D&D over the interweb

[agumathebear]

hey all, i'm moving to colorado in 30 days and i'm the dm so my group wants to keep playing over the internet. we've been slowly trying ideas online like playing over msn and skype and such but people don't seem to like it or it takes WAAAAY too long to do anything.

so far the thing that seemed to work best was world of warcraft, but after cataclysm we basically said no we're not paying for wow anymore (there are much better mmos out there that are free) but warcraft was really good because of it's /roll commands, being able to sit and emote and do all sorts of things that could be useful in d&d over the internet. i've tried a private server but they are filled with idiots and the servers are usually run by highschool kids who, basically, are terrible at keeping the server afloat.

we also tried team fortress 2 but as you could have guessed that turned into a destraction really fast. Basically we would like to use a game or something like it because it kidna gives the illusion that you are in the same room with a person being able to seem them get up and walk around and whatnot, and none of us like webcams, they lag, and it just doesnt feel...right? idk i guess im picky.

anyway, any tips y'all got would be much appreciated!

[Eldan]

Well, the closest would probably be an actual D&D game. Neverwinter Nights 1&2 both have online functions and even actual DM features.

[Retech]

Alternatively, you can continue to play DnD using Maptools, a free online tabletop software.

http://rptools.net/

All you need to learn is how to host a server and make a map, and then go ahead and DM like you have always done. It even has a built in dice roller, but that means that you can't fudge the dice.

[Cheesy74]

Retech: /rollme rolls to yourself. /rollgm rolls to the GM.
No game maker is going to be dumb enough to remove something as useful as fudging the dice.

[grimbold]

or you could use Skype for D&D
thats what i do and it works pretty well

[Ozreth]

http://www.fantasygrounds.com

or

RPTools

or Maptools

Youve gotta pay for the first one but it is by far superior IMO. Just depends what you are lookin for though.

[EccentricCircle]

I've found that Skype and webcam can work for situations when you have one distant player and everyone else is at a real table. we've often used this system to allow one or in a couple of cases two players to play from a long way away.
I've never tried to DM over a video link., I guess it would work ok if you don't use too many miniatures, or have some online system of showing what the board looks like.
but of course that only works if all of your players can meet in one place still.

when everyone was far away we found that there wasn't much point using a video feed, and so either just used a voice call or text in MSN,
the latter has its pros and cons as it keeps a record of the game which can be really handy for the DM, but equally the experience isn't as good for anyone involved and you can't effectivly use miniatures.
I've been wanting to check out some of these online game table tools, but never got the chance as people started to lose interest in doing a remote game not long after I discovered them.

sci fi games can work really well over a voice chat. if all the characters are fighter pilots and the DM is mission control then it adds a bit of verisimilitude to the game which i've always thought was great. add some sound effects and a joystick and its practically larping from the comfort of your computer!

I apreciate that this isn't quite what you are asking but thats my thoughts on eD&D, it can work but it a lot of hassle.