Alternatives for roll20 etc

[Kawoom]

because of reason i quit roll20 a while ago and searched for alternatives and found some really nice ones.

all of the tabletops i show here have no subscriptions, they are one time buy or open source f2p. so no more limitations of storage space or copyright problems (f.e. with music you use)


gmforge

powerfull vtt especially for custom game systems or homebrew rules. a little clunky to operate but very powerfull and flexible. on steam for 24,99

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwX...XAQ1wlg/videos


foundry virtual tabletop

in development, but looks very promising, again just a one time buy without any subscription
http://foundryvtt.com/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz-2...DqzVZNszYMx5AV


rptools

open source f2p vtt which is very strong and comfortable, sadly not supported anymore but still totally usable. very close to roll20 (bet this one inspired roll20)
http://www.rptools.net/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCye...K21NPCA/videos


mote

mote took the maptool from rptools and enhanced and developed it further. even more customizable than roll20 without any restrictions, you can use as much pictures, maps etc from the internet you want and use every audio file
https://front.idleideas.biz/#mote

[Henry09376]

why wouldn't people just use discord or skype for online gaming like that?

[Henry09376]

I have heard of that, but could never remember the name. thank you

[aileron]

Good points but I think you're talking about alternatives to the d20 system. This thread was about alternatives to roll20.net which is a website where you can play "pen and paper" role playing games online.

[Henry09376]

I was a hardcore Ad&D or D&d. Anything dungeons and dragons. after 3.5 I feel out of live with it. RIFTS IS AWESOEM, SO IS SHADOWRUN. I have eventually settled into ok The Savage World system. It if a system that can literally be used for any setting.blive it. I have been thinking about picking up a D&D 5th edition but am not 100% sold on iy. It really looks like they switched around a few things From 1st edition and slapped a $59 price tag on it.

[danskmacabre]

Well Tabletop Sim is a great alternative for Roll20, it's a one purchase thing (although there is DLC) for the game. It has Steam Workshop and a dedicated modding fan base that try to port all kinds of tabletop games or invent their own. Hell it even has VR support.

Mmm yeah, I played a DnD 5e session in Tabletop Simulator a while back and it worked out very well.
I just randomly found this session happening and I joined in and it ran very smoothly.

[FenrrisRiddara]

I've been looking for stuff like this for months, many thanks!

[RunningInCircles]

Okay it seems we have a lack of communication here or something... not sure why you want to dispute points I have already said I agreed with you on? But thankfully I have some free time to go over this again! Though anymore, and I am going to have to charge ya

Umm, what? No, you do realize that hours of editing images, driving to a print shop and having them produced on a weekly basis costs time and money right? Writing a story costs nothing, but gas and ordering prints gets pricey. That wasnt a justification I was providing for roll20's paid DM program, just real life ones.

Yes I do should my friend pay me every time I go over to his house? I mean that takes gas to get there, and back... Time I could of been spending on other things, and depending on the time I am going to have to eat out, and spend more money then I would have to before should I be paid for this? Or how about I play Warhammer, my friend goes out spends tons (Thanks Games Workshop) spends 30-40 hours in a week to paint all of this, and get it all set up super fancy so when he puts his shiny guys down they are the talk of the table.... Should we pay him to play with us, should he pay us? Modding a game can take hours, believe me I know this one personally lol... Yet mods are free they have always been free, and continue to be despite Steams sad attempt.... Should they pass on money while your friend who spends half the time making a RP session they want to do anyway gets paid?

They say a fool and his money are quickly separated... Though I am not saying never pay anyone for anything as it sounds that is what you are hearing? Maybe you missed the point where I actually said it wasn't bad to pay your friend (I think I used buddy... pal!) now and then for doing things if they needed it. That is because being friends, or long term friends especially put you into a different tier that allows somethings I wouldn't do for a stranger. :P

Considering we are all here due to a youtube channel that is funded by voluntary regular donations and superchats even though almost all of the videos could be done for free as a hobby; you statements seem strange.

I honestly think this is the largest assumption you have made yet. I am here because they are running a service that I think is useful. Yea I watch dudes videos now and then, and it is fine, but it could of been anyone! It could of been you, or me that started something like this, and I would of still agreed that it was a worthwhile way to spend some money. If you are looking at this as just an extended version of a YouTube comment area... then you are severely limiting yourself! Expand your horizons... think bigger.


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Way to long to Copy in here

This is a lot of good information on this place! When they do that promotional thing ya might want to add it to Self-Promotions (Though it isn't really self) so that people know, and can take advantage of the deal if they want! Maybe link back to your pose here as it seems to have a lot of the information in it! =)

[Donahue82]

Umm, what? No, you do realize that hours of editing images, driving to a print shop and having them produced on a weekly basis costs time and money right? Writing a story costs nothing, but gas and ordering prints gets pricey. That wasnt a justification I was providing for roll20's paid DM program, just real life ones.

I would argue that writing a story doesn't cost anything, as the writer has to put in time, generally passion and energy. The first is obviously limited, the 2nd and 3rd can be as well, especially if the GM is an introvert.

I have been a user of Fantasy Grounds for a while now, I ended up taking a break away from gaming because of work, and am getting back into it now. That being said, let me also state a couple of things ahead of time. I disliked Roll20 when I tested it not long after it came out; I have generally avoided it; I tried RPTools but it was more hassle than I wanted to put into it, I haven't tried the others so I can't speak on them. I have and somewhat am still working on creating content for Fantasy Grounds (work is still too much OT at times), which is officially licensed, and number of systems that have been fan-supported. Go to the FG Wiki down below to see all the Official and Fan Supported Game Systems. I am also an Ultimate licensed holder.

They are working on updating Fantasy Grounds to a new engine (Unity), which is still capable of using current content. Yes if you buy content or other similar stuff, you do have to pay full or almost full if on sale, what you might not be considering is that Fantasy Grounds has to pay the original content creator, pay the person who did the 'transcribing' from the original into an FG module, and finally take their portion as well.

Now, from my experience with FG, FG is built up mostly from the DM\GM\ST side; you have a lot of content that is generally quick and easy to access. The GM can create encounters easily, edit them easily, do work ahead of time and then simply trigger an encounter which will automatically go to the combat tracker, can build loot/reward piles ahead of time and simply drop in party loot box. Maps can be prepped ahead of time, and for a while now have been made much easier to quickly add images on the fly.

AUTOMATION
Depending on system it can be heavily automated to lightly automated. I haven't really been playing Pathfinder/Starfinder so I am unsure as to how much they are; Savage Worlds and DnD 3/3.5, 4, and 5 are well automated and have great support, which sometimes are integrated into the full system. Some stuff isn't capable of being done with current engine, or has been deemed to focus more on FGU then adding a bit more bling. Largely, I don't get the complaints as frankly you don't have any automation when playing on a Tabletop, and what they are talking about is at least in my mind minor complaints.

Creating a new rules set, is daunting but has different levels. If you simply want a character sheet and to compare values of a roll, that does require some experience, but not a huge amount. I partially built an Anima: Beyond Fantasy Rules set. I have also added stuff to existing rules set, I tried to work with the automation but I am not familiar with the language and had higher priorities over my hobby. Creating modules simply requires experience with XML and image editing/creation.

PRICING
FG has 5 prices, broken up into 3 categories: Free, Subscription (new-ish and by request), Full Purchase; there is 2 tiers inside the Paid categories: Full and Ultimate (there used to be a Lite but it is gone now.)

Free/Test/Unlicensed is largely like Full, outside of the fact that only 1 Unlicensed version maybe connected to a Full License at a time. A Full license allows you to play or run, as you like (besides only 1 unlicensed PC as a GM); the Ultimate License allows any number of unlicensed players as a GM. Subscriptions are $4/month for a Full and $10/month for an Ultimate; Purchase is $40 for a Full, and $150 for Ultimate. There was/is a lot of complaint about the cost(s), which I always found weird but then I can't say how many of them were moochers and cheapskates. Personally, I have used FG so much that I have to have it down to cents per hour if not pennies per hour on cost to time used.

So, a Full license is the same cost as book. Next complaint is now you have to buy the modules, NO you don't. Don't get me wrong they are supremely helpful and cheaper than their physical copies, plus they go on sale from time to time. IF there is an SRD or public information for the system it is available. IF your GM has the book they can share it with you and all other players. You can add the content yourself, admittedly spells can be a bit complicated if you are a new user.

