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  • [Ask-a-GM] First Steps with Virtual Tables

    by
    mindgene.nick
    Published on Friday 06-04-2010 02:15 AM
    7 Comments Comments
    Attachment 2753When Robert asked me to take part in this advice column I was excited, but wasn't sure where to begin or what he really wanted me to truly focus on. He asked me to discuss some insights for running online games and "impart my pearls of wisdom..." I am one of the founding members of MindGene, LLC, creators of the virtual table top, d20Pro. My first gaming memory is the AD&D Intellivision game from the early eighties, and I have been gaming in some capacity ever since. I continued to play D&D, Magic, Clix, and more throughout the years, and still do. About six years ago we started our software development plan for d20Pro, and as gamers ourselves, it has been a real passion from the start. Of course we are in business to make money, but we also believe there is so much more to life. Our mantra of "for gamers, by gamers" is more than just something to say, it is something we believe in.

    Gaming online has grown drastically since the days of "sitting" in a chat room using dice macros. There are several options to from which to choose; some are free, and some are not. Most of the Virtual Table Tops have a trial version and I highly recommend you check out different ones to see what suits your needs, and the needs of your group, the best. I also suggest you spend some time reading through the forums, especially the customer support area, prior to starting your trial period. I am obviously biased towards d20Pro, but there are some other nice applications available for you to research. Do your homework and find a program that fits the play style of you and your group.

    Once you have chosen your system, now it is time to find a game or group. If you are looking at VTTs for the purpose of just upgrading your current weekly home game, you already completed this step. For those who need to find a group, there are many websites, like Pen and Paper Games, with forums, game calendars, and more. Find a few of them that you like the vibe and start getting to know your way around. Ideally, the site you choose will offer games using the VTT you chose. We currently offer monthly games and tutorials at d20Pro.com and are working with P&PG to get an online gaming calendar up and going here.

    Lastly check your hardware and internet connection. You want to make sure your operating system and computer can handle the gaming you hope to achieve. You will also want to make sure you are using a reliable internet connection (a broadband connection is basically a must now), especially if you are planning on being the GM. Usually you can find someone on the forums who can help you out if you are a little confused.

    When we play around a table with my regular gaming group, the judge sits at his desk, just outside the kitchen running his client, we have a laptop connected to a projector & screen, a few other guys bring their own laptops to they can have a more intimate experience with their game, and we are all connected wirelessly. Sometimes we get a few people from out of town to join in as well and use Skype for voice chat (Ventrillo or other VOIP can replace Skype). I also enjoy gaming from my house with a dual monitor set up, and when I am judging a game, I love to stretch d20Pro across both monitors so I can have the map on one monitor and all of the necessary windows open on the other.

    As a player, I like to have one monitor with the game and the other with the needed books. Some of the best times though, are when I am on the road, in a hotel room, or at my sister's and I have a game. I can open up my laptop, hook up my headphones, and have a sweet ol' time gaming for a few hours. Whether it is with friends in the same room, with friends online, or the usual combination of both, online gaming and VTTs are the newest way to dive into a fun filled fantasy, enjoy!






    If you have any questions about d20Pro, please check our forums or feel free to email directly at nick@mindgene.com. I hope this helps, thank you for your time, and happy gaming.

    About the Author: Nicholas Bevilacqua was born and raised in Miami, FL, and still resides there with his wife and two children. He handles most of the business aspects of MindGene and is very excited about the behind the scenes development going on for digital gaming.

    Categories:
    1. Ask-a-GM

    Tags :
    Comments 7 Comments
    1. Farcaster's Avatar
      In case you haven't seen it, by the way, here is the very cool promo video for d20pro. The soundtrack alone makes it worth the watch

      Reply
    1. Metroknight's Avatar
      Interesting article about your Virtual Table but when I saw the title, I was under the impression that it was going to be more about virtual table in general. I looked over your program and it looks very interesting.

      I use a free virtual table program called "Traipse" that is derived from "Openrpg". Both of these are free and open sourced.

      Mayhem Gaming
      Reply
    1. exhominem's Avatar
      Is it just me, or does this whole post seem a little… disingenuous? I understand that Mr. Bevilacqua is a busy man and has a business to run, and probably doesn’t have much time to prepare a comprehensive guide to online table-top gaming, let alone advertise his competitors. However, offering what basically amounts to a quick start-up guide to a proprietary software disguised in the trappings of an “advice” column seems kind of shady.


      First of all, he barely mentions his competitors, most of which is free, open-source software designed “by and for gamers.” A few:
      www.rptools.net
      http://www.rpgobjects.com/index.php?c=orpg
      http://www.rpgtonight.com/
      Now, it’s understandable that Mr. Bevilacqua has a product to sell, but an advice coloumn would have presented alternative options, especially those who may be less expensive than a commercial product.


      Second, this column is remarkably short on advice on how to actually find a virtual table-top game. By their own admission on their forums here: http://forums.d20pro.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=53 it is very difficult to find players for their games. Also, penandpapergames, the only other site mentioned, isn’t exactly very online-table-top friendly as well. It was only a few short weeks ago that online tabletops even became searchable. Better advice would be to present a number of sites that cater to virtual tabletop games, and let readers choose from among them or, better yet, browse them all to find a game to their liking! Some links:


      http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=51
      http://www.enworld.org/forum/gamers-seeking-gamers/
      http://www.thetangledweb.net/forums/...Post-New-Games
      http://rpgloop.net/
      http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/17-Campaign-Invitations


      Finally, and most damning, is that for an advice column whose purpose is to help new GMs, there is remarkably little actual advice. Nowhere is it mentioned how to organize a game online, schedule players in different timezones, deal with the special problems inherent to the medium, the list goes on and on. Aside from some advice about having a decent internet connection and a brief guide on how to use his specific software in a ‘home’ setting, little advice is offered.


      In short, this is not an advice column. It is an advertisement, and should not be disguised as ‘advice’.
      Reply
    1. Highway Man's Avatar
      I have to agree with exhominem for the most part. This does seems like an advertisement rather then a serious advice post about online gaming. There are plenty of virtual table tops out there and some of the best are free like the rptools stuff.


      Perhaps Pen & Paper Games should contact the heads of the most popular ones and have each write up something promoting and explaining to gamers out there what their programs (or products if selling) can do for them. Maybe even after that have some folks who are unbiased and have used many VTTs write comparisons of them all with the pros and cons for each listed.


      As an avid user of VTTs I'd like to see more written and explained about them to the general gaming public. I see tons of posts all the time on dozens of forums with people looking for gaming groups in there area and who end up being disappointed that they can't find a group. I used to be like that until I was introduced to VTTs and I haven't looked back since and that was probably four years ago.
      Reply
    1. mindgene.nick's Avatar
      Hi,

      My apologies for leaving the article a little vague. Robert has given me some guidance as where to go next and what to expand on. I will also take some of the recommendations here into considerations for future ideas / articles. However, considering it was my first, I am pleased.

      @exhominen - I assure you I am completely genuine and at no time tried to make this an advertisement, a shot at any other vtt, etc. I just wanted to pass on some of my experiences with online gaming. It is a shame you couldn't throw me a bone, seeing you are in Philly (where I went to school, LaSalle U - Go Explorers!)... LOL.

      I will work very hard to make the next installment less of an "advertisement disguised as advice." I will be at Origins Game Fair and GenCon this year if anyone wants to look me up and give d20Pro a test drive.

      Some of the things already slated for further review for online game play are:
      • keeping a good pace
      • reading player reactions and enjoyment when you can't use body language cues
      • overcoming slower turns and typing out long descriptions
      Please keep your feedback coming as we only aim to please.

      Best regards and happy gaming,

      Nick
      Reply
    1. cplmac's Avatar
      Yes, I know that needing to type out a large description does tend to slow the game down, even when I am just using the Chat here on P&PG. I will be interested in reading that segment for sure.
      Reply
    1. janequorzar's Avatar
      Great promo. Love the music. I just do not like programs made with Java. But other then that, awesome work.
      Reply