Etiquette & Protocol (E&P for short) is an occasional feature where I tackle thorny out-of-character (OOC) manners questions about gaming and game groups. Why? Because, my dear gamer-friends, outrunning/outwitting/outgunning BBEG & Co will be ever so much more fun, if the game table isn’t turned into a soda-bottle and sourcebook mêlée field.
While many gamers have been playing RPGs online for years, the COVID-19 distancing recommendations, bans on gatherings, etc. mean some tabletop gaming groups are looking at going online as an alternative to a hiatus. Other people may decide this is a good time to start a new game, maybe even with new players. This is good, since people still have a need for socializing without risking illness. But not everyone will have online play experience. My husband’s gaming groups are among those going online for now, and he’s asked my advice on various things. So here I am providing those answers, and other tips from my years of playing online with my own group, mostly via Skype and Discord, to the rest of the Gamer Nation, as well.
1) Session Zero, Part Deux? Even if you aren’t starting a new campaign/group, you may want to do this, via conference call or group chat/text. Several of my points below really need a group consensus–what app, who pays for what, how dice rolling is handled. A Session Zero (or more than one) also allows you to test drive the app or website and make sure everyone’s hardware is working well. Some players may need time–and help–learning their way around the app and it’s better if they familiarize themselves with it ahead of time. If a player is having a really hard time, someone can arrange to help them between Sessions Zero and One.
2) The Chosen One. Find a general or gaming chat/VoIP app that works for the group’s main gaming style. If the group, like mine, is good with “mind’s eye” imaging, Discord, probably with a dice bot/roller (more on these below), will be fine. If the group is more like my husband’s Pathfinder group, which uses lots of maps, miniatures, etc., many players might not be satisfied with Discord/Skype type apps. My husband has played in a couple of Discord games this week and he doesn’t like it too much–although better than no gaming. His PF group is better served with a “virtual tabletop” app such as Fantasy Grounds, which is what they settled on.
Remember, if the app you try doesn’t work for you and your friends, try out another one. But don’t buy any paid content until you are sure the group is happy with that app.
3) How many gold pieces? While everyone probably already has internet, data caps aren’t uncommon, with extra charges for going over. (That said, my major ISP is providing unlimited data for all subscribers through May 13.) Some players or GMs might also need to invest in better or more comfortable headsets/earbuds, if they don’t already have them.
A more significant cost can be books, PDFs, and other content. Do all of your players have at least the core book for your system? Does the GM have all the sourcebooks, modules, map PDFs, etc. to run the game (if starting a new system/campaign)? Some sites (D&D Beyond, Roll 20, etc.) offer paid content your group might want. For example, D&D Beyond’s core and sourcebook content–which cost almost as much as physical sourcebooks. If someone in the group has a D&D Beyond Master Tier account, all the content she owns can be viewed by all members of a campaign–but that Tier costs $6/month or $55/year.
So how is all this getting paid for? Some groups, tabletop and online, already split costs for what they consider group expenses. Modules for example. Only the GM needs a copy but all the members enjoy it, so the group feels the cost should be divided equally. If going online will cost some money, discuss this ASAP. But be mindful, and thoughtful. COVID-19 has caused a lot of people to have extra expenses or lose income, so some players might not be able to contribute, or at least not right away.
4) Technical difficulties will happen. With both Skype and Discord we’ve sometimes had sessions where it can be hard to understand one or more players or the call even drops. I strongly suspect it’s high server traffic (possibly coupled with intermittent ISP issues), since we play on Saturday or Friday nights, when many groups play. Especially for Discord, disconnect/reconnect seems to help. But I will be honest, we’ve had a few sessions where we decided to end early and try again next week, because nothing was working well.
Related to this, in many, but not all areas, internet has slowed down, due to the increased number of people worldwide who are working from home and staying home, which means more demand on bandwidth.
5) Dice Rolling. As I mentioned above, many people might prefer a virtual tabletop to Discord or Skype. If the app doesn’t have an integrated dice roller, you can find them online and many have a way to send a results link to the GM or the whole group. My group uses the free D1-C3 FFGSW bot, which can also handle polyhedral dice and six siders. We are also okay with people rolling their own physical dice and posting the results.
(Check out my older E & P that’s all about dice rolling in general here.)
6) Be there or be square. Just as in a tabletop game, you need to tell people when you can’t make it, or are running late. Ideally, everyone should be able to contact every other member, and not only via direct messaging in your game app. What if you can’t log into Fantasy Grounds or your device won’t play nicely with the latest Skype update?
7) Use your words–wisely. It’s much easier to accidentally talk over someone when playing online (unless you are only typing messages, which really doesn’t work well). Why? If you’re only using audio, you can’t see that someone else has started to say something/is still talking or if audio is glitchy you might miss hearing them. Most apps have a way to show who is talking–but you may miss it or there might be a tiny lag. So be extra careful–and apologize if you do interrupt someone.
Conversely, it’s also easy to forget to unmute, or even to accidentally hit Mute. So, if you think no one is letting you get a word in edgewise, you might be on Mute. (In our Discord Nexus channel, it’s common to hear, “Hey So & So, are you muted again?”/”Oh darn! I had such a great description too!”)
8) In space–or the dungeon–everyone can hear you scream. (They can hear my dog bark too, and someone munching chips, and…)
Ask family or housemates politely to keep the noise down.
I know I just warned you about Mute–but if a player has a lot of noise in the background (they’re eating, spouse says something), they should Mute themselves when they aren’t actually saying something in chat.
Also be considerate of those at home with you, especially if they are working remotely or attending an online class at the same time as your game. Use a headset (or earbuds) with mic, not the computer’s or device’s mic and speakers. You may want to game in another room. Try not to talk too loudly. Yes, I know this is hard when you get excited because I do this. But keeping game noise to a bearable level for others is very important right now. We’re all super-stressed from the situation and being stuck at home. Listening to a Dwarf screaming about all the Uruk-hai derrière she’s kicking won’t help.
If you have more online tips to share, or a question about online gaming in general or a specific app or site–please ask in the comments or on Facebook.
Linda Whitson
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