Topic: Questions and your experiences of playing rolemaster online

[Druss_the_Legend]

I play rolemaster online using roll20. This is due to the distance between my players physical locations.
some questions:
1) what has been your experience of online rolemaster/ what platform do you use?
2) what are the biggest challenges for playing online?
3) How regularly do you play?
4) What are the positives of online play?
5) what are the negatives?
6) have you created any game rules or house rules specifically for online play?

[Druss_the_Legend]

1) i use roll20 and have a page of facebook for keeping files for NPCs, maps, recap notes from previous sessions etc. We also use a facebook chat group for in character chat, rumours etc.
2) slow technology, poor sound, ppl losing connection during play *typical tech issues)
3) How regularly do you play?
every 2 weeks on average but usually over a two month time period - so about 10-12 times per year
4) What are the positives of online play?
i enjoy the story crafting between sessions and allow players to post 'in character' comments on our facebook page between sessions which is actually been great for players planning prior to live sessions and gives them a chance to be 'in character' when they post which helps them be more in character when we play live.
5) what are the negatives?
coordinating times to play. i made the mistake of over prepping and allowing players to 'offline' actions for their characters between live sessions which created way too much extra work my end as GM. lesson learned!
6) have you created any game rules or house rules specifically for online play?
(comming soon!)

[jdale]

1) Roll20 (rolling, map) + Zoom (audio, video). Also Obsidian Portal for notes etc.
2) Some players do not focus well remotely. More disruption from kids etc. Discussion is largely forced to be one-to-one and without room for side chatter. Can't use all those figures I collected.
3) Roughly once a month.
4) It's easier to get people to attend. Saves travel time. Safety. Don't have to do any housecleaning.
5) Requires more prep to make/acquire maps etc.
6) No.

[Druss_the_Legend]

1) Roll20 (rolling, map) + Zoom (audio, video). Also Obsidian Portal for notes etc.
2) Some players do not focus well remotely. More disruption from kids etc. Discussion is largely forced to be one-to-one and without room for side chatter. Can't use all those figures I collected.
3) Roughly once a month.
4) It's easier to get people to attend. Saves travel time. Safety. Don't have to do any housecleaning.
5) Requires more prep to make/acquire maps etc.
6) No.

can totally relate to the noise and distraction. One of my past players had his computer set up
In his lounge and his flat mates were loud! Using the mute button is best option here but you do lose some engagement for sure which is imp to the whole experience. Also have a current player who has a crappy computer so always has connection issues and is frequently late to start of sessions because if it.

[Druss_the_Legend]

STORY POINTS. One challenge I face is limited playing time with 3hr sessions. With 4 players it’s hard to advance individual story goals. Iv tried using downtime between sessions for developing character goals but this can easily snowball and become way too much extra work. Iv used offline sessions with a player and messaged him options his character can take and essentially give the character  err some extra activity and gameplay between sessions.

I’m now wanting to formalise and streamline workload for advancing individual character goals by using a new mechanic called Story Points. These are points awarded to players at the end of each live session that can be spent on extra activity between sessions. Players get 1 story point per session they attend. The can be used on goals like finding Npcs, investigating rumours or buying goods or evaluating items etc. minor story goals would cost a single story point and larger story goals would be two or three points. The outcome of any action might not be immediate and might take a number of sessions to be resolved. The chances by success will vary but GM can assign a difficulty or probability and then make a roll for success or failure or just decide it’s automatic success and inform the player in the following session.

[jdale]

We run longer sessions than you (8-9 hours) but still do some between-sessions stuff when appropriate. E.g. if the session ended in a town, they've got time to run around, meet with contacts, seek training, shop, etc. Few of the players take advantage of it but it does help advance the story. We do this regardless of whether the session was in person or remote. I don't put any limit on them aside from available time, but I might feel differently if they were all taking advantage.

[Hurin]

I play rolemaster online using roll20. This is due to the distance between my players physical locations.
some questions:
1) what has been your experience of online rolemaster/ what platform do you use?

Generally positive with Roll20 and Discord for audio (and sometimes video).

2) what are the biggest challenges for playing online?

Roll20 can be a bit buggy/laggy.

3) How regularly do you play?

Every week.

4) What are the positives of online play?

I was able to get some of my group from the 80s back together. I also love the way Roll20 handles lighting, since players can only see what their characters can see (you can't really do that with pen+paper!). Also, you can use more elaborate maps without having to redraw every room.

5) what are the negatives?

Like JDale, I find player engagement is sometimes an issue.

6) have you created any game rules or house rules specifically for online play?

I've had to modify the rules for night vision for online play. It is easier to just give players with nightvision a longer visual radius than to say that they can see things roughly.

[Druss_the_Legend]

thanks for the responses thus far.

Challenges with Player engagement online seems to be a common issue.
maybe we could share some strategies to address this:
1 - recommending each player has a gaming space free of distractions is a start but life tends to get in the way at times with children, lack of suitable quiet space or just players who are very distractable.
2 - rewarding your players for high engagement might be a good place to start. encourage them to make notes about details in your game. offer up XP or tangible rewards in-game for players who can name important details in the adventure. I use Reward Coins for good roleplaying in each session which translate into various benefits for their character like skill ranks or bonus XP awards (i create a table and they roll to see what reward they get at the end of the session - can also be messaged to them in between sessions).
3 - asking ur players what types of adventures/encounters they prefer is also a pretty good way to include stuff in the session you know will spike their interest.
4 - an expectation they will have a go at roleplaying in character can be useful too - even if its brief conversations with an NPC. I try and put in a mix of encounters - roleplaying, combat, puzzles and try to find the right balance for my group. Individual players will like different encounters but being aware of what grabs their interest will help you include elements every now and then.
5 - I encourage my players post on our facebook page/facebook chat 'in' character. This has helps them to flesh out their character between sessions and builds up some in character dialogue as well. It shouldn't take long for them and you get get into character more smoothly for live sessions when you have built up some 'in' character interactions between sessions. You know you have nailed it when your players are conversing in character with each other during live sessions.

[Jengada]

1) Zoom. Players roll for themselves, I roll the DM stuff and run the tables, which is how it's always been. I have a 2nd webcam set up that gives a view of a melee board and figures, so everyone can see that during battles. Whiteboard is very useful, too.
A couple of players are very tech-limited, so we opted not to use Roll20 or OwlbearRodeo
2) Sound and focus. We have an older player who does not hear over any background noise well, and we actually use the transcription option on Zoom to give her a live-feed. It doesn't like fantasy names, though.
Some players do multitask during play, making it a bit slower at times.
3) Every other week, 3 hours.
4) We brought in remote players who couldn't play otherwise. Plus the obvious reduced exposure to health risks. I can also message specific players with info more discretely, which is rare but can be really important. I can drink beer while we play, couldn't do that at our old game shop.
5) Focus and seeing each other face-to-face. Interparty dynamic is a bit broken up.
6) Not really. Closest thing is that for full-party perception rolls, I have to call names one at a time so that I can hear them all.

[Hurin]

Oh, forgot one other benefit: if someone can't make the game, they can often get online and on Zoom and still play from home. We just do a hybrid game where some of us are sitting around the table, with Roll20 Chromecast onto my TV behind them, and the other player(s) online.