Playing online with Discord

[Starbeard]

Mar 19, 2020 7:21:23 GMT -6 aldarron said:

Mar 17, 2020 16:47:09 GMT -6 verhaden said:

Maybe deserving a second thread, but ODD74 Con would be interesting itself. I'd much rather drive to Indiana, Michigan, or Pennsylvania than Wisconsin.

is an intriguing idea. The situation with conventions is typically that there aren't many options specifically for OD&D and kin.

A centralish location is a good idea too. Like maybe West Virginia - several ski resorts there are hungry for summer bookings (like Winterplace) or there's always Seven Springs in SW PA, but that would be a bit harder to book. Just puttin' it out there....

Mar 17, 2020 22:07:13 GMT -6 Vile Traveller said:

ODD74 Virtual Con would be interesting.

Mar 19, 2020 8:18:47 GMT -6 chicagowiz said:

I would be up for a Virtual OD&D Con! I'd love to roll dice with y'all!

Sticking with a virtual con here since I figure that's the easier road for now.

So what would a ODD74 Online Con look like? Hosted at one place, or spread across the webs? Single day, or across a stretch of time? Who would run games, and how would we book players? Would the games be independent, would they be showcases for each DM's home game, or would they feed into a multi-DM world (as in this thread: odd74.proboards.com/thread/12526/gentlemen-idea)?

Personally I like the sleeping idea of using an "Official" ODD74 Discord server, which could then serve as a hub for both live and asynchronous chatting and open gaming, plus audio rooms for the scheduled games. Make it a week long or more, with games scheduled here and there so that nobody has to block out their lives to participate. Even if we get only five games scheduled and nobody signs up but us, I think that would be a success, don't you?

[Deleted]

I'm not opposed to the idea, and I'm sure many of our staff would be willing to help out - but at a later point.

On a philosophical note, there's that famous tale about a prince called Prospero who had that big party while his country was suffering from an epidemic; as we all know, it turned out that created pretty bad karma for him. But on a practical and on a very serious note, the very sad reality is that we're still at the beginning of a situation none of us fully understand, and that things are very much looking like they're going to get worse before they get better. Let's focus first on making sure that our families and our communities are safe - and, frankly, that we ourselves are, as well. Then, after things have hopefully balanced out, when we know how long the present situation is going to last, we can maybe start talking about whether a bigger online get-together might make sense.


That said, all of you are very welcome to hang out at the old Discord server we created for OD&D'74 a few years back: discord.gg/W2DXp82 - That's perhaps not quite a "convention" yet, but perhaps it helps in this age of necessary social distancing.

[Starbeard]

Of course, it would have to be much later. Even under normal circumstances it would be months or over a year in the making, and paradoxically most everyone at the moment has less free time for hobbies than they would usually have.

I completely understand your fear of the site being seen as making a tone deaf move, but also with all due respect (and I really don't mean that facetiously), I think you might be hammering the wrong nail here, or at least have misinterpreted the intent of my own. This is really no more than a conceptual exercise, because such exercises are the normal behavior of this hobby and this forum in particular, and it is through normal behavior within our treasured social spaces that we make ourselves "safe" at a basic human level. That's not a very elegant way of putting it, but I think you understand what I mean since you also continue to come here so that you can chat about fantasy and this community. I don't think anyone whose opinion matters would feel that you are pulling a Boccaccio and doing so at the expense of your moral health.

But you make a good point: current events are clearly making everyone jittery to play for a number of reasons we all understand; and if recent posts here are anything to go by, they are waxing a sense of appreciation for the gaming community at large and this community in particular, and a desire to lend each other emotional support in thanks of that—and maybe even a vague melancholy for not having appreciated these fraternal instincts or acted upon them enough in the past. Going further, most of us are old and less than healthy, and are the people the Young Person's Internet says we need to try harder to remember right now.

