Avoid Common VTT Pitfalls: Enhance Your Gaming Experience

[@welovettrpgs]

** Acquire (spelling error but I wont tell anyone if you don't) Can you believe it?!! Another new video!! What's going on?!!! Do I love the abuse from random strangers telling me how stupid me and my videos are? Well, not really. So, thank you so much for those who do enjoy my videos! You are everything!!

[@agilemonk6305]

I think you’re videos are great. And some of them have been over the top awesome. 👏 ❤

[@wolfleclair1399]

You're great Aten, just try and ignore the haters. Oh and make sure to have fun. =^_^=

[@DomABDO]

I think everyone are free to agree or disagree with your vidéos et their content, as long as they are respectfull. But internet is not the perfect place for sure...🤔 Your thoughts are not stupid and will be useful to a lot of people...😉

[@welovettrpgs]

@@DomABDO Thanks! Actually seeing some of the hate female content creators get has toughed me up because I see how much worse they get it just for being women.

[@kryz9648]

The lion does not concern itself with jackals. Your content is top tier. Ignore the mewling "Bitter-Ones".

[@AxelDominatoR]

Theatre of the mind, in my experience, works best if your players are the type of person who would spend hours imagining the world of a book just read. I know many who need something a bit less abstract otherwise they lose track of what's going on. Like you said, a balanced use of the two is best.

[@welovettrpgs]

Thanks buddy! Next week I'll be releasing a video solely on Theater of the Mind. How I do, how to do it, etc. Thanks for your awesome support!

[@Mr_GoR_]

VTT and ToM are DM tools which can each add value to the gaming experience, but it can be very easy to fall into the trap of over using VTTs -not just as a DM, but as a player too. I have had to help my players break their dependency on maps and tokens. ToM is not only faster (once you get used to it) but allows for more creative play as well. Definitely a skill that Players and DMs should exercise more often.

[@welovettrpgs]

Totally with you 100% on this! Thanks!

[@Trekiros]

I often find myself using much shorter descriptions online than in person, just because the lack of eye contact makes it harder to keep people engaged. Even my group of terminally millenial players enjoy theater of the mind, but it definitely looks a bit different than it would around a physical table

[@welovettrpgs]

I do still believe the ideal situation is in person with a VTT (large table)

[@lukasz88888888]

As someone who was growing up in small city below 30k citizens, without nerdy friends, VTT were my only options for long time. I'm still playing this way with friends around the world.

[@colinleat8309]

My group has pretty much exclusively used Theatre of the mind. Half the enjoyment is using our imagination to it's fullest. We are an Artistic lot though 😁. Great video Aten. Keep them coming! 🤘😎🖖🇨🇦🍻

[@welovettrpgs]

That is awesome!

[@SpiritWolf1966]

I enjoy all of We Love TTRPGs videos 😊🎉

[@welovettrpgs]

Thank YOU!!

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

We started with theater of the mind Now we play with minis and a VTT on a TV on the table with 2 players in different states playing along with us. This works for us. Us we use everything we can

[@wolfleclair1399]

I'm a theater of the mind player and DM, I've used minis and battlemaps but I've always preferred not to use them or to use them sparingly. I've taken part in games with VTTs a couple times, they were interesting but again I'm more comfortable and happy with theater of the mind. Great video and wonderful takes on the matter. =^_^=

[@welovettrpgs]

Thank You!! TOM seems like it might die out if we don't keep supporting it! Next week a video dedicated to it.

[@wolfleclair1399]

@@welovettrpgs Awesome. =^_^=

[@yvindheilo229]

I've had the same journey with VTT's. These days I actually use much more TOTM when running games on VTT's. The workload of making maps, tokens and whatnot is actually insane.

[@welovettrpgs]

Agreed! Thank you!

[@yvindheilo229]

@@welovettrpgs And it's so much more fun and functional to prep on paper!

[@johnmagowan6393]

I have pulled back A LOT on maps with the VTT. I found I was rarely describing environments anymore. We never use them with Vampire the Masquerade, and we have a blast even though we get way more tactical there. Our group is mostly vets so we're in our wheel house when it comes to tactics. "Grenade fix everything!"

[@welovettrpgs]

Thank you Its great to hear so many similar experiences with VTTs! And I mean it when I say, thank you for your service and sacrifices! (I grew up near Fort Lewis/ McCord AFB - military family all military friends!) Thanks!

