How does your table play?
Hey everyone!
We're looking for some feedback on different table setups to help us with a project we're working on.
The poll is single choice only, if you run a mix of styles, please vote for whichever is most common or the style you prefer the most.
Thanks for your feedback! <3 Oh and thank you to everyone for leaving the kind comments on the new gothic city series, we're so glad you're all enjoying it. :)
Comments (200)
We play with an old tv layed flat on a cigar box. Even still, my players constantly compliment how detailed all of your maps are. All of the little odd items and decorations you guys add to your maps goes a long way to help sell that feeling of a world one can never completely know (also makes my job improvising at the table worlds easier).
In person, one is going to remoting in the fall. I'm working on making a map box to have digital maps (going to use minis but digital tokens for remote player but for the time being a TV nearby for reference
All but one player is in person, We use Foundry VTT, custom table with 50" tv built in. large projection screen for art and video, shared with remote player via discord foundry hosted in AWS
For one of the games I run, we have an old TV that we have set up as a tabletop, and use a laptop to cast the maps, then we get to use physical minis to move around said map. As a result we usually use the gridless, and scale and/or crop the map to fit our needs. The other game we run is on a VTT with people from various parts of the country.
I run both an in person game monthly, a weekly game online, (with VTT) and am a player in a weekly game online (with VTT)
We used to play exclusively in person with a table I built for gaming. We used tablets and laptops for players and DM but still used dice, minis and such. Sadly, 3 of the 4 regulars moved away so now it is VTT only - which works but is not as fun as together, in person.
Currently running one online with VTT (Owlbear Rodeo), and one in-person. I have also run online games without VTT.
We play through discord. I use two google slide docs. One has scenes and is streamed to discord on slideshow mode. The second has battlemaps which I and the players place tokens on to use as a sort of VTT
We prefer in person but we all live at least 45 min to over and hour away from each other
We play using Google Meet or Zoom with a shared second screen that's controlled by the game master. When we do get a chance to play in person, we have a large screen tv that lays flat with a clear plexiglass cover to set the minis on.
The dm uses a vtt for maps, but we do also have a remote player
Our table is a mix, we mostly play theatre of the mind, but have physical battle maps for larger/ more important fights. Some players use digital character sheets, but not all
Mix - Alchemy when online, GM with screen + characters tracked online when physical. Rules depends, some have books, same digital versions, some both (GM - basic rules in book, rest in VTT).
We MOSTLY play online without a VTT, but when a fight comes up - then the VTT comes out.
I answered that we have a screen for a remote player, but to add: all players/GM use a VTT for maps with their own devices.
HomeBrew20crew@gmail.com if you have any questions!
However, do you ever make a table design big enough for say 10 people including the DM space?
Would like to add, we LOVE your products.
We are very lucky to have 9 players (including DM) that play on person. We do use a TV for a map, and players do use a laptop or tablet for their character sheets. However most use paper sheets.
Can't select multiple, so in addition to VTT for my regular home group, I run "non-digital" games at cons, too. Also sometimes at home. Have used Czepeku maps for all of the above.
It was a toss-up between online with a VTT and online without, but currently it's more without than with, so that's what I went with. I enjoy both, and also like in-person with or without physical maps, but that's more challenging to coordinate.
So glad this is being asked. I have a screen built into my table. My laptop screen shares. I just build PowerPoints with embedded images or videos. Czepeku static maps do not stretch or scale well in that format, causing things to be cut off, or too small
I print out and maps to play in person. That being said, it would be nice if your maps had a version made for printing off on a4 paper
We highly recommend this free app: https://dungeonmapper.io/
We've been playing Vampire for around 2 years with only Discord, sharing some images as reference for characters, scenes and locations. I'm not sure I'd do the same with D&D or other games more focused on combat.
Adding here: We play in person with a mix of printed out character sheets and DND beyond on our phones Hybrid, We print out Czepeku maps on large banner material, adding 3 dimensional items ie: walls, fallen pillars, trees and such.
