A favorite Geek pastime has long since the 80’s been D&D. Tabletop roleplaying games have been bringing adventurers together through all sorts of tough times. But what if those tough times don’t allow for physical social interaction? Time’s like these days for instance. That and the fact that getting a group together regardless of the times is always a hassle.
Luckily for us, technology is on our nerdy sides.
Looking for a Party?
If you don’t have friends (*cough* me), or your friends are all busy, do not worry there are plenty of way you can find yourself some fellow adventurers to join you.
—The subreddit r/lfg
—Roll20.net’s Looking for Group listings
—D&D Beyond’s Looking for Players forum
All these links will link you up to people who are also seeking a party and you guys can set something up, all virtually! DM’s have posted what kind of game they are running and you can see if youre a match for their time and date and storyline.
What Kind of Setup do I Need?
Dungeon Masters will have a preference of where they like to run their games so that will vary and depend on who you play with. You should at the least you should have a decent set of headphones with a microphone, along with accounts set up on Discord or Skype. Many games can run with just headphones and a Discord server with audio and/or video.
Roll20 is a browser-based virtual tabletop that does everything from roll the dice and track whose turn it is in combat. It also has an option to video chat or just use audio built right in.
Character Creation
There are actually quite a few online character sheets that you can choose from. For D&D specifically the best one to use is quite possibly D&D Beyond. The website walks you through creating your character step-by-step with just about all of the information you need to begin your story. Download and print your character sheet or use the comprehensive website to track your progress from your current HP to your level and equipment. If you can’t get out to your friendly local game store, D&D Beyond has every official Dungeons & Dragons book you’ll need to make your adventure complete. You need to purchase them as you need them though.
Ok but HOW do I Game?
Character sheet, check. Dice, check. Chat set up, check. Todd Kenreck and friends from D&D Beyond have some tips for not just playing online, but actually role-playing online, to get the most out of your Dungeons & Dragons game.
