I began this review of the Top RPG Virtual Tabletops for 2020 with a comprehensive search for potential VTTs to consider. I found well over 60 possibilities with the vast majority of them having closed the doors on their projects.
At first, this surprised me a little, but I needed to remind myself that the virtual tabletop landscape has evolved greatly over the past ten years. Those that chose to focus on the wrong features fell by the wayside pretty quickly.
The two current giants in the RPG virtual tabletop world are Fantasy Grounds and Roll20. I can say this with absolute confidence. These are both great products, and I would recommend either one.
Astral is a really solid contender to give these two a run for their money. Their dynamic maps are just incredible.
I have added in D20PRO and Battlegrounds: RPG Edition to round out the list. These two are lacking a little compared to the top three, but they are still solid products with a solid user base.
So here are my top five for 2020 so far. This list is my preference, but I will easily admit that Fantasy Grounds and Roll20 could easily be switched depending on your preference for features.
Top RPG Virtual Tabletops
Fantasy Grounds – http://www.fantasygrounds.com/
• Cost: Standard $3.99/mth or $39 one-time. Ultimate $9.99/mth or $149 one-time. See Pricing.
• Platform: Stand-alone (Windows and Mac)
• Dice Rolling: Dice-based with full animation.
• Map Creation: No. – Default Assets: N/A. – Import Assets: N/A. – Asset Store: N/A.
• Interactive Maps: Yes. – Grid Tools: Yes. – Tokens: Yes. – Fog of War: Yes. – Dynamic Lighting: No. – Other: N/A
• Chat Options: Text
• Music / Sound FX Integration: No. – Default Assets: N/A. – Import Assets: N/A. – Asset Store: N/A.
• Compendium / Module Integration: Reference and full rules automation. – Default Assets: Yes – Import Assets: Yes – Asset Store: Yes
• Character Creation and Leveling: Full automation.
• Game Mechanics: Full automation.
• Support Material: Reference material. Extensive Forum. YouTube tutorial videos.
Pros:
• Visual dice with full automation.
• Full automation of character creation and leveling.
• Full automation of game mechanics.
Cons:
• No map creation.
• No dynamic lighting.
• No music / sound integration.
Roll20 – http://roll20.net/
• Cost: Free. Plus $49.99/yr. Pro $99.99/yr. See Pricing.
• Platform: Browser-based.
• Dice Rolling: Text-based
• Map Creation: Yes. – Default Assets: Yes. – Import Assets: Yes. – Asset Store: Yes. Extensive.
• Interactive Maps: Yes. – Grid Tools: Yes. – Tokens: Yes. – Fog of War: Yes. – Dynamic Lighting: Yes. – Other: N/A
• Chat Options: Video / Audio / Text
• Music / Sound FX Integration: Yes. – Default Assets: Yes. – Import Assets: Yes. – Asset Store: Yes.
• Compendium / Module Integration: Reference. – Default Assets: Yes – Import Assets: Yes – Asset Store: Yes
• Character Creation and Leveling: Some automation.
• Game Mechanics: Some automation with script / macro building.
• Support Material: Reference material. Extensive Forum. YouTube tutorial videos.
Pros:
• Free for GM and players.
• Excellent map creations tools and assets.
• Built-in video / audio chat and music / sound effects player.
Cons:
• Text-based dice.
• Limited character creation automation.
• Limited game mechanics automation.
Astral – https://www.astraltabletop.com/
• Cost: Free. Upgrade to Pro $8.25/mth. See Pricing.
• Platform: Browser-based.
• Dice Rolling: Text-based.
• Map Creation Tools: Yes. – Default Assets: Yes. – Import Assets: Yes. – Asset Store: Yes.
• Interactive Maps: Yes. – Grid Tools: Yes. – Fog of War: Yes. – Dynamic Lighting: Yes. – Other: Dynamic maps with visual effects.
• Chat Options: Text.
• Music / Sound FX Integration: Yes. – Default Assets: Yes. – Import Assets: Yes. – Asset Store: Yes. Minimal.
• Compendium / Module Integration: Reference. – Default Assets: No. – Import Assets: Yes. – Asset Store: No.