The host bi-annual or maybe quarterly, FG-Con weekends, when all Full Licenses get upgraded to Ultimate for the weekend, to encourage people to try out FG.

PAID DMs
Since the topic came up, there is no official support for it, and no rules against it. There are rules however for posting about a Paid DM position on the FG Forums.


I think this covers a majority of points for FG at this time.

[Vladar]

Rolisteam is a free cross-platform open-source virtual tabletop software, feature-rich and in active development.

Rolz is a dice-chat site.

[Trout]

Listen I am sorry to hear you tale about being scammed by a close friend like that. He got you to pay for his hobby and you just prob thanked him for it. Let me ask you what do you think is the easiest way to get someones money? Ask for it... come now that works in some cases, but no.. give ya a hint... It is in video games too!

Umm, what? No, you do realize that hours of editing images, driving to a print shop and having them produced on a weekly basis costs time and money right? Writing a story costs nothing, but gas and ordering prints gets pricey. That wasnt a justification I was providing for roll20's paid DM program, just real life ones.

Considering we are all here due to a youtube channel that is funded by voluntary regular donations and superchats even though almost all of the videos could be done for free as a hobby; you statements seem strange.

[RunningInCircles]

I have played in a face to face setting with a paid DM years back, it was badass. He told us we can play for free but he spent upwards of 20 hours per week planning, creating custom maps, and resources for the game. The production quality was the best I've ever had, imagine every encounter in D&D having accompanying images of the big bad and small images of them printed on paper held by a paper clip epoxied to a washer at a 90 degree angle (essentially holding it straight upwards.) Each npc had a unique image made for this, but this is just one example that stuck out from memory of the massive production quality of the sessions.

As a money making effort, f that. But as a "hey, I spend a lot of time and my own funds to provide a richer experience, could you pony up a few bucks so I can break even and maybe get a 6-pack?" this guy was pretty awesome.

Listen I am sorry to hear you tale about being scammed by a close friend like that. He got you to pay for his hobby and you just prob thanked him for it. Let me ask you what do you think is the easiest way to get someones money? Ask for it... come now that works in some cases, but no.. give ya a hint... It is in video games too!

I will try to clear this up so you get what I mean here.. If people have to pay to get into your game, as it is in Roll20, then there is an issue. Your buddy asking for a few bucks here and there is not the same thing. Maybe if he kept asking that would be an issue... I mean there is a point of course.. other then giving ya a little hassle over not seeing it, not a big deal.

[thtadthtshldntb]

The reality is, DMing is, if you want to do it even half assed well, almost a part time job. I have a campaign that I run, which meets like every...3 weeks or so...and I have to spend 10 to 20 hours of prep between sessions. If we met weekly, basically that's a part time house.

As to the topic. I thought that I read a while back that DND Beyond also wants to add this functionality as well. Though it would be nice if they had prior editions of the game too.

[Trout]

I bailed when they started having paid DM's... It was the end really as the games already filled up quickly, as the whole comunity was at that point pretty inclusive (Not meaning this politically sorry!... More like the original meaning of making sure its members were involved as a whole.. I'm taking that word back! lol)

Now you see really nothing but paid games, and people all going to their little corners to keep others out... It is a dang shame as what it was ment for is now gone. So I am glad that you have alternatives, but umm... Maybe I am misunderstanding, but these seem to be programs not an online place to gather for RP..?

I have played in a face to face setting with a paid DM years back, it was badass. He told us we can play for free but he spent upwards of 20 hours per week planning, creating custom maps, and resources for the game. The production quality was the best I've ever had, imagine every encounter in D&D having accompanying images of the big bad and small images of them printed on paper held by a paper clip epoxied to a washer at a 90 degree angle (essentially holding it straight upwards.) Each npc had a unique image made for this, but this is just one example that stuck out from memory of the massive production quality of the sessions.

As a money making effort, f that. But as a "hey, I spend a lot of time and my own funds to provide a richer experience, could you pony up a few bucks so I can break even and maybe get a 6-pack?" this guy was pretty awesome.

[Gygar]

Well Tabletop Sim is a great alternative for Roll20, it's a one purchase thing (although there is DLC) for the game. It has Steam Workshop and a dedicated modding fan base that try to port all kinds of tabletop games or invent their own. Hell it even has VR support.