With Zoom meetings being a thing, I wonder if I can reconnect with the gaming group in Ames without the attendant trip to Iowa.
Sabers and Sorcery needs some playtesting.
Click here to submit $0.00 US for a lifetime subscription
Posts
Comments
A coworker regularly participates in "virtual" traditional RPGs, so it is possible with the right group (that is willing to embrace technology).
ReplyDeleteMike the EE
I've thought for a long time about maybe going beyond just teleconferencing type software like Zoom to build something that is gaming specific. Something that has tools for the gamemaster and players to provide things like storage of character data, automation of some game play mechanics, rule lookup, etc. The trick would be to make something that helped but didn't get in the way. Not building an MMORPG but a multi person online game portal. I need to think of a catchy acronym I think.
ReplyDelete-swj
What you may want to look into is called a Virtual Table Top (VTT). Foundry and Roll20 are two of the bigger ones.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a free Microsoft/Hotmail/Outlook/XBox email account, it comes with their online only Office365 stuff, similar to Google Docs/Sheets etc, but I believe it includes their virtual whiteboard. The documents and I believe the virtual whiteboard are shareable with others in a Microsoft Teams meeting, which is about the same as a Zoom meeting. That may be sufficient for your purposes.
And if you can time the meetings properly, you can have more than just the Ames folks involved.
I would avoid anything related to Teams like the plague. I really hate it, epecially if you have to deal with it from a non-Microsoft platform including MacOS or Android. Zoom, Google meets, etc. are all much better, especially for those on Non-Windows like Linux.
DeleteIt's gonna have to run on Linux because, since I've abandoned flight sims, no plans on getting a new Windows machine.
DeleteIf I build something it will be targeted to Linux first, MacOS second, then Android and Chrome and if I get around to it Windows. Most of the gamers I know run MacOS or Linux. Actually I'd probably Open Source it and let someone else do any Windows port because I'd rather not work on that platform if I don't need to. The less I have to deal with anything from Redmond the happier I usually am.
DeleteThere are several gaming specific sites like Roll 20 but they may be system specific and not amenable to home brew or GURPS.
ReplyDeleteWell, I brought the idea up on Saturday. One player is a hard no on Zoom, and another is butthurt about an event I should have been present for but don't remember at all. Of course, these are the two least likely to miss a session.
ReplyDeleteWell, I tried.
DeleteI will attempt to exit without the door to hitting my posterior.
I don't get it. I can pass the words along, but none of it makes any sense to me. The accusation: he made a bad call, that the character should have known better than. So you gave him a Common Sense-like warning ("are you sure?"). Rather than ask "why wouldn't I be sure?", he insists that he was so too sure. After that, you let him do the dumb thing. And, somehow, he sees this as your fault.
ReplyDeleteSounds like they're well rid of me, then.
DeleteTell them, from me, that they don't have to worry about having to deal with me further.