I run an in-person game using physical resources on the table, and I literally bought a high-end photo printer just so we could experience your beautiful maps in HD. Players always comment on how unbelievably awesome your maps are, and we all prefer exploring them on the table to virtually on screens. For dungeons, I cut the maps into rooms and sections that can be placed/revealed as the players explore, which majorly adds to the fun. I can't wait for your physical map packs! :)
Sometimes VTT, sometimes table time
I play at 3 weekly tables. 2 of them in person. But for the other game we play one week in person the other through Discord/VTT/Owlbear Rodeo.
Hi! I use a mix of in person, no VTT with a soundboard and otherwise physical assets. For my digital games, yes, we rely heavily on a VTT. Was using Owlbear rodeo and now using Alchemy.
Half is in person. Half is virtual. Maps are digital. Character sheets are a wild mix.
I run both online and in person, but wouldn't purchase physical maps (unless you're springing for shipping and customs for Thailand).
We use Let's Role. Who is a new online system. Very nice compared to rool 20
Pity we can’t vote for several options. My group usually plays in person with a map either projected on a screen and/or printed out physically. With another group, we play remotely on a VTT.
We play in person with a big tv embedded flat in our gaming table. But we display the maps as an image and do not use a vtt program. Everyone does use dndbeyond character sheets on tablets.
Right now I display maps through VTT on a small television because I'm in multiple campaigns that all meet at different locations so need my set up to be mobile. Once I'm able to get my place set up for regular hosting I hope to switch to a projector.
most players play without devices but some use thier phone for charakter sheets as each person prefers
as a DM i have a laptop behind my screen and use it to dispay maps onto a tv which i have built into the table we play on. The exact same happens for the game I play in at another table as well.
Online, using Roll20 and Discord for voice chat. (part of the fun with discord is posting reaction images and 'art' of moments during the session).
Hybrid too, it clearly depends on the session and if some of us are remote or not. I have planned to use some kind of projector.
The physical campaign I DM use digital character sheets, and occasionally a VTT for encounters in place of a physical map, while the online campaign we play using a VTT.
In some cases we play at weekends in person without digital tools besides spell wiki or such. And in other groups we play online using a VTT, due to players living far away. Online we use digital maps on Roll20, offline at the table, sometimes someone prints a map, sometimes someone scribbels a map on gridded paper and occasionally I build a map out of "Klemmbausteinen" / bricks / "lego"
A projector or large screen to use a digital map at the table would be awesome, but I (the DM) can't afford that. players have offered to pay 20-30% but I feel bad taking so much money when we aren't even managing to play every month.
In person, some players have digital sheets on their laptops, maps printed out
This really would have been better as multiple choice. I usually play online using a VTT shared by all players and GM but I’m also starting a setup via a custom built VTT TV that can be placed on a table for everyone to view (with people likely using a program for character sheets and then physical dice).
Planning on also getting physical minis and scatter terrain for the VTT TV so it’s more mixed media. Your maps will definitely be a feature though.
I have 5 campaigns online with VTT, one home with mostly pure pen and paper except one player who uses a digital character sheet.
We are primarily in person, have a screen/camera/mic set up for remote player(s) (goes in and out, some folks have moved, some have moved back, and its an option if youre not feeling well), but even when its fully in person we use a VTT (owlbear rodeo) set up on a TV set flat on my table, and players join via laptop/tablet if they want to control their token themselves
Sorry, VTT just doesn't cut it for my campaigns. They take place in my 48+ world (and I do mean WORLD) using extensive maps I have developed over 49+ years. We use Discord for distant players and I can share my maps as needed. But, I also like leaving things more fluid then VTT allows at times so that the different players can interpret the situation differently - adds the possibility of unexpected situations.
49+ years is impressive. You must have been GMing your whole life!