[@helixxharpell]

We love everything about WE LOVE TTRPGS. 😊 Great video Aten. Our group will hopefully partner up with Brave Alice Games and their RPG Stories VTT! 😃👍🏻

[@yourseatatthetable]

A very popular topic in some circles today. Personally, I think that we all reach varying levels of immersion that is based on many factors, including just what the group is seeking and how experienced they are, doubly so with the system of their choice. The only thing that annoys me are those 'absolutes'; those 'I only play in Theater of the mind (4D in these circles) and if "you" don't play as 'I" do, your wrong." As long as your having fun, being engaged by the table, and looking forward to returning, your doing it right. In my opinion, of course.

[@welovettrpgs]

Absolutes suck!

[@yourseatatthetable]

@@welovettrpgs Amen to that, my friend.

[@Coopernicuss]

I use Roll20 BUT I've found it ESSENTIAL to have 'scene' screens (like art backgrounds of the market they're in, or something directly from the book) between maps so there's no craving to move their character around or think in a 'grid'. I put them between my maps chronologically as that helps me to know what's next and with pacing when it comes to an RP section. Now everyone is just seeing art that sets the tone (and ambient sounds/music in the BG can help if it's low volume) of the RP we're going to do and after awhile the players brains switch over to that mode bc they're used to it.

[@nabra97]

The idea that Theater of the Mind is more personal experience never crossed my mind. I always thought about it as about space thinking exercise (which I'm not really good at). From another point of view, I saw it more like "fights with some form of map vs fights with trying to get everyone at the table to imagine the map in the same way", rather than "no visual references vs a lot of visual references". We often use abstract (or just "whatever I found in public assets, it's not really what everything looks like"), maps in vtt, and we can send each other pictures during or out of the game even when we play at the actual table. My worst experience with both was when the GM had a vtt only for himself and didn't invite us in though (I don't know why it's a thing, but according to search posts in Discord channels, it's not rare). We got completely lost after a while, and he started making fun out of us.

[@welovettrpgs]

I'm really sorry you had that bad experience and I'm disappointed to hear it's not uncommon. I'm literally shaking my head not understanding where some of those types are coming from. I hope all is well with your gaming now! Thanks!

[@MadAdamStudio]

Agreed! One more tool in the shed isn't usually a bad thing!

[@carboneagle]

I use both depending on the encounter. If there's a bunch of weak monsters where the melee characters will kill one and move to the next and it doesn't become static, maps are great. If the party is fighting a single melee monster it's theatre of the mind so they players can better visualize a roll through the monsters legs or vault off another player onto its head making an otherwise dull fight amazing.

[@jackmorrison5272]

I agree as allways. I used the mixed style of play you described before I knew what a VTT was by hooking up my labtop to a secondary TV screen to give the players visual props of aliens, spaceships and strange planets since they are often difficult to describe and Star Wars is very visual to begin with. But combat and sceenes remained TOTM. Then covid hit and we switched to VTT and as more and more of us got little kids, gaming became something we do online after they are in bed. Playing would be impossible if not for VTT. It´s true that slowly but steadily one slips into preparing more and more through the VTT. I still don´t use battle maps all that often but instead use the space of the battlemap to put apicture to set the sceen. AI drawn pictures a re very useful in this regard. One of the reasons I do this is because a video of Dungeoncraft where Prof DM states that he keeps descriptions to a minimum to have a faster pace. But that wouldn´t work when the setting you are describing is exotic to the players and they have no background to imagine the sceene. If you give them a picture of the alien forest and then go on to describe the sounds and smells (Thanks Alexandrian for the 3 of 5 senses rule) you can deliver an accuarate picture with little time and hence not slow down your pace. Also Ai generated pictures of NPCs make it much easier to make them come to life. Especially when playing online. We have gone so far as to make with google spreadsheets a random generator that creates descriptions of NPCs in a text that you can copy into the ai and have an image within seconds. But yeah, got to be careful not to railroad your players so they go where you have the pictures prepared.

[@SergioLeRoux]

My best maps in VTT were ones I made on the spot with freehand lines (I was using Roll20 at the time). And only because I wanted to use combat zones (was playing Jadepunk) in that specific location - otherwise it's mostly TOTM for me. There are some nice guides to combine Theater of the Mind with a generic background picture, basically you put all the character tokens in an invisible cage at the bottom, so players can still fiddle uselessly with their figurines if they want. But even I do that only in repeatable locations. Like, I'll have one pic for "streets" and maybe a local bar.

