video conference TFT, for dummies

RobW · 03-21-2020, 04:09 PM

I will check out zoom, thanks!

What’s the rough limit on number of players that reasonably fit on a screen?

Are there custom stands to hold the phone? Or how do you like to do it? Feels like even a melee map would take up a lot of screen space?

TippetsTX · 03-21-2020, 04:31 PM

We're pretty low-tech. I usually hold the phone above the battle mat or find something to prop it up with. I've been trying to return to my old-school gameplay roots and only focus on the 'grid' when absolutely necessary.

Shostak · 03-21-2020, 05:21 PM

Check out Mook's blog post about GMing online.

larsdangly · 03-21-2020, 07:09 PM

Zoom accommodates very large numbers of participants (up to 30 is standard and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes higher). Any gaming group could easily fit.

larsdangly · 03-21-2020, 07:11 PM

My experience doing this with TFT, which is a very visual game, is that it is key to your experience to sort out how you will orient the camera so that it has a good view of the action. I'm not doing this in a really ideal way right now; I really need to get a second, separate camera going. It never occurred to me that I might be able to mirror my phone as a second camera! Can you explain to a techno-dolt how this would work?

TippetsTX · 03-21-2020, 07:35 PM

Again, I went with the simplest approach... the laptop camera connects via one Zoom account (my wife's) and the phone is on another.

MikMod · 03-22-2020, 09:02 AM

Cool thread guys!

How do you manage dice rolls? :/

swampthing · 03-22-2020, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobW

Are there custom stands to hold the phone? Or how do you like to do it?

I found it handy to clip a dashboard phone holder to a microphone boom, but then I happened to already have both those things.

zot · 03-23-2020, 01:51 AM

Here's a Google Slides doc I set up ages ago for remote play -- my post about this was long before the corona virus :). Copy and share it so everyone can edit:

https://docs.google.com/presentation...8258fa4_0_2128

Put counters on it and everyone can move their counter(s) around and see all the movement (just import some images for the counters).

I made page layouts for Melee maps, Wizard maps, and a large megahex grid.

We use https://rolz.org/ for dice rolling. It supports lots of different types of rolls and if you create a login, it'll save shortcuts for you for common rolls (like #3d6 for instance, or #2d6+1).

We use discord for voice.

03-21-2020, 04:09 PM	#1
RobW Join Date: Mar 2018	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies I will check out zoom, thanks! What’s the rough limit on number of players that reasonably fit on a screen? Are there custom stands to hold the phone? Or how do you like to do it? Feels like even a melee map would take up a lot of screen space?

03-21-2020, 07:09 PM	#4
larsdangly Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies Zoom accommodates very large numbers of participants (up to 30 is standard and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes higher). Any gaming group could easily fit.

03-21-2020, 07:11 PM	#5
larsdangly Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies My experience doing this with TFT, which is a very visual game, is that it is key to your experience to sort out how you will orient the camera so that it has a good view of the action. I'm not doing this in a really ideal way right now; I really need to get a second, separate camera going. It never occurred to me that I might be able to mirror my phone as a second camera! Can you explain to a techno-dolt how this would work?

03-21-2020, 07:35 PM	#6
TippetsTX Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: North Texas	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies Again, I went with the simplest approach... the laptop camera connects via one Zoom account (my wife's) and the phone is on another. __________________ “No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.” -Vladimir Taltos

03-22-2020, 09:02 AM	#7
MikMod Join Date: May 2019	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies Cool thread guys! How do you manage dice rolls? :/

03-21-2020, 04:31 PM	#2
TippetsTX Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: North Texas	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies We're pretty low-tech. I usually hold the phone above the battle mat or find something to prop it up with. I've been trying to return to my old-school gameplay roots and only focus on the 'grid' when absolutely necessary. __________________ “No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.” -Vladimir Taltos

03-21-2020, 05:21 PM	#3
Shostak Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: New England	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies Check out Mook's blog post about GMing online.

03-23-2020, 01:51 AM	#9
zot Join Date: May 2018	Re: video conference TFT, for dummies Here's a Google Slides doc I set up ages ago for remote play -- my post about this was long before the corona virus :). Copy and share it so everyone can edit: https://docs.google.com/presentation...8258fa4_0_2128 Put counters on it and everyone can move their counter(s) around and see all the movement (just import some images for the counters). I made page layouts for Melee maps, Wizard maps, and a large megahex grid. We use https://rolz.org/ for dice rolling. It supports lots of different types of rolls and if you create a login, it'll save shortcuts for you for common rolls (like #3d6 for instance, or #2d6+1). We use discord for voice.