That is a very nice looking campaign! Love me some Cthulhu fun.
-
For our US members, be sure to check on your voter registration status and if you are not registered it will only take a second to do so!
So Era, amidst the pandemic, why do we not have virtual D&D groups?
- Thread starter Hey Please
- Start date
That is a very nice looking campaign! Love me some Cthulhu fun.
My in person D&D group I DM for moved to Roll20/Discord during the pandemic and it's worked out really well. Was kinda worried about distractions being a problem but everyone has been really engaged so far and there's been no issues. I think having a map with things happening on it really helps keep everyone's focus on what's going on.
Not sure how roll20 would be for systems outside of D&D though. I played some Call of Cthulhu on it and it worked easily enough for a session or two.
Think your biggest issue is finding a DM since it's a lot of work to do. Players would be easy enough to come by. :p
Not sure how roll20 would be for systems outside of D&D though. I played some Call of Cthulhu on it and it worked easily enough for a session or two.
Think your biggest issue is finding a DM since it's a lot of work to do. Players would be easy enough to come by. :p
are you a player or a DM? roll20 has some great tools in it for both though.
I made the insane mistake of DMing my campaign AND setting it in the setting of the novel I am also working on at the same time.
It helps sometimes and it also drives me insane because my players sometimes ask me for shit that I then have to make up on the spot.
DMs are a rare commodity, that's usually the stumbling block. Personally I find something like D&D5E a pain to prep for after playing more rules-light games like Dungeon World, but that's just me.
I've been playing in a pick up online game where the DM just says "hey we're exploring a temple in the desert, if you are playing tell me your class and make sure you are level 7." Seems to work pretty well but its far from an overarching storyline, just episodic chunks of different scenarios.
It might sound like it goes against the "do anything" promise of D&D, but if you want to avoid this type of behaviour it's helpful to have a "session zero" to lay out what kind of game you want to have and set expectations for everyone. If you lean towards a more open world style then sure, Beat up that Mayor! But if you are going for a more episodic story based approach with lots of preplanning or running a module then talk to the group about that first. Everyone will have a better time!
I've been playing in a pick up online game where the DM just says "hey we're exploring a temple in the desert, if you are playing tell me your class and make sure you are level 7." Seems to work pretty well but its far from an overarching storyline, just episodic chunks of different scenarios.
It might sound like it goes against the "do anything" promise of D&D, but if you want to avoid this type of behaviour it's helpful to have a "session zero" to lay out what kind of game you want to have and set expectations for everyone. If you lean towards a more open world style then sure, Beat up that Mayor! But if you are going for a more episodic story based approach with lots of preplanning or running a module then talk to the group about that first. Everyone will have a better time!
That's actually a really cool idea to do by mixing those two, I imagine it really does help flesh stuff out.
The world I have my players run around in is homebrew and sometimes they just ask the weirdest questions that you need to come up on the spot with. It's a really fun time but it's filled with panicked creations like trying to answer what the names of high quality wines are in a city and how much they cost. I probably wouldn't trade it for anything :p
For player there's some small tricks you can use to make your life easier. Things like dragging/dropping items and spells to your sheet, key shortcuts, and a couple others. It's a long video but I'd recommend this;
Swastikas do not originate as Nazi imagery. They were used by civilizations like the Hindu and even the Greeks.
I vastly prefer online D&D to tabletop and have been using Roll20 and, to a lesser extent, Fantasy Grounds long before the pandemic. They're great, especially Roll20 since it's free. Fantasy Grounds is great too, but the buy-in is a bit steep for most folks.
Regardless, online D&D is great because not having to buy minis to represent a battlefield is a huge plus. Well really, combat in general is just better to keep track of.
Regardless, online D&D is great because not having to buy minis to represent a battlefield is a huge plus. Well really, combat in general is just better to keep track of.
My friends use Foundry Virtual Tabletop after being dissatisfied with Roll20. I'd say it's advanced since it's just a node.js app you have to host somewhere, but they swear by it. This is a group that has been playing D&D together since the 90s.
I don't even play video games with any of you. I'm willing to, but only if I don't have to talk. Whos in?
And the OK symbol didn't originate as a symbol for White Power, doesn't mean I am going to flash it around to people I want to say OK to
OP
OP
Wow, I am intrigued! I shall be checking out the audio shortly. I do wonder what kinds of additional challenges present themselves in an audio only D&D campaign.
