I love D&D Beyond so far and am really looking forward to it reaching its potential for my in-person play sessions.
But I would like to take it the next step and implement some digital maps during my play sessions with my groups. I am thinking I would have a laptop with an External monitor to dedicate to this. I can probably handle moving all the Player Characters and Monsters rather than relying on my players to have to do any additional work.
I don't really want to resolve combat in this mapping app, or even handle initiative tracking in it. I just want to be able to show the map (hopefully with fog of war), show the player locations, and the monster locations.
I have been looking at Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. I like the fact that you can buy licenced campaigns to use the maps within. Both tools seem to be geared more towards an online experience rather than in-person games.
Anyone have any thoughts on what works for their in-person sessions?
Thanks. I bought some of his Curse of Strahd Maps last month and printed it off blueprint size at staples and it worked OK, but for my "fog of war" I had to use post it notes, lol. So that is why I am looking for a digital way to present high-quality maps like his at the gaming table.
Thanks. I bought some of his Curse of Strahd Maps last month and printed it off blueprint size at staples and it worked OK, but for my "fog of war" I had to use post it notes, lol. So that is why I am looking for a digital way to present high-quality maps like his at the gaming table.
Take a look at rptools.net, that one is a free map tool, with tutorials on how to import your maps, you can have fog of war, you can even use dynamic lighting if you choose. Not sure what other changes have been made. I haven't used in quite some time.
My suggestion would be to source your maps wherever and import things into Roll20 as it's free. I haven't looked at rptools however, and am curios to see what that does now, given it has dynamic lighting.
My suggestion would be to source your maps wherever and import things into Roll20 as it's free. I haven't looked at rptools however, and am curios to see what that does now, given it has dynamic lighting.
Dynamic lighting in Roll20 requires the $5 a month tier however. Just so he is aware.
I used to use MapTool, specifically because it had what I guess is referred to as "dynamic lighting" (auto-updating line of sight, plus fog of war) and I could put in area effect templates. However, I seemed to always run into one issue or another while trying to set up and run a session. Usually it was that my computers, with an otherwise perfectly functioning network connection between them, couldn't see each other through MapTool until I re-did all the fiddling with settings that it took to get them connected through MapTool on the previous use. Though one time I did manage to create a different problem by having too many high-resolution images involved so there was pronounced lag when switching maps or moving tokens/templates (but cutting my resolution from 300 ppi to 100 ppi was an easy fix that didn't make things look too awful).
It was frustrating enough that I plan on trying out every other available option before going back to MapTool when I get back into the position of being able to use a monitor to display maps for my sessions.
Ah - I see it's a download, that's a non-starter then. On a Chromebook, so I need an online solution if I used something like this. Roll20 it is for me, I guess.
Koren (and any others who are curious), I use an app called InfinitasDM. It can be used with Android as well as iOS and through Steam. It is $10. You can upload whatever maps or imagery you want. It is not a VTT--it is for in-person gaming specifically. It doesn't require a monthly fee, nor 2 computers to work--you need a phone and a TV with Chromecast or AppleTV attachments (which can be purchased separately if you have an older TV).
It does not come with dynamic lighting--only Fog of War that is manually controlled by the DM. It has a LOT of features you can check out yourself here: http://www.infinitasdm.com/
I specifically bought D&D Beyond because I didn't want all the goo-gah that goes with Fantasy Grounds and Roll20. I can use whatever maps/imagery I want in jpg form, which I can scale up and down to make bigger or smaller. It has a simple map-making interface that my group doesn't use, but it is simple and effective--it comes with token options and drawing capacity. I was able to use my own 40" screen, make a frame from 1x3, buy the app, and purchase a Googlecast attachment all for under $50. And I don't have any recurring fees. I started using it on my phone, but now I use it on my Macbook Pro through Steam, and I can keep D&D Beyond open in a browser on one desktop then sideswipe to the desktop that has the app running. It's a breeze. The players use their own minis on the surface of the TV, and because the app doesn't have a character creation mechanism or a combat adjudicator (or whatever) it keeps the focus on us.
InfinitasDm works really well for my group. I highly recommend it for in-person digital maps.
if you've bought the adventures on Beyond - you can download and access these maps (player versions without the traps and secret doors too!)
i was a KS backer for infinitasDM and enjoyed what it could do - id very much recommend a setup similar to Coreyartus when using it. i found the in app virtual tokens a little clunky to use so having physical ones sit on top of the screen would be useful. resizing/scrolling the map while in play will make the minis lose their place unless you're also marking them in the app at the same time.
ive since moved onto roll20 as my players can move their own damn tokens
Wow, Coreyartus. This is the kind of setup I was looking for. I’ll give those tools a look and see how the learning curve is compared to some of the other option. Thanks for the suggestion.
I also use it and the learning curve is very low. It is also easy to run a single computer with DDB and infintas DM in the back ground out putting to the TV. I just need a TV I can lie down so we can use it with minis.
Koren (and any others who are curious), I use an app called InfinitasDM. It can be used with Android as well as iOS and through Steam. It is $10. You can upload whatever maps or imagery you want. It is not a VTT--it is for in-person gaming specifically. It doesn't require a monthly fee, nor 2 computers to work--you need a phone and a TV with Chromecast or AppleTV attachments (which can be purchased separately if you have an older TV).
It does not come with dynamic lighting--only Fog of War that is manually controlled by the DM. It has a LOT of features you can check out yourself here: http://www.infinitasdm.com/
I specifically bought D&D Beyond because I didn't want all the goo-gah that goes with Fantasy Grounds and Roll20. I can use whatever maps/imagery I want in jpg form, which I can scale up and down to make bigger or smaller. It has a simple map-making interface that my group doesn't use, but it is simple and effective--it comes with token options and drawing capacity. I was able to use my own 40" screen, make a frame from 1x3, buy the app, and purchase a Googlecast attachment all for under $50. And I don't have any recurring fees. I started using it on my phone, but now I use it on my Macbook Pro through Steam, and I can keep D&D Beyond open in a browser on one desktop then sideswipe to the desktop that has the app running. It's a breeze. The players use their own minis on the surface of the TV, and because the app doesn't have a character creation mechanism or a combat adjudicator (or whatever) it keeps the focus on us.
InfinitasDm works really well for my group. I highly recommend it for in-person digital maps.
I recently tried InfinitasDM and wasn't able to get the player map to project onto my tv. Not sure what I was missing, but it sounded really promising until all I got was a duplicate of my laptop/DM screen. I should note that I was using an hdmi cable instead of casting it.
I think the reason they suggested using Chromecast, or the Apple version of it, is so you can cast the specific tab that the app is in. If you're using an HDMI cable you probably need to change your display settings so that you have two monitors and then place the InfinitasDM on the screen for the players, while leaving your windows on the main display.
I love D&D Beyond so far and am really looking forward to it reaching its potential for my in-person play sessions.
But I would like to take it the next step and implement some digital maps during my play sessions with my groups. I am thinking I would have a laptop with an External monitor to dedicate to this. I can probably handle moving all the Player Characters and Monsters rather than relying on my players to have to do any additional work.
I don't really want to resolve combat in this mapping app, or even handle initiative tracking in it. I just want to be able to show the map (hopefully with fog of war), show the player locations, and the monster locations.
I have been looking at Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. I like the fact that you can buy licenced campaigns to use the maps within. Both tools seem to be geared more towards an online experience rather than in-person games.
Anyone have any thoughts on what works for their in-person sessions?
If you're looking for official maps, you might check out Mike Schley's website. Here's the link: http://prints.mikeschley.com/p858006957
Thanks. I bought some of his Curse of Strahd Maps last month and printed it off blueprint size at staples and it worked OK, but for my "fog of war" I had to use post it notes, lol. So that is why I am looking for a digital way to present high-quality maps like his at the gaming table.
My suggestion would be to source your maps wherever and import things into Roll20 as it's free. I haven't looked at rptools however, and am curios to see what that does now, given it has dynamic lighting.
