I think that DnD Beyond could use a map to be more online friendly, People who play online with friends have to use roll20 to get a virtual map, this is going to be a problem for many players who use DnD beyond for the awesome character sheets and creation. I know quite a few DM's that would use DnD Beyond over roll20 any day, however they need a map to enhance the experience so they have to use roll20 instead. This is a thing many people would be thankful for because DnD beyond is so easy to use and it would be great to get a virtual 2d map in play so that the website is more online user friendly, I know I would like to see a map that could be used, would You?
I use DDB for in person play, and there are a lot of other features I want to see before VTT options (which they have said they have no plans to do)
I use it for F2F too and although I'd agree that a VTT shouldn't really be on DDB's agenda, in-house, I take issue with the assertion that VTT's only serve people playing online. I'm in the process of building a gaming table that will have a glass top with a 42" LED TV underneath it, connected to a Mac Mini, that I intend to use to run animated maps. VTT's aren't just for online play.
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"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
as ArwensDaughter mentions, there are currently no plans to produce a VTT (Virtual Tabletop) component for D&D Beyond.
The function and form of a good VTT is very different to what D&D Beyond currently provides, so it would be a big change in direction to produce something like this, plus there are many, many features lined up for development that will be amazing.
One other thing - as you said, Roll20 already do this. I know it would be nice to have it all in one website, but the new functionality that the team will be working on is going to be much more worth it, I promise - we'll be getting tools and functionality that aren't available anywhere else at all. :)
I use DDB for in person play, and there are a lot of other features I want to see before VTT options (which they have said they have no plans to do)
I use it for F2F too and although I'd agree that a VTT shouldn't really be on DDB's agenda, in-house, I take issue with the assertion that VTT's only serve people playing online. I'm in the process of building a gaming table that will have a glass top with a 42" LED TV underneath it, connected to a Mac Mini, that I intend to use to run animated maps. VTT's aren't just for online play.
The only time I use Roll20 is for the F2F game I DM. I wish I could say I had a fancy gaming table (jealous), but I just have a Chromebook behind my DM screen and have a "Player" account running on a separate laptop connected to the TV. Just wanted to echo that VTT's are used in many different ways.
I wish there was a "VTT" of sorts with TV screen tables in mind, instead of an "oh you can kinda do that with 2 accounts" situation.
I currently use Roll20, but it tends to be kind of slow and unresponsive at times. MapTools has an even higher learning curve, and I'd rather spend my time painting minis. InfinitasDM seemed like the closest thing that I'm talking about, but the UI wasn't great.
Honestly, all we need is an image viewer that opens in two windows, with a DM view in one (for Fog Of War management) and a Player view in the other. I may be wrong, but it seems like a simple enough thing without all of the online VTT bells and whistles. I'm surprised there aren't a number of applications like this.
I use DDB for in person play, and there are a lot of other features I want to see before VTT options (which they have said they have no plans to do)
I use it for F2F too and although I'd agree that a VTT shouldn't really be on DDB's agenda, in-house, I take issue with the assertion that VTT's only serve people playing online. I'm in the process of building a gaming table that will have a glass top with a 42" LED TV underneath it, connected to a Mac Mini, that I intend to use to run animated maps. VTT's aren't just for online play.
My apologies: The OP mentioned it in the context of playing online; that, combined with the fact that I don't have the tech to use a VTT in face to face play, were both factors in how I worded my answer. I had completely forgotten that some folks have found VTT, or at least digital mapping, to be helpful in face to face play.
I wish there was a "VTT" of sorts with TV screen tables in mind, instead of an "oh you can kinda do that with 2 accounts" situation.
I currently use Roll20, but it tends to be kind of slow and unresponsive at times. MapTools has an even higher learning curve, and I'd rather spend my time painting minis. InfinitasDM seemed like the closest thing that I'm talking about, but the UI wasn't great.
Honestly, all we need is an image viewer that opens in two windows, with a DM view in one (for Fog Of War management) and a Player view in the other. I may be wrong, but it seems like a simple enough thing without all of the online VTT bells and whistles. I'm surprised there aren't a number of applications like this.
I haven't used any VTT aside from Roll20, so your mileage may vary, but you could do what you're proposing with just 1 account. It just depends on how much agency you want your players to have in regards to moving themselves around. If you don't mind being the one to move all of the tokens, you could always open a new window logged into the same account and click "Re-Join as Player" in settings, set your computer to do and extended display on 2 screens, and move the "player" window to the screen that's in the table.
I've also seen a really intense setup that used an overhead webcam to identify where miniatures were placed on top of a virtual map that automatically updated where the player tokens were moved. If I had enough space that I could dedicate an entire room for only playing games over a virtual map, I might be more interested in a setup like that, but things like that are out there if you know where to look. Again, though, I'm pretty sure that setup was using Roll20, so it might not be for you if Roll20's a deal breaker.
A lot of these Ideas are great and a few mentioned webcam or camera, this would be good idea. However to get the dwarven forge to do these streamed maps it costs a lot
I wish there was a "VTT" of sorts with TV screen tables in mind, instead of an "oh you can kinda do that with 2 accounts" situation.
I currently use Roll20, but it tends to be kind of slow and unresponsive at times. MapTools has an even higher learning curve, and I'd rather spend my time painting minis. InfinitasDM seemed like the closest thing that I'm talking about, but the UI wasn't great.
Honestly, all we need is an image viewer that opens in two windows, with a DM view in one (for Fog Of War management) and a Player view in the other. I may be wrong, but it seems like a simple enough thing without all of the online VTT bells and whistles. I'm surprised there aren't a number of applications like this.
I haven't used any VTT aside from Roll20, so your mileage may vary, but you could do what you're proposing with just 1 account. It just depends on how much agency you want your players to have in regards to moving themselves around. If you don't mind being the one to move all of the tokens, you could always open a new window logged into the same account and click "Re-Join as Player" in settings, set your computer to do and extended display on 2 screens, and move the "player" window to the screen that's in the table.
I've also seen a really intense setup that used an overhead webcam to identify where miniatures were placed on top of a virtual map that automatically updated where the player tokens were moved. If I had enough space that I could dedicate an entire room for only playing games over a virtual map, I might be more interested in a setup like that, but things like that are out there if you know where to look. Again, though, I'm pretty sure that setup was using Roll20, so it might not be for you if Roll20's a deal breaker.
We use real minis, so tokens aren't an issue. That's a pretty cool idea though. I had never thought of it. My only worry is that if something causes the page to refresh, I don't want to suddenly give my players the DM view.
We use real minis, so tokens aren't an issue. That's a pretty cool idea though. I had never thought of it. My only worry is that if something causes the page to refresh, I don't want to suddenly give my players the DM view.
The Player page would be a separate window on the extended screen, so there shouldn't be anything happening to cause it to refresh. Even if it did, though, I'm pretty sure it would stay as player and not default to the DM view. I'd have to play around with it a bit to be sure. Either way, it sounds like this might be more of a viable solution for your setup than I thought. If you decide to give it a shot, let me know how it works. I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to have the space to set something like that up someday.
I did some experimentation. Basically, if my DM page refreshes, it switches to player. So if I switch it back, then it becomes an issue if the player page refreshes for some reason. So at least I have some warning.
I use Chrome and with DDB, I'll have a lot of tabs going at once. I find that if I stay on one tab for too long, the other will automatically refresh when I switch back to them. This may be something I can adjust in the Chrome settings, but it's why I'm concerned. It's definitely worth a try though!
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Hey everyone
I think that DnD Beyond could use a map to be more online friendly, People who play online with friends have to use roll20 to get a virtual map, this is going to be a problem for many players who use DnD beyond for the awesome character sheets and creation. I know quite a few DM's that would use DnD Beyond over roll20 any day, however they need a map to enhance the experience so they have to use roll20 instead. This is a thing many people would be thankful for because DnD beyond is so easy to use and it would be great to get a virtual 2d map in play so that the website is more online user friendly, I know I would like to see a map that could be used, would You?
I use DDB for in person play, and there are a lot of other features I want to see before VTT options (which they have said they have no plans to do)
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
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D&D Beyond FoundersHi there GaylinGreybold,
as ArwensDaughter mentions, there are currently no plans to produce a VTT (Virtual Tabletop) component for D&D Beyond.
The function and form of a good VTT is very different to what D&D Beyond currently provides, so it would be a big change in direction to produce something like this, plus there are many, many features lined up for development that will be amazing.
One other thing - as you said, Roll20 already do this. I know it would be nice to have it all in one website, but the new functionality that the team will be working on is going to be much more worth it, I promise - we'll be getting tools and functionality that aren't available anywhere else at all. :)
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I wish there was a "VTT" of sorts with TV screen tables in mind, instead of an "oh you can kinda do that with 2 accounts" situation.
I currently use Roll20, but it tends to be kind of slow and unresponsive at times. MapTools has an even higher learning curve, and I'd rather spend my time painting minis. InfinitasDM seemed like the closest thing that I'm talking about, but the UI wasn't great.
Honestly, all we need is an image viewer that opens in two windows, with a DM view in one (for Fog Of War management) and a Player view in the other. I may be wrong, but it seems like a simple enough thing without all of the online VTT bells and whistles. I'm surprised there aren't a number of applications like this.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
A lot of these Ideas are great and a few mentioned webcam or camera, this would be good idea. However to get the dwarven forge to do these streamed maps it costs a lot
I did some experimentation. Basically, if my DM page refreshes, it switches to player. So if I switch it back, then it becomes an issue if the player page refreshes for some reason. So at least I have some warning.
I use Chrome and with DDB, I'll have a lot of tabs going at once. I find that if I stay on one tab for too long, the other will automatically refresh when I switch back to them. This may be something I can adjust in the Chrome settings, but it's why I'm concerned. It's definitely worth a try though!