So I started DM'ing for a new face to face group here in Thailand some time after running the same campaign online using foundry for a different, entirely online, group.
The difference is that this campaign now is face to face, but the world and campaign is 100% Foundry. This created a quandary for me, because my entire world is extensively developed online without any physical components to it. But now I've got an entirely in person group. We played 3 sessions traditionally: I printed out the maps, tokens, characters, sheets, and most rolls were manual. It drove me a little insane how slow it was--I had forgotten what a crawl it was having to keep track of turn order and initiative (etc).
So I was deliberating what to do: I had the option to 1. Keep printing out the maps, mobs, and characters and prep the physical stuff every week. or.... 2. Try a hybrid system.
I chose hybrid.
Here's how it works 1. Players all bring laptops and they log into foundry with their characters while we're all face to face around a table. 2. The scenario maps are on a 150 inch screen several feet away (very nice projector). There is an 'observer' account showing that screen which I control. 3. The players use foundry to explore, shop, fight, etc. 4. Naturally, all the RP'ing is very lively face to face still, which is great. 5. All character progression, inventory, stats, etc is all foundry managed. 6. Players have the option to roll physical dice on the table or digital dice with anything that they're doing.
My Initial Concerns In my head I was concerned that we're all at a table face to face, yet all looking at a laptop--seems very awkward. Then I thought, "Well, in other face to face sessions many players, like myself, use their laptops and tablets anyway, and that's considered normal". As it turns out, it's working quite well actually.
The Cons Players have to learn to use foundry. It's all new players + a DM, so its taking some time to adjust to that. There is no physical map on the table, there are no figurines that are actively used. No pen and paper except for note taking
The Pros
The 150" screen with the map is meant to serve as the replacement for the table top map: it does this well. Most players look at the big map and each other as much as they do their laptops. It's like having a movie theater with the map and you're playing beside it--pretty cool. It also has weather effects.
Massive decrease in unwanted DM overhead work
Every scenario has music that automatically plays, as well as sound effects as players move through certain areas.
Initiative is quick takes zero time (players still roll of course)
Turn order tracking has no overhead
Inventories, gold, equipment are incredibly easy to keep track of for both players and the DM.
Information access is nearly instant (spell information, weapon info, effect info): time looking things up is next to zero.
Players and the DM can access everything (their inventories, spells, abilities, etc) between sessions, any time.
Store/shopping automation is magical--this is a big one: players can interact with a store all at the same time, buying AND selling things simultaneously. They can even interact with a store between sessions if they want to prep (I really like this because it keeps them engaged).
Combat is way, way more streamlined "Do they hit?" is automatically sent to me privately with each attack (so I don't have to remember the AC of player and mob). Saving throws are prompted automatically upon mobs that are hit.
There is a landing page! It's something that doesn't exist in standard face to face. The landing page shows their current objectives, has a recap, world map, their characters, and all the NPC's they've run into. This opens up a dialogue for players to recall and name the NPC's--it's an amazing refresher.
Lighting as a component of D&D: This is actually a big one. Emulating the variety of vision types face to face has no good option. Having digital maps allows me to use the full range of vision and lighting options. No torch at night? They literally see nothing. No light spell? See nothing. It adds so much to the dynamics of a map when full vision restriction comes into play, and they literally can or cannot see--it's a dimension of D&D that is now possible.
Role Playing: This component hasn't changed one iota. Players are highly engaged and and interactive with eachother.
Simultaneous Actions: If people are in a town, they can all do something at the same time without checking with the DM. This increases engagement.
It allows for highly elaborate worlds with complex conditions--I can specifically choose a part of a forest (zones) that is high risk, and have a percentage chance that something (good or bad) happens to them--and its automated. So I can establish high risk, low risk zones that prompt for a variety of encounters that I've established. For example, in my overworld map--roads have a low percentage of enemy encounters, but a moderate friendly encounters--and when it activates, I'm prompted with a list of scenarios which could happen, and I just choose one. All of this can be done automatically. I even have an automated hunting script if players want to hunt. It asks them if they have a ranged weapon/spell--asks them to roll, asks them for the outcome of their roll, gives them the tracks of an animal, asks for stealth checks and also quantifies the amount of meat they get based on the animal they found and successfully tracked and their survival skill. All of which can be done independently.
Decreased overhead may allow for more players to play and it still be efficient
Consequently I suppose I could go on and on--but I'm finding that this Face to Face + Online Hybrid to actually be quite effective and certainly as engaging as just completely over the table. It certainly loses the traditional feel of D&D, but it also gains a tremendous amount of possibilities in exchange.
