I’m looking for tips on using roll20 for an in person session. The reasoning behind this is so if my players or myself are unable to make it because of sickness or something, they can log on and still play. I haven’t used roll 20 as a dm before so I’m looking for tips.
I use Roll20 for online games a couple times a week. It works pretty well for that purpose but everyone is online - the maps are online and the characters are online. Characters could be either on Roll20 or on D&D Beyond using the Beyond20 plugin for Chrome or Firefox.
However, this is different from using it in person. If everyone around the table is using a laptop, accessing the game and characters online, but playing in person for the social aspect then it could work. Mixed cases are more problematic. If you want to use Roll20 for maps then you would need a local display screen (there are some TV table tops for example) that would display the Roll20 maps for in person use. If you use minis for PCs/NPCs/Monsters locally - none of that would appear on a Roll20 table top. Roll20 does have some built in video features for each player but it is designed mostly to show the player in a smaller screen. The main shareable is the virtual table top in my experience but if your in person play isn't going to use the VTT then there isn't much point in using Roll20.
If you want to be able to include the occasional person who can't make an in person session then I'd suggest having a decent camera and microphone, set up the camera where it can clearly see the maps/table top, and then use video conferencing software to share that to any remote participants. I've occasionally been in a game where Zoom was used to include players who couldn't make the in person session for one reason or another. Someone set up a laptop with the camera aimed at the board, turned up the speakers/sound so that the remote participant could be heard and then shared the session on the video conferencing software. Given your described use case, something like this might be a better choice that Roll20 unless you plan to make use of the Roll20 VTT in person to actually run the game.
When I have done blended sessions (online and in person) I've had some requirements for the players online. Mainly it is for their benefit. I used to produce theatre and as a spin off of that I have also produced podcasts and even digital events during the lockdowns, so have a bit of knowledge that carried over.
For the player online
They require a wired connection. One of the biggest mistakes we made was going to WiFi. A wired connection will always be superior in terms of speed, latency, and suchlike. They will get a far better experience from a wired LAN connection than they will from WiFi.
At a bare minimum they'll need headphones and microphone. A headset works well too, but a cheap microphone like a Blue Snowball Ice works really well. Headphones will mean that there's no echo on their end. Sadly however, they are likely to experience an echo on the GM's end if you've got in person players. This can't be helped short of everyone wearing headphones.
For the GM/Table
Again a good quality Microphone. My solution though was to have two Microphones. One that was omni-directional and would pick up the players around the table, and a second lav mic for myself. They both provide the audio for the player online. Sadly, this isn't a perfect solution and short of wiring every live player up with Lav mics, it can mean that the online player might need the GM to be repeating what players have said.
A decent webcam. I would tend to focus the webcam on the table or the table. Again short of lots of webcams to catch all the players, the table and the GM, you need to decide which focus you want the player to have. I prefer the table and battlemaps so frame the camera up at that. I'd also recommend here a reasonable stream cam - something like the Elgato FaceCam or the Logitech Streamcam are good quality options.
With so much data to be transmitted, the GM's laptop or computer to allow for this blended playstyle should also have a wired internet connection. It's just a more robust solution.
And following on from that, a good quality computer is kinda needed here. You need something with a minimum of 16GB of Ram, and ideally a reasonable graphics card or chip if you're going to provide the best quality to the player online.
VTT Options
I would strongly advise against Roll20. It's a slow and incredibly buggy platform. I've recently been testing it out again to see if it's updates and changes have made it any more stable, or any better. It really isn't. Instead, I'd recommend Owlbear Rodeo. The new update carried out last week has made it faster to load images and it uses a lot less RAM. It has a dynamic lighting system that frankly should have Roll20 worried about how poorly they've managed to implement their solutions. On top of that there are a ton of extensions that allow you to tailor the VTT experience to your games and your table's playstyles. As a final benefit, Owlbear is a small independent company. It's primary purpose though is for the battlemaps only. It really isn't intended as an all in one, or compendium solution. It's designed to be a platform which you can use to have a battlemap and move tokens around to explore/fight. And it does that incredibly well. So well in fact that I now use a TV or other screen to cast the battlemap to in person games.
Roll20 suffers a lot from it's cludgy programming and it's poor implementations. I cannot advise against it for a blended playstyle enough. For a company that has acquired so much of the TTRPG spaces online, they're not really putting the money they have to good use.
