relaxed in my opinion.) but it takes more time. Battles can be tricky, especially if you don't use Maptool or Gametable or some other battlegrid program. (but there's no reason to not use them, both are free and both work great.) But obviously it depends on the people you play with too. My group just use msn messenger and Gametable, thats it. But I knwo some groups insist on voice chat, virtual dice rollers, webcams etc. but I guess it comes down to a matter of playstyle (and trust.) So yes, playing online is well worth it, and to me in the end there's not much of a difference between playing over an IM and in person, other than things take abit longer since you're typing. (But then again, things can take for forever irl too if you're goofing around...)
#3 TheMonk Mar 14, 2010 17:32:38	I can't really point you to a website since the people I play with are old MMO buddies of mine. As for if it's worth playing online I'd say yes, but it depends on what you like about D&D. RP wise I'd say it's much more fun over IM since you're pretty much forced to RP (not to mention it's more relaxed in my opinion.) but it takes more time. Battles can be tricky, especially if you don't use Maptool or Gametable or some other battlegrid program. (but there's no reason to not use them, both are free and both work great.) But obviously it depends on the people you play with too. My group just use msn messenger and Gametable, thats it. But I knwo some groups insist on voice chat, virtual dice rollers, webcams etc. but I guess it comes down to a matter of playstyle (and trust.) So yes, playing online is well worth it, and to me in the end there's not much of a difference between playing over an IM and in person, other than things take abit longer since you're typing. (But then again, things can take for forever irl too if you're goofing around...) I see, that's nice to hear. Good news indeed. And it's true what you say about goofing around, my last group sometimes goofed around a lot, and sometimes we would not get much done, though the group was really great most of the time. If only I knew of more sites to contact people about gaming that would be great. But I guess I will have to wait for someone to point me somewhere. So far I know about Fantasy Grounds and OpenRPG, though, like I said, OpenRPG has little activity from what I can tell. Thanks a lot for your reply and your time, I appreciate it. Oh, btw, you mentioned IM, what does IM stand for?
#4 nikitadarkstar Mar 14, 2010 17:59:56	IM = Instant messenger, such as AIM, Msn Messenger, Yahoo etc.
#5 TheMonk Mar 14, 2010 18:01:32	Right, noted. Thanks.
#6 Karsaroth Mar 14, 2010 20:24:55	To give you another example - I live approx. 2 hours away from the mates I play DnD with, so gaming at a table isn't something we can do regularly. Another point is that the game we are currently playing is only the second for almost everyone (and the first for one person), so we're all new to the game. It's 4th ed. That said, I'm currently DMing an online game, using Maptool coupled with Ventrilo. We've been playing for a few months now and the feedback I'm getting from the game seems positive, and with Ventrilo, there isn't a need to worry about the speed of typing since we can still all talk to each other. Maptool is free, as is Ventrilo (however you'll need to either host a vent server yourself, or rent one. They don't cost very much.) The only thing that bugs me a little is the time it takes to prepare a decent map in map tool, but if you're being a player, that's probably not an issue.
#7 bone_naga Mar 14, 2010 21:09:04	I'm DMing an online game with friends from out of state (my home state, I've moved around a lot). I use MapTool (free and very versatile) coupled with Yahoo Messenger. We open a chat room in YIM, and use voice chat so we can talk without typing all the time, and then use MapTools for battles. Although MapTools has a dice roller, we just roll our own dice and announce the results. It's still not quite the same as playing in person, but its pretty close. I have decided that even if I start DMing a game in person again, I will use MapTools to run the battles (I have plans to build a gametable using a 42" LCD TV built into the center and some old laptops to track character data and send messages that the other players don't need to see). The website for MapTool is rptools.net (I also recommend TokenTool which makes it extremely easy to make all kinds of tokens for MapTool). I believe they also have a forum for meeting other players for online games.
#8 TheMonk Mar 15, 2010 7:00:20	To give you another example - I live approx. 2 hours away from the mates I play DnD with, so gaming at a table isn't something we can do regularly. Another point is that the game we are currently playing is only the second for almost everyone (and the first for one person), so we're all new to the game. It's 4th ed. That said, I'm currently DMing an online game, using Maptool coupled with Ventrilo. We've been playing for a few months now and the feedback I'm getting from the game seems positive, and with Ventrilo, there isn't a need to worry about the speed of typing since we can still all talk to each other. Maptool is free, as is Ventrilo (however you'll need to either host a vent server yourself, or rent one. They don't cost very much.) The only thing that bugs me a little is the time it takes to prepare a decent map in map tool, but if you're being a player, that's probably not an issue. That's good news indeed. All I am hearing are positive experiences as far as online D&D is concerned. I am actually surprised at the amount of positive feedback so far.
#9 TheMonk Mar 15, 2010 7:03:09	I'm DMing an online game with friends from out of state (my home state, I've moved around a lot). I use MapTool (free and very versatile) coupled with Yahoo Messenger. We open a chat room in YIM, and use voice chat so we can talk without typing all the time, and then use MapTools for battles. Although MapTools has a dice roller, we just roll our own dice and announce the results. It's still not quite the same as playing in person, but its pretty close. I have decided that even if I start DMing a game in person again, I will use MapTools to run the battles (I have plans to build a gametable using a 42" LCD TV built into the center and some old laptops to track character data and send messages that the other players don't need to see). The website for MapTool is rptools.net (I also recommend TokenTool which makes it extremely easy to make all kinds of tokens for MapTool). I believe they also have a forum for meeting other players for online games. Hmmm I'll check out rptools.net then, thanks for the suggestion. I like your idea with the 42" LCD TV and the laptps, it's great for preventing metagaming in the group. I guess that's kinda the advantage of having a chat system instead of gaming at the table. There is no possibility if metagaming. Thanks a lot for the help guys and girls. If anyone has any more suggestions be sure to throw them my way please, if you have the time
#10 icedcrow Mar 15, 2010 7:34:41	www.fantasygrounds.com
#11 TheMonk Mar 16, 2010 4:20:41	I already checked fantasy grounds, not a lot of activity, but I did find a lot of activity on rptools.net, though. Thanks for your suggestion mate
#12 Pinnacle Mar 17, 2010 12:54:22	There's also play-by-post gaming if you're interested. It's not instant (and is in fact slow), but it doesn't require players to be online at the same time or for any amount of time. www.rpol.net/ www.myth-weavers.com/ And AIM chat rooms do have a built-in dice roller.
#13 TheMonk Mar 17, 2010 18:34:02	There's also play-by-post gaming if you're interested. It's not instant (and is in fact slow), but it doesn't require players to be online at the same time or for any amount of time. www.rpol.net/ www.myth-weavers.com/ And AIM chat rooms do have a built-in dice roller. Thanks a lot for that, it sounds very interesting. I'll check it out. I haven't actually considered play by post so far but it sounds fun.