New to all this and overwhelmed. Please, help.

Friends, first of all I don't know if I am posting this in the right place. I apologize if I'm not. I just joined the site. I tried to set up a test game to see how it works. First, since I'm doing this on my phone, I couldn't launch it from the browser with a free account. Not to worry, I downloaded the App. However, all the App seems to give me is either launching my game or joining an existing one, so I'm having to use the browser again to write on this forum. But my question is this: how do I go about creating my own maps? Do I have to purchase something or is there a way to create them myself from scratch? There are other aspects of the platform I haven't had to deal with yet, like how players will create their character, but I guess I will first check the FAQ for that. This being said, any advice is welcome. Thanks.

Hi Christophe, You are running into a lot of limitations, for sure. Roll20 is not supported on phones, for one thing, and the interface would be very difficult to use, even if you can get it to work. Table on Tablet (using the full Roll20 interface on a mobile device) is a subscriber perk at any rate. The App is not designed to run the Roll20 interface. It is designed to give you access to dice, character sheets and handouts, as a sort of player aid. It also does not generally work on Apple devices, if that is what you are using. If you have a map graphic, you can upload your own, or something you have found with a google image search. No purchase necessary. If you would like a wide selection of maps tailored for roll20, or modules and adventures that have maps and tokens ready to go, the Roll20 Marketplace has plenty to offer. Let me know if you have any more questions, or more elaboration on my answers.

Roll20 isn't too friendly to use only on phone. The app is only for paying subscribers, and IIRC doesn't contain all Roll20 features but is meant as a support tool. Some have made Roll20 work on the phone by setting the browser to "desktop mode", but the browser variant isn't officially supported on phone, so your mileage may vary.

Thank you both, keithcurtis and Andreas J. for your replies and the clarification on the App use. Keith, you mention that one can upload a map graphic or image. When I set up my test game, I don't remember seeing an option for that. Where do I go to do that? Thanks.

You can upload any graphic by dragging it to the map area of an open game or using the upload button in your art library. The videos below can give you a good overview of the interface and procedures. Roll20 Crash Course Starting from Scratch Linking tokens

Thank you, keithcurtis, for the clarification and the links. I will check them out. Thanks again.

One last question, keithcurtis. I haven't watch those videos yet, but the thought occurs to me. If, as a GM, I am definitely better off using a desktop/laptop with a free account in order to get everything to the players in the easiest way, can players themselves play a game I run from just their mobile or tablet's browser or App? Looking at the App, it seems to provide enough for a player to be able to play, but I thought I'd better ask. Thanks.

The app is more intended to be an aid to folks who are using the site in a physical tabletop environment (using the VTT as a map and token tool, and players using the app like paper sheets), or for people who don't want to clutter their on-screen interface with those elements. For table on tablet (running the interface on a tablet) to work for players, I believe the creator of the game must have the appropriate subscription level. The baseline expectation for remote play is for all players to have a lap/desktop machine. 

With mobile browsers (table on tablet which is a paid subscription feature) for the game room, I've noticed that anything under 7 inches does not display the User Interface properly. Somethings overlap or has a very small sliver of screen space when reduce to that size or smaller. I've used a phone (5 1/2 screen), a couple tablets (7 inch and a 11 inch), various laptops (11, 13, 15, and a 17 inch screen), and a few desktops (17 and a dual 23 inch monitors) over the years. The game's creator is the only one that needs to be a paid subscriber for everyone else to use mobile devices but the weaker the device, the worse the device's performance as extra features are enabled and used.

Thanks everyone. That really helps.

The app is really made for situations where Everyone is in the same room IRL. The DM is showing the Roll20 map on a big screen TV.  The players each have the phone app, at their table seat. The players can use the App for interacting with the chat-text, dice roller, macros (buttons you can set up to roll abilities). The app is basically a hand-held connection to Roll20's dice roller, mainly.  In the usual, remote, online-roll20 situation (everyone is at their own house), it's by-far better for everyone to use a Laptop or Desktop computer, maybe a tablet (some issues), not a phone (insufficient for full map and full-feature gameplay).

Thanks for the clarification, Gold. The truth is, I'm old school, I have been playing since the 80s and when I play IRL, we don't use electronics. I am on Roll20 today because I had just started a pen and paper RPG club in my little town when the Coronavirus hit. I'm just trying to offer the youths in my club another way to continue playing. But when we're playing IRL, I make a point of bringing to them the purely pen and paper experience. There's nothing wrong with electronics, but the immensely rewarding experience of social Tabletop Rpgs as opposed to playing a game on your own on a game console or a computer is a revelation to all of them (all of them, except for one, are new to this), and in this day and age when youngsters can't seem to operate without an electronic device as if it were an essential extra limb, the purely traditional pen and paper experience adds to the reward as it shows them that one can have just as much fun, if not more, if one leaves phones and computer behind and relies exclusively on pen, paper, dice, and social fun. As the club founder, I can tell you that this argument also has a lot of weight with the parents in accepting and supporting our club, and with the local council that was good enough to give us a 1000 Euros grant to buy games and accessories to get the club started. Still, we now have no choice but to switch to VTT or suspend play altogether for the coming months. This being said, Roll20 looks like a great platform and I am going to spend the next little while getting familiar enough with it to be able to resume gaming with my club members.

I agree with all that, mate. Awesome work. I'm not recommending adding Roll20 Big Screen TV and handheld app devices to everyone at your table. I'm just letting you know that's what it was designed for. A subset of users does that. For groups where that works for them. Roll20 just-plain-default, free and vanilla, is & does everything that a face-to-face tabletop can do that could possibly be moved on-screen. You, your face, your voice, your players, the dice, a page that everyone can draw on. That's enough to play the basics of any RPG right there without even setting up or buying modules.