Like so much of you, I am stuck at home while we practice social distancing and I'd like to still play D&D through a VTT with my group while we are apart. Me and my group have been using D&D Beyond for everything during our in-person games, so now switching to a VTT seems daunting since it looks like neither of the big 2 (Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds) will support character sheet imports from D&D Beyond, and I really don't want to make my players recreate their sheets on a new platform, I think that'll just turn them off from even trying to do it online. I heard about the Avrae bot in Discord, and while I really like the idea that it works so well with D&D Beyond, our combats have always used tactical maps because we have alot of board and video gamers here and we prefer that to the theater of the mind style. So now I'm back to VTT's. Does anyone have a suggestion to which one works best and some ideas to making it easier for my players to adjust? I don't mind having to do more work on my end if it means that my players have to do less, and cost isn't something I'm worried about right now either. Thanks so much for any suggestions you guys have!
No VTT has official support for, or connectivity with, D&D Beyond. As such, you're going to be doing pretty much the same thing with all of them; either playing with a DDB tab open, or manually copying in your character sheet.
Roll20 and Foundry VTT are much more integrated because of a third party Chrome extension.
Using that extension, you don't need to port over, copy or rebuild your character in those VTT's. You play from a DnDBeyond tab and by clicking on skills, abilities, spell or attacks, the dice get rolled directly in the VTT.
The VTT becomes purely a map with tokens at a minimum (what you get for free).
Roll20 and Foundry VTT are much more integrated because of a third party Chrome extension.
Totally Agree! Beyond20 is amazing. I use it with Roll20. Your players can just roll from their existing character sheets in DnDBeyond. You as the DM can roll from the monster sheets on DnDBeyond. If you have created encounters, you can use all of that.
Also a note on which VTT to use, Foundry is still in beta and is a self hosted solution so there is a bit of work on your end to get things going and working. There is a hosted solution for foundry by the same amazing fellow that makes the aforementioned extension but it's also going to be in beta right now as well. I think foundry has amazing potential and will end up being better than roll20 in the long run.
I've got an online game where we use roll 20 for the map and manually roll(ex 2d6+3 for a greatsword). If you trust your players they can just roll their own physical dice if you want. Integration helps but not required ;-)
You can access "the forge" which is a hosted Foundry product currently available in beta through patreon: supporting developer Kakaroto. The stuff he makes works (the creator of beyond 20). Foundry is a contender and matched with dnd beyond content is a strong candidate for great online RPG.
There is another great product for lore building called legend keeper which is a map/realmworks type hybrid. Not as powerful as realmworks, but very user friendly and has what I need. Just some ideas while you are in prison....
Like so much of you, I am stuck at home while we practice social distancing and I'd like to still play D&D through a VTT with my group while we are apart. Me and my group have been using D&D Beyond for everything during our in-person games, so now switching to a VTT seems daunting since it looks like neither of the big 2 (Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds) will support character sheet imports from D&D Beyond, and I really don't want to make my players recreate their sheets on a new platform, I think that'll just turn them off from even trying to do it online. I heard about the Avrae bot in Discord, and while I really like the idea that it works so well with D&D Beyond, our combats have always used tactical maps because we have alot of board and video gamers here and we prefer that to the theater of the mind style. So now I'm back to VTT's. Does anyone have a suggestion to which one works best and some ideas to making it easier for my players to adjust? I don't mind having to do more work on my end if it means that my players have to do less, and cost isn't something I'm worried about right now either. Thanks so much for any suggestions you guys have!
You could try Tabletop Simulator. It's $10 right now on steam. You'd all need a copy though. I've never used it though but it seems cool. I think you'd have to manually enter in characters.
Roll20 allows you to manually enter in stuff too. That'd be an option. I also think there is a mod or macro or something somewhere that allows you to import dndbeyond info into roll20.
I use roll20 with the browser extension of Beyond 20. That allows me to have everything here, and use roll20 only for the maps, tokens, chat and display rolls.
I've tried both Roll20 and FoundryVTT with DNDBeyond integrations, both work really well so it should come down to your own preference. I personally prefer Foundry VTT, and also it has a module that lets you import full adventure from DNDBeyond, so you don't necessarily need to purchase adventures on both platforms.
At this time, I don't think you can purchase adventures through Foundry... So its not a matter of "purchasing it on both platforms." Either you buy it here, or you don't buy it, if you are using Foundry.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
While not officially supported, Foundry works great with DDB due to some fantastic extensions. You can use the Beyond 20 extension (works with both Foundry and Roll20) and play from DDB by clicking actions and abilities and having them sent directly to your VTT. Or you can use the VTTAssets: D&D Beyond extension and import anything you own here into Foundry, ie characters, monsters, campaigns etc. (some can be done for free while some options require a patreon subscription).
I use a desktop computer hosting "The Foundry" (or web based "The Forge). Both have interconnectivity with Beyond 20 and VTT Assets chome extensions. The extensions are patreon based at a low cost and a local installation of Foundry VTT is a one time affordable cost with a host of modules and game systems that are in constant development. It is a clean, modern interface that is considerably more user friendly than other VTTs I have used. I don't own stock or interest in any of these comapanies and am just an average working joe. Links:
At the current pace of their development, I wouldn't expect to see an actually functional VTT here any time before 2022... probably much later than that. If I were going to bet, I'd bet on "Never" -- or at least, by the time they have it read for 5e, WTOC will be ready to release 6e, making the whole thing obsolete.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Roll20 and Foundry VTT are much more integrated because of a third party Chrome extension.
Using that extension, you don't need to port over, copy or rebuild your character in those VTT's. You play from a DnDBeyond tab and by clicking on skills, abilities, spell or attacks, the dice get rolled directly in the VTT.
