Virtual tabletops
Now that I had workable maps, it was time to get some tokens. “Tokens” in this sense means small pictures that represent a character or monster, and that can be moved around on the map. We use them to determine how far monsters and people can move in one turn, and who is in range to fight whom. In a face to face game you would typically use metal or plastic miniature figures for this purpose. On a virtual tabletop you use picture files.
In my last post, I wrote about converting my old campaign area maps from paper to digital. I needed digital maps so I could use them on a virtual tabletop. As you’ll recall, scanning them didn’t go very well.
But of course, campaign maps aren’t the only maps we have to deal with as a Game Master. We have to make dungeon maps as well. And so I scanned some dungeon maps along with the campaign maps to see how that would go.
Until I started using Fantasy Grounds, my maps has usually been drawn freehand on either graph paper (for buildings and dungeons) or hex paper (for area maps). Most of these were simple floorplans, drawn with a mechanical pencil, though I would sometimes break out the colored pencils for area maps.
When I started the FG campaign I initially planned to simply continue drawing my maps by hand and running them through the scanner. But as soon as I tried it I could see the results were less than stellar. Here’s a sample:
When we decided to try using Fantasy Grounds to restart my old D&D campaign, we started with a bunch of demo sessions. We wanted to kick the tires and see how it went. The whole idea of playing virtually seemed new and strange, and we weren’t sure how well we would like it.
During these sessions we had a phone call going with the other player. This was enormously helpful, both to get the initial setup complete, and during the actual game play.
A virtual tabletop (VTT) is software on your computer. It connects to the Internet and allows you to play traditional tabletop games with people in other locations. A VTT provides a shared view of images, die rolls, and other game components (boards, cards, miniatures, etc.). It also provides a communication platform, generally a chat window but sometimes voice communication too.
My initial email blast to my old players and select friends generated quite a bit of response. One person declined (and one never replied), but everyone else seemed enthused. Most of them had been getting even less gaming than my wife and I, and they were pretty excited to have a chance to game and socialize with old friends in faraway places.
But the next question was invariably “When do you want to play?” And that’s where the trouble started.
Did you have a gaming group in your younger days? Would you like to get them back together? Read on, my friend, and I’ll tell you how to do it. I’ve been there, and done it, and you can do it too!
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