My main group plays online only, using a VTT and Discord for talk. I'm starting a new group that will meet in person and for now is physical only. The last group meets in person but uses a VTT at the table. I prefer in person and physical media, it's the tangibility and immersion. After having spent much time learning and using VTTs, though, I've learned to appreciate what they have to offer in helping the game in ways having only physical media just cannot compete with.
Foundry, babee
Mix
Some games I run or play are totally online with a VTT. I don't really like playing online without one. The VTT is the big draw when playing on the computer. Other games I run or play in person. So far I have just used dry erase markers on blank grids, sometimes with minis other times with tokens, glass beads, etc.. Its been a while since I did in-person TTRPGs and the next time I do I plan on projecting a VTT map on a tv at the table. Only I, the GM, will be using the VTT and I will be moving all the characters and token for my players.
We play in person but use Roll 20 for a VTT AND D&D Beyond for our sheets, partially because one of our players is now remote.
I play in multiple groups, Most of my online groups play using discord and a VTT or DND beyond. My in person games will play using physical maps and most players use paper sheets, some use dnd beyond. If players are away we will set up a screen sometimes for them.
We play in person and have a TV built into a table facing up, so maps can be shown on it and use minis. We also use the TV speakers for sounds and music.
At our table we play virtually, using Foundry VTT! We always have a scene or a map for every location we visit. We also always have music playing in the background— sometimes there is a playlist tailored for a specific scene (like a Big Bad), otherwise we have a mood-setting playlist, such as “Traveling — Winter” or “Melancholy” or “Fun Battle”!
I have two groups. One is fully remote, playing online with a VTT. That’s the one I voted for, since I’m the DM and I use your maps a lot for it. My second group is in person but we use a VTT with everyone on their laptops.
We play virtually using Zoom and Miro for any maps/artwork.
We have four in person, one remote. VTT for battlemaps. A few times a year we'll be all in person and sometimes then we'll use minis and legos or battlemats to draw terrain. Or build terrain with duplo.
Primarily in person but 2 players play online. I use a vtt projected on to a tv for in person players.
Luckily we all live close by and our work schedule fits well for long weekend sessions. I'm the DM and everything is physical except for our character sheets or if I need a specific battlemap and can't find a good terrain to 3D print. I also use your scenes all the time, I built a DND room and the entrance has a monitor on the wall that displays a scene and witty title to the session.
That's so cool. Glad to see some representation for the Scenes.
We play in person using DDB for our character sheets and our DM uses a VTT projected onto a computer screen for battle maps
We prefer in-person with pen-and-paper, maps and minis. However, we have to use VTT nowadays, since our group has spread out across three time zones.
We play in person, and everyone uses a physical character sheet and books, except for one player who uses D&D Beyond on their phone for spell management. Once we finish this campaign, we’re moving to virtual sessions via Alchemy. :)
Thank you for trying out Alchemy. I hope you like it!
In the game I run we do a hybrid between physical minis and maps, and VTT. I tend to make the characters and maps out of Lego (as I have a decent collection from childhood). If the build would be too ambitious, I'll use a VTT to save time and use that time to prep other details or adventures. Everyone has a digital character sheet, but most of use real dice while in person. Sometimes with busy adult lives meeting online is what works, so I try to stay flexible and focus on all of us having a good time!
That's cool, you should share the lego builds on our discord, I'd be curious to see them.
I also project onto white foam board for 3D maps which is fast and easy and looks really cool.
If you are projecting onto a table, but you use a VTT and plain white tokens for the players, they can move a physical mini, and it's like each character has it's own spotlight. Still not found a VTT that rotates through the players and shows each line of sight nicely - we could do with a projector centric design VTT.
I have printed out your maps for event games. I even bought a cart to hold all of them, lol
That's dedication! Thank you for sharing the maps with so many people. :)
I've switched over to Play by Post, and VTTs are only used when I need to clarify or set up an important encounter. It's all theater of the mind other than the initial set up.
