Video of WOTC upcoming VTT software

[Naryt]

Pyrandon, myself and our gang of thugs...I mean cohorts...I mean friends use OpenRPG and have been for over two years now. WotC's VTT has one thing (and one thing only IMO) going for it: Dynamic light sources. Of course, other VTTs (Battlegrounds to name one) already have that and others (OpenRPG) are working toward it already. Sure the 3d nature of it is great too but meh...just one more level of complexity that's can only add so much to the game before it becomes more of a pain than it's worth.

As to the Kitchen Table vs VTT debate: Kitchens win but when your players are scattered (literally) over two countries, that's going to have to be one BIG table!

[RPMiller]

MapTool is currently adding light. As for the WotC VTT, note that the maps are still 2d, only the token is 3D and it doesn't have things like Visibility Blocking which is something MapTool has had for quite some time. It will be interesting to see how GameTable (I think that is what it is called) will improve over the next year. The real thing that it has going for it is the vast amount of money that WotC can throw at it. The biggest thing it has going against it is that it can only be used for D&D.

[Torq]

I have used Battlegrounds for a while now as my VTT of choice. My group has found it a great tool, and its got a very uncluttered interface that concentrates on what you need the most. Also Heruca, the developer, is one of the hardest working admins I've seen. He even finds time to pop in here every now and then.

I think check out the independents first like BG, Maptool, OpenRpg and Fantasygrounds. They may not have the marketing budgets that Wizards do, but they have been putting together VTts for longer.

Torq

[RPMiller]

I thoroughly agree Torq! Of the four you mentioned, I only give BG and MT any real praise as their developers are very responsive, hard working, and very competent. You can't go wrong with either choice. ORPG, left me wanting more because of the poor graphic capabilities that I saw and also the clunky scripting that didn't seem to always work. YMMV. I never tried FG, but from what I understand it is D&D specific which for me is an immediate pass, as I play several different systems.

[GlennZilla]

Well at least our current playstyle is is use a 4ft by 8ft white board with magnetic tokens and iniative markers. ($15 tileboard from Lowe's and a sheet of tin siding flattened out by driving a riding lawn mower over it repeatedly.)

Since we are all deeply rooted into Oklahoma City with families, so I doubt we'll have need to connect online. I don't want to discount the many uses of VTT, they just aren't our style.

Of course now that I am looking into expanding my cartography skills, I might look at a laptop/projecter set up to display onto that same whiteboard. And using the Character Visualizer to make art to demonstrate the appearence of an NPC would be quite handy.

[RPMiller]

Yup. There are many folks that use VTTs only in face to face gaming just because they want the features that they offer that enhances the gaming experience most notably Fog of War and Vision Blocking. Both of which are extremely difficult to manage on a table top.

I'll be working on a demo of what current VTTs have to offer probably this evening and I'll post it up so that those that may have never seen one in action can get a feel for it.

As for the projector/laptop setup, one serious word of caution. Do not use the white board. For those that aren't real picky, it will work, but for the majority it will irritate the heck out of you. It would be better to project on to a wall than to use that white board. The best idea is to get a screen or a big sheet of matte finish slightly off white paper. The white board will reflect back a bunch of light and your players will have to be moving around just to see what is in the middle of the board.

[pyrandon]

In my (and Naryt's) experience, VTT play is quite different from tabletop play, boasting many advantages. I nowadays prefer it over face-to-face play because VTT is a literary experience--it's very much like collectively writing a novel. Because I love reading and writing but am not much of an actor, being able to write my world with others is so much more satisfying. Of course, there are downsides (time lag being #1, lack of persoanl contact being #2), but the trade-off is well worth it to me.

This also brings that new WOTC software into the picture: they are trying very hard to create a videogame atmosphere for the rpg world. Bully for them, but I'll still pass. That sort of flash and razzle-dazzle does nothing for me. I'm in it for the story, the words, not the accoutraments. While I applaud WOTC for pushing the innovation envelope, I think they go over the top on everything and are nowadays basically the epitome of a money hungry corporation. TSR did the same thing, but were less savvy. (BTW, no rip on D&D or its fans intended: it's a fine game. I just dislike the constant "Feed me" scream of the corporate monster; I feel it whenever I see or touch their products.)

That being said, I think there is some room for improvement in all VTTs. For example, the ability to create & "fly through" 3D terrains would be a sweet addition to both live and VTT players' games!

Thanks for posting the video. Very interesting.