Working on blogging more, and I recently listened to the Lazy D&D Talk Show by Mike Shea (SlyFlourish) [link here] where he touched on an interesting topic: Is running a game online easier than in person? He brought it up in the context of physical accessories and how assembling, painting, and procuring (etc etc) takes sooo much time whereas he can just drop a map in a VTT program and some tokens and bam good to go in under 10 minutes.
He is right. If you are running a published WOTC adventure it is easy to just drag and drop maps. It is also easier to just slide into a computer chair compared to getting in a car and driving somewhere. The barrier of entry is just less - no question.
However, the table has something else to me that makes it less "draining." It is the ritual. The social connection that looking at people behind a screen just doesn't have. It feels like more of a chore to drag and drop maps on a VTT. I also feel way more pressured to have more presentation in a VTT because I have to compete with all the other distractions players face. Multiple monitors, multiple tabs, other people in the area, pets - all are things that compete with a DM. One of my groups folded because the table dynamic of being online just was not conducive to good D&D.
I also feel that DM'ing online prevents coalition building. Only 1 person (generally speaking) can talk at a time. Because of this, each player who has an opinion on a course of action must wait to vocalize this. In person games allow for side conversations. Thus if there are 4 players, 2 can be interacting with the DM, while the other 2 are coming up with the plan. The planners, then have an idea that they can pitch to the other two. Online this "preplanning" cannot occur which slows down decision making.
I'm not sure exactly what my overall point is here other than to say I think DM'ing online is a chore for me. It burns me out way faster and this is coming from someone who almost exclusively ran/played online for a majority of my ttrpg experiences. The last thing I'll mention is that DM'ing in person has an element of magic that a screen just cannot capture. Seeing a table erupt with excitement or watch as a d20 clatters around the table only to land on a 20 [or a 1!] simply cannot be replicated online.
If anyone has strategies to increase enjoyment of DM'ing online I would love to hear them!
Next up, I'm working on a small random table of antagonists!
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