In Person, Hybrid, DDB on player devices, GM with horizontal TV
I play in two games. One online with VTT and one old school with paper character sheets and real dice
I built myself a table and embedded a 65” screen as the table top. My players surround the table and can all see the map as a true top down. No VTT, no additional equipment. Keeps it simple yet amazing.
At the Adult DND Club in the library, us players use DDB for our character sheets, but the GM projects the maps on the board in the conference room.
In person, no digital devices but I keep a screen in the background for visuals and audio.
So I voted for VTT, but in truth that's just for one of my groups as we're all spread across the globe. I have a local group that I sometimes play with too but that's all done analog.
We don't use a VTT for our in person games, but I sure wish we did. How do people do this?
If you play DnD and want to keep it simple, you can use mobiles and something like Encounter+ or the DDB app?
We have not yet started but it will be a hybrid, vtt and in person with the players able to move their tokens around the map. We have one player who is interstate who will have a screen and access to vtt movement.
95 % of the time it's in person, with physical maps. 1/2 of the players use a digital character sheet. The other 1/2 use physical character sheets. The DM uses a laptop as a reference tool.
Largely discord + theatre of the mind, but for big encounters, visual puzzles, or times when having clear access to information about the environment/the situation is key, I'll use a VTT! Eg. Big boss fights usually get a VTT battlemap, and currently my party are travelling through a treacherous portion of the world, so their VTT visual is a 'live feed' of their supplies, resources, time of day, travel speed, and marching order!
I'm the DM and our party has people across multiple timezones so online is our only option
VTT for maps. But track character sheets individually. Some use tablets. I like old school paper. Dice rolls are on the honor system but periodically roll in the VTT for extremely significant rolls for dramatic effect.
Online. VTT with all the bells & whistles!
IDK if this comment is relevant to the project goals. My current method (my vote) is VTT projected on TV and playing in person. My players ask me to move their token to whichever square or measure for them and I use the laptop. Something I have been missing as a product line though is like your quality of maps as like a booklet or rollout. So if the question is "my current preference" that's my best answer. If it's a marketing research question, I would love to see the "physical Czepeku map prints" product line more
This question wasn't research for physical maps but we are planning to release physical maps in future: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/czepeku/battlemaps-and-tokens?ref=7n9hlz You can sign up there to be notified. That project is on the backburner until the Trump tariffs and oil/paper prices from the Iran War have settled though, so there's no ETA.
I built a custom TV case for my players and use your maps on it.
I play 1 game in person on an actual table with minis. I Play one game on Owlbear and One game on Roll20.
Hybrid. I have players in several different parts of the country (some times world), we use a VTT and digital character sheets. For those in person I use the TV in our living room to project a players view of the VTT.
We've done a few different iterations, from a digital map but everything else was physical to a VTT projected onto the table for everyone, to VTT projected and screen caps for the remote player(s), to fully online with active VTT.
Foundry VTT and online always for years. Even if I played I person id project my VTT to a TV or screen. It just works so welk
So my usual group plays in-person and we will have a table with a monitor in the middle of it. 2 people will use a VTT (we use Owlbear Rodeo) - the DM and one player. The DM will control the VTT behind the DM screen to keep stuff hidden from the players, and one player will use an HDMI cable to project the VTT from their laptop onto the monitor for the whole table. That way the players can move their characters' digital tokens and see the maps, but still can't see fog of war/hidden stuff/etc. I also play with a group that is solely online and we use discord and Owlbear Rodeo!
We play online with VTT, with most folks remote and a few people in person. But all have separate screens, and all digital character sheets, map viewing, and communication.
Play in person, TV on the table, OBS for the maps + visuals!
For larger combats we use a VTT otherwise we play in theater of the mind over discord
I don't use your images for TTRPGs at all. You provide one of the only sources of quality, human-created scifi and fantasy artwork with a commercial license available, and we use it as imagery to promote science fiction and fantasy books. Most of stock imagery sites are filled with AI-generated imagery, these days, and the images that ARE human-created are already everywhere, since there are so few of them. Using your gorgeous artwork lets us find unique images, relevant to book settings, that we can use to get potential readers excited about the worlds contained in the books. That might not be the kind of research you need for your upcoming project, but it's a real use case. And a frustrating one for us, because premium, human-created scifi and fantasy SCENES with a commercial license are so very difficult to find.