Ettiquette
Finally, it's worth noting that if you deliver this blended style of play, you're going to need to be proactive in moving the spotlight to different players. You as GM will need to be even more on top of the focus of the the spotlight than with just a plain in person, or online game. It requires that proactive nature in order to ensure that the player who is coming in online gets a reasonable experience.
But
You can of course go real minimalist with this. I've seen GMs run entirely theatre of the mind, with a player at a distance just video calling into someone's phone or tablet. There are degrees of service here that you can offer. Reaslitically though, it's a question of working out what your players will expect. If you're promising that it'll be just as good as playing in person - then it's going to take effort to make work. If you're simply saying it's a possibility, but it won't be as good as playing online, well that's going to alter the player expectations. In short, manage those expectations. What is it that players would want from this kind of blended experience. It's not going to be reasonable to suggest that they'll be able to see every player, the tabletop and the GM without massive levels of tech and effort. Do they just want to phone in and join in? That's more doable.
It seems wishy-washy but it will depend a lot on your table's playstyle. I run three campaigns online and two in person...they are all on a two-week cycle, so some weeks I run two games, some I run three. I've been running online since around 2019. In that time I've tried every VTT out there, I've tried almost every tool out there. What I will say is that in person and online aspects of a game do require a different playstyle, most especially from the GM. Blending the two formats takes a lot more adaptation. I don't want to scare you off, but also don't want to give the impression that it's straightforward.
My idea was to use the VTT on roll 20 because I’m playing dungeon of the mad mage, and I have it on there. I was planning to have everyone use a laptop of their own.
My idea was to use the VTT on roll 20 because I’m playing dungeon of the mad mage, and I have it on there. I was planning to have everyone use a laptop of their own.
This is the one big advantage of Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds over every other VTT out there ... you can purchase the pre-made content for a wide variety of modules including the WotC publications. I'm not sure if any other VTTs offer that option (other than the nascent maps feature on D&D Beyond) and it really saves an immense amount of preparation time in my experience.
I've created custom content for my online games from time to time and although I can produce some decent quality maps that are better than in person drawings, it takes far more time. Hand drawn maps can work both on the VTT and in person but they still take longer to produce than an in person sketch and due to expectations, the quickly sketched online versions don't look that great in comparison because everyone knows how good they can be.
However, if you are using published content and plan to have the players use laptops when sitting around the table then running on Roll20 for mixed local/remote sessions should work fine.
The one trick to worry about with the everyone in person on a laptop is handling audio that might echo. Our groups include people who are colocated. Everyone has their own device for Roll20 and then colocated people typically share a microphone. We use discord for the webcams/audio which is nice because you can mute and control the sound level for individual players.
When I have done blended sessions (online and in person) I've had some requirements for the players online. Mainly it is for their benefit. I used to produce theatre and as a spin off of that I have also produced podcasts and even digital events during the lockdowns, so have a bit of knowledge that carried over.
For the player online
They require a wired connection. One of the biggest mistakes we made was going to WiFi. A wired connection will always be superior in terms of speed, latency, and suchlike. They will get a far better experience from a wired LAN connection than they will from WiFi.
At a bare minimum they'll need headphones and microphone. A headset works well too, but a cheap microphone like a Blue Snowball Ice works really well. Headphones will mean that there's no echo on their end. Sadly however, they are likely to experience an echo on the GM's end if you've got in person players. This can't be helped short of everyone wearing headphones.
For the GM/Table
Again a good quality Microphone. My solution though was to have two Microphones. One that was omni-directional and would pick up the players around the table, and a second lav mic for myself. They both provide the audio for the player online. Sadly, this isn't a perfect solution and short of wiring every live player up with Lav mics, it can mean that the online player might need the GM to be repeating what players have said.
A decent webcam. I would tend to focus the webcam on the table or the table. Again short of lots of webcams to catch all the players, the table and the GM, you need to decide which focus you want the player to have. I prefer the table and battlemaps so frame the camera up at that. I'd also recommend here a reasonable stream cam - something like the Elgato FaceCam or the Logitech Streamcam are good quality options.
With so much data to be transmitted, the GM's laptop or computer to allow for this blended playstyle should also have a wired internet connection. It's just a more robust solution.
And following on from that, a good quality computer is kinda needed here. You need something with a minimum of 16GB of Ram, and ideally a reasonable graphics card or chip if you're going to provide the best quality to the player online.