If it's the case that people want to see something actually happen and soon, then perhaps the way forward is to do just as you suggest: encourage everyone to hop onto Discord, and simply start arranging games with each other. Many of us have talked for years about playing together online, but have never taken the time to do it.

[Deleted]

Thank you for writing this, and sorry if I sounded a bit like I was lecturing you. Thing is just, I'm not sure what the real-life situation in North America is, but, right now, Europa has it really, really bad. It's not the appropriate time to talk about a (digital) get-together when part of us have to fear for their loved ones, and when members from this community live in countries where crematories have to turn bodies away. It's just not the moment.

That said, I agree with on everything else: First, it's important to keep oneself some sort of "safe spaces" in these supremely troubling times. It's ever harder to take a break from our daily lifes, and, if things really develop into a rather apocalyptic scenario, with a three- to six-month lockdown ahead, then we might as well have some d**n fun with it. Second, the overall idea, to get together at some point, online or in person, is something I very much share: Like, my whole raison d'etre in this community is that I'm friends with a good number of you. So, the general idea of doing something together in a time when boredom and burnout are two real threats to deal with - SURE.

Now, I have no idea how busy I'm going to be in the weeks to come, and I honestly fear for the worst. But you others, by all means, go ahead if you have an idea of how to make people's lives a little lighter during these trying times. In my mind, I'm already mapping out the dungeon that I'll run for you guys if I get the chance.

[tetramorph]

I think we can take the crisis seriously exactly by maintaining the sanity, joy, and social connection that our hobby can give.

For me, seeing other faces, having social times with others, remembering that we can smile and laugh, that helps me a lot. I know it helps my family and friends.

Gaming together seems to me like good therapy and good support of the community when we are stuck at home and can do little else.

I hosted my usual Fri night game last night by Zoom. It felt like a gift I could give to my worried and socially isolated friends. I know it was a gift to me.

In my opinion, this is what hobbies and gaming are for: to maintain sanity.

We are all stuck with a lot of time on our hands at home, unable to help in the usual ways because of social isolation.

Maybe not immediately, but sooner rather than later, I would be for this.

Perhaps we could make it a charity benefit Online Convention. People could be asked to donate with a minimum suggested donation. The accumulated funds would go to some charity we had all collectively determined to be worthy.

My 2 coppers.

Fight on!

[aldarron]

Mar 20, 2020 21:24:44 GMT -6 Starbeard said:

Personally I like the sleeping idea of using an "Official" ODD74 Discord server, which could then serve as a hub for both live and asynchronous chatting and open gaming, plus audio rooms for the scheduled games. Make it a week long or more, with games scheduled here and there so that nobody has to block out their lives to participate. Even if we get only five games scheduled and nobody signs up but us, I think that would be a success, don't you?

Me, I'm not such a fan of online role playing, but I think it makes sense to at least start out that way anyway, and possibly think of a physical location in a year or two if things look promising.

So your suggestion of an ODD discord server (prolly shouldn't tie it exclusively to this forum with the "74") seems good to me. I'm no expert on the ins and outs of Discord but it sounds like you do know your way around there.

As for timing, I think the earliest timeline to give folks the time to plan would be at least 6 months, and a week of gaming seems ambitious - unless maybe it is just evening games and maybe a weekend.

[Starbeard]

Mar 21, 2020 8:01:30 GMT -6 @rafael said:

Thank you for writing this, and sorry if I sounded a bit like I was lecturing you. Thing is just, I'm not sure what the real-life situation in North America is, but, right now, Europa has it really, really bad. It's not the appropriate time to talk about a (digital) get-together when part of us have to fear for their loved ones, and when members from this community live in countries where crematories have to turn bodies away. It's just not the moment.