This was unexpected, I appreciate you sharing it. Didn't know people were using our work like that.
My table and I have been using foundry vtt for over two years and it is one of the best platforms ever. I would love if you had a foundrg vtt ready export option. Love what you’re doing keep it up!
At the $10 tier we have foundry modules, and also there's a foundry-moulinette integration. If you subscribe via czepeku.com we also have our own foundry module that people seem to love.
We play in person with printed maps as well as remote with VTT for everyone.
I have a weekly online game that is all Roll20, but I have an in person game where I like to use the VTT to display the maps to players vs draw maps on whiteboards.
We are hybrid, we have some in person players and some online only. But we use a vtt just to make it easier for everyone to play together.
VTT seems to be winning, which makes sense for your customer base. I should note that when I'm not using a VTT the most common way I use your maps is to print it out and then pass it around to my players so they can see how cool it looks because I just scribbled some stuff on a play mat.
Mostly in person, with paper character sheets, but some folks use digital character sheets and every once and a while we will do virtual or mixed virtual (most in person, 1 or 2 virtual)
I have two campaigns I play in. Tues we use DNDBeyond, Discord, and Roll20. On Thurs we use Discord, AboveVTT.
We're all in person and using paper. I print or draw battlemaps and put scenes/art up on the TV in the room, but we're almost entirely analog.
A VTT since we all live so far away from each other, but when in person it's pretty much all pen and paper.
I've used Roll20 since it was on Kickstarter, I've been trying to get into Foundry, but the technical requirements for all the automation with no alternative\simple way to drag and drop tokens\maps, really makes it hard to get use too.
these days its been all roll20.net but for rare occassions w get together its a combo of laptops and tablets/phones for character sheets but we have dice map and miniatures on the table
DM-ing 2 campaings atm. Both virtual but with old friends we used to play card games. It's just so much easier to set logistics every week is we do the campaigns online on a virtual table (roll20) and with discord chats.
One game of D&D all online, 1 game all in person, and one game of GI Joe all in person but that is an infrequent game
One group plays on person using a VTT that is also on a TV behind me for everyone. All but 1 of us on digital devices. My other group is over zoom using a VTT
My group plays in person but I use printed digital maps as visual aids.
I run two groups. One if at a table with maps and minis. The other group is online often with a VTT but not always. Depends on the game and session.
We play in discord and on a vtt.
The gm projects the vtt map for the players on a screen, uses their own laptop for game running and prep. Some players use a digital character sheet and some like paper.
We play using a VTT, but use Discord to chat instead of Roll20's built in chat
I’m surprised at how low in person is! We never play VTT due to the steep learning curve of VTT systems.
In person, no VTT, but sometimes we use a screen for visuals landscapes, NPCs, Monsters, PoV rooms, short videos, etc. So far we prefer or arr accustomed to Mats, tiles, and theatre of the mind for encounters tactical or otherwise. I feel VTTs will enter the scene once they become a little more user friendly to figure out.
We use Discord for communication, and Tabletop Simulator (from Steam) for maps, figurines, and the like. The other DM in our group has become a TTS guru in terms of programming and making amazing maps and encounters.
We played on a VTT during covid but went back to physical in-person as quickly as we could.
One game we play on a VTT. In another game we play in person and some individuals use digital character sheets.
I play in multiple games (DM in some and player in others) and use a number of the options present.
Livestreamed games on OBS through discord using Digital Maps and Minis. But also have a custom physical table and minis for other games with A0 size maps for in person games at D&D club, at home or conventions
I run 3 campaigns. One is remote with VTT that meets 6x a month, one is in-person using terrain and mini's that meets 2x a month, and another is a travel FLGS game also using terrain and mini's that meets 1x a month.