VTT Options
I would strongly advise against Roll20. It's a slow and incredibly buggy platform. I've recently been testing it out again to see if it's updates and changes have made it any more stable, or any better. It really isn't. Instead, I'd recommend Owlbear Rodeo. The new update carried out last week has made it faster to load images and it uses a lot less RAM. It has a dynamic lighting system that frankly should have Roll20 worried about how poorly they've managed to implement their solutions. On top of that there are a ton of extensions that allow you to tailor the VTT experience to your games and your table's playstyles. As a final benefit, Owlbear is a small independent company. It's primary purpose though is for the battlemaps only. It really isn't intended as an all in one, or compendium solution. It's designed to be a platform which you can use to have a battlemap and move tokens around to explore/fight. And it does that incredibly well. Using quality equipment and the right settings really matters so that everyone can enjoy the game, whether they are playing in person or online. I agree that it is important to consider technical requirements such as a wired internet connection and good microphones to avoid lags and interference. For me, in gambling, as in role-playing games, you need to take a thorough approach to preparation so that each game runs smoothly and without problems. I use similar methods when I play gambling (but before that I always read for example on https://casinosfest.com/casino-bonus/casino-400-bonus/ about bonuses and deposits. Here it is important that everything works without failures and lags. If all participants are ready for such conditions, then the experience will be enjoyable for everyone. So well in fact that I now use a TV or other screen to cast the battlemap to in person games.
Roll20 suffers a lot from it's cludgy programming and it's poor implementations. I cannot advise against it for a blended playstyle enough. For a company that has acquired so much of the TTRPG spaces online, they're not really putting the money they have to good use.
Ettiquette
Finally, it's worth noting that if you deliver this blended style of play, you're going to need to be proactive in moving the spotlight to different players. You as GM will need to be even more on top of the focus of the the spotlight than with just a plain in person, or online game. It requires that proactive nature in order to ensure that the player who is coming in online gets a reasonable experience.
But
You can of course go real minimalist with this. I've seen GMs run entirely theatre of the mind, with a player at a distance just video calling into someone's phone or tablet. There are degrees of service here that you can offer. Reaslitically though, it's a question of working out what your players will expect. If you're promising that it'll be just as good as playing in person - then it's going to take effort to make work. If you're simply saying it's a possibility, but it won't be as good as playing online, well that's going to alter the player expectations. In short, manage those expectations. What is it that players would want from this kind of blended experience. It's not going to be reasonable to suggest that they'll be able to see every player, the tabletop and the GM without massive levels of tech and effort. Do they just want to phone in and join in? That's more doable.
It seems wishy-washy but it will depend a lot on your table's playstyle. I run three campaigns online and two in person...they are all on a two-week cycle, so some weeks I run two games, some I run three. I've been running online since around 2019. In that time I've tried every VTT out there, I've tried almost every tool out there. What I will say is that in person and online aspects of a game do require a different playstyle, most especially from the GM. Blending the two formats takes a lot more adaptation. I don't want to scare you off, but also don't want to give the impression that it's straightforward.
If your goal is to create a level playing field for all players, it's important to manage expectations in advance and set the stage for comfortable interaction.
I’m looking for tips on using roll20 for an in person session. The reasoning behind this is so if my players or myself are unable to make it because of sickness or something, they can log on and still play. I haven’t used roll 20 as a dm before so I’m looking for tips.
Have not done Roll20 but my current group uses Zoom. We have a DM and 3 players in TX, and 1 each in CA, KS, FL and PA.
I use Roll20 for online games a couple times a week. It works pretty well for that purpose but everyone is online - the maps are online and the characters are online. Characters could be either on Roll20 or on D&D Beyond using the Beyond20 plugin for Chrome or Firefox.
However, this is different from using it in person. If everyone around the table is using a laptop, accessing the game and characters online, but playing in person for the social aspect then it could work. Mixed cases are more problematic. If you want to use Roll20 for maps then you would need a local display screen (there are some TV table tops for example) that would display the Roll20 maps for in person use. If you use minis for PCs/NPCs/Monsters locally - none of that would appear on a Roll20 table top. Roll20 does have some built in video features for each player but it is designed mostly to show the player in a smaller screen. The main shareable is the virtual table top in my experience but if your in person play isn't going to use the VTT then there isn't much point in using Roll20.
