Five Roll20 Etiquette Tips Video

<a href="https://youtu.be/oWiqpi9vWFM" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/oWiqpi9vWFM</a> Hey everyone! &nbsp;I created this video to share with prospective players at my virtual table. &nbsp;Maybe it will help some of you too!

Very nice

Good tips. I like the name of your series, too.

keithcurtis said: Good tips. I like the name of your series, too. Thanks so much, Keith! &nbsp;Hopefully I’ll have more to come!

As this mostly was about voice-games (and I am a bit surprized that this is the most common style) My take on this is pretty min-max and I either do text-only or full video+audio: I often run text-only games as you comfortably get rid of&nbsp; any problems with bad microphones, surrounding noise and confusion about who is saying what when. The last part is especially important to me&nbsp; -I can ignore bad sound quality, but the game needs to function practically. Text-based games also have the benefit that they can include players with speech impediments, or are introvert, and sometimes it is easier for those from a different language-background to join. Voice gives more immersion into the game though (if not disturbed by any problems), but then I also want to do full video+voice games so that I can include facial expressions, gestures i addition to the voice-acting. This also affects how well people understand each other: When we don't see the person talking we often mix up similar sounding 'letters' like B/D/G Some words only differ by one of these (in linguistics these are called minimal pairs) and often get mixed up&nbsp; E.G. dad/bad bid/did. Several experiments have shown that if you play a video of someone saying 'big' but edit the sound so that it says 'dig' instead, people mostly will hear 'big' because they trusted the visual information more.&nbsp; So my conclusion is that voice-only is the least practical form of play.

Most of your tips are worthwhile for voice games but for those of us that game through text based sessions, we can ignore most of your tips. Please be slightly more specific in your tips about how this applies to certain play styles and not all games on Roll20. Please keep making your tip series but just remember that not everyone play in voice.

I agree that good microphone is a good thing, but remember that not everyone are able to buy special equipment, get an isolated room, good internet-connection etc etc. That is not bad etiquette ...it is bad economy. I feel it is a bit harsh to shame people that cannot afford these things.

I didn't get any hint of shaming. But if one cannot hear or be heard properly, one is difficult to game with in a game with voice. These were simply some ways to improve the experience if you can. I didn't hear anything like "do this or you should be ashamed".

I got the hint of shaming in his last part of his tips about how one should not become to reliant on text chat to roleplay their character ( 5 min mark ). To me that comment can be viewed as a negative view to a specific style of gameplay that many people use due to hardware issues, physical issues (hearing or lack of voice), and emotional/mental issues (shyness, anxiety, and other issues) along with just a preference and enjoyment on text play. This is why I suggested the OP should specify his tips are about voice games not just Roll20 games in general.

I don't think the intent is to shame anyone, but the water gets pretty muddy when you define tech/economical/practical issues as etiquette. It is also incorrect in the description: " This tutorial reviews the absolute basics of equipment and etiquette needed to play a tabletop RPG on Roll20.net."

Jens F. said: As this mostly was about voice-games (and I am a bit surprized that this is the most common style) My take on this is pretty min-max and I either do text-only or full video+audio: I often run text-only games as you comfortably get rid of&nbsp; any problems with bad microphones, surrounding noise and confusion about who is saying what when. The last part is especially important to me&nbsp; -I can ignore bad sound quality, but the game needs to function practically. Text-based games also have the benefit that they can include players with speech impediments, or are introvert, and sometimes it is easier for those from a different language-background to join. Voice gives more immersion into the game though (if not disturbed by any problems), but then I also want to do full video+voice games so that I can include facial expressions, gestures i addition to the voice-acting. This also affects how well people understand each other: When we don't see the person talking we often mix up similar sounding 'letters' like B/D/G Some words only differ by one of these (in linguistics these are called minimal pairs) and often get mixed up&nbsp; E.G. dad/bad bid/did. Several experiments have shown that if you play a video of someone saying 'big' but edit the sound so that it says 'dig' instead, people mostly will hear 'big' because they trusted the visual information more.&nbsp; So my conclusion is that voice-only is the least practical form of play. Super interesting! &nbsp;Thanks for your comment. &nbsp;I agree that it is most impractical but it is how we play at my virtual table, thus this is what the video is about :) &nbsp;I love playing on video-chat but it's not always practical for everyone in my groups. &nbsp;Those that prefer text chat because of disabilities or confidence issues are akin to us that have no problem talking to strangers to play but feel uncomfortable &nbsp;or vulnerable showing our face for one reason of another!

Pat S. said: I got the hint of shaming in his last part of his tips about how one should not become to reliant on text chat to roleplay their character ( 5 min mark ). To me that comment can be viewed as a negative view to a specific style of gameplay that many people use due to hardware issues, physical issues (hearing or lack of voice), and emotional/mental issues (shyness, anxiety, and other issues) along with just a preference and enjoyment on text play. This is why I suggested the OP should specify his tips are about voice games not just Roll20 games in general. I'm not sure if you saw my OP here but this video is intended for prospective players at MY table. &nbsp;If it can be useful to other tables that share a similar play-style to ours, then awesome! &nbsp;Shame was definitely never the intention... &nbsp;In fact this is meant to be a friendly, non-condescending way of telling my new players that there are some standards we expect if you wish to participate. &nbsp;We don't play text-based games and if you show up to one of our advertised voice games, we will ask you to use your voice. &nbsp;It may not be for everyone and that's totally okay, it's just the way my friends and I have learned is best for us.

I watched the video, and I can say most people I play with are pretty good.&nbsp; Some don't have the best equipment, and do the best they can with what they have.&nbsp; And I am totally fine with that.&nbsp; Audio seems to be fairly problematic for anyone on a satellite internet service, but we get by with a combination of voice and text.&nbsp; On the other hand, some people don't seem to understand exactly how much of their TV sound comes through their mic.&nbsp; If people who don't play with voice want to complain about the content of the video, go for it.&nbsp; It is the internet after all.&nbsp; If I was going to say anything, it would be: "You mention playing with a headset, but you do the video without one?&nbsp; Setting a bad example in the video!"&nbsp; But that would be with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Play however you feel is good....but that is not what you say in the video/in the description.

Jens F. said: I don't think the intent is to shame anyone, but the water gets pretty muddy when you define tech/economical/practical issues as etiquette. It is also incorrect in the description: " This tutorial reviews the absolute basics of equipment and etiquette needed to play a tabletop RPG on Roll20.net." I definitely considered the economic side of this when making it and ultimately decided that if you want to get into this specialized way of playing D&amp;D, there is barrier for entry in that you need SOME equipment, even if it's more economical equipment (which I mention in the video). &nbsp;I suggested the ultimately cheapest mic I could find that still provides good sound quality. &nbsp;I also stated that EarPods could work (which are as ubiquitous as pencils these days). D&amp;D itself (aside from online play) has a bit of an economic barrier and we are all aware of it. &nbsp;It's okay to show up without books or dice for the first few games at your FLGS. &nbsp;After a year though, it's may be time to figure out your own play-aids. &nbsp;The economic barrier for online play is a bit more steep unfortunately, in that if you can't run Roll20.net on a device, or you can't transmit your voice (for a voice and video game), you simply cannot participate. &nbsp;I'm just trying to spell out the bare minimum to be a courteous and participatory player in an online voice-game for new players to the platform and my group!

Kraynic said: I watched the video, and I can say most people I play with are pretty good.&nbsp; Some don't have the best equipment, and do the best they can with what they have.&nbsp; And I am totally fine with that.&nbsp; Audio seems to be fairly problematic for anyone on a satellite internet service, but we get by with a combination of voice and text.&nbsp; On the other hand, some people don't seem to understand exactly how much of their TV sound comes through their mic.&nbsp; If people who don't play with voice want to complain about the content of the video, go for it.&nbsp; It is the internet after all.&nbsp; If I was going to say anything, it would be: "You mention playing with a headset, but you do the video without one?&nbsp; Setting a bad example in the video!"&nbsp; But that would be with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I'm not wearing headphones in the video because I'm not having a voice chat with anyone! &nbsp;I'm presenting a video. &nbsp;I think it would be a bit weird if the presenter was wearing headphone the whole video. &nbsp;The audience would be thinking, what on earth is listening to? &nbsp;I did state that I thought mics were a better option for sound quality and even showed off my mic! &nbsp;Thanks for the kinds words!

Jens F. said: Play however you feel is good....but that is not what you say in the video/in the description. Not sure what this is in reference to?

Pat S. said: Most of your tips are worthwhile for voice games but for those of us that game through text based sessions, we can ignore most of your tips. Please be slightly more specific in your tips about how this applies to certain play styles and not all games on Roll20. Please keep making your tip series but just remember that not everyone play in voice. I think since playing with your voice, in person, is the traditional way to play the game, I assumed that most players new to Roll20 would come in under the assumption that this is how the game would be played. &nbsp;I may make a separate video later that is Text-Based RPG Etiquette, since text-based is a fairly specialized, niche way to play the game but a lot of people enjoy this style (including me). &nbsp;I did add the words "via voice chat" to the Youtube video description however, so at quick glance a viewer could discern the content. &nbsp;Thanks for your critiques!

Just to clarify this for those who missed it (emphasis mine): Charlie Chopshop said: Hey everyone! &nbsp;I created this video to share with prospective players at my virtual table. &nbsp;Maybe it will help some of you too! It's not meant to be universal advice.

BTW, Charlie you might be surprised at the number of people and communities dedicated to text-only play on Roll20. It's not that niche.

keithcurtis said: BTW, Charlie you might be surprised at the number of people and communities dedicated to text-only play on Roll20. It's not that niche. Probably just as niche as &nbsp; voice-only!! &nbsp;XD

Charlie Chopshop said: Jens F. said: Play however you feel is good....but that is not what you say in the video/in the description. Not sure what this is in reference to? Sorry for late response....was DMing :) (yes, text-only) Just for starters. Not a bad video...and I don't think you have anything but good intentions with it. ....and I see you changed the description to clarify, so all is good. Also: sorry if the criticism was a bit too hard, there is a huge need for people to run games and post tutorials etc. Keep up the good work ;)

Great video, and a solid way of communicating to your prospective players about your expectations. The fact that you've been known to buy equipment for players (or so I gather from the video?) shows that DMs are all about inclusivity and removing barriers to entry, kudos! True, everyone has their own style and some of your tips won't apply to them... but as a precedent for DMs to consider having a particular set of guidelines that do &nbsp;apply to their table, this is a great example. They don't all have to be in the 'slick video' format but they should be well defined and easy to follow for their demographic.&nbsp;

I just shared your video with my new group. Fantastic tips! Thanks for your time with this video.

In my opinion... It is almost perfect and I agree with most EXCEPT the Microphone bit. Simple headsets with a mic work and sound just fine. You really do not need or professional mic.&nbsp; I would share this link with my players but for the microphone, if the video did not have the part I would share it. Just my opinion.

Mike W. said: In my opinion... It is almost perfect and I agree with most EXCEPT the Microphone bit. Simple headsets with a mic work and sound just fine. You really do not need or professional mic.&nbsp; I would share this link with my players but for the microphone, if the video did not have the part I would share it. Just my opinion. To each their own. &nbsp;We stream and podcast lots of our games so we require a little better sound quality. &nbsp;I also state that EarPods and turtle beach headsets work in the video. &nbsp; I was a sound guy and audio engineer for years soI just suggested the tool that gives the absolute best sound quality for the cheapest price.

I use a mic and headphones when recording for a video cast. I've found that the rigmarole I have to go through to capture all of the sound sources correctly when recording a game for personal archiving, and then switching it back for normal use to be not worth the effort. I use headphones when not recording. I was not a sound guy and audio engineer for years! :D

Probably around 50% of my players that have used gaming head sets in the past have had audio signal issues with the mic in the headset. &nbsp;They are usually too quiet even when the input gain is way up, or they have static in the audio signal from their mic. &nbsp;Its not that a good headset isn’t viable, but in my experience, stand alone mics, even the dirt cheap ones, have been more reliable. *edit* The majority of this video is in effort to get new players to not be the person that everyone has cranked to 200% in Discord voice but still can’t be heard well. &nbsp;I feel like those people are often headset users and rarely condenser mic users, but this is only my humble estimation.