[@ReplicatorFifth]

This channel always delivers on TTRPG tips and extremely useful information. I need a map as a DM as I'm a very visual person and I find it hard to conceptualize where things are spatially. As a player, I have to ask lot of questions of the DM about location and positioning during battle, questions that would be easily answered by a map and tokens for me to look. (My Dm doesn't use them mainly because of portability issues and hassle since we are currently meeting at a game shop which is completely fair) VTT allows him to use maps and tokens but, I'm no where near as engaged as I am in person. :/ can't win lmao

[@welovettrpgs]

Thank you!

[@lilywednesday]

Aten, you've gotta cool it mate. You're putting out this high quality videos so frequently, and my brain can only handle so much peak content

[@lilywednesday]

Also how do i send this to my current GM without it seeming rude....

[@welovettrpgs]

@@lilywednesday haha

[@JesseMcCullough]

I think I appreciate the campaign, character and session management tools VTTs have more than battlemaps and tokens but I suspect that would be different if I played online rather than in-person.

[@lordnago1]

100% agreed, VTTs are invaluable for our group now that we've all moved to different parts of the country but I've seen the negative impacts it has had on how people play. I'm only a sometimes DM but next time I do run something it will have very few maps because I don't like how restrictive a virtual map can be to improvisation. Also I feel you on the minis, jokes aside its a conversation I plan on having with my gaming group at some point and who ever wants them will get put in my will (I'm just hoping someone will be around to carry it out).

[@welovettrpgs]

Thank You! may all of our minis live on forever or we'll just have to bury them with us like Egyptian Pharaohs!

[@doomhippie6673]

Again I can understand you 100%. I love playing on VTT with friends who I would otherwise never get to play with. But I have fallen in the trap of having a map for everything. I try to get away from that, showing some pictures for atmosphere. I love having tokens of NPCs and go at great lengths to create them. My players enjoy that. But battle maps are "battle"-maps. Okay, I like to have the home village as a battle map (like the good old village of Homlet), but when I caught me creating battlemaps for simple shops I realized I am overdoing it. The happy middle ground you mention is important.

[@welovettrpgs]

We are together on this! We could create a support group VTT Users Anonymous!

[@Cesoide_]

I was using foundry, and I admit, I got caught up with all the automation possibilities and what not. That was super time consuming and, more than I expected, things didn't work as intended at the table, lots of techincal issues. I would love to play in person, but most of my group can only via vtt. I switched to talespire, which seemed like it would be more complicated, in reality, it is way simpler and feels like we are playing with actual minis :). That said, I need to get better at not making maps for everything :) I love the channel, awesome advice here, I wish you all the success, well deserved.

[@welovettrpgs]

Youre great! Thank you very much!

[@28mmRPG]

2:45 pure gold Aten! lol

[@welovettrpgs]

:) And not a lie.

[@sequoyahwright]

I have put off VTTs until I have the time, inclination, and reason to invest. I do look forward to using them if/when that time comes. I enjoy both Theater of Mind (ToM) and M&Ms (maps n minis), as each provides a specific game experience, and according to what the group decides they want. If they want D&D and love M&Ms, then I go with Pathfinder/3rd Ed, and if they want D&D with ToM, I will go with Dragonbane, Shadow of the Demon Lord, or any number of retroclones. I agree that newer gamers (and humans in general) should be wary of over-relying on tech to do what their brains and bodies are better at. We have already lost too much.

[@JohnHall-po6ts]

From everything I'm seeing, kids coming into the hobby are often discovering the hobby at libraries, gaming stores, and school friends just like most of the rest of us. They are really savvy at VTTs but it's seems to not be the default. From my experience VTTs mostly get used for groups that have a lot of physical distance between them. My experience may not be typical as all my evidence is anecdotal.

[@welovettrpgs]

Thanks John!

