{"id":472,"date":"2021-03-17T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therabbithoel.com\/?p=472"},"modified":"2021-07-25T21:35:25","modified_gmt":"2021-07-26T01:35:25","slug":"what-is-a-virtual-tabletop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therabbithoel.com\/?p=472","title":{"rendered":"What is a Virtual Tabletop?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A game of Scrabble using Tabletop Simulator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

A VTT does not provide an automated opponent. It isn\u2019t a game in itself, it\u2019s simply a means of playing games with other human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s possible to play most any sort of game with a VTT, but some programs are more suited to one sort of game than another. Some are intended solely for role-playing games, offering features for interacting with character sheets, dice, maps, and miniatures. Others are more oriented to board games, featuring ways to work easily with decks of cards, pawns, paths the game pieces must follow, timers, score counters, and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do I choose one?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For starters, what are you hoping to play? The software you choose to play an RPG might not work well for a card game, and vice-versa. Some programs claim to do either, but I have yet to see one that does both RPG\u2019s and board games as well as a program that was designed to do just one. Of course, there\u2019s no reason, beyond perhaps cost, that you can\u2019t buy one for every sort of game you play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, let\u2019s think about who we want to play with. If we have a regular gaming group and you want to play remotely (like during a pandemic, for instance), everyone in the group will need to have the same software, so it needs to be available for whatever sort of device they\u2019re able to use. That isn\u2019t usually a problem for Macs and PC\u2019s, but if someone only has a tablet or a Chromebook it may be a bit more of an issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, if you\u2019re hoping to find other players, look for the platform that is most popular for the game you\u2019re hoping to play. Most programs have some means of searching for players or available games, whether by an in-game \u201clobby\u201d, a forum, or a social media page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, consider what games you\u2019re looking to play, and whether anyone has programmed a given VTT to play it. For really popular games like Battleship or the latest version of D&D you\u2019ll have a lot of choices, but if you want to play old or obscure games your options will be limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cost may be a factor too, but we\u2019ll tackle that a bit later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else do I need?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s probably obvious, but you\u2019ll need a computer, and an internet connection. A typical family or office computer is probably fine, provided it\u2019s fairly modern. Network requirements too, are usually modest. Generally speaking, if you can watch a Youtube video you\u2019re probably good to go. Naturally, you should check the system requirements for the software you choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re very likely to want voice communications of some sort. There are many, many options for this, including such office classics as Skype and Zoom. Some VTT\u2019s come with built-in voice chat, which simplifies matters. For best audio quality, you\u2019ll want a headset, preferably a wireless one, that has enough battery life to last through an entire game session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s all this going to cost?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prices for VTT software can range from free to over $100. In general, you get what you pay for. Many of the \u201cfree\u201d options have a lot of features disabled unless you buy some sort of subscription, or simply lack the features of the more expensive options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not done yet, though. The virtual tabletop is just that: a table. You need a game, too. Some VTT\u2019s have some games built in, but if you want to play something else you\u2019ll need to buy that too, or find a free version. In the case of an RPG, the gamemaster will have to buy each adventure module they run, just as they would in a face-to-face game. For board games, if you want to play a different game on your tabletop, you have to buy it, just like in the physical world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, there\u2019s also a lot of free content. Some of it is hardly worth the cost, but much of it is quite good. Many VTT\u2019s have forum areas where players help one another develop game content, and these can be a treasure trove of both complete games and adventures, but also of assets like maps, minis, and the like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also possible to make your own content. It takes time and effort, but it\u2019s really satisfying to be able to invite your friends to play a game you created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sounds hard. Why are we doing this?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Virtual tabletops allow you to play games with people you couldn\u2019t play with otherwise. Whether they\u2019re faraway friends and family, people you\u2019ve only met virtually, or your next-door neighbors during a quarantine, you\u2019ll be able to renew old bonds, create new ones, and have a good time in a way that you otherwise could never do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you use?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Disclaimer: I purchased the software I mention with my own money. However, I did do some development work for Smiteworks, the owner of Fantasy Grounds, and continue to receive royalty payments on sales of my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
D&D 3.5 on Fantasy Grounds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For roleplaying games I use Fantasy Grounds. It has 3D rolling dice that obey actual laws of physics, and they look amazing. Fantasy Grounds allows a great deal of scripting and automation to be built into the rules. For example, it will automatically confirm a critical hit and calculate the correct damage roll (stacking modifiers appropriately as well). It will then apply the damage to the correct monster on the combat tracker, and apply any effects as appropriate. It comes with bult-in support for many games. Among them are 2nd, 3.5, 4th and 5th edition D&D, Pathfinder 1&2, Starfinder, Fate, and a generic ruleset that allows you to play anything you like. You can purchase the rules and automation for many other games, and still more are available for free on the forums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For board games I like Tabletop Simulator. It has many purchasable games (complete with rules and copyrighted images), and there are also many free versions that use more generic graphics and require you to have a paper copy of the rules. TTS includes voice chat, so you don\u2019t need extra software for that. It has a very nice tool for building your own games as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For voice communications my group uses Teamspeak. It\u2019s free for small groups, and it\u2019s possible to host it on your own computer so you don\u2019t need to pay for hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have also used Vassal and ZunTzu for boardgames, but not recently. I\u2019ve played RPG\u2019s using Roll20, Twitch, Discord, Skype, and Zoom. All of them worked well enough to play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"What is a Virtual Tabletop?\n\nA virtual tabletop (VTT) is software on your computer. 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