That said, I agree with on everything else: First, it's important to keep oneself some sort of "safe spaces" in these supremely troubling times. It's ever harder to take a break from our daily lifes, and, if things really develop into a rather apocalyptic scenario, with a three- to six-month lockdown ahead, then we might as well have some d**n fun with it. Second, the overall idea, to get together at some point, online or in person, is something I very much share: Like, my whole raison d'etre in this community is that I'm friends with a good number of you. So, the general idea of doing something together in a time when boredom and burnout are two real threats to deal with - SURE.

Now, I have no idea how busy I'm going to be in the weeks to come, and I honestly fear for the worst. But you others, by all means, go ahead if you have an idea of how to make people's lives a little lighter during these trying times. In my mind, I'm already mapping out the dungeon that I'll run for you guys if I get the chance.

No worries at all, Raf. First of all, I should have started by saying thanks for taking the time to retain a sense of responsibility over here, even when there are much more important matters requiring your attention in the real world. I know your sense of worry at least to some degree, as I lost family and very nearly lost friends to the 2009 flu outbreak. It's hard, and most of the time the only thing you can do is accept that there's nothing you can do.

For everyone else: I'd like to respect Raf's concerns about this. Not only is this his house more than ours (and I do think that carries some weight), but we need to remember that while we're all in this together, we aren't all affected the same way. Some of us are in far greater danger than others, some of us fear for danger far more than others, and so on. I really don't want to get involved in any debates over perception vs reality, or comparisons between this crisis and others, or projections over what will or won't cause society more harm. None of that actually matters here, what matters is that we have valued and hardworking members who fear the worst for those around them, and that should be good enough for us to respect.

So anyway, I've changed the thread title accordingly, and for now I'd appreciate if we limit it to helping people set up Discord to host their games, talking about the Discord server itself, and to make an open invitation that there's a place there for you to game with likeminded grogs if you need it.

I've personally been back on Discord after a long time off, and the ODD server has been Spring Cleaned and marked ready to go. I'll be on fairly frequently I'm sure, so come say hi! And once I have a better handle on my work-at-home schedule this week, I'll think about slotting in a game session and let you all know.

discord.gg/tvu6qR (invitation link valid for 1 day, just bump the thread if you want it again)

PS: and to break my own rule this once, I think something tied to charity in the future, whether virtual or physical, would be an excellent idea.

[countingwizard]

Just saying that I made a fairly accurate copy of the original character sheets using the roll20 custom character sheets. Did this last week for the start of my weekly OD&D game. Posting the code and screenshots below:

My Custom Roll20 Character Sheet



The Original 1976 Character Sheet



HTML Layout

<h2>Dungeons and Dragons Character Record</h2>
<div class="3colrow">
<div class="col">
<label>Name: </label><input type="text" name="attr_name" placeholder="Sir Imin the Gold">
<br />
<label>Class: </label><input type="text" name="attr_class" placeholder="Fighting-man, Cleric, M-U">
<br />
<label>Level: </label><input type="text" name="attr_level" placeholder="1, 2, 3, etc.">
<br />
<label>Alignment: </label><input type="text" name="attr_alignment" placeholder="Law, Neutral, Chaos">
<br />
<label>Strength: </label><input type="text" name="attr_strength" placeholder="3d6 added together">
<br />
<label>Intelligence: </label><input type="text" name="attr_intelligence" placeholder="3d6 added together">
<br />
<label>Wisdom: </label><input type="text" name="attr_wisdom" placeholder="3d6 added together">
<br />
<label>Dexterity: </label><input type="text" name="attr_dexterity" placeholder="3d6 added together">
<br />
<label>Constitution: </label><input type="text" name="attr_constitution" placeholder="3d6 added together">
<br />
<label>Charisma: </label><input type="text" name="attr_charisma" placeholder="3d6 added together">
</div>
<div class="col">
<label>Race: </label><input type="text" name="attr_race" placeholder="Human, Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit">
<br />
<h3>Armor Class</h3><textarea class="sheet-smallbox" type="text" name="attr_armorclass" placeholder="9, 8, 7 (lower is better)"></textarea>
<br />
<h3>Experience</h3><textarea class="sheet-smallbox" type="text" name="attr_experience" placeholder="Current XP"></textarea>
<br />
<h3>Next Level</h3><textarea class="sheet-smallbox" type="text" name="attr_nextlevel" placeholder="XP Threshold to Reach Next Level"></textarea>
<br />
<h3>Hit Points</h3><textarea class="sheet-smallbox" type="text" name="attr_hitpoints" placeholder="Max HP (Current HP)"></textarea>
</div>
<div class="col">
<h3>Treasure</h3>
<textarea class="sheet-fullbox" name="attr_treasure" placeholder="Carried Treasures. List container (ex: Small Bag of 200gp, Worn Jewelry 500gp, etc.)"></textarea>
</div>
</div>