[@tunin6844]

I started playing in the '80's, and for many years I was never in a game that used miniatures at all. What we played was AD&D, 2nd Ed. AD&D, TMNT, Palladium RPG, and Champions. It was just how we played, without having any sort of label like "Theatre of the Mind". The closest we came to minis was using a book as a rough shape of a room or area and laying pencils and dice on it to give a rough approximation of how things were laid out if someone was having trouble understanding a certain scenario. Then there was a long hiatus while "adult" things got in the way of gaming for a while. 15 years or so ago, I ran games for a couple years in a teen center that I volunteered at, and all the games there were run without minis. Then about 10 or so years ago, I fell in with a group through playing ESO that were also into tabletop games, and started gaming together by way of Roll20. Mostly people there have been playing/running Pathfinder and 5E D&D, and I have joined in while running a few games based on the old Palladium system that went out of print in the '90s. And that is another benefit of the VTT. If you are willing to put in the work, you can build an entire rule set (or enough for easy play) including house rules into the game for everyone to access. Then, they don't have to track down something that is getting harder to come by due to age. But... I have definitely run into the issue that people no longer play in their head. They are VERY visual in general, and it is hard to get people to pick up that style of play when all they have known is the maps and minis. Sometimes I get a lot of push back when I don't have maps for something the players think I should. And, yes, it is exhausting, especially when I know the desire for the visuals isn't always all that useful. Do we really need a map of the shop of every leather worker or rope maker the characters may interact with? But there are definitely players that expect that. It can be difficult to break that expectation without shrinking the group sometimes. This probably means I should just put some real effort into trying to get an in-person game going, since I think it is easier to get people going that way in person than online (though that may just be my poor luck online). Great video, since the VTT can very much be help and hindrance at the same time.

[@sonicexpert986]

Man that's kinda weird. I play in a weekly online game, and while our DM has had some AMAZING maps, token art, and all kinds of cool effects and splash art... we never "expect" it - we do a lot of theater of mind stuff, especially if there's not active combat. Like, if we have conversation scenes, there's literally never a map for those, except maybe the background map of the city or region we're in, otherwise we're just on the "landing page" of our game. I suspect some of those players who get upset when they don't have a map/visual aid for every scene... have never had to PREP a game session, especially an online one, where you have to manually find, plan, and upload assets... and don't even get me started on dynamic lighting walls for dungeons...

[@agilemonk6305]

I absolutely love your videos. They are great. And some of your videos have been over the top awesome. 👏 😊❤

[@welovettrpgs]

Aww! Thank you!!!

[@mikeb.1705]

LOL! As a classic car hobbyist, that "priceless stuff in a landfill" comment hits home. You think mini's are expensive, try vintage car parts! ...which is why I try to label everything! That way the family at least knows what they are sending to the landfill >.< "WTF is a 428CJ carburetor?? Eh, chuck it..."

[@welovettrpgs]

Thank you my friend! :) (I have all my minis in a similar situation, in mini cases.

[@keithrawson3167]

Back in the day (over 10 years ago) prior to going through multiple cancer surgeries, a stroke, and a bone marrow transplant, I really leaned into more ToTM while playing in person, using my pathetic art skills to draw a horrible-looking map and used all of those metal monstrosities. But Covid did force online play, so I heavily leaned into it. The arrival of ChatGPT has also helped me clean up my now poorly written descriptions, allowing me to continue using a bot of ToTM during my gameplay. I do try to maintain a balance while using my choice of VTT (Foundry), but my inner computer geek also enjoys setting up some occasional o opening scene automation; I just can't help myself.

[@welovettrpgs]

Keith! You've had some horrible struggles! Thank you for fighting back and staying with us!

[@TheMfreeb]

Another great video! Always great content. Will you please do a deep dive on how you run the theater of the mind for TTRPGs and your players? Pretty please, and thank you in advance.

[@welovettrpgs]

I have a theater of the mind (specific) video planned for (hopefully) next week!

[@twitchew]

enjoy all of We Love TTRPGs videos

[@welovettrpgs]

Thank You! and we love you!

[@swordsnstones]

my fav is owlbear so far, just using it for maps and pc tokens :) again, another fine vid sire

[@swordsnstones]

as a side bar, i only use them for a visual of basic maps, with their tokens, as far as what is in the rooms or buildings, i describe them verbally, that way te players need to visualize, as well when a player is attempting a taks, it is up to them to describe in detail what it is so everyone is involved in the visualization... cheers Keep 'em Rollin'

[@welovettrpgs]

I'm really enjoying all the feedback and I think this is really helpful hearing from all of you for new people just getting into VTTs or thinking about it.

[@djeternaldarkness3769]

ALL IN THE LANDFILL! That's one of those things that sigh, I know, but you know...:)

[@welovettrpgs]

We may need to hug it out. :(

[@takanobaierun]

I'm going to some sort of landfill and so are my worldly posessions... I only wish it'd be the same landfill... like something big and pyramid shaped.

[@dantherpghero2885]

I Love ALL We Love TTRPGS videos!

