So I used to play D&D, almost 30 years ago in middle and high school and again later as an adult 20ish years ago... I was the odd Jock who very strictly played, A LOT!...
What is the deal with game play nowadays?? I LOVED playing D&D for 10 plus years of my life. I have been wishing for a way to work RPG into my crazy busy life again. I have tried multiple times, with no success, but still hoping against hope... I've been spoiled with a couple AMAZING DMs in the past too, so there's that.
If you want to get back into the game, buy the Essentials Kit or the Starter Set. Both are designed to introduce players and DMs to D&D. Post a flyer at work that you're starting a group, and dive right in.
Has there been a resurgence with D&D, since Stranger Things? I've never watched the show but my daughter told me they play in it. Seems WAY less "in the shadows" than it used to be!
I have been DM of a couple of online campaigns that are getting close to the year mark now. The game is still just as fun, except you can't share snacks. :)
The online tools have gotten to the point where a lot of people are doing hybrid D&D also, playing in person, but using electronic devices to augment the gameplay.
I find that while in person and online D&D are not exactly the same experiences, the core of it is still there. Though you do miss something I think by having a ocmputer roll the dice for you, it does expediate combat quite a bit having it do all the math for you. There are certain tradeoffs but the heart of the game is still there.
It arguably takes a bit more time to prep though because you have to set up or import monsters, maps to use etc, but once things are set up it tends to function quite well.
I do both and I'll say that they are both fun. It's easier to find a group online, but the over all experience is better in person. What I mean by that is that there's no technical issues or audio quality to get in the way of the game. As for DMing, online setup vs in person setup is time consuming either way. Online can be faster because of all the premade content available that just needs to be imported. Importing is faster (at least for me) than hand drawing maps. There's a learning curve but that true for everything.
Can anyone speak to online play as opposed to in person? Does it "feel" the same to you?
It's not the same, but it (can be) very good for different reasons.
I've been DM'ing since the early 80s and never had an interest in online play until the pandemic forced me to give it a serious look. I've been running online (with tools) since last September and I'm never going to stop. I've run three different campaigns and enjoy the strengths of it. There are negatives, and I will likely run an in-person table, but I won't stop online play.
I use a mix of Zoom for the video calls and Fantasy Grounds Unity (FGU) for the gameplay. That combo works very well for me. FGU has a bit of a learning curve, but does a great job of things as you get to know it better.
Pros of Online Play:
Virtual table tops (like FGU) are now powerful enough to run a very good tactical game for your friends. It's clear where everyone is and easy to DM.
Automation of things like NPC saving throws helps the game flow. Instead of rolling saves for the band of orc's charging into a Fireball I can let the computer do it and be done in a second.
Terrain and miniatures are cheap. I don't have to paint them, there are plenty of free battlemaps and tokens for VTT play, and if I want to buy something specific that's not available for free the quality is fantastic for the price.
It's easy to use tools like D&D Beyond to quickly search a rules question and keep the game moving. The search function is better than the physical index. This site and the D&D section for Stack Exchange resolve any questions in a minute.
Geography does not matter. I have friends all across the US who I can now game with again thanks to online play.
Real life does not matter. My friends don't have to get a babysitter to play. Nor is it a big deal if their kids need them (they can mute their microphone and turn off their camera to be a parent and then come back).
As a DM, the more you invest in your prep for an online game, the better it goes. I always fly by the seat of my pants in a live session as players gotta do what players gotta do - but it's easier to scramble with tools that let me quickly pull up a NPC or Monster, randomly roll on tables for anything I can't quickly brainstorm, and off we go. I start every session with specific bookmarks up for those scrambles (prep) as well as the actual notes on what the players last indicated their characters will be doing.
You don't have to have a group in your town. If it's a struggle to find people to play with you can find people online. If you are willing to pay a person to DM you can find high caliber folks (as those who are willing to spend tend to be passionate about the hobby).
Cons:
It costs extra up front. I pay for the physical books because I love the tangible nature of reading and relaxing. I pay for the books on D&D Beyond because I like the fast lookup and the integration into the character tools on the site. I pay for the books on Fantasy Grounds Unity as it's the hub of my online play, automates a LOT, and makes it easy for me to leave notes at the end of a session and pick up where I left off at the next game. It's worth it to me to pay 3x, but not everyone can say that.
Video calls aren't table play. There are fewer visual clues when people talk so they can talk over each other until they find a rhythm and flow. It's never going to be the same as hosting a game with a group of friends at your house, but it's not bad.
Some folks see the VTT and start playing it like a video game. Especially if they are big time video gamers. They see the digital interface and manifest patterns better fit for Skyrim than D&D (this isn't horrible, just a thing).
Real miniatures and terrain are cooler than digital ones (but cost more so it's somewhat of a wash).
You can't pay the DM in beer and snacks. Unless you pay for delivery.
The tools can be confusing up front and slow down the initial game sessions.
There's more pros/cons but hopefully you get the point and this helps? I'll always run digital games at this point.
Can anyone speak to online play as opposed to in person? Does it "feel" the same to you?
