For today I'd like to hear what your opinions are on ways to play D&D. You may be wondering what I mean by "ways" to play D&D. I'm talking about whether you prefer to have face-to-face sessions, virtual video/call sessions (through Roll20, Discord, Skype, etc.), or play-by-posts. Each have their own weaknesses whether it's aligning everyone's schedule, to having decent internet, or being very slow but they each have their advantages too.
Anyways, let me know what you guys think! Which type of gameplay do you prefer? Leave your opinions on the matter down in the comment section and don't forget to fill out the poll!
Face-to-face wins out for me by a long-shot. The downsides are mostly related to scheduling, and I've found those issues apply just as much to online "live" play options (I've actually had worse luck with online scheduling and people saying "yeah, that time works" and then being constantly late or not showing at all) - plus that's the least annoying downside to me of those of various methods.
And the advantages of other methods I intend to implement in the face-to-face game (by which I primarily mean that I am eventually going to build a table around an HD display so that we can put our miniatures on top of digitally painted maps, and use digital aids like area effect templates and fog of war).
I'm not entirely opposed to using skype or other live online methods - but play by post drives me completely nuts and I will never do it again because it makes me feel the same way as I feel when I've got a group that is supposed to meet up every week but somehow never manages to actually have a session for months at a time, and whenever they do manage to get together nobody is focused on actually playing so nothing happens, but it's all the time and it's on purpose.
I have been blessed with a local group of players that has been together for decades. Two of us have known each other since kindergarten, three since high school, and the most recent addition has been with us off and on for well over ten years. On occasion we've attempted to have one of our members who couldn't physically be present use Google Hangouts to have some kind of tele-presence, but it was not nearly as optimal as face-to-face play. A few of us have tried skype/hangouts play with people across the country, and it was also suboptimal for them. I've never done play-by-post.
A few years ago, while we were all still in school, my group used to play Face-to-Face. Now we're all across the state, so we're using Roll20, which is fine, but man do I miss those in person sessions. My group were my roomates, and I have to say, being able to play multiple nights a week was something I'll never get to do again, but I look back on fondly!
Hello everyone!
Welcome back for another article. Last time we met I asked you all whether you were enjoying my articles, were indifferent, or disliked them. Even though the most popular answer was that you all were indifferent about whether I continued or not, people actually enjoying my articles was a close second by one vote. If you'd like to check out the thread, here it is: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/14731-how-are-you-guys-enjoying-my-little-articles-polls
For today I'd like to hear what your opinions are on ways to play D&D. You may be wondering what I mean by "ways" to play D&D. I'm talking about whether you prefer to have face-to-face sessions, virtual video/call sessions (through Roll20, Discord, Skype, etc.), or play-by-posts. Each have their own weaknesses whether it's aligning everyone's schedule, to having decent internet, or being very slow but they each have their advantages too.
Anyways, let me know what you guys think! Which type of gameplay do you prefer? Leave your opinions on the matter down in the comment section and don't forget to fill out the poll!
Until next time,
Tyrannosary
Face-to-face wins out for me by a long-shot. The downsides are mostly related to scheduling, and I've found those issues apply just as much to online "live" play options (I've actually had worse luck with online scheduling and people saying "yeah, that time works" and then being constantly late or not showing at all) - plus that's the least annoying downside to me of those of various methods.
And the advantages of other methods I intend to implement in the face-to-face game (by which I primarily mean that I am eventually going to build a table around an HD display so that we can put our miniatures on top of digitally painted maps, and use digital aids like area effect templates and fog of war).
I'm not entirely opposed to using skype or other live online methods - but play by post drives me completely nuts and I will never do it again because it makes me feel the same way as I feel when I've got a group that is supposed to meet up every week but somehow never manages to actually have a session for months at a time, and whenever they do manage to get together nobody is focused on actually playing so nothing happens, but it's all the time and it's on purpose.
I have been blessed with a local group of players that has been together for decades. Two of us have known each other since kindergarten, three since high school, and the most recent addition has been with us off and on for well over ten years. On occasion we've attempted to have one of our members who couldn't physically be present use Google Hangouts to have some kind of tele-presence, but it was not nearly as optimal as face-to-face play. A few of us have tried skype/hangouts play with people across the country, and it was also suboptimal for them. I've never done play-by-post.
A few years ago, while we were all still in school, my group used to play Face-to-Face. Now we're all across the state, so we're using Roll20, which is fine, but man do I miss those in person sessions. My group were my roomates, and I have to say, being able to play multiple nights a week was something I'll never get to do again, but I look back on fondly!
In my opinion there is nothing better than gathering together and playing D&D face to face. The interactions are what make the game fun for me.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master