This sort of reminds me of choose your own adventure books back in the day. Utterly intriguing that that concept has been expounded upon with complex underlying mechanics in a gaming format. Also, "Powered by the Apocalypse" sounds like it was engineered in
Thank you kindly for introducing me to the world of social D&D genre. I do not know if I will ever have the opportunity to try it out given it sounds comparatively less frequently played than typical D&D but I will definitely keep an eye out for it.
Ah, gotcha. Also, woah! Seeing the video, I thought at first you're Aussies but then it turned out to be even better. And by the gods... an average of ~2.5 hours per session gives me a good idea of what to expect timewise.
Thank you.
Last edited:
Real answer? You need a good DM (which can be hard to find), a group of like-minded people (ditto), and a basic run-through of the rules. For 5E, the rules, especially at lower levels, are pretty simple - a good DM can explain them almost as you go along, since a lot of D&D is "hey, can my dude do this thing?" and the DM saying "yeah, roll this die to see if you did that thing." Combat is more technical, but even that can be "I run over here and swing my sword" and the DM says "you can't run quite that far, but you can run halfway and cast a spell?" and so on. Most DMs have all the rulebooks / software / etc. that you need - my players just show up and login to my server.
As someone whose only experience is a) playing for about a year with an online group and b) DMing his first-ever game with an online group in the last month, scheduling alone can be the hardest part: getting 4-5 people to agree upon a set time, every week or so, to dedicate ~3 hours is tough.
It very much is a swastika. Not the same kind of swastika some people here are thinking of, but a swastika nonetheless.
There is a Tabletop OT, and Chromie made a great thread about D&D in Covid times. That thread got me to get up off my duff and start a game!
Yeah my irl D&D group also moved to Roll20 and we play weekly. I recommend keeping the character sheets in D&D Beyond and using a chrome extension to connect it to Roll20. I also recently joined a Delta Green group so that's cool. Probably can't play with most of you due to timezone differences since I'm in Asia though.
Maybe the OP is proud of their cultural heritage? Are we gonna accuse them of being a nazi just because a bunch of idiots completely erased the origin of said symbol while denigrating the culture that made it in the first place?
I have 3 different DND groups rn (generally weekly but stuff comes up), all virtual. 2 are discord (1 supplements with roll 20), 1 is entirely over zoom bc our DM doesn't understand tech and finds it much easier to run the entire board himself in gimp and screen share 🤷🏻♀️ Plus video works a lot better and we tend to use cameras a lot in campaign. The zoom group converted from virtual once covid hit. One of the discord groups is pretty new and probably will end post quarantine I'm assuming?
I totally recommend giving it a try if you haven't. DND/TTRPG generally are a blast. What's most important is playing with people who you vibe well with, and are respectful of people generally.
I totally recommend giving it a try if you haven't. DND/TTRPG generally are a blast. What's most important is playing with people who you vibe well with, and are respectful of people generally.
Yeah I've tried D&D for the first time ever after playing Baldur's Gate II during this pandemic, found an LFG group on reddit and miraculously we all clicked immediately. Coming up to like 7 months of fortnightly sessions and we're about to finish Phandelver (after being distracted by the DM's homebrewed sidequests). It works remarkably well over Discord + virtual tabletop of your choice, I would highly recommend people try it if they have even a passing interest.
I've been playing (DMing) with a group of friends and it sucka because every one of them didn't really grow up doing any kind of role play and it's hard to get them into it. They try to gameify it rather than actually immerse themselves in the world.
Of course the core experience of D&D and other TTRPGs is best experienced around the table, but the game has thrived and become larger than ever thanks to the accessibility that online play provides. My current D&D game I'm running has been going for 3.5 years now, 132 sessions in. Sucks that COVID forced us to go online, but I'm glad we had the option and that this story can see its resolution in a few months.
Others have said it, but the biggest hurdle I've found with getting groups off the ground is having the GM (Game Master) / DM (Dungeon Master) and then making sure that person, or another person in your group, can organize the entire thing. It takes discipline to have something ongoing, whether it's a weekly or monthly game or meet-up.
I think it would be easy to get a regular group going. All you need is the communication tool and a person to run the thing (preferably with knowledge of the game.) From there, everything else is just extra perks that make things easier and more enjoyable.
There's a TTRPG thread in Etc Era that you can check out; that might be a nice place to check out. And if there's a TTRPG-Era Discord, nice to chat there on a little deeper level. Beyond that, I'd be willing to explore options of running something (a one-shot or small three-session campaign) with little commitment to get things started, or helping organize more discussion.