The VTT becomes purely a map with tokens at a minimum (what you get for free).
I've been playing now for 3 months now and finished my campaign on Roll20. Beyond20 was amazing! Thanks so much for letting me know about it. It was a literal game-changer!
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Hello all,
Like so much of you, I am stuck at home while we practice social distancing and I'd like to still play D&D through a VTT with my group while we are apart. Me and my group have been using D&D Beyond for everything during our in-person games, so now switching to a VTT seems daunting since it looks like neither of the big 2 (Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds) will support character sheet imports from D&D Beyond, and I really don't want to make my players recreate their sheets on a new platform, I think that'll just turn them off from even trying to do it online. I heard about the Avrae bot in Discord, and while I really like the idea that it works so well with D&D Beyond, our combats have always used tactical maps because we have alot of board and video gamers here and we prefer that to the theater of the mind style. So now I'm back to VTT's. Does anyone have a suggestion to which one works best and some ideas to making it easier for my players to adjust? I don't mind having to do more work on my end if it means that my players have to do less, and cost isn't something I'm worried about right now either. Thanks so much for any suggestions you guys have!
No VTT has official support for, or connectivity with, D&D Beyond. As such, you're going to be doing pretty much the same thing with all of them; either playing with a DDB tab open, or manually copying in your character sheet.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
Roll20 and Foundry VTT are much more integrated because of a third party Chrome extension.
Using that extension, you don't need to port over, copy or rebuild your character in those VTT's. You play from a DnDBeyond tab and by clicking on skills, abilities, spell or attacks, the dice get rolled directly in the VTT.
The VTT becomes purely a map with tokens at a minimum (what you get for free).
Totally Agree! Beyond20 is amazing. I use it with Roll20. Your players can just roll from their existing character sheets in DnDBeyond. You as the DM can roll from the monster sheets on DnDBeyond. If you have created encounters, you can use all of that.
Also a note on which VTT to use, Foundry is still in beta and is a self hosted solution so there is a bit of work on your end to get things going and working. There is a hosted solution for foundry by the same amazing fellow that makes the aforementioned extension but it's also going to be in beta right now as well. I think foundry has amazing potential and will end up being better than roll20 in the long run.
I've got an online game where we use roll 20 for the map and manually roll(ex 2d6+3 for a greatsword). If you trust your players they can just roll their own physical dice if you want. Integration helps but not required ;-)
I used to just use the free version of roll20 (my friends had to stop playing because schedule conflicts, now I play AL).
You can access "the forge" which is a hosted Foundry product currently available in beta through patreon: supporting developer Kakaroto. The stuff he makes works (the creator of beyond 20). Foundry is a contender and matched with dnd beyond content is a strong candidate for great online RPG.
There is another great product for lore building called legend keeper which is a map/realmworks type hybrid. Not as powerful as realmworks, but very user friendly and has what I need. Just some ideas while you are in prison....
Cheers,
The Narrator
Do you know if there is a reason that dndbeyond isn't officially linked to a VTT? It seems like a match made in heaven to combine them!
I'm fairly sure they're creating one.
You could try Tabletop Simulator. It's $10 right now on steam. You'd all need a copy though. I've never used it though but it seems cool. I think you'd have to manually enter in characters.
Roll20 allows you to manually enter in stuff too. That'd be an option. I also think there is a mod or macro or something somewhere that allows you to import dndbeyond info into roll20.
I use roll20 with the browser extension of Beyond 20. That allows me to have everything here, and use roll20 only for the maps, tokens, chat and display rolls.
I've tried both Roll20 and FoundryVTT with DNDBeyond integrations, both work really well so it should come down to your own preference. I personally prefer Foundry VTT, and also it has a module that lets you import full adventure from DNDBeyond, so you don't necessarily need to purchase adventures on both platforms.
At this time, I don't think you can purchase adventures through Foundry... So its not a matter of "purchasing it on both platforms." Either you buy it here, or you don't buy it, if you are using Foundry.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
While not officially supported, Foundry works great with DDB due to some fantastic extensions. You can use the Beyond 20 extension (works with both Foundry and Roll20) and play from DDB by clicking actions and abilities and having them sent directly to your VTT. Or you can use the VTTAssets: D&D Beyond extension and import anything you own here into Foundry, ie characters, monsters, campaigns etc. (some can be done for free while some options require a patreon subscription).
I use both!
I use a desktop computer hosting "The Foundry" (or web based "The Forge). Both have interconnectivity with Beyond 20 and VTT Assets chome extensions. The extensions are patreon based at a low cost and a local installation of Foundry VTT is a one time affordable cost with a host of modules and game systems that are in constant development. It is a clean, modern interface that is considerably more user friendly than other VTTs I have used. I don't own stock or interest in any of these comapanies and am just an average working joe. Links:
Foundry VTT
The Forge (Foundry but web based)
Beyond 20 Chrome Web Extension
VTT Assets
Hope that's helpful. Happy gaming!
Cheers,
The Narrator
Foundry VTT, great VTT supported by one one the best community: very helpfull, and developing awesome module. Work really nice with DnDBeyond.
And taking their sweet time with it!
At the current pace of their development, I wouldn't expect to see an actually functional VTT here any time before 2022... probably much later than that. If I were going to bet, I'd bet on "Never" -- or at least, by the time they have it read for 5e, WTOC will be ready to release 6e, making the whole thing obsolete.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I've been playing now for 3 months now and finished my campaign on Roll20. Beyond20 was amazing! Thanks so much for letting me know about it. It was a literal game-changer!