Sorry if that was unclear - yes, it's a premium feature in Roll20, hence my interest in how rptools works instead. :-)
I used to use MapTool, specifically because it had what I guess is referred to as "dynamic lighting" (auto-updating line of sight, plus fog of war) and I could put in area effect templates. However, I seemed to always run into one issue or another while trying to set up and run a session. Usually it was that my computers, with an otherwise perfectly functioning network connection between them, couldn't see each other through MapTool until I re-did all the fiddling with settings that it took to get them connected through MapTool on the previous use. Though one time I did manage to create a different problem by having too many high-resolution images involved so there was pronounced lag when switching maps or moving tokens/templates (but cutting my resolution from 300 ppi to 100 ppi was an easy fix that didn't make things look too awful).
It was frustrating enough that I plan on trying out every other available option before going back to MapTool when I get back into the position of being able to use a monitor to display maps for my sessions.
Ah - I see it's a download, that's a non-starter then. On a Chromebook, so I need an online solution if I used something like this. Roll20 it is for me, I guess.
Koren (and any others who are curious), I use an app called InfinitasDM. It can be used with Android as well as iOS and through Steam. It is $10. You can upload whatever maps or imagery you want. It is not a VTT--it is for in-person gaming specifically. It doesn't require a monthly fee, nor 2 computers to work--you need a phone and a TV with Chromecast or AppleTV attachments (which can be purchased separately if you have an older TV).
It does not come with dynamic lighting--only Fog of War that is manually controlled by the DM. It has a LOT of features you can check out yourself here: http://www.infinitasdm.com/
I specifically bought D&D Beyond because I didn't want all the goo-gah that goes with Fantasy Grounds and Roll20. I can use whatever maps/imagery I want in jpg form, which I can scale up and down to make bigger or smaller. It has a simple map-making interface that my group doesn't use, but it is simple and effective--it comes with token options and drawing capacity. I was able to use my own 40" screen, make a frame from 1x3, buy the app, and purchase a Googlecast attachment all for under $50. And I don't have any recurring fees. I started using it on my phone, but now I use it on my Macbook Pro through Steam, and I can keep D&D Beyond open in a browser on one desktop then sideswipe to the desktop that has the app running. It's a breeze. The players use their own minis on the surface of the TV, and because the app doesn't have a character creation mechanism or a combat adjudicator (or whatever) it keeps the focus on us.
InfinitasDm works really well for my group. I highly recommend it for in-person digital maps.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/[URL=http:/s524.photobucket.com/user/coreyart/media/IMG_0900_zpsx63haosc.jpeg.html][IMG]http:/i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc330/coreyart/IMG_0900_zpsx63haosc.jpeg~original[/IMG][/URL]" alt="">
i was a KS backer for infinitasDM and enjoyed what it could do - id very much recommend a setup similar to Coreyartus when using it. i found the in app virtual tokens a little clunky to use so having physical ones sit on top of the screen would be useful. resizing/scrolling the map while in play will make the minis lose their place unless you're also marking them in the app at the same time.
ive since moved onto roll20 as my players can move their own damn tokens
Wow, Coreyartus. This is the kind of setup I was looking for. I’ll give those tools a look and see how the learning curve is compared to some of the other option. Thanks for the suggestion.
I also use it and the learning curve is very low. It is also easy to run a single computer with DDB and infintas DM in the back ground out putting to the TV. I just need a TV I can lie down so we can use it with minis.
I think the reason they suggested using Chromecast, or the Apple version of it, is so you can cast the specific tab that the app is in. If you're using an HDMI cable you probably need to change your display settings so that you have two monitors and then place the InfinitasDM on the screen for the players, while leaving your windows on the main display.
Perhaps I'll have to give it another go.
Hey!
Does anyone know what system this streamer is using? https://youtu.be/3GDtQwLtSTA?list=PLmCJxuKJYgod8jwJ1y-VUmEgX1Epj7uLx&t=2982
It looks amazing and I'd love to run the same thing for me current campaign and coming ones.
BR,
Kyuubi
Quod in vita agimus, in aeternum resonat.
If you read the header in the video, it displays roll20. Fantasy Grounds (especially FGU by the end of this year) would do the same, if not better.
Thank you kindly!
Quod in vita agimus, in aeternum resonat.
I like the fact that you can buy licenced campaigns to use the maps within. Both tools seem to be geared more towards an online experience.