Because time is becoming a priority, I am considering trying to learn to use Roll20 to run 5E. Unfortunately, a huge part of the charm of TRPGs for me is standing behind the screen (yes, I stand the whole time) and interacting with players face to face. How well does Roll20 emulate the "presence" aspect of playing and running the game? Is it easy to do stuff on the fly? Basically, can I run D&D on Roll20 basically the same way I run it in person?
There appears to be a million videos of people playing via Roll20, but most are excruciating to watch. Any suggestions on a really good (as in entertaining for observers) videos?
Also, what's the best way to try it out myself -- i.e. where do I go to find a "table" and give it a shot to get the best experience.
Thanks.
Games on Roll20 can be as social as a group in person once you've put together a solid team of players. You're going to lose body language as a means of communication though so everyone's ability to listen and get their points across clearly is key to a successful group.
The pool of players is enormous and you'll want to do some screening and trial runs before you settle on who's going to be in a game. I recommend running one-shots with people, then making a short list of candidates for a continuous game. Once you've done that, invite them and do a Session Zero for a longer game. When you've created a campaign page, you can list it as "Looking for Players" and it will go up in a searchable database of games for which people will sign up. Augment that with a post on the Looking for Group forums and you'll more candidates than you can handle in short order.
It's pretty easy to do stuff on the fly in Roll20 though some preparation can really take the game experience up a notch. I create some visually interesting pages in my spare time, but this is a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have. Character sheets are right in the VTT so players can input their PCs and use the sheet to roll dice macros. This saves time compared to finding, rolling, picking that one die up off the floor, and adding it all together. If you're doing everything TotM, I find it's helpful to just google up some evocative imagery that will be relevant to the session and throw it up on a splash page of sorts, turn on fog of war, and reveal the images at the appropriate time. Character and monster tokens combined with some squares or circles from the draw tool, and some text will help with spatial stuff even if you don't go full grid.
I don't know of any good videos to recommend that I watch on the regular. (The only actual play podcast I listen and heartily to is
Crit Juice and that doesn't use Roll20.) I run even my in-person games with Roll20 and in particular am running a text-only game currently to create
actual play transcripts. The new Games Master in Residence at Roll20 is Adam Koebel of Dungeon World fame and I know he runs a few campaigns using Roll20, so try checking Youtube for that. My impression of most groups using Roll20 on Twitch or Youtube is that the VTT features aren't front and center, so I'm not sure you can learn much about using the interface there. I use a lot of the features in my text game, and I'm fine with lurkers if you want to check it out (Thursday nights at 9:30 pm Eastern).
Your best bet for experiencing a game is being vigilant on the Roll20 LFG listings and forums. Be patient and persistent in signing up for games, making the best case you can for yourself when doing so. You'll be in competition with many other people for the spot. Some DMs are okay with players just observing as well so if you get shut out of a game, ask if you can just observe. And much like groups in person, you'll find some that jive with your approach and others that will make you want to scream and many in between. So if doing this on the regular is going to be your thing, put some time into putting together a solid group to maximize your success.
Good luck!