Others have said it, but the biggest hurdle I've found with getting groups off the ground is having the GM (Game Master) / DM (Dungeon Master) and then making sure that person, or another person in your group, can organize the entire thing. It takes discipline to have something ongoing, whether it's a weekly or monthly game or meet-up.
I think it would be easy to get a regular group going. All you need is the communication tool and a person to run the thing (preferably with knowledge of the game.) From there, everything else is just extra perks that make things easier and more enjoyable.
There's a TTRPG thread in Etc Era that you can check out; that might be a nice place to check out. And if there's a TTRPG-Era Discord, nice to chat there on a little deeper level. Beyond that, I'd be willing to explore options of running something (a one-shot or small three-session campaign) with little commitment to get things started, or helping organize more discussion.
Unfortunately it has been ruined by that irredeemable filth. Please change your avatar. It's deeply uncomfortable even with that context.
Obviously its a Hindu/Buddhist symbol and the nazis abused it.
As much as I hate it but not matter what form or which background this symbol will always be related to the nazis, fascism and anti-semitism.
Not going to tell anyone what avatar they can and cannot use.
Just sayin that it will make alot of people uncomfortable even knowing that it originally has a positive meaning.
A swastika should not be allowed as an avatar on this forum, period. I cannot believe this is controversial.
As other people mentioned, with tools like Roll20 and Discord, it is feasible to set up a TTRPG campaign nowadays. Roll20 even acommodates for a number of different systems to play with (my personal favourites being the Cypher System, Legend of the Five Rings and Call of Chtulhu). I haven't tried yet L5R (it is going to be the next campaign my group does) but the other two worked like a charm. You can even do nice things like preparing handouts and maps like you would do in person.
OP
OP
The more we give the more they take. There has to be a line somewhere esp. given many of us are understanding of context. Those white supremacist degenerates cannot be allowed to pervert everyday symbols like "OK" which is also the letter "F" in ASL. And again, within context, most people in the know can differentiate between someone from Proud Boys or Oath Keepers etc throwing up that sign and someone know who genuinely do it sign "OK" or "Great".
Furthermore, the hindu and buddist rendition is different to the one used by Nazis. It is a symbol belonging to my parents' faith (I am not religious) and during my early childhood years that I spent in India, this specific rendition was used during certain religious festivities (aka, "Puja"). Over the last few years I have become more and more outspoken against bigotry and racism and seeing just how unapologetically degenerate right wing extremism and how unrepentant and relentless they are in co-opting symbols of peace/prosperity/everyday use for innocuous communication for their own hateful purposes, I have decided that enough is enough. We cannot let them just take aspects of languages and other cultures and simply pervert them.
If it still bothers you, then I humbly request that you put me on your ignore list.
Wow, I did not know these existed. Thank you!
This was mighty helpful. Thank you.
My TTRPG play time actually went up during quarantine not down. Something about not getting to see people in person really motivated our friend group to hang out more consistently together online. I used to play a lot of D&D so please listen to me when I say TRY ANOTHER GAME! There are so many wonderful TTRPGs out there -- it's a vast and diverse landscape of play styles, tones, and mechanics. By just playing the big games like D&D you miss out on the weird stuff.
A lot of the games we've run aren't even particularly niche. We play a bunch of Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark games. I personally enjoy those systems a lot since they focus more on how each action comes from and forces change in the fiction as opposed to something like D&D where you either fail or succeed. I also like them because it's more of a collaborative storytelling tool then D&D where the DM has all the information. In PbtA games for example, one of the key guidelines is "draw maps, but leave blank spaces". As the GM, in these games I don't have a dungeon map where all the chests and traps are, anything we want to have in the world is there if it follows from the fiction. It's more about telling interesting stories and thinking critically about worldbuilding.
To that end I want to recommend something to all the people who want to run their own games: try out some worldbuilding games! For every campaign that we've run in the last few years we play games like Microscope or Our Quiet Year. They're GM-less world building games that you can use to create the setting and then play whatever game you're interested in playing inside it afterwards. The main advantage I find in these games is that they give players a lot of buy in for the setting since they were a part of creating it themselves. Instead of having a premade world where you basically have to give the players homework on who's who -- the players already know since they made them! Getting the buy in from the jump before starting a campaign gives so much more texture and depth to the game, I really can't recommend it enough.