[@paulsavas2394]

WOTC’s other VTT called Maps is currently in Alpha is pretty darn good.

[@welovettrpgs]

Thanks! I wasnt aware of that.

[@takanobaierun]

I'm not dogmatic about that, but I play video games a lot and don't need to turn TTRPG in another video game experience too.

[@Frederic_S]

None of my groups like gritted combat or vtt's - still a nice video. It's always good to learn more about what other people like ♥

[@welovettrpgs]

Thanks!

[@Frederic_S]

@@welovettrpgs ♥ 2:37 almost made my cry

[@welovettrpgs]

@@Frederic_S but we must endure!

[@Frederic_S]

@@welovettrpgs Stay strong, game on 🤗

[@twistedturns65]

I've been using VTT's almost exclusively since 2012, since I moved from my home state. I love them, but yeah, sometimes there's a bit missing from face-2-face games.

[@twistedturns65]

One of those perks was that I used to have a mini-addiction. Those random packs of minis WotC and Paizo put out? I bought the hell out of them! Then I moved away and realized they were all so much plastic. Maybe I should sell them.

[@welovettrpgs]

yeah the common minis now are a lot of trash - however I will say you can still buy quality metal mini but they cost more and you have to know where to look.

[@twistedturns65]

@@welovettrpgs Thankfully, even if I do get back to in-person games (which I kind of am, I'm running an in-person Shadowdark game later tonight!) I probably won't ever use miniatures, or at least won't use them regularly. The VTT's are so cool, I can project them onto my big-screen TV and play out our battles there.

[@twistedturns65]

I'm also almost positive I can find someone who would adore physical minis.

[@twistedturns65]

@@welovettrpgs I don't doubt. Alas, I live and try to game in a studio apartment, so minis, metal or plastic, are less of a priority. Trying to incorporate VTT's on my large TV screen, you know?

[@CountAdolfo]

Yeah, we did no minis... no props... I narrated, described, and clarified. It was LIKE a video game where my brain was the console and the players could engage their imaginations and play in my brain, so to speak... These ARE truly the most immersive games... and WotC's current STATED direction is away from this because they're focused on monetization and not imagination.

[@welovettrpgs]

I like your analogy. And the mainstreaming of D&D is what after all these years will finally kill it. D&Ds popularity is the worst thing that's ever happened to D&D. I'm not being sarcastic.

[@tomdulski6616]

I had the same box of monsters from 1983

[@HeavyTopspin]

The shyness/timidity issue didn't exist in the 80s because we were playing with our friends, or at worse friends of friends. As the forever DM, I had no hesitation in busting out silly voices and bad impersonations, or describing items in sometimes-nauseating detail, which I absolutely would have if I'd had to do the same thing in front of my class at school. Now, so much of D&D is being played with total strangers that timidity absolutely IS a thing, which is a shame because theatre of the mind is ALWAYS better than props, for the same reason that the book is always better than the movie. My imagination can come up with so much more than a hollywood VFX budget or a bunch of dudes at a game studio can.

[@sonicexpert986]

Yeah if I ever run 5e DND again, I will always use roll20 for stat blocks and rolling attacks/damage. As a player, math rocks are fun because you only do it once per round. As a DM, I couldn't care less about rolling physical dice, especially mid to high-tier when there's consistently 10d10 + 50 or something ridiculous. Yeah you can take the average, but I do like the chaos of the dice, but doing it all at the click of a button is just... nice.

[@welovettrpgs]

We get some weird dice glitches on Fantasy Grounds with strings of repeat rolls that are statistically impossible. Otherwise I dont care either.

[@zZGzHD]

Personally, I fell into the trap of mapping EVERYTHING when using a VTT. It made planning suck because of all the mapping.

[@munehauzen]

Wow, metal figures? Nice! And don't worry xD We'll keep your figure existential dread secret.

[@welovettrpgs]

Thanks!

[@murgel2006]

Personally, I think the difference can be made obvious a bit easier if one discerns between a wargame (or boardgame), an RPG (purely pen and paper) and a TTRPG. With the latter one being a mix of the former two. I do play wargames, the "big one" as well as some others and I have played RPGs since the early 80s. It is less than 15 years, so a fairly new thing, that I started to play TTRPGs. VTTs are very well suited to games like D&D, games that essentially still have combat like any other board- /wargame. Whenever the combat system is not a pure wargame anymore or the GM does not handle it as a board game then the VTT suffers massively. The flexibility of actions offered by TotM is absolutely superior to a board or VTT. However, to the younger generation, with them being used to video games I find that they often do not even want that flexibility, they are looking for the GM to take their dice roles and translate them into pictures for them, similar to what a video game does. Back in the old days, it was more of an "I strike to his arm, intending to make him lose his weapon! What modifiers do I have?" Today it seems to be more of a "I rolled a 19! What happens?"

