I’ve played some online games (with friends during covid), and although we tried we eventually gave up. Partly, there’s no replacement for socialising in person with close friends, but also we found the disconnect between medieval fantasy and videochatting through discord to be a mood killer.
I live abroad and would love to get into online gaming, and I’ve been thinking that it might help to play a game that benefits from the medium. I imagine a cyberpunk or Sci fi game would be easier to get in the mood as the characters themselves might be communicating through video feeds and holo-nets.
It’s not a style of rpg I’ve played before, so I’m open to suggestions. And it doesn’t need to be cyber / sci-fi, if there’s some other reason why everyone being seperate and disembodied makes sense (like would Wraith feel even more depressing over videochat?)
I will recommend This Discord Has Ghosts In It.
It a haunted house investigation game played through Discord. I imagine some tweaking it could be played through any means with any setting.
Oh man, that sounds like exactly what I’m looking for! A game that actually uses the medium!
CY_BORG is very dystopian cyberpunk and is extremely easy to pick up.
Starfinder 2e is just about to come out I think. Integrates easily with Pathfinder 2e rules
The space between us, https://wiborawildfeuer.itch.io/the-space-between-us
A video conference nordic larp play it, you’ll thx me latter
Amazing! Exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for!!
The whole game dynamic is incredible, and the secret roles being different from the main roles gives some replay potential at least on GM side.
As usual, make sure players know what they signed for, if they’re into miniature combat it’s not the game for them. If they look for a emotional role play heavy game about a family dynamic that’s a must play.
Note that the first act feels a bit slow, but it really helps building the dynamic to have a strong game during second act and tears during final scene
Literally anything outside of non-magical medieval stuff. If it has magic, magic mirrors as video phones like in Shrek.
Magic mirrors would be fine. It’s just that dnd-type games are normally about a group of people who are spending time together in a dungeon or a tavern. Maybe Ars Magica would work, as the wizards are often secluded and working through agents. I’m hoping there are games that are enhanced by being distant and unable to communicate as fully and naturally.
TTRPGs mostly take place in the players’ imagination. They work well online (for me) because I’m a little less self conscious when I’m not physically with people.
Edit: to answer your question, all of them. Recently, I’ve played Cyberpunk RED and D&D 5e online. They absolutely worked.
Yeah, I’m the opposite. When I’m sitting around a table with friends I feel invested in the moment. When I’m listening to someone speak into a mediocre mic and watching their poorly lit face, I’m hyperconcious that I’m starting at a screen. Which makes it feel more like work than fun.
My hope was that if people were Roleplaying as hackers or at the different stations on the bridge of a starship, then the lag and crackle would be thematic rather than annoying.
But I get why some folks prefer it! Wish that was me, it would be much more convenient!
different stations on the bridge of a starship
If you find that TTRPG, please send me a link. Otherwise, well, it wouldn’t seem too hard to homebrew something really quick if you aren’t picky about systems
