Thinking of trying to DM but I have a few questions-can someone help

Hope this is the correct place to post.   I am looking to maybe get a game together as a DM, but I had a couple questions that I hope someone can help me out with.  1. I see a lot of posts mentioning discord.  Why do people do that?  Does the audio not work right on roll20?  2a. If you purchase a module from roll20, does it include all of the monster stats and everything you need to run the game, or do you need to get the monster manual separately?  2b. Can you print out the module to have the information in front of you or can you only view it in roll20? 3. Does not having a subscription adversely affect a game you are running or can it be run just fine without one?  Thanks in advance for any help.

1.  Discord:  I think historically, Discord worked a bit better, not sure now.  In addition, it's better for game chat, and it doesn't take up any real estate in the Roll20 frame.  2a.  Purchased Modules:  In my experience, you get about 90% of the published information.  Sometimes you only get names on tokens instead of a graphic representation of the token.  Sometimes you don't get all the maps you would like, and the ones you do get can be a bit clunky.  You will often find that in some encounters you may have to do Theater of the Mind or build the map yourself.   If you are going to DM, I highly suggest you get at least the PHB and MM, but I believe most any monsters referenced in a campaign are included.   2b.  I think you should be able to print out the text, I usually have a D&D Beyond version as well as I find it easier to reference materials from D&D Beyond on my iPad than the compendium.   3.  The pro version gives you access to world of Mods/API which can significantly improve the DM experience if you are comfortable with a bit of technology and Macros.  

Hi Jeff, Welcome to the world of DMing. To answer your questions, (1) many people use DIscord for voice during and communication outside of the game. My experience is that the prior voice/video in Roll20 was an issue for some of my players years ago.  Roll20 has since made many changes to the voice and video to improve the performance, but I have stuck with DIscord since it is easier to capture the audio from that platform, it provides a place for easy Q&A before the campaign/game begins, and it is a lot easier to manage messaging than on the Roll20 game discussion forum.  It comes down to a matter of preference. (2a) You get all the same information which is contained within the printed module.  Maps come set up already on separate pages, any artwork from the module is available in handouts to show to the players.  Many times, the tokens which come with the module are generic tokens with just the name of the NPC or monster and this is limited by what the publisher allows to be brought into Roll20 along with the printed material and artwork.  In the case of non-WOTC modules, the artwork for monsters may be included if the publisher or party adapting the module for Roll20 wants to pay an artist to create new artwork. (2b) The adventures/modules are really set up to be used in Roll20 and would be time consuming to assemble and print out for reference outside of Roll20. There are some 3rd party modules which have .pdfs of the adventure included with the Roll20 version, but they are a minority of what is available. (3) You can run a game just fine without a subscription.  The subscription services do allow for features which make it easier to run a game, but it is not a requirement. I hope this answers your questions sufficiently.  Feel free to ask more to help clarify things or become more comfortable with the platform.

I run intercontinental games and the Roll20 audio never worked with that so I always used something else, first Google Hangouts and now Discord.  The most useful benefit of a Pro subscription is the Transmogrifier, then the Mod system. The Transmogrifier allows you to use Library games and keep your playable games lean and mean for performance reasons. I have Library games for each ruleset (13A, 13A2e, 13G, TOR2e, etc.,) and setting (Glorantha, Middle Earth, Dragon Empire, etc.,)

These are all fantastic answers. The only thing I would add is the bit about text tokens. In the case of most systems that have a compendium (DnD 5e, PF2, for example), the number of text tokens is usually very low. The print module may not have art for all the monsters, but if those monsters are in the Monster Manual or similar, the copies in the game will usually have the token art and bio information you would get from those books. Text tokens are usually those which don't have any art anywhere.

It is perfectly possible to run games without a subscription and I would say either don't bother with one to start with, you will have enough to learn just learning to GM.  If you enjoy GMing I would say go straight for the Pro option, i did try the Plus for a few months and found it didn't really add that much, where as the Pro adds a lot of extras, all of which then take time to learn. One other thing I will mention regarding Discord, if some of your players are using older machines for Roll20 they might struggle to run Roll2o and video or even just voice chat.  Using Discord for chat means they can use their phones for chatting and their pc for the game.  I've a couple of players with lower end laptops that use this option.

@OP Jeff B. said: Hope this is the correct place to post.   I am looking to maybe get a game together as a DM... I have a question are you new to GMing?  If so, had you considered simply being a Co-GM to a game.  Also, what game system were you thinking of running.  Roll20 handles different game systems with better resources for some over others.  For example, there is MASSIVE internal support for PF2e and Dungeons & Dragons 4th/5th Edition, but almost no internal support for PF1e or 3.x. If you need additional assistance, or perhaps are interested in a Co-GMing situation I'd be happy to run a quick game in any of the systems I know, perhaps as a 1 or 2shot game.  The systems I know and am willing to run would be: PF1e, DnD 3.5, Dark Heresy 1e, or oWoD: Mage, Changeling or a more Story Based Werewolf game (normally werewolf is high combat).  Would also be willing to Co-GM DnD 5th Edition or PF2nd (I dont know the systems well enough to run them personally). Feel free to reach out to me on Discord (TobyFox2002#1527)

The in-house audio is working very well. You can have evrybody change their avatars to clear png if you don't want to see your player's art. I always advise new GMs to steal the high points from published works and rewrite everything yourself. The advantage is, unless you have issues, you will always know what the author was thinking when you are the author. Also keep the early adventures short, but string them together loosely. When you have prepared the East and the party goes West, you can just relocate the stuff you have prepared. There are hundreds of You Tube videos out there and they are mostly laughable. Unless you happen to be Matt Mercer, you will not be Matt Mercer. Own the inevitable mistakes and build as you go along. Screen your players to make sure technical and or language issues will not arise halfway through session 1. Have a session zero and emphasize connections between the characters if you are put strangers together.  Clear PNG:

al e. said: The in-house audio is working very well. You can have evrybody change their avatars to clear png if you don't want to see your player's art. Curious: Why not just set the display to "name only"?

