Rookie Module use

Disclaimer:  Total rookie at Roll20.  I saw some posts that modules purchased might require the game to be setup anyway?  I am moving from in person in the middle of Descent to Avernus and would really like to seamlessly have everything prebuilt.  There is a module on the marketplace for this but if I have to go and build everything anyway, wondering why I would.  

Hi Scott M.,  Could you cite those posts? I am not familiar with such statements.  I have been running Descent into Avernus, it is prebuilt like all Modules.  Of course, it doesn't cover all situations, so sometimes there is work to do. But that is the case with all modules.  Example: a random encounter could still require work to set up. 

My guess is that those are referring to the meta things like adding players, and assigning those players to tokens and helping them create characters.  Using a Module on Roll20 is pretty easy.  Here's the basic steps: Create a new game, selecting the Module you want to use as the base. Get familiar with the module and tweak/add things Add your players to the game (either by their Roll20 account, or by sending them the join link) Create/assign characters to your players Play the game!

There is more GM prep than module prep. Certain things may be a bit odd in the setup version. I have only purchased/run one module and certain key NPCs were missing and  some map features were either wrong or a bit wonky. I would advise you to go through the whole module with some attention to detail as you do. You will not be surprised by nearly as much if you do so. The module I did run was a very early conversion and the developers may not have gotten their stride by then, but the advice still holds, as it is from the dark days of the Imperial Gygaxian Rule.

In general, if it is an offical Roll20 conversion of a module, great care has been taken to include everything from the print version. Sometimes the print version does not include a map of an area, or vaguely indicate that an encounter might take place in an undescribed location.  Example, module writers do not write things with a VTT in mind, and might have an encounter that takes place at an inn, but no inn map is provided in the book.  In those cases, Roll20 typically provides one or more generic maps: a pre-built page with a background texture upon which things can be drawn or placed ad hoc. If an NPC is mentioned but there is no art, a text token is usually provided. If there is no stat block, a generic token is provided. Every illustration is included either in the compendium, the adventure handouts, and/or image handouts. Great care goes into making the game require as little prep as possible. As both Aaron and Al have said, though, time spent beforehand familiarizing yourself with where those piece are and how they are used together is invaluable. Roll20 does a lot of cross-linking to facilitate finding things.

The older modules were made for print, so there's less assets for those on Roll20 because they were converted from print into Roll20, not created for Roll20 (or other VTT). D&D around a table, in person, is a different experience than on a VTT, and requires less work on the DM's part because you can draw the map as you go, plus it's 90% theatre of the mind. When playing on a VTT you don't have that visual part of the inter-player/DM interaction, so it's something the DM will have to put in place, either through battle maps, character images, or just the image of scene, if that's what you want to do. There have been many DM's that use just use the module's resources and don't tweak/add things since while text tokens and blank maps aren't as cool, they're still functional. It's 100% up to you as the DM on how much you want to do. Just do what you feel comfortable with and if you want to add or change anything, there are loads of resources out there to help you with that!

Scott, I sent you a direct message. :)