J.E. Sawyer Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 At GenCon, I saw a company called SmiteWorks demonstrating a software package called Fantasy Grounds. At first glance, it seemed similar to other packages, but after watching a demonstration I think it's a nice step forward. http://www.fantasygrounds.com/ The software has a player client and a DM client for acting as a "virtual tabletop" during games. It is not, in itself, a game, but an interface for helping with the most common things players and DMs try to communicate during their sessions. The system is based on d20/D&D, but it is entirely .xml driven, so it could be modified for other purposes. The tools I found especially useful were the "drag n' drop" dice and text features and the ability for the DM to preload images for viewing. The DM client also had a cool map feature. The DM sees the full map, shadowed. The players see only what the DM chooses to highlight with a lasso tool. I really liked the lasso ability because you could reveal very specific sections of the map. When dice are rolled, players and/or DMs can drag skills from their character sheets into the chat area for a roll that displays the skill/ability being called and shows the modifier(s) involved. When the DM rolls, the players see the die rolling as a shadow but cannot see the actual results. The rolls themselves do not guarantee success; the DM is still the adjudicator for all such matters. The DM could also write up sections of text ahead of time and drag them as blocks into the chat window. If he or she wants the players to read a description, it's very quick and easy to do so. The same applies for images, which can be loaded on demand from .bmp or .jpg format or pre-loaded for characters with slower connections. There's a demo available here. I highly recommend checking it out if you're interested in real-time online tabletop-style gaming. twitter tyme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deraldin Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 I remember looking at this awhile back when we started up our online game almost a year back now. Looked like a really nice program however at the time we were looking for something that was free, especially since we didn't know just how long the campaign would last. Ended up using OpenRPG instead. Not great, but it works. Just downloaded the demo version of Fantasy Grounds to give it a look through, see how things changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancer Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 (edited) There are a whole bunch of these things.. Fantasy Grounds, OpenRPG, WebRPG, Ghost Orb, GRIP, Screenmonkey, kLoOge, and TRIS. I'ts been a while since I checked, but there are probably even more of these virtual tabletop RPGs out now. Basically, they have evolved from IRC (Internet Relay Chat) roleplaying to a virtual environment where the GM and players can move their characters around on a virtual grid complete with virtual miniatures (very useful for visualizing combat!). I've tried all that I've listed and although OpenRPG is not the prettiest graphically, it is the best one to handle other games that aren't 3.x/d20 (2ndEd, Vampire, Hero..etc). Edited August 14, 2006 by Lancer Lancer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.E. Sawyer Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share Posted August 14, 2006 One of the posters on the Fantasy Grounds forums uses FG to run his 2nd Ed. game, so it appears to be easily adapted. twitter tyme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark_Raven Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Like awesome dude, awesome. Hades was the life of the party. RIP You'll be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaftan Barlast Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 So.. anyone feel like DMing a game? DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantousent Posted August 15, 2006 Share Posted August 15, 2006 Kaftan, it's your turn. I have to admit that I enjoyed running my game all of... what... four times? Okay, I simply wouldn't have the time no matter what, but I did think that something that allowed me to cut and paste easier would have been better. I haven't tried Fantasy Grounds, but OpenRPG sufficed well enough. If Fantasy Grounds was more user friendly, and the dice roller already sounds better than OpenRPG, then it would be worlds ahead. Fionavar's Holliday Wishes to all members of our online community: Happy Holidays Join the revelry at the Obsidian Plays channel:Obsidian Plays Remembering tarna, Phosphor, Metadigital, and Visceris. Drink mead heartily in the halls of Valhalla, my friends! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaftan Barlast Posted August 16, 2006 Share Posted August 16, 2006 Well, I do have some D&D books on PDF format lying around so I suppose it would be possible. Im going back to Uni in two weeks though so wed have to act quickly and efficiently. The problem is that Dungeons&Dragons isnt exactly my cup of tea, and I feel more than slightly constricted trying to conjure up ideas for an adventure in the setting. DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metadigital Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 How about a post-apoc nanotech setting? OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Hades Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 This is good stuff, but I am more looking forward getting Campaign Cartographer 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorpond Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 Have you tried the free program called MapTool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heruca Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 There are a whole bunch of these things.. Fantasy Grounds, OpenRPG, WebRPG, Ghost Orb, GRIP, Screenmonkey, kLoOge, and TRIS. I'ts been a while since I checked, but there are probably even more of these virtual tabletop RPGs out now. You're right, Lancer. There are actually about 25 such virtual tabletop programs out there. I've compiled a list of them, in case anyone wants to compare the pros and cons of each. It includes both free and commercially-sold programs. http://www.battlegroundsgames.com/links.html (scroll to the bottom for the virtual tabletops) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantousent Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 ...And, as you can see in the sticky up above, most of these programs have demos and/or free artwork, sound files, and other assorted goodies. I know I use PCGen all the time for running my PnP games. Fionavar's Holliday Wishes to all members of our online community: Happy Holidays Join the revelry at the Obsidian Plays channel:Obsidian Plays Remembering tarna, Phosphor, Metadigital, and Visceris. Drink mead heartily in the halls of Valhalla, my friends! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hound Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Online tabletop style RPG is a subject near and dear to my heart nowadays, since I am involved in the development of a "virtual tabletop" for use in an online living game. Of the tools listed on Battlgrounds Games site, webRPG and Ghostorb appear to be dead. The webRPG link doesn't work. I've tried to get on it several times across three days, and also couldn't find any new address on Google. I was on it not too long ago and there were only a handful of ongoing games listed. Ghostorb looks like it hasn't been updated since last Christmas (see the "news" on the front page). If you Google "Ghostorb" you can get links to their member list. I looked in there recently and found that nearly all the new "members" for the past six months were spammers who posted links to their porn and Viagra sites. Curiously, the most popular type of online roleplaying that is close to tabletop style seems to be play by post. There are lots of sites for that. I found one that had well over 100 games listed. Don't have the links because I've never been particularly interested in those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heruca Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Online tabletop style RPG is a subject near and dear to my heart nowadays, since I am involved in the development of a "virtual tabletop" for use in an online living game. If you have a web page up for it, please let me know and I'll be happy to add it to my list. Of the tools listed on Battlgrounds Games site, webRPG and Ghostorb appear to be dead. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually, the vast majority of the VTs listed are dead or abandoned projects. And about half of the remaining ones are still in development. I should probably revise my list soon to indicate this. Thanks for the heads-up about the WebRPG link being dead. That must be a pretty recent development, because it was working less than a month ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hound Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 The website isn't open to the public yet, but when the time comes I'll post requests for playtesters on Enworld, which is where I post most often, and a few other places including here if the policy allows it. The first part to be tested will be a server side virtual tabletop implementation, which will be opened up for free public use to give it a "shakedown" with (hopefully) lots of users at once. It's pretty much fully functional with the usual bells and whistles including three chat modes (voice chat/ third party voice chat/ text chat), but it has never seen use by more than six people at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heruca Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 The webRPG link doesn't work. I've tried to get on it several times across three days, and also couldn't find any new address on Google. I found an alternate download site for OpenRPG if you're still interested. http://www.rpghost.com/webrpg/mirror/step1.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hound Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 OpenRPG's main link works OK. They seem to be doing well. WebRPG is (was?) something different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heruca Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 It says WebRPG Online Download. Nothing about OpenRPG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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