So, when lockdown hit, and I was faced with trying to grock one of the many virtual tabletops out there to keep my game going... instead I decided to build my own (I'm a software engineer, so this was more fun than daunting). My goal was to build something that plays more like D&D at the IRL-table for folks that are put-off by the complexity I see in most tools, and will be useful when we can get everyone back at the table again. What I've built is a simple map sharing program, with fog of war and tokens, and I'm sprinkling on a few bacon-bits of automation for things like initiative and dice, maybe lighting soon.
To summarize what you get: 'Dudes on a Map' is a map image sharing program, which you run on your Windows PC, that lets you add tokens and fog of war to your map, and lets additional clients connect and bring their player tokens to the map. It's also setup to easily allow players to host, so the DM doesn't need to futz with networking setup. I plan to add some minor automation that helps improve session flow without bogging down the game. It's also much cheaper than other option, only the DM software is sold, players can play for free, with no content limits, no player limits, no subscription bait or other future costs, just a one time fee for a solid program you can use forever.
If you're not very happy with your online D&D solutions, they're leaving you brain-fried after every session, or your just intrigued by an easy mapping tool for using at the table, I'd recommend taking a look and see if it's a good fit for your play style. Also, if you've got a TV-Table, I've been told this is exactly the kind of software needed to make your setup shine.
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So, when lockdown hit, and I was faced with trying to grock one of the many virtual tabletops out there to keep my game going... instead I decided to build my own (I'm a software engineer, so this was more fun than daunting). My goal was to build something that plays more like D&D at the IRL-table for folks that are put-off by the complexity I see in most tools, and will be useful when we can get everyone back at the table again. What I've built is a simple map sharing program, with fog of war and tokens, and I'm sprinkling on a few bacon-bits of automation for things like initiative and dice, maybe lighting soon.
It's now reached a point where it's usable and stable, and so I've chucked it onto kickstarter to fund some built-in art and build up a following; you can try it out today by backing for any amount: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joescribbles/dudes-on-a-map-virtual-grid-paper?ref=4o3c5l
To summarize what you get: 'Dudes on a Map' is a map image sharing program, which you run on your Windows PC, that lets you add tokens and fog of war to your map, and lets additional clients connect and bring their player tokens to the map. It's also setup to easily allow players to host, so the DM doesn't need to futz with networking setup. I plan to add some minor automation that helps improve session flow without bogging down the game. It's also much cheaper than other option, only the DM software is sold, players can play for free, with no content limits, no player limits, no subscription bait or other future costs, just a one time fee for a solid program you can use forever.
If you're not very happy with your online D&D solutions, they're leaving you brain-fried after every session, or your just intrigued by an easy mapping tool for using at the table, I'd recommend taking a look and see if it's a good fit for your play style. Also, if you've got a TV-Table, I've been told this is exactly the kind of software needed to make your setup shine.