I was wondering if you use any virtual tabletop programs to play with others or for solo play. Can you recommend something like that to use for solo play?
I can't. The closest I've come to using a virtual tabletop is my refrigerator.
So, help me help Daniel! Those of you who use or have used online solutions to your tabletop needs for war games or RPGs, please comment on this post and educate me on the subject while assisting Daniel.
Thanks!
Maptool is pretty handy:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=maptool
You can quite quickly knock up a "miniatures" type game using it, along with tokentool to create pieces.
Vassal is great for boardgaming, with a ton of modules available. If you hunt around you can find some solo ones too:
http://www.vassalengine.org/
I also like ZunTzu for it's interface and simplicity. I've created a few modules for this when I've had the time just to play a board or card game solo:
http://www.zuntzu.com/
For RPG stuff, I've been using Microsoft Onenote to just note stuff, along with Maptool and Dicetool.
ReplyDeleteI can't praise Maptool highly enough. It's fairly easy to knock up lightweight macros that give you the barebones to run a game, or if you spend some time with the macro language, you can put together some pretty slick frameworks to automate game mechanics.
ReplyDeleteI've used loads but in my opinion the best by far is Battlegrounds. I now use it for pretty much all my wargaming and have also converted several CCGs and boardgames with it. It's not free but the Gaming Edition is well worth the cost. It's also not restrictive about letting you load in components and boards, as long as you have the files (or patience and a scanner) you can play almost anythign with it. And it has many free modules already as well as some cracking paid modules (Valkenburg Castle and Intruder for example).
ReplyDeleteWebsite: http://battlegroundsgames.com/
Craig
I agree with Maptool. I'm using it to play THW games and it has not let me down yet. In general, it's important for a solo virtual tabletop to be easy to set up (otherwise you'll procrastinate that away), use and customize. Maptool does that, where Battlegrounds has a rather steep learning curve and is somewhat unwieldy, Fantasy Grounds is pretty but not really customizable and OpenRPG/Traipse is the best of the bunch for multiplayer, but a bit too slow for solitaire gaming.
ReplyDeleteJust my 5 cents. I suggest trying out Maptool and Traipse.
I also agree with Maptool. Works on any platform with a (reasonably recent) Java virtual machine, and as others pointed out, it is easy to customize. I've played single miniature (freeform and grid-based) and stand-based games on it. The only thing I haven't been able to model on it are damage grids.
ReplyDeleteI second VASSAL. It is not per se fully customizable but it is pretty handy if you play a solo rpg session with a fantasy or sci-fi system that assumes tactical combat. I use it for my solo D&D 4e sessions and for Star Wars Saga to resolve combat encounters, using the Star Wars Miniatures mod and the DDM 2.0 mod for D&D. The modules have enough maps loaded for generic wilderness situations and using the Star Wars mod you can also create you own maps using included tiles. You can also use it for online play.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the advice. I will take a look at these programs like Maptool and Traipse and Vassal. I need one that is pretty easy to learn and use.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the old school Wizardry, Bard's Tale, Pool or Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures, etc? I would really love to find something like that with community created modules to download and play and maybe create my own modules too.
Is there an RPG program like that that can play d20 type games or D&D or Traveller type mods on my computer? I still have my old software but it is on floppy discs and made for DOS, LOL. Something that can run on Windows 7/64 would be great. I mostly play solo when I play games but if it is possible to find and play with a group sometimes that would be an added bonus.
Perhaps there is a commercial game that can do all that or an open source type game, either way is cool if it is not too expensive to get started with.
You can respond here or email me if you like:
1127snyder@comcast.net (no spam please)
It might be worth looking at Neverwinter Nights. You can often pick up the original complete collection fairly cheap, and it had a pretty well supported mod community.
ReplyDeleteThere is a paint that you can buy at any hardware store that can be used to make a wall into a magnetic board. I have used it on plywood before and it worked fine. I'm thinking that the fridge idea would work here, except that you could put it on a 4' x 8' piece of plywood and lay it on the floor for play or slide it under/behind something for storage.
ReplyDelete