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garhkal Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 14214 Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 2:32 pm Post subject: How are you gaming, during this shutdown? |
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Are you using Skype or roll 20?
Are you just gaming by doing things solo?
Are you on hiatus? _________________ Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk! |
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Mamatried Commodore
Joined: 16 Dec 2017 Posts: 1861 Location: Norway
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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I have been on hitatus, but just joind and had first session through discord.
that was new to me, but very fun |
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Grimace Captain
Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 729 Location: Montana; Big Sky Country
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 12:57 am Post subject: |
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Sadly not getting ANY roleplaying games in. |
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cheshire Arbiter-General (Moderator)
Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 4853
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 11:37 am Post subject: |
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We were on hiatus before this happened. By coincidence our first session to break the hiatus was the first weekend things were shut down.
Since then we've been doing things in Roll20. It's been a transition, but I think we're all getting the hang of it. _________________ __________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind. |
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garhkal Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 14214 Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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Grimace wrote: | Sadly not getting ANY roleplaying games in. |
I had an almost 16 month long adnd game flat out halted by this, and now we're going on 3 months of no gaming, i am wondering if it might be dead, due to no one wanting to come back to it even if we get unlocked later this month... _________________ Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk! |
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OuttaWindu Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 26 Mar 2018 Posts: 109
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2020 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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Switched to Roll20 |
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Urban Spaceman Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 13 Sep 2010 Posts: 194 Location: UK
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 5:16 am Post subject: |
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We're using roll20 and skype, as we had lots of issues with the inbuilt video and voice function on roll20.
We're slowly getting used to it, but as GM I'm finding it difficult to adapt. Usually I can just make up an NPC's stats and roll whatever I feel is appropriate, but when we're using roll20 I feel that freedom has gone.
I had a situation yesterday where they attacked two stormtroopers, and I wasn't sure if I should have created multiple NPC sheets, or kept track of the damage separately, and applied the modifier through the app.
The players have just started a combat in a place I wasn't expecting, and normally I could just have invented and drawn the area there and then, placed their lego figures down, added the NPC's and away we go. As it was, I don't know how to draw on roll20, so I halted the session so I can learn for next week (the physical space is important for this encounter).
Little things like that are frustrating me.
I'm still working, so haven't had the time I would have liked to experiment with the platform. I feel the need to provide something for them to look at, be it NPC portraits or backdrops of the locations they are at. I think it's because they are all staring at a screen. Plus, not being in the room with them makes it a little harder for me to get a read of the room, and I'm more self-conscious about acting out NPC roles, for some reason.
By the time we get used to it, we'll probably be able to meet in person again anyway! _________________ "The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't." |
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cheshire Arbiter-General (Moderator)
Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 4853
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 9:09 am Post subject: |
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Urban Spaceman wrote: | We're using roll20 and skype, as we had lots of issues with the inbuilt video and voice function on roll20. |
Oh yes. The voice/video option is just worthless. Our group keeps it off and just runs a Google hangout at the same time. That works well enough for us.
Urban Spaceman wrote: |
We're slowly getting used to it, but as GM I'm finding it difficult to adapt. Usually I can just make up an NPC's stats and roll whatever I feel is appropriate, but when we're using roll20 I feel that freedom has gone.
I had a situation yesterday where they attacked two stormtroopers, and I wasn't sure if I should have created multiple NPC sheets, or kept track of the damage separately, and applied the modifier through the app.
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Yeah, that took me a few sessions to figure out. What I've wound up doing is just keeping one Stormtrooper character sheet open, and then I'll use the tokens to track damage. If you use the button below the token it gives you several symbols you can attach to the token. I just use different ones for wounded, wounded 2, and incapacitated. I just delete them if they're killed.
Urban Spaceman wrote: |
The players have just started a combat in a place I wasn't expecting, and normally I could just have invented and drawn the area there and then, placed their lego figures down, added the NPC's and away we go. As it was, I don't know how to draw on roll20, so I halted the session so I can learn for next week (the physical space is important for this encounter).
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Yeah, that's pretty frustrating. I ran into the same thing. The "just draw a map" option that works well for a white board looks a little messy in Roll20. If you look at their tutorial here https://app.roll20.net/editor/tutorial, drawing a map with basic shapes is one of the first things they cover. It's simple and messy but it gets the point across. I had to do that for a few adventures.
*snip*
Urban Spaceman wrote: | I feel the need to provide something for them to look at, be it NPC portraits or backdrops of the locations they are at. I think it's because they are all staring at a screen. |
I ran into the same thing. I wound up going online and just getting a few images that work well for what I'm trying to convey for an environmental feel. A portrait of a mining town, a sci-fi bar, a mountainside, etc. I put those down as maps and disable the grid. Then I just move the visibility to that picture and let them use that as an anchor point or an inspiration as to what to do with a scene. _________________ __________________________________
Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind. |
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Urban Spaceman Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 13 Sep 2010 Posts: 194 Location: UK
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 4:28 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, Cheshire. Really useful advice, and good to know I'm not the only one who has hit some of these problems playing on-line! _________________ "The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't." |
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garhkal Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 14214 Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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Got some hopeful good news. One of the local gaming stores, will open back up for in store gaming the 12th of may.. _________________ Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk! |
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jmanski Arbiter-General (Moderator)
Joined: 06 Mar 2005 Posts: 2065 Location: Kansas
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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Our group is small (my son, his friend and me), so we still meet up when we can schedule it. We add my daughter and the friends brother for a couple of other games, but we’ve greatly reduced those as my daughter is immune compromised. _________________ Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect? |
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ThrorII Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 12 Jul 2019 Posts: 203
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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We were using Roll20 and Discord for audio. Luckily, we're getting together face-to-face again starting next session. _________________ "The internet is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural." - Sheev Zuckerberg |
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garhkal Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 14214 Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2020 1:32 am Post subject: |
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Well, it didn't pan out. The store may be opening for purchases but the gaming side is still a no go..
I even offered my own home up, to my adnd group, but of the 4 players, 3 of the 4 were still hesitant about 'socalising or leaving the house other than for essentials. one even mentioned "his wife is thinking of restricting all travel for both of them, till a vaccine comes out"...
That doesn't bode well. From just over 30 years gaming, generally when a group is on hiatus for over 4 months, it generally dies off... _________________ Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk! |
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Xynar Commander
Joined: 10 Aug 2003 Posts: 282 Location: Northwest Indiana
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 11:18 am Post subject: |
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I mostly run games using theater of the minds eye so I don't rely heavily on maps, minis, etc. My group has transitioned to using 8x8's conference calling and Discord to share and save handouts and information. Not all of us use video but we're all on voice chat. But we can all see the 1 come up on the Wild Die even if we're not rolling in front of each other. _________________ Xynar
The Great Adventurer |
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