If you want to be able to include the occasional person who can't make an in person session then I'd suggest having a decent camera and microphone, set up the camera where it can clearly see the maps/table top, and then use video conferencing software to share that to any remote participants. I've occasionally been in a game where Zoom was used to include players who couldn't make the in person session for one reason or another. Someone set up a laptop with the camera aimed at the board, turned up the speakers/sound so that the remote participant could be heard and then shared the session on the video conferencing software. Given your described use case, something like this might be a better choice that Roll20 unless you plan to make use of the Roll20 VTT in person to actually run the game.
When I have done blended sessions (online and in person) I've had some requirements for the players online. Mainly it is for their benefit. I used to produce theatre and as a spin off of that I have also produced podcasts and even digital events during the lockdowns, so have a bit of knowledge that carried over.
For the player online
For the GM/Table
VTT Options
I would strongly advise against Roll20. It's a slow and incredibly buggy platform. I've recently been testing it out again to see if it's updates and changes have made it any more stable, or any better. It really isn't. Instead, I'd recommend Owlbear Rodeo. The new update carried out last week has made it faster to load images and it uses a lot less RAM. It has a dynamic lighting system that frankly should have Roll20 worried about how poorly they've managed to implement their solutions. On top of that there are a ton of extensions that allow you to tailor the VTT experience to your games and your table's playstyles. As a final benefit, Owlbear is a small independent company. It's primary purpose though is for the battlemaps only. It really isn't intended as an all in one, or compendium solution. It's designed to be a platform which you can use to have a battlemap and move tokens around to explore/fight. And it does that incredibly well. So well in fact that I now use a TV or other screen to cast the battlemap to in person games.
Roll20 suffers a lot from it's cludgy programming and it's poor implementations. I cannot advise against it for a blended playstyle enough. For a company that has acquired so much of the TTRPG spaces online, they're not really putting the money they have to good use.
Ettiquette
Finally, it's worth noting that if you deliver this blended style of play, you're going to need to be proactive in moving the spotlight to different players. You as GM will need to be even more on top of the focus of the the spotlight than with just a plain in person, or online game. It requires that proactive nature in order to ensure that the player who is coming in online gets a reasonable experience.
But
You can of course go real minimalist with this. I've seen GMs run entirely theatre of the mind, with a player at a distance just video calling into someone's phone or tablet. There are degrees of service here that you can offer. Reaslitically though, it's a question of working out what your players will expect. If you're promising that it'll be just as good as playing in person - then it's going to take effort to make work. If you're simply saying it's a possibility, but it won't be as good as playing online, well that's going to alter the player expectations. In short, manage those expectations. What is it that players would want from this kind of blended experience. It's not going to be reasonable to suggest that they'll be able to see every player, the tabletop and the GM without massive levels of tech and effort. Do they just want to phone in and join in? That's more doable.
It seems wishy-washy but it will depend a lot on your table's playstyle. I run three campaigns online and two in person...they are all on a two-week cycle, so some weeks I run two games, some I run three. I've been running online since around 2019. In that time I've tried every VTT out there, I've tried almost every tool out there. What I will say is that in person and online aspects of a game do require a different playstyle, most especially from the GM. Blending the two formats takes a lot more adaptation. I don't want to scare you off, but also don't want to give the impression that it's straightforward.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
My idea was to use the VTT on roll 20 because I’m playing dungeon of the mad mage, and I have it on there. I was planning to have everyone use a laptop of their own.
This is the one big advantage of Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds over every other VTT out there ... you can purchase the pre-made content for a wide variety of modules including the WotC publications. I'm not sure if any other VTTs offer that option (other than the nascent maps feature on D&D Beyond) and it really saves an immense amount of preparation time in my experience.
I've created custom content for my online games from time to time and although I can produce some decent quality maps that are better than in person drawings, it takes far more time. Hand drawn maps can work both on the VTT and in person but they still take longer to produce than an in person sketch and due to expectations, the quickly sketched online versions don't look that great in comparison because everyone knows how good they can be.
However, if you are using published content and plan to have the players use laptops when sitting around the table then running on Roll20 for mixed local/remote sessions should work fine.
The one trick to worry about with the everyone in person on a laptop is handling audio that might echo. Our groups include people who are colocated. Everyone has their own device for Roll20 and then colocated people typically share a microphone. We use discord for the webcams/audio which is nice because you can mute and control the sound level for individual players.
If your goal is to create a level playing field for all players, it's important to manage expectations in advance and set the stage for comfortable interaction.