For me, and having a friend recently try to setup a World of Darkness game on roll 20, she uploaded all the text files then dropped a map in and her limit was up. Non sub is 500 MB- I believe and sub is 8 gigs. Its a hundred bucks and yeah thats alot but you've wasted 100 bucks on more dumb shit in the past. The community will be helpful somewhat here on roll 20. The devs won't really do much that is noticeable. You will have technically smart people talk to you on their level and bewilder you into just giving up and then you'll find some that will just wear you out on the forums that are just starving to argue with anyone or anything cause THEIR way is the right way when you're trying to make a case to ask to get somethings fixed. Its a mixed bag on roll20. It will take you a couple weeks to get things going and medicate while you do it. You'll get fed up alot in the beginning. Oh and maps for free membership can't be more than 70 pixels and sub is 140. (i think) You can use sources to make your own maps. I bought Dungeon Draft (30 bucks) and make mine and have a small patron sub to 5 different people for artwork to add to my library on a monthly membership on patron. There are programs like Inkarnate as well. I realise your just asking about things so I thought I would offer something no one touched on. Good luck PS- When you buy something from roll20 does that count against your space limit ?

The Keeper  said: The devs won't really do much that is noticeable.  Not as much in the forums (it's a poor system for creating and tracking tickets), but they do deal with a lot of Help Center Requests and usually manage to push out at least one code update a week, often more. The devs are the 90% of the iceberg. The Keeper  said: You will have technically smart people talk to you on their level and bewilder you into just giving up and then you'll find some that will just wear you out on the forums that are just starving to argue with anyone or anything cause THEIR way is the right way when you're trying to make a case to ask to get somethings fixed. Its a mixed bag on roll20. It will take you a couple weeks to get things going and medicate while you do it. You'll get fed up alot in the beginning. There is a learning curve to Roll20, like everything else. Learning curves are always frustrating on the front end. Fortunately, there are a LOT of people willing and able to help. Many forum questions will be answered by several people, some of whom will mesh with you better. The important thing is if you don't understand something, ask for clarification. If they refer you to a link, it's usually because the question is often asked, and the answer is long. Take your time. You'll get there. The Keeper  said: Oh and maps for free membership can't be more than 70 pixels and sub is 140. (i think) Not sure what that means. A 70 px map would only be one square across at 100%. A map graphic can be as big as the user's subscription upload limit allows. That is currently 10MB/image at the free level, and 20MB/image at the paid tiers. The display size of the map is more or less arbitrary. The Keeper  said: PS- When you buy something from roll20 does that count against your space limit ? Marketplace purchases (including things purchased on One Bookshelf that indicate they are Roll20-ready do not count against your subscription level. Only things you upload from your own computer.

keithcurtis said: al e. said: The in-house audio is working very well. You can have evrybody change their avatars to clear png if you don't want to see your player's art. Curious: Why not just set the display to "name only"? In "names only" mode you do not have access to the control spots (whisper, mute et.).

Hi Jeff, How exciting you're thinking about DM-ing! I love that! 1. I use discord for our voice/video because it gives my players a spot to chat through-out the week. Discord is a great place for my players to plan out how they're going to deal with a situation (or escape it) throughout the week as they can leave messages for each other. . It's also a place they can blow up as much as they want during the game and their characters aren't active in the moment. My players are very interactive people and, for example, when they're engaged in combat, if someone does something amazing - like the fighter runs in wielding his rope trying to lasso an enemy with the barbarian throwing himself at the creature for a grapple, I will often see after the game that discord was spammed with 100 different gifs of crazy wrestling moves and cowboys (and if they fail their rolls, the gifs are usually even funnier). Not only does it allow my players a space but I have channels set up with my handouts for them. I also have a copy of our schedule posted so everyone knows when we are/aren't playing. I also play ambience music through discord and I'll add sound effects on roll20 itself. ------------------------ 2. Purchasing a module should come with everything you need. There will be a detailed breakdown about what you're purchasing on the store page so make sure you check that out before committing to something. 2B. I don't believe you can print modules via roll20 but you can print off the monster stat blocks. My advice would be to get a journal you use to prep and run your games. I personally write out a bullet point check list of how I think the session with go and then loosely follow that as we play so I can keep on track with where I'm at. Of course, players have a tendency to chase butterflies so as long as you've read your module and know your story, you'll be totally fine. If you really want to be able to have something in front of you, my advice would be buy one of the wizards of the coast modules on roll20 and then purchase the corresponding module book so you have a hard copy. Right now the starter set - Dragons of Stormwreck isle is $14.99 on the roll20 store and $20 for the book on Amazon and as a starter set, it'll be a nice chill/easy game to ease you into DM-ing! ------------------------------------------- 3. Absolutely not. You can run a great game as the free edition on roll20! Roll20 has a learning curve, as with most things and honestly, as you're just starting out on your DMing adventure, I wouldn't worry about all the bells and whistles for your first game. I'd play out your first game and get that under your belt and then once you're comfortable with your new role as a DM, adventure out and look at stepping up your DMing game in future games.  -------- Best of luck on your DMing journey and I hope you love it! May the dice odds be ever in your favor!