<div class="col">
<label>Languages: </label><input class="sheet-longbox" type="text" name="attr_languages" placeholder="Common, Elvish, etc.">
</div>

<div class="3colrow">
<div class="col">
<h3>Equipment</h3>
<textarea class="sheet-halfbox" name="attr_equipment" id="halfbox" placeholder="Arms and Armor"></textarea><textarea class="sheet-halfbox" name="attr_misc" placeholder="Misc Equipment (non-magical)"></textarea>
<br />
<textarea class="sheet-bottombox" name="attr_weight" placeholder="Reserved for Referee Use"></textarea>
<hr />
</div>
<div class="col">
<h3>Spells/Abilities</h3>
<textarea class="sheet-fullestbox" name="attr_spells" placeholder="Memorized Spells, and special abilities"></textarea>
<hr />
</div>
<div class="col">
<h3>Magic Items</h3>
<textarea class="sheet-fullestbox" name="attr_magicitems" placeholder="Any magical items"></textarea>
</div>

CSS Styling

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lora&family=Open+Sans&display=swap');

/* Set the min-width so that when the window is resized the look will stay consistant */

.charsheet {
background-color: #ffca00;
min-width: 800px;
}

/* Universal styling applied to all elements of these types */

h2 {
text-align: center;
font-family: 'Lora', serif;
}

label {
display: inline-block;
width: 90px;
font-family: 'Lora', serif;
}

input {
display: inline-block;
background-color: #ffca00;
color: black;
border: none;
outline: none;
border-bottom: 1px dashed black;
width: 150px;
font-family: 'Open Sans', serif;
}

input.sheet-longbox {
width: 730px;
}

textarea {
resize: vertical;
background-color: #ffca00;
color: black;
border: none;
outline: none;
border-bottom: 1px dashed black;
width: 150px;
font-family: 'Open Sans';
}

textarea.sheet-fullbox {
width: 240px;
height: 275px;
}

textarea.sheet-fullestbox {
width: 240px;
height: 299px;
}

textarea.sheet-halfbox {
width: 115px;
height: 180px;
}

textarea.sheet-smallbox {
width: 240px;
height: 22px;
text-align: Center;
}

textarea.sheet-bottombox {
width: 240px;
height: 95px;
}

/* Targetted styling that only effects elements contained within the stated class */
h3 {
text-align: Center;
font-family: 'Lora', serif;
}

[Starbeard]

Thanks, mate! This is a godsend. The B/X sheet is alright in a pinch, but not ideal. I will try this out asap.

[countingwizard]

Yeah. I asked my brother who is an actual web-developer if there was a layout program that can make forms easy like this or convert pdf forms, and the answer was no. You have to do it on your own by hand. Like back in 2001. So that is what I did.

[hamurai]

Is it possible to make it publicly available? I don't have a Pro account so the code alone won't get me that nice sheet :/

[countingwizard]

I do not believe it is possible. We could try by making me a DM of your campaign and maybe it will let me modify/update it with the new character sheet.

[hamurai]

Ah, I see. I thought it'd be possible to make them available just like the rest of the character sheets on Roll20.

