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thorgrim29
2012-05-12, 11:07 PM
Hey, I'm looking for a program that would let me run a game (probably dnd 3.5 but it might be something else) online. I looked at maptool, and while it looks like it has all the features I want, it seems like a LOT of work to make all the maps and program all the npcs and such. So am I mistaken, am I right, is there better?

Thanks

Knaight
2012-05-13, 03:21 AM
Hey, I'm looking for a program that would let me run a game (probably dnd 3.5 but it might be something else) online. I looked at maptool, and while it looks like it has all the features I want, it seems like a LOT of work to make all the maps and program all the npcs and such. So am I mistaken, am I right, is there better?

Thanks

3.x has DMgenie, which handles almost everything maptools does better. The exception is the maps. However, there are sites with lots of things that make mapping easier. Greytale's Nook is my preferred source, and it tends to link to many of the others.

Akodo Makama
2012-05-13, 09:32 AM
A lot depends on what the features you want are. Different tools are better at different things. I looked at several and I chose Maptool for what I needed.

Maptool can do just about anything to run a live session, but can be a pain to set up to use it's full potential. Fortunately, many people have already done much of the setup for different systems (3.5, Pathfinder, 4e, Fate and more). These 'Frameworks' are a big help setting up the players and monsters, as well as automating a lot of the actual math during the campaign. Plus, if/when you want to use a different system, you already know the basic tool, and just have to learn the Framework's additions.

Maptool now has built-in ability to download graphics packages (walls, objects, and minis/tokens), making maps a lot easier. Adding the vision blocks still takes time, though, if you want that functionality. For on-the-fly maps, the drawing tools are functional, but barely.

There are online walkthrough/tutorial videos, showing the different aspects of the tool. The Maptool forums are quite helpful, but have little tolerance for people with attitude. Ask for help and you'll get it, demand help and you'll be ignored (or possibly ridiculed). Most problems already have solutions posted.

I GM D&D 4e: I needed something that could track position on a map, have some simple fog of war to give a feeling of exploring, give easy access to a few PC/NPC characteristics (AC, HP, etc), and allow for some simple automated dice rolling (1d20+5 for attack, 2d6 damage).

When I started, I took about an hour to map out the encounter rooms for a night (6 hours game time), and about two getting the monsters ready. So, about 1 hour prep for every 2 playing. Now, I take about 5-10 minutes per encounter total. Most of the time savings is due to knowing how to use the tools, some is due to gathering a library of common monsters.

I eventually started using it to store encounter notes next to the rooms they were for, and other informational items like letters the players could find, evil overlord monologues, sample information/rumors from taverns. The players started storing their own common rolls for their characters, clues they found, and effect areas for spells. I added some rolls for skills and reactions. I can now run the entire campaign from my maps, without opening the module book/pdf once at runtime.

thorgrim29
2012-05-13, 10:21 AM
Where can I find these frameworks?

Gnoman
2012-05-13, 09:35 PM
3.x has DMgenie, which handles almost everything maptools does better. The exception is the maps. However, there are sites with lots of things that make mapping easier. Greytale's Nook is my preferred source, and it tends to link to many of the others.

DmGenie (which I use, and have for years) is pretty limited in a lot of ways (The most annoying, I find, is the lack of the ability to remove a level from a creature, which makes it really difficult to manage the party themselves.)

thorgrim29
2012-05-13, 09:43 PM
Problem with DmGenie is that while it looks very cool it's a: not free and b: not an online way to run a game. I tinkered with maptool a bit I'd say it's probably my best bet right now. Problem is when I brought in a friend to be a player he had access to basically everything (adding objects, playing around with the vision, moving the monsters, etc...) except his vision was limited. That's an issue.

Knaight
2012-05-13, 10:03 PM
Problem with DmGenie is that while it looks very cool it's a: not free and b: not an online way to run a game. I tinkered with maptool a bit I'd say it's probably my best bet right now. Problem is when I brought in a friend to be a player he had access to basically everything (adding objects, playing around with the vision, moving the monsters, etc...) except his vision was limited. That's an issue.

You can lock stuff in maptool, so that as a player none of that stuff is open.

Gnoman
2012-05-13, 10:29 PM
Problem with DmGenie is that while it looks very cool it's a: not free and b: not an online way to run a game. I tinkered with maptool a bit I'd say it's probably my best bet right now. Problem is when I brought in a friend to be a player he had access to basically everything (adding objects, playing around with the vision, moving the monsters, etc...) except his vision was limited. That's an issue.

Make sure he joined as a player, not as a GM. Players shouldn't have control over anything but their own tokens unless you manually give it to them.

Akodo Makama
2012-05-14, 02:04 AM
Make sure he joined as a player, not as a GM. Players shouldn't have control over anything but their own tokens unless you manually give it to them.

Actually, when you start the server, there are options to allow things either way. It's referred to as 'Token Ownership'. If 'Strict Token Ownership' is on, then the players will only have access to the tokens you specifically put under their control. However, they will be able to add tokens (under their control) whenever they want. But, as GM, you can simply delete them, and ask them to be a bit more mature about it. They can also make any drawings they want, but all their drawings are restricted to the token layer, so if the GM only makes use of the other three layers (object, hidden, and background) then erasing everything the players put down is easy.

Most groups go through a phase of a few sessions where the players are messing with tokens and drawings a bit, and loose interest with that and go back to playing the game. It's good to have a few sessions specifically to 'get familiar with the software', to let them get it all out of the system before starting the 'real' campaign.

The frameworks are found on the RPTools forums, under the User Creations (http://forums.rptools.net/viewforum.php?f=33) topic.

Frog Dragon
2012-05-14, 10:37 AM
I've been running a game on maptools, and it hasn't required that much work so far, though I haven't really bothered with setting NPC statistics. Honestly, that thing that took the most time was getting the hang of where everything was in the few image packs I downloaded. Things have run fairly smoothly even without programming any NPC:s and it's quite solid at mapmaking and visualizing.

Dr Bwaa
2012-05-14, 10:51 AM
An alternative to maptool is OpenRPG (http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?c=orpg&m=getorpg). It's similar, but IMO a little easier to use.

gourdcaptain
2012-05-15, 12:34 PM
Currently, the groups I am in use a combination of MapTool and Skype, but we always have a nightmare of a time getting everyone connected to the server due to the problems getting a server on someone's computer hooked to a public IP address everyone can access without firewall problems.

bokodasu
2012-05-15, 01:42 PM
I used MapTools + Skype, but I have a player who just recommended a new program called Roll20 (http://www.roll20.net). Have not checked it out yet personally, but he was pretty psyched about it and it sounds like it's worth a look.