A lot of the games we've run aren't even particularly niche. We play a bunch of Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark games. I personally enjoy those systems a lot since they focus more on how each action comes from and forces change in the fiction as opposed to something like D&D where you either fail or succeed. I also like them because it's more of a collaborative storytelling tool then D&D where the DM has all the information. In PbtA games for example, one of the key guidelines is "draw maps, but leave blank spaces". As the GM, in these games I don't have a dungeon map where all the chests and traps are, anything we want to have in the world is there if it follows from the fiction. It's more about telling interesting stories and thinking critically about worldbuilding.
To that end I want to recommend something to all the people who want to run their own games: try out some worldbuilding games! For every campaign that we've run in the last few years we play games like Microscope or Our Quiet Year. They're GM-less world building games that you can use to create the setting and then play whatever game you're interested in playing inside it afterwards. The main advantage I find in these games is that they give players a lot of buy in for the setting since they were a part of creating it themselves. Instead of having a premade world where you basically have to give the players homework on who's who -- the players already know since they made them! Getting the buy in from the jump before starting a campaign gives so much more texture and depth to the game, I really can't recommend it enough.
This thread is an example of outsiders dictating to minorities and POCs what part of their own culture is or is not acceptable. Rather than educating yourselves on the deeper history and meaning of the symbol, and how it was forcefully taken away from these cultures, you say it's uncomfortable, berate the OP for representing (what I'll assume) is their culture, and tell them to shy away a part of culture that they are trying to reclaim.
People aren't naive, people are painfully aware of how this symbol has been co-opted by filth. They're trying to reclaim it in spite of that. That said, you are not the arbiter of what is and is not acceptable on this board (when it comes to gray areas like this). If you want to bask in your ignorance and lord over minorities like this, rather than showing everyone this performative "wokeness," how about reporting it to the mods and letting them engage in that dialog with OP.
This is not meant to come off as aggressive, I'm just tired of living in a country where allies rarely exist in little more than a performative context.
People aren't naive, people are painfully aware of how this symbol has been co-opted by filth. They're trying to reclaim it in spite of that. That said, you are not the arbiter of what is and is not acceptable on this board (when it comes to gray areas like this). If you want to bask in your ignorance and lord over minorities like this, rather than showing everyone this performative "wokeness," how about reporting it to the mods and letting them engage in that dialog with OP.
This is not meant to come off as aggressive, I'm just tired of living in a country where allies rarely exist in little more than a performative context.
OP
OP
Thank you kindly! I keep using D&D and TTRPGs as synonyms which is definitely showing my lack of experience. Earlier I was told about Social RPGs powered by Apocalypse by another helpful member and given you are also suggesting them, I definitely look forward to trying one. The issue, however, arises out being able to find people, esp. DMs who are willing to run these types of titles esp. while also showing newbies the ropes.
I kind of wish that there was a thread here where one could enlist with their time zone, period of availability and preference of game type they would like be part of, in a Wait-List. Subsequently, DMs from here could simply then match their requirements with the available list and pick players. It would make my life hell of lot easier.
I appreciate you posting this. I am not going to berate members here for being shocked at the avatar at first glance for it is indeed a Swastika. However, I do hope to draw distinction between the irredeemable rendition and the OG that still widely used in Hindu (my parents, as aforementioned, I'm not religious) & Buddhist cultures, because it is a tragedy that the Nazi rendition is what the west has been largely exposed to. And while we should never, ever forget that, it behooves us not only see the difference and sympathize with cultures who, you aptly put, these symbols were stolen from and co-opted into represent something abhorrent, but also ensure that we simply do not let the degenerate filth co-opt other symbols, words and gestures originating out something positive or neutral into an abomination.
Fuck racists, Fuck bigots and above all Fuck their belief that they can simply take from others to appropriate for themselves without consequence.
My advice for if you want to play but can't find a GM --- you should try GMing! It might seem daunting at first but I promise you it's really rewarding! And there are a lot of places online to find groups, I recommend checking out TTRPG Discord servers, they always have new games starting and are incredibly welcoming to new players. And if you GM a game you'll find it even easier to get people to play since the ratio of GMs:Players is wildly skewed towards players. Find a game you want to play and I guarantee there's probably a Discord server where people are playing it if it's reasonably well-known (like Masks, Blades in the Dark, Scum and Villainy, The Sprawl, etc). They even exist for smaller games too and lot of times the creators themselves are in those servers and will talk to you all day about the game and give you advice. I'm lucky in that I have a group of IRL friends to play with, but when people are too busy to play I've been able to find a game through Discord pretty easily so give it a shot.