Nevermind, I've got a pal with a pro account, he's our DM in our online group anyway

Thanks for the work!

[hamurai]

We tried it and it works like a charm

I guess Wednesday we'll be playing OD&D!

[muddy]

Two questions about Discord 1) could someone use an iphone to play? 2) assuming I don't need much except video and voice, is Discord (which I am not familiar with) that superior to Google Hangouts? (which I am a little familiar with)

thanks in advance

[Deleted]

Hey, guys!

Just a bit busy, these days, but wanted to leave this hear:

I FULLY SUPPORT Starbeard and and you others with this endeavor.

As to Discord - it's an app suitable for every mobile platform, and for every desktop computer. That's the main reason why everyone in the know is so strongly advocating it; it has some technical limits, but overall it's by far the best for this. A standard for everyday communication, comparable to WhatsApp in how balanced and developed it is.

As to a date for a Discord get-together: As aldarron has said, probably six months from now might be a good spot. Probably around what havard calls "Dave Arneson Day".

As to a real-life get-together: That's for you guys to decide. I'll be visiting the US either in 2022 or in 2023, and I'll sure be trying to do something on the forum's behalf, then - but, really, in the meantime, even if we already discount all of 2020, it would be nice if people got together, somehow. If the original Comeback Inn, the place that the first D&D tavern was named after, is still around, then that would be a place to visit, perhaps. Now, I'd also recommend Boston's Green Dragon, but I guess the name of the Greyhawk tavern is more rooted in Tolkien than in an actual place...

[tkdco2]

I just joined Discord today. We'll probably use it in conjunction with Tabletop Simulator, since I'm in the middle of running a MERP game.

[countingwizard]

I will say, that roll20 is absolutely NOT built for mobile platforms. You will need a larger screen than a phone for roll20 and similar applications.

[tkdco2]

Mar 25, 2020 9:08:52 GMT -6 countingwizard said:

I will say, that roll20 is absolutely NOT built for mobile platforms. You will need a larger screen than a phone for roll20 and similar applications.

I wouldn't be able to play any game with my phone in any case. My bad eyesight and clumsy fingers require a large screen and keyboard. Small wonder I hate text messaging.

[aldarron]

Mar 22, 2020 10:45:50 GMT -6 countingwizard said:

Just saying that I made a fairly accurate copy ....

Lemme just say that's pretty dang cool. I don't have the skill, but I would love to see someone take a stab at making Tsojconth style sheets on Roll 20. For those not aware, the Caverns of Tsojconth is more or less Gygax's first published module, made for Wintercon 5 in 1976.

There are no character sheets in it per se, but there are half a dozen pre-gen character handouts in the same format - so basically filled out character sheets. I've always liked the way it was layed out. Here is a pic.

[countingwizard]

Mar 25, 2020 17:16:54 GMT -6 aldarron said:

Mar 22, 2020 10:45:50 GMT -6 countingwizard said:

Just saying that I made a fairly accurate copy ....

Lemme just say that's pretty dang cool. I don't have the skill, but I would love to see someone take a stab at making Tsojconth style sheets on Roll 20. For those not aware, the Caverns of Tsojconth is more or less Gygax's first published module, made for Wintercon 5 in 1976.

There are no character sheets in it per se, but there are half a dozen pre-gen character handouts in the same format - so basically filled out character sheets. I've always liked the way it was layed out. Here is a pic.

Image not showing. Use imgur or something.

[Zenopus]

I can see it, both in the original post and in the quotes. Here is a link to the image.

I dig those character sheets as well. They are part of the era where Gygax was indicating that character sheets should note where each piece of equipment is worn or held. He did the same in the Encumbrance example he added to Holmes Basic, and in the Encumbrance section added to later printings of the DMG.

[Starbeard]

Interesting notes. I also just noticed for the first time that the ability scores on the 1976 sheets go Dex-Con-Cha, rather than Con-Dex-Cha.

