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Use Physical Tools for Online Games

by Mike on 21 October 2024

There's a false dichotomy when it comes to playing RPGs. We either play online or we play in person. Sometimes it feels like it's all or nothing. If we're playing in person, it's pencils and paper and dice. If we're playing online, it's a fully featured, fully integrated virtual tabletop.

But lots of GMs mix things up. In-person GMs use big monitors, sometimes embedded in their gaming table. Players might run their character sheets off of a tablet.

The same can be true for running games online. Sure, if you're wired into a fully integrated VTT, like Roll20 or Foundry, you might not see much need for physical tools. But sometimes they're really handy.

What are some examples?

Dice. You don't need a digital dice roller. Use your real dice. Try it out. It's fun. It's fast. I have a kit of dice next to me when I run RPGs online and it's far faster for me to roll physical dice than to roll online. I'm sure that's not true for everyone but I know it's often true with players when they need to roll for something not already pre-planned on their digital character sheets.

Note cards. I use my favorite text editor, BB Edit, to jot stuff down like initiative, marching order, and abstract combat notes. It's very fast to copy and paste things around from BB Edit but it's also super-fast to use index cards. They're always in front of you. You won't accidentally close the window or need to switch screens.

Books. Many GMs seem to hate using physical books but boy, they're fun. Use little adhesive tabs you can buy at any drug, grocery, or department store to tab the pages of different monsters or other pages you need to reference during the game. Get a folding book stand so you can set it upright like monks did in the 1700s. Enjoy playing the game the way we've played for 50 years. It's ok to have to look things up. The whole game doesn't need to be a perfectly well-oiled machine.

The Flexibility of Physical Tools

Using physical tools for online games isn't just about nostalgia. There are practical reasons as well – the big one being flexibility. Physical tools just work. A blank index card and a pen offers tremendous freedom over more locked-in tools. Rolling physical dice means doing some math but you don't have to worry if you accidentally hit the "advantage" button or not. If you're given a weird modifier to a roll, you don't have to figure out how to add that into the equation. Flipping through a physical book can be faster than searching through one online or realizing you accidentally closed the window.

Using physical tools also doesn't limit you to just the online tools or sourcebooks you have in whatever online tool you're using. When you open yourself up to using books, all your books become available to you – campaign sourcebooks, monster books, adventures, and more.

Next time you're running a game online, try using physical dice. Try using a physical monster book. Try keeping an index card in front of you to jot down turn order.

Embrace analog play, even in an online game.

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Keep character name names in front of you. Track turn order outside of combat to ensure players get their time in the spotlight.
Listen to audiobooks. Study the way the narrator changes voices to represent different characters.
Break combat encounter locations into several zones. Give each zone an identifying monument or feature.
Two simple words can increase the challenge of any comment encounter: more monsters.
Ask for a marching order and a lighting situation anytime the characters delve into dungeons deep.
Roll twice on random encounter tables and combine the results to build a unique situation.
Roll two random encounters to show an encounter that took place before the characters arrived. This gives them an interesting investigation along their journey.

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