6x per month for a campaign is very impressive. That's the dream.
My party is hybrid, with most in person and a couple of remote players. Locally I project a view of Foundry onto a screen behind me. Aside from this common display, we use physical dice and paper character sheets.
Ideally id have an in person group, with laptops and my desktop for the VTT, and a TV in the table
Several combinations,I chose the one where I most often bring maps myself (in person, no devices), but I also co-DM another campaign where we have a center TV where we project the map but paper character sheets, and I am a player in an online campaign that uses roll20 for maps
Currently playing with 3 players at the physical table and one always online at the end on a computer monitor. We use a tv that I (the GM) project the battle map onto and have both physical minis and tokens on the VTT so our virtual player can keep track of what’s going on and us at the table can enjoy using the physical miniatures!
Do you find the player who is on the monitor is less connected to the party than the ones together in person?
I’m a ProGM through StartPlaying.com so nearly all of my games are entirely online. Czepeku maps are always a hit.
Thank you for using our maps in your pro games, always love to hear that!
Most of my games are online - however, when I do run my fortnightly in-person game at Element Games Birmingham, the players have access to a couple of screens, and I make use of the Roll20 VTT for the maps etc.
My group plays a hybrid model. Every week there is a bunch of us who meet in person, but everyone uses Roll20 and Discord because two of our members moved out of town and we wanted them to continue playing. This also gives anyone who isn't able to make the travel to just jump on at home if they can.
We play only in-person, and use printed battlemaps or theater of the mind on short encounter but some players have pdf character sheets. A critique on your service: I don't want subscription services, but I'd GLADLY pay 7-12€ for single buy quality printable map pdfs. Subscriptions simply suck everywhere. Period. I don't want to do the "sub once download all" either due to the hazzle. PLEASE! allow me to buy single maps.
There's a store for individual map packs on our website: https://www.czepeku.com/store/fantasy I recommend using a free tool like https://www.dungeonmapper.io/ to make the PDFs, so you can adjust the grid and scale as you like.
Only ever DM'd in-person, lack of space where we play also means we'll likely never get to use a digital battlemap on the table, fun to look at though.
My group plays with a projector displaying the battle map onto a table running through my laptop
I mostly use battle mats and printed maps, I really like your maps and others and am looking at ways to bring it to in person tables. I may try an online VTT soon, but the home group I run a game for is considering a TV table set up.
Forever DM here. I have done VTT online and in person, but my preferred method is hybrid VTT/in-person. I use the VTT to track everything, but the players still roll dice and have paper sheets. We do a double hit of DnD- Dungeons and Dragons AND dinner and desert. A big event where the social part is as important as the game itself. The VTT makes my life easier for tracking things while the players are way more engaged with the RP side (due to social event) and love the combat side for the visual maps. Plus everyone likes rolling real dice :D
I think my players would just get distracted by the dinner and dessert and we'd completely foget to play.
I play solely in VTT because I moved to another country, and that's the only way to play with my friends :(. Back then though, it was all physical, dices, dice tower, maps drawn with in a plastic gridded sheet with dry erase markers, and the occasional DIY craft terrain piece and paper minis. I miss those days.
I think everyone prefers in person play when they can but moving countries and Covid really shook that up for a lot of people. It's a big shame.
We play in person when we can, but more often end up online with a VTT (so I selected that option, but I love in person most!). Some players still use digital character sheets in person, others use paper. We all prefer a physical map on the table when we’re gathered in person, so if you’re assessing demand for printed maps, I would buy one or two ;-)
VTTs I’m currently using: Roll20 and DDB Maps. Also have run or played campaigns in Foundry and Alchemy (and would use either again, just depends on the group, and where I can do the least VTT setup work as GM).
combination of #5 and #9 - the GM (me) is remote and the VTT is displayed on a TV where the players are. we used to be all local but I moved.
