DMing Virtual Tabletops?

darkmayo

Anyone ever use these programs, if so can someone recommend a good one? Been bouncing around the idea with some coworkers and need to get some information on which ones are the best.

Thanks!

SkyCaptain

I prefer MapTool. Plenty of D&D 4e frameworks to choose from. You just have to start small and get used to it at first and then you can jump in to the more complicated features.

DevoutlyApathetic

Yea, I just started using Rumble's 4E framework for Maptools. It does a lot of shit. It is a little picky and technical but this is probably exacerbated by the fact I'm the only one in the group who is willing to get into the technical stuff.

Carnarvon

Gametable is nice because it's just straight up simple shit, no frills or pretty buttons. Aside from that, Maptools is your best bet.

http://www.rptoolstutorials.net/?page_id=7 has a ton of super informative videos on how to do pretty much anything you would want to do on maptools.

Wub

Are there any Pathfinder frameworks available for Maptool?

Goumindong

Frameworks are foolish. Just write your own macros. It is fairly easy and won't take you as much time.

SkyCaptain

Why do all that work when there are options out there that already work quite well? Especially options that make it sooooo much easier to manage an online game and keep the pace going quickly?

Goumindong

Because I find they generally neither help manage things or increase the pace. The vast majority of the things that you do do not need to be done in a nested format. You can simply make the things you need and ignore the ones you don't.

Doing this not only increases your familiarity with the system but generally takes about as much time as figuring out the system in the first place. And once you've done that, setting up each individual by just creating their macros is as fast as doing it via the framework.

At least that has been my experience.

SkyCaptain

Once you get used to a framework, it doesn't take long at all to set up a token and it limits cheating. And yeah, don't play with cheaters blah blah blah. Heard it all before. I used to run lots of one-shots with random people instead of a set group. However, even in a set group with people you know, there's always a chance they'll get frustrated with a bad streak of rolls and be tempted to cheat.

Goumindong

And you can't cheat with frameworks? Its not easy to cheat with macros. You have used maptools before right?

SkyCaptain

You can't cheat my framework.