On the Tabletop

I’ve been chasing the online miniature wargaming dragon for a good while now – have had experience with Cyberboard, Vassal, Full Thrust Java Client, Table Top Simulator (unsucessfully), and now Roll20 (successfully). 

For me Roll20 get’s closest to pushing units on the table top realtime with reasonable graphics.  My first real implementation here, beyond the standard RPG, has been for Warmaster. This post describes that process of setting up such an environment.  

Tools Used

• iPhone – camera & photo edits
• Tripod – platform for the top down photograph
• Prisma iOS app – photo filter
• iPad – tablet based graphical editing
• Apple Pencil – fine point stylus
• Magic Eraser iOS app – transparency editor
• Desktop PC – runs Roll20 in any web browser
• MS Paint – creates the basic template
• Roll20 – the tabletop platform

Photos

1. Shoot top down photos of a Warmaster army – 1 photo for each unique base type
2. Crop all photos to roughly same dimension
3. Push these photo through a filter – a bit more illustrative than photographic
4. Export filtered photos to iPad
5. Remove photo boarders with transparency editor – use Magic Eraser or similar
6. Import photos to PC
7. Create a “scaling reference” – 40x20mm = 280x140px – save this as a png – use MS Paint or similar

Roll20 Game

1. Create new game for Roll20
2. Configure new “map” – no grid – 5cm = 70px – 6×4 foot table = 37×25
3. Drag & drop appropriate texture or aerial photo to map, ensure it is on the “map layer”
4. Go to the “journal” – create a new “character” – edit that character so that Name = Basic Template, In Player’s Journals = All Players, Can be Edited… = All Players – save these changes
5. Again open & edit the “Basic Template”, click duplicate button x times
6. Drag & drop stand scaling reference to the table top
7. Drag & drop appropriate unit photo the table top
8. Scale the unit photo to the scaling reference
9. Select the re-scaled
10. Open one of the “Basic Template” copies and edit – Name = appropriate unit name – click “use selected token” – ensure that “all players” is set for journals & controls – save changes
11. Repeat

Roll20 Macros

You may wish to create the following macros – ensuring that they are shared with “all players” and marked as “in bar” – these provide a simple button to throw x dice.

#1d6
/r 1d6

#2d6
/r 2d6

#3d6
/r 3d6

#Attack
/em attacks
/r ?{How many attacks}d6s>4 
***Note: 5+ vs defended & 6+ vs fortified***

#Save 
/em saves
/r ?{How many saves}d6s>?{Armor value}

#Drive-Back
/em checking drive backs
/r ?{How many hits}d6s
***Target confused on any d6 = 6***
***Target driven off if result greater than its movement rate***

Unit Photos

Here are my unit photos for: Tomb Kings, Vampire Counts, Empire, Dwarves, & Dark Elves. Also included are a hit token and a scaling refernce when 5cm = 70px.

Update – April 19, 2020

There is a nice selection of paper tokens for Warmaster Fantasy & Ancients available here. Helpful if you don’t want to photograph your own units.

Video Walk-through

May illustrate some of the description above.

Update May 18, 2020

Have created Mighty Empires assets and kicked off a 5 player campaign. Mighty Empire tiles are available here. Use them as a deck of cards in Roll20 on a unique map.

Have also posted a new video an actual play from the first battle fought in our Mighty Empires campaign. Empire(1185 pts) vs Empire (1500 pts). This condensed to 30 minutes to provide a good overview of Warmaster game play on the Roll20 interface.