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Friday, January 4, 2013

Friday Question

My last post was about stupid technology, but I want to talk about good technology.  The kind that allows us to play our games over the internet.  I've been looking around at VTT and finding the pros and cons of each.

Question:
What VTT do you like best and why?  And what are its drawbacks?

My gaming group has been using Fantasy Grounds II for several years.  It looks good, has a great virtual dice roller, you can add maps and figures without too much a problem and it supports nearly any ruleset you can think of.

Draw backs.  It costs a little.  More for GM than player.  Although they do have a new Ultimate License available that allows a GM to host players who have not purchased FG2.  The major drawback is it can get real finicky.  There have been nights when we spend a lot of time fiddling with it to get everyone connected and going.  And one night recently we had to cancel.  It just wasn't cooperating.  Fiddling with it is fairly common occurrence where the cancellation is rare. 

I haven't found a VTT that compares with FG2, but when I run games on Google+ I'm curious as to what people have been using and if you are pleased with the program's performance.

Friday.  Short week.  Love it.  Weekend within grasp.  Just need to get through day.  Remember iPod, reduces day by 25%.
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7 comments:

  1. Philo PharynxJanuary 4, 2013 at 6:50 PM

    We use MapTool. Actually we started out using it for a game with everybody in the same room. It was a way of preventing a total party kill from the toddlersaurus. Then it spead to a few other games. Then one of our people ended up finding a job in Kansas.

    Anyway MapTool is very good. It's pretty configurable. I know some people have programmed in everything they need to play, but we just use it for the maps and remote dice rolling. It's got fog of war, it's got tokens, it's reliable. Best of all, it's free.

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  2. Boric GlanduumJanuary 4, 2013 at 6:55 PM

    Seems like it's my day for agreeing.... MapTool is what we use, although we're currently in "same room" mode.

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  3. Mr. BlueJanuary 5, 2013 at 2:57 AM

    I use MapTool as well, and have published a few of the macros I use (such as for Gem rolling) on my blog.

    I prefer to use hex maps, and MapTool was one of the few tools that supported those effectively when I first looked around. Plus I am very anti-G+ so none of those options are available to me.

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  4. Gothridge ManorJanuary 5, 2013 at 9:52 AM

    Thanks guys, I've DLed MapTool. I must have tried it a while back because it looks very familiar. I give it a go.

    Mr. Blue I also DLed you gem generator. I just have to figure out how to use it.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2013 at 1:05 PM

    I will have to download it this weekend.

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  6. Mr. BlueJanuary 5, 2013 at 3:09 PM

    @Tim

    If you have any problems loading it let me know. Glad to help. The hardest part is just knowing how to load the arrays.

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  7. mattJanuary 6, 2013 at 1:52 PM

    I began with FG back when it first came out and through the transition to FGII. Then I switched to MapTool because FG was more geared towards games I did not play at the time (D&D, d20). Over time, MT became bloated and far too complex for me.

    I have recently began GMing again and I am using Roll20. It is free, easily configurable and allows me to easy add/do things on the fly, which is how I like to GM. I am prepare a little but still make changes easily as we game.

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