Tools for presenting a map to players?

treczoks · November 2019

I made a dungeon map for D&D, and to play it, I printed all the rooms, passages, and caves at a 25mm grid size and cut them out by hand. It was well-received, but it also was a lot of work.

I'm dreaming of a tool where I can take a large bitmap, mark rooms or sections, and reveal them on the fly.

Does something like that exist? Bonus point for running natively on Linux.

Monsen · November 2019

What you are looking for is virtual tabletop software. Personally, I use MapTool for this (Free, java-based, so it should run fine on Linux, and don't require internet or an account somewhere), but Ralf has an entire blog post about these.

You can also do it within CC3+ with some somewhat simple work (Arrange rooms on layers/sheets), and then use simple macros to hide/show these on demand.

taustinoc · November 2019

Yeah, read Ralf's post on VTTs. The quick summary is:

Roll20 is the easiest to use (and best to experiment with to see if you want a VTT)

MapTool is free and the most versatile, but the most difficult to use

Fantasy Grounds has the most official support material, but isn't free.

treczoks · November 2019

Posted By: MonsenYou can also do it within CC3+ with some somewhat simple work (Arrange rooms on layers/sheets), and then use simple macros to hide/show these on demand.

For that, I would need an additional license for my laptop, so I'd prefer a picture-based solution.

Posted By: MonsenPersonally, I useMapToolfor this (Free, java-based, so it should run fine on Linux, and don't require internet or an account somewhere)

Thanks, that looks like something I could use. Seems to have a master/slave system and runs on Java. Which means I can a slave run on a Raspberry Pi connected to the TV and the master on my DMing-Laptop.

treczoks · November 2019

Posted By: taustinocRoll20 is the easiest to use (and best to experiment with to see if you want a VTT)

MapTool is free and the most versatile, but the most difficult to use

Fantasy Grounds has the most official support material, but isn't free.

One has to die one kind of death, but from a quick overview, MapTool looks good.

Thank you!

JMunsonII · November 2019

Fantasy Grounds, Unity version, coming sometime in December, has a lot of great features that are very much worth paying for. That being said, the current version of FG is very good (I have a copy). From what I'm told, it is better than Roll20. You can experiment a little with the free version to get the hang of it before committing to it. The major drawback to the free version is that you can't test host games, but I think otherwise it functions as does the paid/Ultimate. One problem you can run into with that platform is memory, so be careful on resources you load (books, maps, tokens, etc.).

Monsen · November 2019

Posted By: treczoksFor that, I would need an additional license for my laptop

The CC3+ license covers up to three computers (owned by you, kept at the same address) for non-commercial use, so it should cover your laptop unless you already have it at three computers.

Which means I can a slave run on a Raspberry Pi connected to the TV and the master on my DMing-Laptop.

Close to what I am doing. I run a copy in player view on an old netbook connected to my projector as a slave, and control it from my laptop during sessions.

taustinoc · November 2019

Posted By: treczoks
Thanks, that looks like something I could use. Seems to have a master/slave system and runs on Java. Which means I can a slave run on a Raspberry Pi connected to the TV and the master on my DMing-Laptop.

It . . . has been done, but it's . . . challenging, unless you're running a full distro of Linux on it.

However, the support community is very, very helpful (as helpful as folks are here), and very tolerant of "dumb newbie" questions. If (or when) you run into trouble, check out the forums or the Discord channel.

treczoks · November 2019

Posted By: MonsenThe CC3+ license covers up to three computers (owned by you, kept at the same address) for non-commercial use, so it should cover your laptop unless you already have it at three computers.

Now this is seriously good news! I was wondering if I should buy a license for my laptop, but if I take everything into account I'd like to buy on the long run, it would be quite an expensive endeavor.

Posted By: taustinocIt . . . has been done, but it's . . . challenging, unless you're running a full distro of Linux on it.

Full distro is no problem. I usually run the RPis here on Ubuntu Server (except for one). I have a local wiki containing all the rule books, and have a replica of it running on an RPi (it spans a wifi network that can be accessed from the players tablets, which saves a lot of thumbing through their books). For running the mediawiki engine, it was way easier to this on Ubuntu than trying to make it work on Raspian.

taustinoc · November 2019

Posted By: treczoks
Posted By: taustinocIt . . . has been done, but it's . . . challenging, unless you're running a full distro of Linux on it.
Full distro is no problem. I usually run the RPis here on Ubuntu Server (except for one). I have a local wiki containing all the rule books, and have a replica of it running on an RPi (it spans a wifi network that can be accessed from the players tablets, which saves a lot of thumbing through their books). For running the mediawiki engine, it was way easier to this on Ubuntu than trying to make it work on Raspian.

That makes it feasible, at least. If you run the server headless, you might want to check in at the forum (or Discord channel) for tips. I'm not sure if the Linux version includes its own version of Java or not, but I think it does. Not sure what challenges that might present. There is a .jar available, but it requires a specific version of Java to run correctly, and it's not the current version (which doesn't work with the framework they're currently using).

JimP · November 2019

I bought Epic Table, but my players can't decide on when to play. An upgrade to Epic Table is being worked on.

Players don't have to pay anything to use it.

TheIneffableCheese · November 2019

I've been using MapTool for years now - it is a fabulous program for doing exactly what you are looking to do.

As for your set up, I have a laptop with an HDMI out port. I actually run two instances of the program on my laptop - one set up as a server, and the other as a client connected to that server. Then I connect the TV in the living room where we play to the HDMI port on my computer and move the Client instance to the second screen. From there, I manipulate the PC's tokens and monster tokens on the Server instance during the session. It works great, and my laptop isn't a powerhouse. It's an i5 (I think) that's a few years old now and it only has 8 GB of RAM. I've never really had a problem running a session even with vision blocking and light effects turned on.

It's also amazingly flexible with the built in macro language. I have built all sorts of macros that help manage the game (initiative rolls, tracking damage, marking conditions, etc). It's a bit of an investment, but the community documentation and forum support is really approachable and helpful.

Josh.P. · November 2019

I also use MapTools. It's really easy to use if you are just using it for maps. We roll real dice and I manage my game in Realm Works so maps is all MapTools is required for.

I plug the tv into the computer and run the client twice. One as server and the other as client connecting via local ip 127.0.0.1

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Tools for presenting a map to players?

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