I'm curious what you all think--have you done something like this? Face to face + online? Do you think you or your players would find it an improved system?
This sounds really cool! If everyone in your group has a laptop and you don't mind putting in the extra front-end work to set maps up in Foundry, I think this is a great way to streamline a lot of the bookkeeping aspects of the game that bog down in person play. Are you using a published adventure, or doing homebrew?
Good hybrid ! If it works for you and your players that's the important.
I DM a campaign at home with my daughter and friends, using laptops for Roll20 and it works great TBH.
Being online & face-to-face allows me to also share live web images, play background music or sound effects etc.. and since we're in person, players don't tend to get distracted elsewhere.
So the thing is is that I started this campaign entirely online about 8 months ago, so it is a highly developed open world--maps have already been made. So the real problem is having to physically print out maps and tokens etc. It's my own campaign, it's basically "Act 1" and is around 40-50 sessions.
It's weird though, I could just give someone a link and a DM could have an open world campaign ready to go.
After going purely online several years ago, if I ever have a face to face game again it will be a hybrid setup like that. There are just too many benefits to it! And if someone is wanting to go pen and paper, I can enable someone else to be able to move their token for them. Very few downsides but a lot of bonuses!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hi All!
So I started DM'ing for a new face to face group here in Thailand some time after running the same campaign online using foundry for a different, entirely online, group.
The difference is that this campaign now is face to face, but the world and campaign is 100% Foundry. This created a quandary for me, because my entire world is extensively developed online without any physical components to it. But now I've got an entirely in person group. We played 3 sessions traditionally: I printed out the maps, tokens, characters, sheets, and most rolls were manual. It drove me a little insane how slow it was--I had forgotten what a crawl it was having to keep track of turn order and initiative (etc).
So I was deliberating what to do: I had the option to
1. Keep printing out the maps, mobs, and characters and prep the physical stuff every week. or....
2. Try a hybrid system.
I chose hybrid.
Here's how it works
1. Players all bring laptops and they log into foundry with their characters while we're all face to face around a table.
2. The scenario maps are on a 150 inch screen several feet away (very nice projector). There is an 'observer' account showing that screen which I control.
3. The players use foundry to explore, shop, fight, etc.
4. Naturally, all the RP'ing is very lively face to face still, which is great.
5. All character progression, inventory, stats, etc is all foundry managed.
6. Players have the option to roll physical dice on the table or digital dice with anything that they're doing.
My Initial Concerns
In my head I was concerned that we're all at a table face to face, yet all looking at a laptop--seems very awkward. Then I thought, "Well, in other face to face sessions many players, like myself, use their laptops and tablets anyway, and that's considered normal". As it turns out, it's working quite well actually.
The Cons
Players have to learn to use foundry. It's all new players + a DM, so its taking some time to adjust to that.
There is no physical map on the table, there are no figurines that are actively used.
No pen and paper except for note taking
The Pros
Saving throws are prompted automatically upon mobs that are hit.
Consequently
I suppose I could go on and on--but I'm finding that this Face to Face + Online Hybrid to actually be quite effective and certainly as engaging as just completely over the table. It certainly loses the traditional feel of D&D, but it also gains a tremendous amount of possibilities in exchange.
I'm curious what you all think--have you done something like this? Face to face + online? Do you think you or your players would find it an improved system?
This sounds really cool! If everyone in your group has a laptop and you don't mind putting in the extra front-end work to set maps up in Foundry, I think this is a great way to streamline a lot of the bookkeeping aspects of the game that bog down in person play. Are you using a published adventure, or doing homebrew?
Good hybrid ! If it works for you and your players that's the important.
I DM a campaign at home with my daughter and friends, using laptops for Roll20 and it works great TBH.
Being online & face-to-face allows me to also share live web images, play background music or sound effects etc.. and since we're in person, players don't tend to get distracted elsewhere.
Mdhe,
So the thing is is that I started this campaign entirely online about 8 months ago, so it is a highly developed open world--maps have already been made. So the real problem is having to physically print out maps and tokens etc. It's my own campaign, it's basically "Act 1" and is around 40-50 sessions.
It's weird though, I could just give someone a link and a DM could have an open world campaign ready to go.
Plague,
Yeah! It seems to be working well--similar to what you describe. This hybrid method seems to be a good choice.
After going purely online several years ago, if I ever have a face to face game again it will be a hybrid setup like that. There are just too many benefits to it! And if someone is wanting to go pen and paper, I can enable someone else to be able to move their token for them. Very few downsides but a lot of bonuses!