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June 24, 2021 11 min read
Author:Rhenn Anthony Taguiam
Meta Description:Don't let distance stop you from enjoying Dungeons & Dragons 5e! We'll explore the best ways to do long-distance gaming with your friends in this piece.
Today’s Coronavirus woes aren’t the only reason for tabletop gamers to resort to long-distance gamingto play Dungeons & Dragons 5e. In fact, groups of friends may eventually want to find ways to play D&D 5eand other TTRPGs without having to go out of the house. And while there’s appeal to hearing the clanking of dice on the ground or using character sheets, sometimes long-distance gaming is the best solution to a wide variety of concerns.
How exactly should you plan for long-distance gaming, though? This article will be your definitive guide for long-distance gaming with friends and peers.
First, it’s important to realize that there’s no one correct way of long-distance gaming, as a lot of successful virtual or online sessions have to do with what makes TTRPGs the most fun for all the players. Thanks to software and apps today, players and DMs have a ton of long-distance gaming options to choose from.
At the end of the day, it’s a matter of preference. Here’s an important question to ask yourself and your table before embarking on long-distance gaming: what kind of experience do I want to have?
Keep your answer in mind and read on.
Playing TTRPGs long distance can easily become overwhelming as there’s a ton of options for different kinds of DMs and players out there. Where do we even begin?
Well, an easier approach to building your ideal long-distance gaming setup would be tackling your potential TTRPG experience from different platforms.
If you’re not keen on organizing an adventuring table over other apps and software, you might want to start your virtual TTRPG experience with a familiar platform: Facebook. Weirdly enough, Facebook has enough tools to make most of your TTRPG experience possible, especially if you’re into D&D 5e. Here are some considerations:
If you want a dedicated chatroom where your table can do all things tabletop, you can create a free server on Discord and do your sessions there. As a team-oriented and gaming-oriented platform, Discord has a lot of tools to make your TTRPG sessions and D&D 5eadventures possible in one handy platform. Here are some considerations:
If you want the closest thing possible to an authentic tabletop experience, Roll20 is perhaps the tool for you and your table. Thanks to its handy chat interface and virtual tabletop option, Roll20 is one of the best tools out there to simulate an authentic tabletop experience, complete with dice and battle maps. Here are some considerations:
Players looking for a free alternative of Roll20 can try out MapTool instead. Similar to Roll20, MapTool provides a digital tabletop experience for TTRPG fans. However, its interface allows DMs and players to tailor-fit it to fit their preferred game, meaning not only can they play D&D 5ewith MapTool, but also their other favorite TTRPGs as well. Here are some considerations:
It’s important to always remember that while analog gaming is fun with real dice, miniatures, and the company of friends, we gamers have to adapt to current events and modern technology. Thanks to messaging apps, intuitive chatbots, and even programs specifically designed for TTRPGs, we can play not just D&D 5ebut, almost virtually any tabletop RPG we want from the comfort of our own homes.
If you’re itching to try long-distance gaming and virtual TTRPG gaming with your friends, try any one of the methods we’ve suggested below and let us know what you think in the comments!
Author’s Note:I’ve personally tried D&D 5eover Discord, and my separate tables used different methods to incorporate play: