Online Roleplaying
We know it can seem daunting to take your cozy, analogue tabletop roleplaying game that you have usually experienced around a table with friends face to face into an online, digital format. But these days it really is easier than ever with before! There are new and better tools continually being developed to make the transition as smooth as possible and the actual play experience as close to real life meetups as can be. Depending on the game you play you might not even need anything more fancy than video calls like Skype, Zoom or Discord and perhaps a shared space to doodle in. In fact, when starting out it can be a good idea to avoid the fancier tools and just rely on physical dice and group integrity, simply to see how it feels to play through a video call.
However, if you feel like you would like some more tools at your fingertips there are a number of virtual tabletop platforms and apps (VTTs) available for you to explore. All of them come with tutorials to teach you the ins and outs.
Virtual Tabletop Platforms
Today playing online through Virtual tabletops (VTTs) have become more and more common and there are now a plethora of options to make it easy to find what suits you and your group best. In short: What you need to get started is a stable broadband connection, a decent computer and mic and speakers (or a headset).
FOUNDRY
Foundry VTT was released in 2020 and although it requires a bit more of a setup compared to Roll20, and a one time purchase of the software itself, it is very powerful and works great as a support for the GM during play. You can choose to either host it from your own computer, or a remote server, with players connecting through a simple link in their browser.
You can check out the Demo to get a sense of how it feels and read the tutorial for more indepth info on how Foundry works, how to set it up and how to create your first world. There is a large number of supported systems, and also an ever growing number of community created modules that can be plugged in to enhance your game further.
Foundry requires a one-time purchase of the core software to use.
ROLL20
Roll20 was established in 2012, and as such is one of the most venerable (and popular!) VTTs out there. While it might not quite have the same amount of bells and whistles as the latest VTTs released, it can run on almost any computer and has by far the widest selection of supported roleplaying games. Its core functions are also absolutely free! You can later decide to do a paid upgrade for extra features.
Get started by creating an account at Roll20 and check out the official Crash Course to get you up and running as quickly as possible. Below we’ve collected resources to run our own games. To use the free resources you normally only have to choose the correct character sheet when creating the game. You can of course also choose to purchase modules that contain tools, maps, markers, character sheets and whatever you need to make it as smooth an experience as possible.
Roll20 is free to use with optional paid subscriptions for additional storage and features.
FANTASY GROUNDS
Fantasy Grounds is an online gaming service that offers a lot of tools to make roleplaying online easier to manage. To get started you purchase a license or subscription, and then a game system to run. Check out the website here and the tutorial video here.
Fantasy Grounds requires a one-time purchase, or a monthly subscription.
ALCHEMY
Alchemy is a virtual tabletop with a focus on immersion and theatre of the mind style play, with audio and visuals that draw you into the game world. It also has flexible tools for streaming your games as well as finding new people and groups to play with. You can use it for free or upgrade with the paid Alchemy Unlimited for more features. Currently Ruins of Symbaroum is available in the Alchemy Marketplace, but more of our games will appear there soon.
Alchemy is free to use with optional paid subscriptions available for additional features.
DEMIPLANE
Demiplane is not a little different as its main focus is to offer digital toolsets to make tabletop roleplaying games even faster and easier to play. A Demiplane NEXUS gives you full digital content, rules search, interactive tooltips, and much more to come for the growing library of games on Demiplane. The Digital Reader and Game Compendium is perfect for any way you play, in person with friends or virtually online. There is currently an ALIEN Nexus and a Mutant Year Zero Nexus.
Demiplane is free to use with optional paid subscriptions available for additional features.
