My DM wanted to try running some online sessions through Tabletop Simulator so I gave the program a chance. I downloaded it, for free, through Steam. In the Steam community section, they link to searches for free content for Tabletop Simulator. It took a while to find a good set of online dice that I could right-click and re-color the way I wanted, but I figured it out. I am actually really impressed with the program and I think it works well for people who want to simulate the 3D environment of being around a table and actually moving the minis around a map.
Rolling the dice online is more fun than just clicking a button and generating a random number. The dice towers are fun to use in the online 3D environment. I color-coded my dice so that the d20 were purple, the d12 were blue, the d10 were green, the d8 were yellow, the d6 were orange, and the d4 were red. That made for an easy visual cue when it came to zooming in and out, picking up the vritual dice, and rolling them. In fact, going through that process online made me go through my actual dice and organize a new set the same way, with the same color-coding system, as the online dice.
In the last month, I played two online games of D&D 5E on Tabletop Simulator. The first session was just to test the system and get used to the interface. The DM had me (as a war cleric) and another player (a dwarf fighter) battle some goblins and wolves in a cave. We survived, victorious. For the second session, those two characters joined with two more (a barbarian and a warlock) to fight more goblins and their bugbear leader. Unfortunately, online scheduling issues happened with some of the other players and the DM decided to end the mini-campaign.
Of all the online options for playing D&D, Tabletop Simulator has the most immersive, realistic 3D environment. At first, I saw that as a hindrance, because I thought it was unnecessary - but I actually really enjoyed playing in that environment once I learned how to easily zoom in and out. Even for old school gamers like me, the learning curve should only be a couple of hours.
Other than online scheduling issues though, I enjoyed my first foray into online gaming with Tabletop Simulator. I think I’ll give some of the other online RPG programs a chance and report back again, but I would be happy playing in a weekly game on Tabletop Simulator.
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