Mostly play via R20 for my long standing campaign but I'm going to be starting an in-person game soon also and am honestly stressing about how to handle maps and gameplay. Y'alls maps are incredible for VTT play, but it's definitely a challenge to put cool maps to use in person wtihout investing a lot of time/money into either some kind of screen or a lot of printing & resizing or tiling things. I'm super excited about your next kickstarter, I don't necessarily need as wide of a selection but it would be awesome to have some good standard maps that can be used for common settings (traveling, in a city, etc..) and pair those with placeable map elements like chests, trees, etc... to customize them a bit.
We play in person and I print and laminate the maps I want.
We have a custom mahogany table with a touchscreen in the middle for a VTT.
Myself and my players all use Foundry VTT in both my online and in-person campaigns, but for in-person I also cast the battle map and handouts to the TV for everyone to have a shared view
Purely vtt at this point. I do play some systems that largely work mapless and we've run those in an old school text mu* but currently we use roll20 for that too
We play in person and use a large 27-inch touch screen, so all the players can still reach across the table and move around their tokens like minis, but with the benefits of VTTs such as darkness, line of sight and beautiful maps etc
Depending on the campaign and players, for local player campaigns we play in person and do a mix of physical and digital character sheets (I personally use a laptop to keep track of session notes, while I keep a physical AND digital player sheet). For sessions with players all over the US, we use a mix of Discord, Alchemy VTT, and Foundry VTT. Sometimes it's Discord or Alchemy VTT by themselves. Other times, it's a hybrid of Discord and Foundry VTT.
We play in person with a TV in the table and I (the DM) use Resolume Arena for display objects, NPCs, environment images and open battle maps. Then I switch to a VTT for dungeons or when I need FOW
We play in person, but sometimes we need to play with VTT , and some players use their virtual sheet.
It would be great to have a PoD option - I used your maps more back for primary VTT campaign in pandemic and miss them for the table.
I have two groups: one that plays in person with battlemaps drawn onto a reusable grid, and another that plays exclusively online via Roll20.
Same for my groups, although we will use terrain as well at times.
We play hybrid online and in person. I am the GM and I bought a portable 15in touchscreen for about 50 quid that I carry with my laptop. I project the VTT (dndbeyond maps) onto the touchscreen for the people that are with me in person, and the people that play online play on their own screens. That way the people that play with me in person can move their tokens and so can those remotely. Everyone remote uses dndbeyond character sheets so their rolls are seen in the log and screen, and locally it's a choice of online on your mobile app or using phyisical dice. If a remote player ever wanted physical rolls I would not mind (I trust them) but it's really cool to see their dice on the table for those in person.
I'm mostly on vtt nowadays. I used to play in person half the time. I would print out your maps on my color printer and tape them together for the table.
I DM three campaigns and play in two, and how we play adapts to the practical needs and personal preferences of each table. - One plays in person with digital maps on a TV built into the DM's table and D&D Beyond for PC management. - One is entirely in person with paper and pencil. I've been printing maps out on a colour plotter to keep it in scale, or spread out over smaller printer paper and taping them together. - The other three are mostly remote (we meet in person when we can) and use Owlbear Rodeo for sharing maps online, printed paper when in person, and D&D Beyond for Character Sheets amd Encounter tracking.
Online with a VTT for character sheets, rolls, and scene flavor images / region maps plus Discord with NoteCat for conversation and transcription.
im in two very different groups right now … one is playing online with a VTT and digital sheets / notes … the other is hybrid combining in person meeting and playing through Discord (for voice chat) with also a combination of digital and printed character sheets / notes
I'd put myself in aspirationally would want a VTT projected onto a table. And while it's my preference to run some games remotely, I have found my players demand in person games. The pandemic has made them sick of online play
Online VTT + Discord audio, specifically DDB's VTT. Too many players struggled with the more robust VTTs (tech literacy issues, mostly, to be honest). DDB's is less powerful, but directly integrated, and works out better for my groups.