[Zenopus]

Good spot, it's that way on the earlier 1975 version as well: www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/character.html

So someone at TSR thought of reversing them, even way before AD&D. (Holmes still follows the original order).

[rredmond]

I’m guessing you have to be signed onto Google to see the pics. Even the link doesn’t come up for me on my stupid apple phone. Ugh. I’ll see them on the computer I’m sure. Sounds real interesting!

[countingwizard]

Mar 26, 2020 5:02:20 GMT -6 rredmond said:

I’m guessing you have to be signed onto Google to see the pics. Even the link doesn’t come up for me on my stupid apple phone. Ugh. I’ll see them on the computer I’m sure. Sounds real interesting!

Work filter. Signed in through a vpn that is blocking it. No indication that was what was going on in the original link, but that separate link shows up as blocked for me. I google searched and I think I found the same image. Might be a little more complicated to make due to the ambiguity of some of the fields. Roll 20 also isn't very friendly if you exceed the standard width.

[tkdco2]

Mar 26, 2020 5:02:20 GMT -6 rredmond said:

I’m guessing you have to be signed onto Google to see the pics. Even the link doesn’t come up for me on my stupid apple phone. Ugh. I’ll see them on the computer I’m sure. Sounds real interesting!

I can't see the image. I am using my laptop, and I'm signed on to Google. The link doesn't work for me either.

Last night I heard sounds that seemed to come from a sportscast and some random people. I suspect it came from Discord, although I thought I had turned it off. Has anyone else had this issue?

[Starbeard]

I believe I've got a pbp game ready to play on the Discord! I'll be checking in to update every day (or as quickly as players respond, if that's less). I am wholly open to arranging live games too, either as text chat or voice/video.

Here's the premise:

1. OD&D, humans only, no clerics or thieves (but MUs get cleric spells). For now, at least.
2. Open table: come play if you like, for as long as you like. We'll toss your PC into the party right away with little or no heed paid to continuity.
3. I like campaign time, so most dungeons will be tiny, and most downtime will be spent in weeks rather than days. Character stables are welcome.
4. The Jewelled Planet is a very tiny flatworld with 3 layers: a waterworld of many tiny islands on the surface, a sky full of floating islands above (airships!) and below the sear are tunnels of course.
5. To whet the imagination's appetite, anyone who manages to procure an airship of sufficient quality may sail straight into the stars to explore other tiny worlds, Traveller style (if that's your bag).
6. I'm making my own mini-dungeons and towns, but may also use published towns and dungeons—but only ones I can run on the fly without reading ahead of time (for example, I'm 95% certain that I'll just plop geoffrey's Mikes Dungeon somewhere near town).

Let me know if you're interested!
discord.gg/428PHb

[Deleted]

As some of you might know already, I've been running an online game on Discord for about nine months now, as well. While we can't take any more players, at the moment, I can probably hlep out as well, should you have any questions.

If we - or, rather, *you* - decide to do a real-time get-together via Discord, at some point, I'm willing to run a "table" for you, if you like, and if it's doable within my own schedule. Expect some D&D archeology from my side, then. (Looking at you, "Lair of the Demon Queen". )

[chicagowiz]

Well, let me throw something out there to get the OD&D74 Proboard Virtual games rolling.

I'll run a one-shot OD&D dungeon crawl on Saturday, April 11th at 10am Central US Daylight Time. (UTC -6).

Details:

• I'll start us in B1 - In Search of the Unknown - but with my twists and turns. A town nearby will be available!
• Rules? 1974 OD&D/S&W Whitebox! No supplements, no add-ons!
• I'll host it through my Zoom account, and on Roll20. Right now, I don't have a Pro account, so we'll track charsheets through a shared Google Sheets format that I've shamelessly stolen from Gauntlet-Con.
  
• As long as I get two people to sign up, I'll run it... you'll just have multiple characters!

If everyone has a good time, who knows, maybe we'll make this a recurring thing?