Either you’re like me and you’re getting back into the hobby or your new and have questions on how Dungeons and Dragons is actually played. Do you always need an in-person group or are their options for online play?
One way is face-to-face around a table, the classic way of play. Another is online using either a virtual tabletop or group audio software. It’s also possible to mix analog with digital play. This will involve displaying virtual tabletops on TVs and streaming sound to your bluetooth speakers.
Classically, Dungeons and Dragons is played face-to-face, around a table. With growing concerns over screen time and the way social media warps interactions, face-to-face play promotes old-fashioned socializing. But digital play offers many things for players too, while emphasizing real-time, healthy play.
If you’re looking for some nuts and bolts on where to start playing Dungeons and Dragons and how much it will cost, then I have a great article about that right here. If, instead, you’re wanting to know more about Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons, I’ve written about that too!
Digital: Face-to-Face Play
With the advent of the Internet, players have been finding ways to play online. The two officially licensed Virtual Table Tops (or VTTs) are Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. I am more familiar with Roll20, which allows you to join and play for free. It is purely a web-based platform, which allows play over various devices.
Fantasy Grounds is an app that can be purchased via Steam or other methods. It supports cross-platform play. A review of the pros and cons of each VTT is beyond the scope of this article.
The clear advantage of digital play is being able to find a group. You don’t have to find players in your immediate vicinity and friends group who you are comfortable going into their homes. It is even easier if your a Dungeon Master willing to run the game.
With virtual table tops, you can have a true multi-media gaming experience. They support sound, whether just ambient audio files or soundboards like Syrinscape or Battle Bards. You can upload maps, purchase art assets at reasonable price, or simply purchase the official published adventures of Dungeons and Dragons for an off-the-shelf experience.
While not a virtual table top, D&D Beyond is another official licensee of Dungeons and Dragons. It is Dungeons and Dragons e-book provider, since they do not support PDFs due to rampant piracy. D&D Beyond provides virtual character sheets, an encounter builder, and has an alpha-version combat tracker.
While not officially supported by either, there is a helpful Chrome Extension that lets you integrate D&D Beyond with Roll20. It is called Beyond 20. It allows you to click elements of your D&D Beyond character sheet and send it as a roll or as information into the text chat of Roll20. If you buy the adventures through D&D Beyond, you can save the maps and upload them to Roll20 too!
The final option for playing online is just using Discord. One player sets up the server and the others join in. This allows for both text and voice chat. The Dungeon Master can even drag and drop maps and other art assets into the chat window and it shows up for everyone else.
The only thing Discord is missing is a dice rolling app. You’re in luck, because someone created the Avrae Discord Bot that incorporates dice rolling commands into Discord! Also, it was recently purchased by D&D Beyond. Hopefully, we can expect further integration between D&D Beyond character sheets and Discord.
Analog: Face-to-Face Play
Five or six friends, sitting around a dining room table, which is full of dice, pencils, and character sheets is how many people play Dungeons and Dragons. This is the way the game has been played since it started in the 1970s.
Players in face-to-face play typically know each other outside of the game, as it can feel unusual to invite a stranger into your home to pretend to kill trolls. Players often share a meal or snacks. This style of play can feel very satisfying because we have been sharing stories around a campfire while eating and drinking for a millennia.
If you want to add the smell of real woodsmoke, without the actual smoke, you can buy roleplaying game scented candles. Be sure to ask your wife though if you buy a sewer candle.
For a premium face-to-face experience, several companies make game tables specifically for the tabletop roleplaying game and board game hobbies. One is The Table of Ultimate Gaming, which I have in my own game room. It offers a removable top and a sunken game space that contains your maps, miniatures, and dice. Also it has many table accessories! Construction is like Ikea furniture, only better!
The other current purveyor of game tables is Wyrmwood Gaming. They offer a number of different handcrafted, wooden accessories. Their tables are beautiful and masterfully crafted. But are also sold at a higher price-point.
The problem with analog play is finding a group to play with. If your friend group is not interested in Dungeons and Dragons, then it can be hard to start a group. Or if you live in a rural area, there just isn’t the population density. As I said above, some people are not comfortable inviting strangers into their homes.
Dungeons and Dragons has tried to fix this through its Organized Play program it calls The Adventurers League. The goal of Adventurers League is to have a shared character creation, with standardized adventures that are strung together into a larger campaign, and public or open games.
This allows players without a regular group to show up and play, provided there are enough dungeon masters and open slots. If you’re the rare dungeon master without players, I am sure the local organized play coordinator would love to talk with you.
Most organized play happens at local friendly game stores. Obviously, its a way to drive foot traffic and purchases. While the games are free, I strongly encourage each player to purchase something at the store. Sometimes, the games are organized at a public library or other public space.
Mixing Analog and Digital Play
Of course, it is always possible to mix your chocolate with my peanut butter. Or better yet, mix my peanut butter with your chocolate! With a little bit of investment, you can combine analog with digital play!
In my game room I have two older LCD TVs. I have a MacBook Pro Laptop, so I use an AppleTV to wirelessly stream from my laptop to these TVs. Because I have two TVs, I use an HDMI splitter to connect my Apple TV to the two TVs. Its important you get a splitter and not a switch.
On my laptop, I use Roll20 to display the game maps on the screens. While on the game table, I do have a wet-erase map, my drawing skills are not up to par with professional maps. Also, map addiction is real.
For the sound experience, I have a premium Spotify account. I also have a Sonos Amp connected to my home theatre speakers. I can then stream ambient sounds, game or movie soundtracks during play. If you don’t have an “analog” home theatre setup, then even a Sonos One will give great sound.
I have not yet figured out how to integrate a soundboard like Battle Bards with my Sonos speakers. Syrinscape cannot be integrated with them until their apps support Airplay2 if you have iOS devices.
For those who are more handy than myself, there is another option for integrating digital with analog play: video cabinets. Rather than the old flat-top Pac-Man cabinets where you can rest your drink, the virtual table top is built into your analog table!
One option is to use a projector. For ceiling mounted versions, you’ll want to make sure it has enough lumens to illuminate your table. Just install it and have it point straight down at your white table. Adjust zoom and focus to ensure you have 1-inch squares.
Another option is to project from beneath the table. This will require installation of a clear surface. The advantage of this method is you can use a smaller projector with less lumens.
Finally, you could simple build a cabinet around a 70-inch LCD. Then connect it to your computer and your favorite virtual table top! This requires woodworking and electrical skills that are well beyond me! I am sure someone will be selling these options, complete with touch-screen capability soon. Everything for a price.
If you want to read more of my posts about Dungeons and Dragons, then click away here! If you want to start to learn on how to paint miniatures, click already! Or maybe you want to explore the wilder (and wider) world of tabletop roleplaying games!