It feels the same to me, you roleplay, explore and kills things the same way playing D&D online or in person. Online with a virtual table often have better maps and tokens that people possess in real life. Book content is shareable just as much online than in person. Things like sharing handouts to the group or secretly to some players only, rolling secretly or sending message secretly to individuals are all possible things. Its also more convient to hide portions of maps online than in person as the party progress and you reveal part of it.
You can even mix, online play in person, using screen to display stuff to your players etc and some group even have some players in person and others online playing simultaneously togheter when time or distanceprevent them from all play togheter.
Playing online often bring it's share of problems with glitch and error that you don't see in person though. You often play online with strangers you never met nor ever will. It also make you know and play with people from all around the world. It has advantages and disadvantages and would not say one is better than the other or anything but online play is generally more convenient for some. It's often the only possible way to play for some. So it's for sure a boon to have online play, along with in person.
I also came to make some friends while playing and playtesting D&D online over the years. From old WoTC forums even. One of them even helped my daughter for a school homwork one time where she needed to mail an icon that someone in another country would travel with and take picture as proof. My daughter's icon traveled all over New York thanks to that friend! Just to say it's even possible to make friend through online D&D !
So I used to play D&D, almost 30 years ago in middle and high school and again later as an adult 20ish years ago... I was the odd Jock who very strictly played, A LOT!...
What is the deal with game play nowadays?? I LOVED playing D&D for 10 plus years of my life. I have been wishing for a way to work RPG into my crazy busy life again. I have tried multiple times, with no success, but still hoping against hope... I've been spoiled with a couple AMAZING DMs in the past too, so there's that.
If you want to get back into the game, buy the Essentials Kit or the Starter Set. Both are designed to introduce players and DMs to D&D. Post a flyer at work that you're starting a group, and dive right in.
Has there been a resurgence with D&D, since Stranger Things? I've never watched the show but my daughter told me they play in it. Seems WAY less "in the shadows" than it used to be!
Can anyone speak to online play as opposed to in person? Does it "feel" the same to you?
I prefer in person, but online can be fun too. Especially with groups that socialize before and/or after the game.
It's not quite the same, but it is completely viable. The more tech-savvy your group is, the easier is the transition.
Anyone who is used to online video conference calls will have no trouble.
Adding the virtual tabletop (VTT) even made it more immersive for me, as I can only see what my character sees.
We currently use DnDbeyond for character managment, Beyond20 and Roll20 as VTT and video call, and Discord for audio and 'offline' communication.
More Interesting Lock Picking Rules
I have been DM of a couple of online campaigns that are getting close to the year mark now. The game is still just as fun, except you can't share snacks. :)
The online tools have gotten to the point where a lot of people are doing hybrid D&D also, playing in person, but using electronic devices to augment the gameplay.
I find that while in person and online D&D are not exactly the same experiences, the core of it is still there. Though you do miss something I think by having a ocmputer roll the dice for you, it does expediate combat quite a bit having it do all the math for you. There are certain tradeoffs but the heart of the game is still there.
It arguably takes a bit more time to prep though because you have to set up or import monsters, maps to use etc, but once things are set up it tends to function quite well.
I do both and I'll say that they are both fun. It's easier to find a group online, but the over all experience is better in person. What I mean by that is that there's no technical issues or audio quality to get in the way of the game. As for DMing, online setup vs in person setup is time consuming either way. Online can be faster because of all the premade content available that just needs to be imported. Importing is faster (at least for me) than hand drawing maps. There's a learning curve but that true for everything.
It's not the same, but it (can be) very good for different reasons.
I've been DM'ing since the early 80s and never had an interest in online play until the pandemic forced me to give it a serious look. I've been running online (with tools) since last September and I'm never going to stop. I've run three different campaigns and enjoy the strengths of it. There are negatives, and I will likely run an in-person table, but I won't stop online play.
I use a mix of Zoom for the video calls and Fantasy Grounds Unity (FGU) for the gameplay. That combo works very well for me. FGU has a bit of a learning curve, but does a great job of things as you get to know it better.
Pros of Online Play:
Cons:
There's more pros/cons but hopefully you get the point and this helps? I'll always run digital games at this point.
It feels the same to me, you roleplay, explore and kills things the same way playing D&D online or in person. Online with a virtual table often have better maps and tokens that people possess in real life. Book content is shareable just as much online than in person. Things like sharing handouts to the group or secretly to some players only, rolling secretly or sending message secretly to individuals are all possible things. Its also more convient to hide portions of maps online than in person as the party progress and you reveal part of it.
You can even mix, online play in person, using screen to display stuff to your players etc and some group even have some players in person and others online playing simultaneously togheter when time or distanceprevent them from all play togheter.
Playing online often bring it's share of problems with glitch and error that you don't see in person though. You often play online with strangers you never met nor ever will. It also make you know and play with people from all around the world. It has advantages and disadvantages and would not say one is better than the other or anything but online play is generally more convenient for some. It's often the only possible way to play for some. So it's for sure a boon to have online play, along with in person.
I also came to make some friends while playing and playtesting D&D online over the years. From old WoTC forums even. One of them even helped my daughter for a school homwork one time where she needed to mail an icon that someone in another country would travel with and take picture as proof. My daughter's icon traveled all over New York thanks to that friend! Just to say it's even possible to make friend through online D&D !