The game I run is in person that I have projections for on a whiteboard for battlemaps the players can interact with. Games run by my friend are over Zoom that have shared screen battlemaps that are manipulated by him.
While the game I run is online with a VTT and discord for voice, the game I play in is in person and pen n paper. The dm projects his vtt onto a big screen
All of the above…. But mostly vtt for maps, token movement, help with immersion and etc. Vtt used most of time is Roll20 for it’s simplicity and features
We are geographically dispersed now so vtt is the only real option. I run two campaigns this way.
I run two games: one is online using Discord and a VTT, the other is in person, with a mix between physical maps and digital maps on a tabletop display (which one I use depends on what maps are available and also just my mood 😊).
My main group, purely on Foundry for distance sake (have two players outside the US in the campaign) My second casual group is in-person, but using a VTT for dungeon crawl sakes (DOTMM is hard to draw accurately without spending 15 minutes erasing and drawing new rooms)
Arkenforge VTT with touchscreen to track miniatures movement, fog of war, etc.
Sad to see how few play in person; I'm so privileged
We sell digital products, so it makes sense that most our users would be playing digitally. I think if we ran this poll after selling physical versions of the maps it would skew things differently.
Most of my groups use their choice of physical character sheets or digital ones/vtts. I do occasionally use roll20 on discord to help another player join in on a session
Everybody brings a laptop or tablet and uses digital character sheets. (DND beyond) As the GM I project the map onto a 50" tv built into the table VTT maps.
I have three groups. One is an in-person group that I'm going to start using a digital map on the table for. Second group is all online and we play on a VTT. Third group is play-by-post on Discord.
I run a 4-5 games a week in a variety of different situations. Most of the games are run with a TV and/or extra monitor to display art for scenes, NPCs, and sometimes maps. I mostly run theater of the mind tho, so maps are a rarity. The displays are mainly used for scene and NPC art. When I do virtual games we use Owlbear VTT for maps if that is what the players prefer.
Wow. In person is 5%.
It's 32%. And tbh the ratio may be skewed bc the people likely to buy maps from Czepeku are more likely to be using VTTs because otherwise you'd have to print them out or project them, both of which are expensive choices.
I run 4 weekly games online with a VTT and 2 weekly games in person with no digital devices used except occasionally to look up a rule or other useful data.
6 games a week must be exhausting! Are you doing it professionally?
I bring a tv to every session and lay it on the table for battle maps, otherwise character sheets are on phones and physical and we play with 3d printed minis
Vast majority of our play across several campaigns/groups is in online VTT (historically Roll20, currently Foundry), but for one campaign with monthly sessions we do one session every 3 months in person, we still use the VTT and everyone has a laptop during those session too.
I have two groups I DM for. One is long-distance using Roll20. The other, I overlay a 1-inch grid and print out the maps for the group and accessorize with terrain pieces.
Note. We have sheets of 24"x36" sheets of acrylic so printed maps or really any flat maps are not an issue. Usually a single sheet over whatever map works fine.
We play my main game online, but I do loads of home games with that are almost fully unplugged (music and ambience are played through phone).
Adding in here that we use a projector projected onto a physical, blank battlemap with a grid so that we can still add physical minis and set pieces to have that classic TTRPG experience with some modern upgrades
90% of the time we play online with a VTT and use discord/zoom for audio. When we play in person, one player usually has a digital character sheet but everyone else, me included, is pen and paper :)
This is the same for the last 5 campaigns I have played in over the last 5 years.
We have a hybrid. For large-scale dungeons, we will all be in person and use a vtt. This helps with things like line of sight and not revealing the entire dungeon at the same time. But then when we have encounters that can fit on a typical board then we'll use physical Minis and a physical board
I'm GMing two campaigns and in two more; three are online VTTs with Discord for out of character talk, one is in person with a VTT projected onto a TV board.
I have played all of these depending on the table and distance between us. Currently in two games, one using VTT and the other in person without digital (though former players have used digital sheets).
Same.