I get what you are saying. Still, it remains a fact that this symbol is and will probably for all time be THE symbol of the Nazis, at least for many (most) people. I highly doubt that there will be any redemption for it no matter how many people use ist in good faith.
This may not be true for Hindu/Buddhist people who have used swastikas long before the Nazis did. But I don't think an 'international' gaming forum is the place to use it. Of course there will be many people being offended by your avatar.
Again, you seem like a nice person and I don't doubt your good intentions. Still I hope you change your avatar...
It's not even considered as a co-opted symbol in India or Nepal. Hindus continue to use it casually, day-to-day, as they have been for centuries.
The idea that some posters in this thread suggest, that a Hindu symbol should be banned from the forum because users only know it from a limited Western context, goes to show how casually unwelcoming of Asian cultures this place can be.
This being a case in point. If people are offended by a Hindu symbol, that's their prerogative and they can put users on ignore or block the image, or do whatever. Banning it would just mean that its 'international' perception is somehow more important than its Hindu perception.
You will have the same problem websites like Roll20 have. There are tens of thousands of people looking for a group, and only a few hundred DMs willing to put in the work. Then you also have the people who "think" they want to DM but are either terrible at it or get overwhelmed immediately.
I DM two games, one on hold because in person meeting is still a no-no, and the other on Roll20. I enjoy DMing and put a lot of work into my sessions, but I've had a few games and one shots on Roll20 over the years where it felt like the DM read a page or two from a book and then tried to wing everything for the session. Hint, that never works.
I DM two games, one on hold because in person meeting is still a no-no, and the other on Roll20. I enjoy DMing and put a lot of work into my sessions, but I've had a few games and one shots on Roll20 over the years where it felt like the DM read a page or two from a book and then tried to wing everything for the session. Hint, that never works.
I'd love to hear your feedback once you get a chance to listen. It has been a fun time doing the podcast even though I've been on a break through this campaign. I know we are planning a Star Trek campaign soon that should be fun. I also literally blew up the GM's whole story line in Shadowrun by killing all the major villains with one well placed grenade heh
People aren't offended by the Hindu symbol but by a symbol representing the worst crimes one can imagine. And the international perception is not more 'important' than the Hindu one, there is no point in comparing the two meanings. I get the origin of swastikas, still it has this other meaning for me, as for many people.
Imagine a racial slur which might have had an 'innocent' meaning centuries ago. Would you insist on using it nonetheless?
This is a disingenuous comparison. I think I understand the spirit of what you're trying to get at, but come on man.
You're me but with a group that didn't still fizzle out for completely non-covidish style reasons LoL
D&DBeyond is worth the cash even if you aren't playing online. Running campaigns or even just character sheet work is insanely easy, tons of information and rulebooks, a really nice editor for home brewing stuff. Tops.
And if it has another meaning for you, then you're free to take action on it in your own capacity, just as I would advise someone offended by violence to not play violent video games. You do you.
I really, really do not care whether your reason for being offended by that symbol is that it is used by Hindus or that is used by Nazis. It could be either, and I would consider it just as valid. What I care about is that you seem to be telling Hindus they can't use a common and historical symbol of their culture, because you associate it with something else.
Policing how Hindus can use a symbol they have used and still do use, is plain out stating that your context of the symbol is more valid than mine.
OP
OP
Insert Thanos *Fine, I will do it myself*
Sounds like I have lot of reading to do before I can be a GM/DM given the skewed figure allude to it being a challenging task. Case in point:
I most certainly will, good fellow. It will likely in a PM/DM format.
Given it is, as you aptly put, 'international' gaming forum, I feel that it entitles me to the opportunity of drawing distinction between variants: The original that, to this day, is used in South and East Asian cultures (the one I am defending) and the stolen, altered and perverted one used by the Nazis. These are two separate entities and my avatar does not feature Nazi symbol. An international forum ought not to take the presence of other cultures, esp. aspects (icons, language, gestures, practices) of it that are not remotely pernicious, into existence for greater context. It then helps to understand that my avatar is not about sanitizing some old hateful symbol but rather differentiating between a symbol with a great positive connotation and had existed since circa 3000BC and a visually different variant that was as aforementioned appropriated to become the insignia for one of the vilest regimes that has ever existed.
All that said, feel free to put me on your Ignore list for the time being.
You can't be serious? If so, there is no point in arguing with you.