This article contains affiliate links. If you’d like to support us, feel free to use these links 🛒 to buy books, dice, or similar products. Thank you 🙂
Playing pen and paper online can be a great alternative when your roleplaying group can’t meet physically. In this article, we’ll show you what you need to have an amazing gaming experience even from a distance.
Tools for Online Pen and Paper Games
There are a number of tools that can help you play pen and paper online:
- First, you need a video conferencing tool like Discord, Skype, or Zoom that can reproduce the feeling of an offline pen and paper session. Although I’ve heard of gaming groups that play pen and paper via chat, this doesn’t seem as social to me as playing via video conference.
- Another useful tool is a Virtual Tabletop that serves as a digital gaming surface. In physical pen and paper sessions, miniatures are often used to visualize what’s happening. Online, you can use images, battle maps, and tokens that are available from providers like Roll20, FoundryVTT, or Tabletop Simulator. Also read our Roll20 tutorial to learn more about this.
- Another useful tool is a dice roller that serves as a replacement for physical dice. With a dice roller, you can roll dice online when someone doesn’t have their dice handy. There’s even a dice roller on Google! Of course, everyone can also roll with their physical dice at home.
- Finally, there are digital character sheets that are available online for various rule systems. For major systems like Dungeons and Dragons, there’s even D&D Beyond.
Advantages of Playing Pen and Paper Online
Playing pen and paper online brings both advantages and disadvantages for players and the Dungeon Master.
- One advantage is that you can still play together regularly, even when you live in different places or can’t meet for other reasons. I myself have two gaming groups with whom I regularly meet online on Discord to play our pen and paper campaigns. Since we all live in different places, it would be impossible for us to play together physically on a regular basis.
- It’s also easier to find a common date for the next session since no one has to travel anymore. The overall time commitment is reduced.
- Plus, it’s cool: The group saves money overall. The Dungeon Master no longer has to buy physical miniatures or expensive pen-and-paper books. Digital resources can also be shared online more easily. Instead of multiple heavy books, you might only need one PDF for everyone.
Disadvantages of Playing Pen and Paper Online
Despite all these advantages, I prefer playing pen and paper together in one room. Here are some disadvantages of playing pen and paper online:
- It’s simply more fun for me to sit at the table with my friends and experience the adventure together. The atmosphere is more real, the immersion is greater, and you can experience your fellow players’ reactions live and have better conversations. Overall, I feel the group is more attentive and focused in person.
- Additionally, “real” pen and paper sessions offer the opportunity to meet people and maintain social contacts. Often, the actual gameplay isn’t the most important thing, but rather being together.
Nevertheless, I can only recommend playing pen and paper online when there’s no other way. Because I can’t do without the nice sessions with my fellow players, despite great distances and packed calendars.
This might also interest you:
