Most of the games I’ve played in recently have used various online resources to present players with world-building, record-keeping, and scheduling options. In this post I present my thoughts on the tools which I have used.
Obsidian Portal
Obsidian Portal runs as a free-for-players/GMs-pay-the-cost system that hosts a suite of tools. (Ever notice it’s the GM that typically has to create and run the game, host the players, and pay for the tools? Hug your GM and thank them for all they do.) Obsidian offers a free version, but it lacks enough features that I would suggest subscribing immediately after trial use. Plans are, as of this writing, $4.99 a month or $39.99 yearly. The portal’s tools include email blasts, scheduling, forums, session logs, media library, wiki, map library (up to 10), and character sheets. Almost all the tools required to organize a game. However, any information posted is public. There are no tools for private logs and notes as a GM or player.
The system also offers a “Games Nearby” with a “Looking for Players” filter, but features so many “dead” games and groups and no proper channels for contacting “live” groups, that it’s no better a feature than many of the other looking for gamer sites and functions. How did I end up finding games in Portland after my Moving Right Along post? Via Pathfinder Society. Nearby game finders are only as good as they are updated and society type play is easier to find than a dedicated group. More on that in a future post.
Tavern Keeper
Tavern Keeper is a tool I only recently started using for a potential play-by-post game. While free for both players and GMs, it’s still in an early “open source” beta phase, with an unknown official release, due to an unsuccessful Kickstarter attempt. As such, there are no RPG system-specific functions and it can be a bit buggy and there has been little official movement on the system since 2014.
The app itself features a “wiki” (closer to a GM rules post than a threaded wiki), character sheets (WYSIWYG HTML, no mechanics or system stats), and a simple forum. It also includes play by post RP functionality, with the intent of being used outside of a gaming session, but is robust enough to use for purely play-by-post gaming.
Realm Works
Created by Wolf Lair Development, the makers of Hero Lab, Realm Works is a Windows application that was originally built for RPG prep and organization, but was expanded to include the ability to run a game with connected Realm Works applications. The system is limited to Windows desktop/tablet use and costs an entry fee of $49.99 for the GM edition and, if each player were to purchase their player edition separately, $9.99 for the player edition. Following the first 6 months of use, cloud storage will also be billed at $24.99 per half year. While no rule-specific books are included with Realm Works, any core or “splat” books will require separate purchases. It’s unknown if Hero Lab purchases will transfer to Realm Works or if the costs will be separate. So, it’s possible that a dedicated GM will be paying 3 times for any book they want to use (physical/pdf, Hero Lab, Realm Works).
What the paying customer does receive is a full-featured campaign manager that auto-links across multiple categories for ease of reference. Features include custom maps with markers and filter functionality, character sheet integration (including Hero Lab portfolios), and video and audio uploads. When using the system to run a game, GMs can present maps with a “fog of war,” hide specific details when showing a topic to players, and map relationships for NPCs and areas. Not only can the GM record notes on the fly, they can set reminders on notes when preparing future sessions. While I grudgingly pay for Hero Lab books I, personally, did not find Realm Works worth it. It’s difficult to ask all players to purchase something, and not all players run Windows systems. I have met other GMs who swear by the tool, so your mileage may vary. There are videos of the system in use, but they do not offer a demo version of the product.
City of Brass
City of Brass is a game organizer primarily for table-top campaigns. It runs primarily as a wiki and adventure log, but also allows GMs to share specific house rules as well as custom-built creatures/NPCs/spells/items with stats (if the system is supported). Currently CoB supports D&D 3.5, D&D 5th, Pathfinder, Fate Core, d20 Future, and W.O.I.N., with a catch-all “generic” for other systems. Like most of the applications discussed, only GMs are expected to pay a fee for use; City of Brass runs $5 a month for their “Premium” account and, like most systems, the free version only offers enough functionality for trial use, not actual use.
While cheaper than Realm Works or Obsidian Portal, the tools in City of Brass are purely based around creating a “wiki” for a game and offer little in the way of player management or game scheduling. The system uses its own lexicon for organization; adventures are stored under “Story Builder,” users are called “Residents.” So there is a mild learning curve required to remember their definitions.
Facebook Groups
Facebook’s private groups are what I and most of my groups use for game planning. Primarily used for scheduling (using the group Event feature), groups also allow for easy polls, communication, and include file management (for PDF character sheets or similar sharing). The FB group functions best as a game tracker and out-of-character communications tool when using supplementary systems or standard “offline” management. For example, one may use City of Brass for their game wiki while using groups to schedule games. While the functionality is free, the primary hurdles of these groups are that all players must be on Facebook (I know a number of people who have left or refuse to use Facebook) and visit regularly.
Others
There are other online game management methods and applications that I did not want to feature, due to either my lack of experience or their own lack of updates. Epic Words has had almost no activity since 2011 (and features egregious use of the Papyrus font). Wikia can allow for world-building, but is completely public and not GM-controlled. There are other tools out there and if you use one that you like, please pass on your thoughts in the comments below!
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