Recommended platforms, tools, and systems to play tabletop games online

Tabletop gaming is more accessible than ever, and there’s something delightful about crowding around a table with friends to hoot and holler over the fates of fictional elves, Lovecraftian detectives, or embattled Space Marines. There’s definitely a summer camp feel to the camaraderie and adventure, although the trials and tribulations of a pen-and-paper session tend to be a little more ambitious than roasting s’mores and singing songs around the campfire.

These games can seem intimidating and many have gone online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach — it’s easier to rustle up a group, but harder to engage. Though with a few handy-dandy tools, it’s easier to set up an online tabletop group than you might think.

Choose the platform

There are a few ways to go about setting up your game, but Discord is a surprisingly adept organizational tool — and, depending on the game you’re playing and the systems it uses, it may be enough to host your game on its own with the addition of a dice-rolling bot and a little bit of prep.

If you’re looking for something a little more tangible, Tabletop SimulatorIt is an excellent choice for many games because it allows you to move minis about a map and roll a successful critical. You need something more advanced for your dungeon crawls or complex campaigns? Roll 20 and Foundry virtual tabletop provide a wealth of options for players and gamemasters. They allow you to set up music and track feats, as well as track fumbles. Foundry Virtual Tabletop is what my husband and I use for our daily gaming. Savage Worlds campaign, and while it’s paid, the versatility and accessibility is worth it. If you’re not willing to drop the money, or you don’t need the finer features, Roll 20 is a perfectly good free alternative.

Image: Berserk Games

Useful tools and tips

A clever game master always has a few tricks up their sleeve, whether that’s a surprise villain waiting in the wings or a secret door leading to a treasure-filled dungeon. With digital games, the game master has a little more freedom in showing things off — it’s easier to pop an image into a Discord channel than pass it around the table, for instance.

It can help your players to quickly create a map if they open a crypt. Dungeon Scrawl allows you to create maps online that can either be uploaded to an image hosting site or imported into virtual tabletop games. Dungeon Scrawl isn’t too complicated, but for game masters who want a very simple process, Dungeon Map Doodler is an even more accessible and simple map maker.

Do you want to be bigger or establish a unique setting? TownscaperA tiny game called Inkarnate allows you to build elaborate cities and make them look more appealing to tourists. You can create a large geographic map of a continent or region with Inkarnate. It also has an unlimited setting.

Finally, AI tools like Artbreeder are fantastic for game masters because they don’t require artistic ability or practice. With Artbreeder’s portraits, users tweak the settings and “genes” of a photo, and it’s a reliable, relatively quick way to create unique, interesting character portraits.

Image: Oskar Stålberg/Raw Fury

Système shock

Dungeons & Dragons is the most famous tabletop game, followed by heavy hitters like Vampire: The MasqueradeOder Cyberpunk Red. There are many smaller games that may be just right for your group. It’s a good way to expand your knowledge and make a unique one-shot adventure, or chaotic campaign. Here are some suggestions:

FiascoImprov-based game ‘The Game of Death’ sets up interesting scenarios, then everything goes horribly wrong. Play a game in which one of the players is stuck in a hot basement wearing a fursuit while the other player gleefully puts more gasoline on his lawn due to a misunderstanding at work. Fiasco This is the right choice for you. It’s also available on Roll 20, which is a nice bonus.

MÖRK BORGDarkly apocalyptic RPG, with very lethal combat and few respites. Formatting and layout MÖRK BORG’s sourcebooks is truly stunning, and while the setting offers little comfort, it’s metal as hell. Spin-offs are for those looking to add a futuristic spin. CY_BORG is equally as stylish and even includes the most punk rule of all — you can never truly sympathize with the corps, even if you end up working for them in a pinch. They are great for quick campaigns or bloody one-shots.

Image: Ockult Örtmästare Games/Stockholm Kartell

Quest is a cozy, welcoming on-ramp to tabletop RPGs. (Disclosure – Chris Plante was the editor-in–chief of Polygon. QuestEditor. This accessible experience recently went free-to-play, so it’s a great way to give the experience a spin and see if it works for your group. Quest It is narrative-driven so that groups are able to explore characters and make choices.

A final pro tip — be sure to follow the tabletop games section on itch.io, which has some inventive takes on the genre that might suit your friends better than a big, mainline game. Killer Ratings is a game where players play as the crew of a terrible paranormal show on the brink of cancellation, doing one last job that’s Actually haunted. The FistMetal Gear Solid inspired, this game is about paranormal mercenaries tackling Cold War espionage jobs.

You can play online in a variety of different ways that offer the camp atmosphere of getting together with your friends, laughing and having fun. There’s certainly a lot of merit to playing in-person games, or picking big mainline systems like Dungeons & Dragons for your weekly game. You can still have an enjoyable experience by using online tools and a little experimentation. My online tabletop games keep me in touch with family and friends. I hope that you will find some time to try them this summer.