Scheduling a game is often the most challenging obstacle to overcome when it comes to tabletop games. For myself, at least, thoughts of how to prep my games better or level up my dungeon-master skills are often put to the wayside as I try to juggle everyone's schedule. But hey, times have changed! For many, the only screen for us to roll behind is now our computer screen. I, like many others I'm sure, have taken to these online platforms like a fledgling adventurer plunging into unknown depths in search for that which I seek: fun. As the times have changed, so too have our problems as players and game-masters. Insufficient now is your encyclopedic knowledge of every nuance of your chosen system. Oh yes, you've another beast to pit your wits against now. To properly run your game now, you'll need to study the ins and outs of your online tabletop platform of choice. Failing to do so will result in your game experiencing more pauses than you'd ever dream of having at your table in order to do the simplest, most overlooked things. It can be a nightmare if not properly prepared for. But as below, so above! In the recent months I've been able to run games on Roll20.com I've come to be more familiar with the process of running a game through a headset and mic rather than from the end of a table. There are many things that you can do with these online platforms that open up your game in completely different ways and offer conveniences that would otherwise be unavailable in your game. With many people desiring to scratch their tabletop itch, let's compare the differences between the two and what might be considered.

Scheduling:

When you're trying to get all your friends together in the same place at the same time, a set time and date seems to be enough to get the message across. When you've got to physically move yourself from one place to another (i.e. the host's house) you're more likely to remember the plan as a player because of what's necessary to make that happen. You've got to show up to play, in most cases. But when you've planned an online game for a specific date and time, I've found it's a lot easier to just agree to the plan and say, "sure!" Your computer's at home, you game from your computer, and hey you'll probably be home that day around that time, right? Well, it ends up being a lot easier to forget about that as you go through the week and responsibilities get dropped in your lap. So what's to be done? Plenty of these platforms have scheduling tools like calendars in order for your GM to pick a set date and time. It may not be much, but making sure to use this tool and to remind your players that this tool will be used and hopefully adhered to can be a nice step toward solidifying your game-times and getting everyone to be on the same page. Check in on your players, too. It's easy to forget to communicate changes in plans in a world where we hardly see each other face-to-face anymore.

Prep:

Depending on the game you're playing there may be different levels of prep involved. I play Dungeons & Dragons 3.5e and enjoy using detailed maps and tokens/miniatures whenever I can, so I usually have a lot of prep ahead of me for a tabletop session. I often have stacks of notes, or post its on my DM screen, and 100% of the time I will end up not using something I've planned to use due to the note being hidden underneath something else, or just not looking at that post-it at the right time. When it comes to this particular issue of mine, using the online platform has almost completely solved things for me. I don't need to worry about having a stack of notes handy, I can just have links to web pages with this info. I don't need to print out hand-outs for my players, I can just press a few buttons and everyone's looking at the same image. I don't need to search for something in the rulebooks, I have the internet at hand. I don't need to worry about having the apropriate number of d6's ready for the lich's cone of cold, I can just type out /r 6d6. There are so many resources you can utilize when prepping for your game, but some of these will seem to take an eternity to organize at first. Like any skill, once you've gotten the hang of using your platform you'll be able to whip up handouts, character sheets, whatever, in no time at all.

Immersion:

I really focus a lot on this when I am writing an adventure, campaign, whatever. I want my players to smell the dank mushroom cave as they creep across the myconid lair. I want them to hear the crackling of the flames as the fire elemental erupts into the ancient library. I'm sure when you first started running games, you were no shakesperian storyteller weaving the most intricate details into your descriptions like a fine tapestry. Getting everyone's minds eye focused on the same thing can be tough, and if you consider yourself skilled in the art then I'm sure you found that those skills were not obtained overnight. So to is the ability to immerse ones players in an online game. In person or online, however, immersion seems to only be increased through the expenditure of your time as a GM. Whether you're building the party's pirate ship out of popsicle sticks for an in-person game or making an expertly crafted battle-map for your online game, these things take time. I will say that in terms of audio, you can really achieve some cool moments if your platform utilizes some shared audio feature. Drop a gnarly explosion sound when that lich of yours casts a fireball, or let your players feel the gloomy atmosphere of the stormy midnight downpour with a rain track. Don't expect yourself to be the best dungeon DJ though. Again, time will turn you into a soundboard wizard or dungeon cartographer or whatever, with practice.

Experience:

This might be the hardest thing to accept out of the bunch. Simply put, you're playing a different game when you move your game from the table to online. For some, this 'new' game might be a preferred alternative to the tabletop! For others, however, what once might have been their favorite game could now be a headache they're not interested in. I want to say that with the right preparation on your part running the game, you can make a better impression for your experienced players that you want to keep around if in-person games are out the window. I want to say if you present the change to online in an expert fashion, like some artisan of online gaming, that you'll win the hearts and minds of those who are on the fence about playing a tabletop game over the computer. But if I'm being honest, I'd have to tell you that online tabletop gaming might just not be everyone's cup of tea. You might lose some long time players, but such is the nature of the game now. However, if you haven't hit your personal limit on how much change you're willing to accept, then maybe it's time to dip your toes into the infinite layers of the Abyss and find some new players on one of the many forums designed for just such an undertaking. At the time of writing this, I'm about to take that leap myself. Being more on the socially awkward and introvertive side of the population, the thought of meeting complete strangers on the internet gives me the jeebs. But for my love of the game, I shall overcome! And I invite you to do the same.

Happy gaming, friends.