OK - let's face it. If we're going to game at all for the next several months (if not longer) it's going to be using various online platforms.
I'm not a fan of online gaming in general (I like the in person social interaction) but that's not going to stop me from exploring my options for online gaming. Because I would rather game at a distance than not game at all.
I won't be reviewing any of the platforms out there. Others have done so very well. Instead I'm going to talk about the implications of moving a game from table to the ether.
I'm a veteran of conference and video calls for work. Online communication is nothing new to me. So I'll use those experiences as my comparison items here.
One thing that's much more of an issue with online communication is stepping on each other. For those unfamiliar with the term it's when two or more people start talking at the same time. Or one starts slightly later because there's a lag on their end. Then there's a pause. Then it happens again. Eventually it sorts itself out but it breaks up the flow of conversation.
The same thing happens with video. It stutters. It freezes. Someone suddenly can't see it, at the worst possible time.
Think about how your game normally runs. It's smooth enough because people can see when someone else is going to talk or the response time turns it into a snappy back and forth between players. That's not nearly as organic when you're all online. And to me that takes away some of the depth for the game.
Given that I play an older version in a licensed setting my online options are very limited. I can get the OSR but nothing with the setting. So the sites that let you have online character sheets and such just don't work for my game. While doing my research I thought that my best (and only) option was to take away the setting and have the players retool their characters for OSR 3.5.
I was wrong.
We're going to try using Google Hangouts meetings. I'll have a camera on the battle mat and we'll do an audio version of the game. I still need to test this setup but it gives us the complete flexibility that tabletop has without much disruptive technology.
I'm a bit worried because not only am I going to be running the game I'll also be running the battle mat and the meeting. Adding another layer of things to control may make me feel I'm not running a good game. I honestly don't know.
One thing I did realize about this is that I could use cool stuff I had printed but wasn't able to haul around. But then I realized it would probably be in the way of the camera angle. Another thing to test.
I'd love to be able to go to an online platform, have everyone enter their character sheets, and pick up the game with more information at my fingertips. I know that's not how it works.
I may find that I like online gaming and look more into the platforms to run additional games. I'm beginning to accept that I'll have to deal with 5e if I want to do that and have been slowly resigning myself to that sorry fact.
I may find that I really don't like online gaming and count the days until we can feel safe meeting up in person again.
I know there's real problems out there. My feelings about online gaming are trivial. But they're my feelings. This is my game. These are my players. It's my release in a world that's getting more difficult every day. I don't feel bad taking the time to do my research and find ways that we can spend a few hours every other week to set aside the problems we all bear and have fun.
Never feel bad about doing things that will bring a bright spot into an otherwise dark time. It's what makes us human.
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