Topic: Roll20 / Online Tabletop RPG

[UnkoMan]

Hi there.
I know, I know, I don't come around here much anymore. Sometimes I pop in to lurk a bit.

But I know there's a lot of people here with a lot of varied interests, and I was wondering... does anybody here use this Roll20 thing? I heard about it from a very heavy D&D playing coworker.
Personally, I have never played any tabletop RPG. I was always curious to try but I don't know people who do it.
I'm not interested in D&D though. I'd rather do something horror/scifi... maybe cyberpunky. Obviously, this forum is geared towards superheroes and I would full on try a superhero RPG.

Well, anyway, I was just curious if people used this and had thoughts or ideas. If some people wanted to start some kind of game going that would be pretty neat.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I've heard about it and have some interest in it.  I too would be more interested in a superhero rpg, but would be open to something like Pathfinder too. I do know some people who do it.  I'd certainly be interested in forming a group of fellow FR forumites.

[Deaths Jester]

Haven't messed around with it too much as I've been neck deep in other pen and paper RPG work lately. That and I've never been a big "build a physical version of the dungeon"/model/whatnot type.

As for rule systems, if you are looking for one that is simple and is skewed to all genres (fantasy, sci fi, cyberpunk, superhero, ect) I'd suggest Monte Cook Games' Cypher System.

[UnkoMan]

Do you just describe things then? Like I said, I have never played tabletop games (though miniatures always appealed to me).
Hmm, I guess Roll20 isn't even needed for online version of tabletop rpgs. That makes a lot of sense.
Actually, I've been watching videos and, though I thought it would make things easier (I pictured moving around maps like an snes style rpg), it seems it makes things take way more time.
Got to mess around with so many things in there...

(EDIT: I've also just started lurking on those Sentinels of the Multiverse games you guys are doing, and your writer's block things, DJ. Creep creeping around.)

[Deaths Jester]

Yeah, I mainly describe things or if I want some aid, I'll use a picture or a briefly drawn map. I like doing that because it allows the PCs imaginations run free and they come up with ideas that you might not have had with a physical representation. That and am an OSR, back when you didn't have minitures...just a book of rules, paper, pencil, dice, and imagination was all you needed.

As for the writer block thread, I'll probably start tinkering with that again in the next month or two...unless something else pops up beforehand.

[Shogunn2517]

Wow.  I've actually never heard of Roll20 until now and kinda glad I did.  But to be honest, I originally got into traditional pen and paper RPGing loooong ago but what really spurred me was WEG's Star Wars D6 system.  I played a bit of it in college, but the bulk of my experience came on a similar site roleplayinggames.net where I was involved in a few games for a number of years.

It works very similarly to a forum like this where DM/GM sets a scene and each individual player reacts. Post by post by post.  There's a dice roller, character sheets and full pages for games. It was really writing intensive and games could be played for years and because players generally post at their leisure like 4-5 times a week(more or less) a single quest could take months, but it was the pacing that was workable so players can play on their own time generally and not everyone meeting up blocking off 5-6 hours of life.

I actually wanted to get back into it, even went as far as constructing an entire game, history, NPCs and setting along with missions/quest but life got in the way and players weren't too interested.  Still have my notes though.  Still would love to write it out and give it life.

[Red Fisser]

For the last year I played couple of sessions/campaigns(with ppl from my university) of the 5th edition of D&D and had a blast(if u got want to rp /dm wants u to, it can give to great memorable experiences).Much better than the 3.5,opens a whole lot more rp possibilities.
Never heard of rpgs played in forums(never understood what this sentinels of the universe thing u re doing was, till now.. )sounds like an interesting format to play
anyway
I ve recently  found this pen+paper rpg about superheroes http://www.baseraiders.com/

[UnkoMan]

I'd be down to try a forum based RPG but just wonder if that would be too slow?
When I was young I used to sort of roleplay on MSN Groups, but it wasn't battle/dice based. It was basically telling group stories. If conflict did arise it would be more of a coin toss than anything. I wouldn't want to do that now, but it was fun at the time. Sometimes I'd forget about it for a while and come back later. Luckily my character was an imp trickster with a cloak of invisibility, so I could always say he was hanging around, hiding.

But yeah, IF somebody wanted to start a forum based one... Or maybe meet up once a week in a chatroom? Do chatrooms still exist on the internet? Then post the logs in some thread here.

[Shogunn2517]

I'd be down to try a forum based RPG but just wonder if that would be too slow?
When I was young I used to sort of roleplay on MSN Groups, but it wasn't battle/dice based. It was basically telling group stories. If conflict did arise it would be more of a coin toss than anything. I wouldn't want to do that now, but it was fun at the time. Sometimes I'd forget about it for a while and come back later. Luckily my character was an imp trickster with a cloak of invisibility, so I could always say he was hanging around, hiding.

But yeah, IF somebody wanted to start a forum based one... Or maybe meet up once a week in a chatroom? Do chatrooms still exist on the internet? Then post the logs in some thread here.

Lol chatrooms... (haven't heard that term in a while)

Like I said, the game I did on a forum or message board, it could get pretty intense, but it could also drag pretty slow and to be honest there's a balance.  I remember at times, when players were really attentive, posting could flow rather fast, up to a half dozen post a day from EACH player.  That's with attentive players, attentive DM/GM and attentive writing.  But to be honest, like I said some prefer a slower 2-3 post a week flow.  It gives players more time to digest what the DM/GM post, construct thoughtful responses and not just one or two sentences like "I'm going to stab the henchman and steal the idol" or a quick line or two of in-character dialogue.  Playing by forum can be really writing intensive and it takes patience, creativity and thought, moreso than just playing in person or in a chatroom where I would imagine setting situations is more on the fly.  By message board it allows more thought.  I suppose it's how you prefer.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

It's off topic, but since some of you mentioned it, my Sentinels games could use some more players next, round, so do keep on eye on it.

[Reepicheep]

I would be super up for this. But Shogunn's point is valid. I don't have time in the day to check the message boards regularly and I'd be in a different timezone. So if folks are up for a slow-but-reasonably-paced game, (perhaps with a house rule to skip turns after a certain time period?) then please count me in.

[Deaths Jester]

I'd be interested if I wasn't swamped with RPG work. It's taking all I got to keep up with the Sentinals game we're playing right now as it is.