Using Roll20 Locally?

I am GM'ing a local Savage Worlds game with some friends sitting around the table together and I am trying to figure out the best setup for our group. I really like the idea of using a virtual map rather than buying a bunch of miniatures and printing out scaled map images but I'm not sure what my options are. My first thought was to buy a projector and connect that to my laptop. That presents a problem with mounting the projector however and finding or buying something to project the image on. Since we are not gaming at my house, I don't think they would like my mouting the projector over their dining room table. So then I thought about picking up a used flat panel TV or computer monitor and connecting the laptop to that. I like the idea of building a horizontal frame to set it in so they can use their character miniatures but I don't know if their table is big enough to hold that and still leave enough room for character sheets, dice rolls, Doritos, Mountain Dew cans, etc. There is also the option of just sitting the TV on one end of the table which may work better. And then I thought about Roll20's Android capability. Everyone at the table has an Android tablet but after looking at some Roll20 videos for Android, it looks like it is just the character sheet and there is no actual mapping functionality. Is that right? And if so, is there an Android mapping option in development? And finally, I'm wondering about Fog of War. As the GM with the laptop connected to the projector or second monitor via HDMI, is there a way for me to view the entire map on my laptop without showing it to my players? Does roll20 allow for field of vision for each player or light sources so they reveal the map as they move through the dungeon? Or is my revealing the map manually by selecting specific areas the only option? Edit: I found this link: <a href="https://wiki.roll20.net/Using_Roll20_while_Playin" rel="nofollow">https://wiki.roll20.net/Using_Roll20_while_Playin</a>... on the Roll20 Wiki after making this post. I am currently reading through it.

You will likely find this&nbsp; wiki entry particularly useful :)

Thanks for the link @Ziechael. :) I found this link from @FeltZ showing off his gaming table. It is pretty cool. <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3826953/slug%7D" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3826953/slug%7D</a> I thought there was a way to link forum member names so that when they logged on, it would say that they were mentioned in a post but I have either forgotten how to do that or thinking of another forum that does use the "@" to link names.

You can link to a users name by grabbing their profile address and setting it as a link&nbsp; J.P. But beyond that the only notification system on these forums is when a user follows a particular thread (either manually for the general forums or automatically for private game forums) or when they receive a PM. With regards to your question regarding the tablet app, it is predominantly intended as a 'game aid' rather than a VTT replacement. While you can access through a browser on a tablet and see/do things it is not a patch on the VTT's intended platforms. However tablets etc can be great replacements for hard copy character sheets and other such player side reference materials.

I'm very much a newcomer, but I find Roll20 extremely useful in-person even without using a projector or VTT. At this point I'm just using it for organizing player maps, handouts, and NPC/monster images to display on my TV. Yes, I'm sure I could display everything without it, but it makes it easy to keep everything organized and have it lined up in order or to jump back and forth as needed. You could also use it for initiative tracking, but I use Combat Manager (Pathfinder only, unfortunately) as it already has a monster database. I'm also curious about using Roll20 to display dungeon maps and using it to reveal one section at a time as they explore, but I'm not sure how to do that since we're using a single screen and I'll be logged in as a GM.

The way I use Roll20 for my local game requires a dummy account and at least 2 screens (we use the meeting rooms at work so sometimes we are spoilt with projection facilities). I have my main account and machine for my game management and general DM-ness and a second (free) account logged in as a player on the other screen (both can operate from the same machine). I set up the dummy account as having edit access to all of the players characters so that they can benefit from the shared vision when using Dynamic Lighting (Plus/pro game creator subscription required) otherwise I would simply have to remove Fog of War manually on the DM machine as they progress. I also don't worry about players only seeing what their character can see as I assume that any adventurers who hope to survive would communicate their surroundings to their fellows on a regular basis lol (but there are API scripts, pro subscription required, that can account for that too if desired). The beauty of the player based dummy account is that when I move the player ribbon the second screen updates accordingly, I can also shift+ping on my DM view to focus the players view accordingly too. The turn tracker is also a great feature to have visible on the player view as initiative tracking is possibly the most annoying factor of face to face gaming I find! The only thing to beware when using a dummy player account is that showing a handout etc to 'all players' will result it in opening on the second screen and will require manual closing so regardless of your setup you want to ensure you can interact with the second screen easily enough to avoid blocking everyones view permanently lol.

Thanks for all the replies and insight guys. :) I am considering signing up for a Plus membership subscription but a couple of things need to happen first. 1. My group needs to get the basics of the Savage Worlds game rules down and 2. We need to lock in a regular time for gaming. As it stands, multiple players at the table are shaky on the rules and our next game session was just canceled because "life" stepped in and said "No gaming for you!"

J.P. said: As it stands, multiple players at the table are shaky on the rules and our next game session was just canceled because "life" stepped in and said "No gaming for you!" Ack, that pesky life!!