[@Zr0din]

Not sure if I am in the overuse category. I collected so many maps and just want to put them to use!

[@welovettrpgs]

That's fair. I just bought the Meanders Kickstarter with over 2,500 maps so .... yeah

[@KabukiKid]

Yeah, despite having a couple hundred (almost all lead/metal) minis, I prefer generally playing with theater of the mind. In my most recent group, our DM paints minis and loves that angle of the hobby, so we do all combats on battlemats, which is fine... I am good with that too, but I am just as happy without them. "Fast and dirty" combat is best, in my eyes. ;-) lol

[@welovettrpgs]

I like my D&D like I like my se..... :)

[@KabukiKid]

@@welovettrpgs LMAO!!! ;-)

[@danielpasilis4046]

Maybe I'm just an old stick in the mud or I just haven't caught up with the times but I have a subscription to fantasy grounds and I'll be damned if I can figure out how to use it

[@welovettrpgs]

Fantasy Grounds is great! BUt .. and this is a huge but .. the learning curve is ridiculous. If it wasnt for my players teaching me Id be unable to use it. I have a video discussing it soon.

[@ThunderSqueak]

I mostly use a vtt like you would use a chessex dry erase mat... we still use physical books, paper, etc. Setting up a VTT with fog of war, walls, etc just takes to long for someone with a full time job. TBH, talking with others, when they quit doing all that pre-game setup which took hours... their players did not even notice nor comment. We are not creating video games after all. In person still is my preferred whenever possible. Get off my lawn.

[@ThunderSqueak]

TBH, I am surprised discord voice chat does not have a stock square/hex map with minimal token management along the edge where each user can just drag whatever image they want to a "tile" spot to represent their character and the GM has access to a small selection of generic monster tokens.

[@andrewlustfield6079]

I'm actually really curious how you mix VTTs with live play. I don't know if I'll switch up or not. Currently, I run a live play game. We use physical miniatures and dungeon disks, somewhat like Professor DM's UDT. Those work really well. IF I need to draw a map I have a glass white board behind me. I did do online play during COVID, but I didn't like it all that much. I get so much more information from my players just by being in the same room. Body language says so much, even if you're not aware of it. Plus it's always a pot luck dinner too, so there's always that aspect. (any excuse to smoke a brisket is a good excuse.) So, I'm really interested to know how you integrate VTTs into live play. Is everyone using a tablet during the game, and logged in? By the by--if you still use minis from time to time, have you ever considered a painting clinic? Just to get a fig table top ready---not competition level? I think newer gamers could use a little encouragement in that direction, even if it's just so they can have a fig on their character on their shelf, and not for actual game play.

[@welovettrpgs]

I'm eventually going to start another channel called "We Love Minis" just to show off my vintage minis plus because my left hand is partially paralyzed I think people will be surprised to see how I paint one handed. As for VTTs live play, you could certainly use laptops but what I'm talking about it a flat screen face up on a table (they actually make hardware now for this just for gaming). Big flat screen tvs are really coming down in price. My neighbors moved out and left two behind for free. i'm kinda kicking myself for not grabbing one. This is really the ideal set up, so much quicker than physical minis and whatnot.

[@andrewlustfield6079]

@@welovettrpgs Gaming flat tops---that is worth keeping in mind. And We Love Minis---perfect! Eventually, my GF and I want to start a channel called Fantasy Hosts to feature D&D+ mini painting content, playing on hosting games and a host of miniatures. Neither of us is at a Sam Lenz or Vince Venturella level but we have some reasonable skills, and we can certainly help folks reach a good table-top ready paint job with their figs. I've just recently started branching out into oils, which is both fun and a real challenge.

[@thethan302]

thethan's D&D manifesto 7: miniatures are better than theater of the mind 15: digital sessions are fine, but real life is better

[@welovettrpgs]

You lost me at 3rd person, here's my manifesto. :o

[@Lowe505]

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

[@UnbearablePeacock]

Just be careful to not fall into the "if there's a map there's a battle" category. If you're using the VTT for battle maps only, do ToM until the battle begins.

[@welovettrpgs]

100%!