• Character Creation and Leveling: Manual
• Game Mechanics: Some programmable automation.
• Support Material: Reference material. Minimal forum. YouTube videos. Very good in-game tutorial.
Pros:
• Full GM and Player access with free account.
• Extensive map building assets.
• Dynamic maps and visual FX.
Cons:
• Text only dice.
• Manual compendium integration.
• Minimal character and game mechanics automation.
D20PRO – http://d20pro.com/
• Cost: GM $50.00. Player $10. See Pricing.
• Platform: Stand-alone (Windows and Mac)
• Dice Rolling: Dice-based with no animation.
• Map Creation: Yes – Default Assets: No – Import Assets: Yes – Asset Store: Yes
• Interactive Maps: Yes – Grid Tools: Yes – Tokens: Yes – Fog of War: Yes – Dynamic Lighting: Yes – Other: N/A
• Chat Options: Text
• Music / Sound FX Integration: No – Default Assets: N/A. – Import Assets: N/A. – Asset Store: N/A.
• Compendium / Module Integration: Reference. – Default Assets: Yes – Import Assets: Yes – Asset Store: Yes
• Character Creation and Leveling: Manual. Import from 3rd party character builders.
• Game Mechanics: Some programmable automation.
• Support Material: Reference material. Forum. YouTube tutorial videos.
Pros:
• Fully featured trial version available to evaluate product.
• Visual dice.
• Some automation of game mechanics.
Cons:
• No default assets for map building.
• No music / sound integration.
• No character integration.
Battlegrounds: RPG Edition – http://www.battlegroundsgames.com/nutshell.html
• Cost: GM $28.00. Player $14.00. See Pricing.
• Platform: Stand-alone (Windows and Mac).
• Dice Rolling: Dice-based with no animation.
• Map Creation Tools: Yes. – Default Assets: Yes. – Import Assets: Yes. – Asset Store: Yes.
• Interactive Maps: Yes. – Grid Tools: Yes. – Tokens: Yes. – Fog of War: Yes. – Dynamic Lighting: No. – Other: Dynamic Objects.
• Chat Options: Text.
• Music / Sound FX Integration: Yes. Limited. – Default Assets: Yes. – Import Assets: Yes. – Asset Store: No.
• Compendium / Module Integration: None. – Default Assets: N/A. – Import Assets: N/A. – Asset Store: N/A.
• Character Creation and Leveling: Manual.
• Game Mechanics: No automation.
• Support Material: Reference material. Minimal forum. YouTube tutorial videos.
Pros:
• Fully featured demo version available to evaluate product.
• Visual dice.
• Decent amount of map building assets.
Cons:
• Limited map size.
• No compendium integration.
• No automation of game mechanics.
Here is a list of others that look good. I have not had a chance to fully explore these products or they are still in development.
Arkenforge, Fantasy Ground Unity, Foundry VTT, Let’s Role, and Skirmish VT look particularly good. I look forward to giving them a proper test drive sometime this year.
Arkenforge – https://arkenforge.com/
Beyond Tabletop – http://www.beyondtabletop.com/
EpicTable – http://www.epictable.com/
Fantasy Grounds Unity – https://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/FantasyGroundsUnity.php – Still in Beta
FoundryVTT – https://foundryvtt.com/ – Releases May 22
iTabletop Pandoren – http://www.itabletop.com/
kLoOge.Werks – http://www.kloogeinc.com/
Let’s Role – https://lets-role.com/ – Still in Alpha
MapTool – http://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=maptool
Mythic Table – http://www.mythictable.com/ – Still in Alpha
Rolisteam – http://www.rolisteam.org/
RPG Plus – https://www.appmindedapps.com/rpg.html
Skirmish VT – http://www.skirmish-vt.com/ – Still in Beta
Skwyre – http://www.nbos.com/products/skwyre
TabletopRPG.io – https://tabletoprpg.io/
So, there you have it. The Top RPG Virtual Tabletops for 2020. I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year has to offer for RPG virtual tabletop development. There are lots of good contenders, and the current champions continue to improve their products on a regular basis.
Did I miss a really good VTT? What do you use and why? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading.
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