Sequential Planet got the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with Role, a new program for Tabletop RPGs. The program is currently in Early Access, so there are plenty of features still to come. We wanted to take a look at the current state of Role and give our impressions. These are Matt’s impressions, who acted as our DM during our time with Role.
Click here to see the impressions from another player, or from our absolute newbies.
Matt’s Impressions
With quarantine dragging on across the globe, online tabletop services are more crucial for game masters than ever. Role is looking to be a promising addition to the arsenal but it still has a ways to go from the build I used. On the surface, we have a site far more visually appealing than what I’m used to in this space. Most RPG related sites seem to be frozen in amber, with Role being one of the few that really seems to belong in the 21st century.
Luckily the functionality measures up too, with a few notable exceptions. There’s a file-sharing capability, handy for distributing character sheets, handouts, and other documents, along with a function to toggle their visibility to others. Video and audio both worked well even for a group of 5, with no site-specific issues on my end. That’s half the battle for a virtual tabletop, so I’m glad it doesn’t need much work besides a few broken placeholder images.
Character sheets are also built into the display of the virtual table. As of now, the only existing templates are for the ubiquitous Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and indie darling Lancer. However, there are options to build your own as needed.
Making sheets is time-consuming and takes some experimenting to get the hang of but it’s definitely worth the effort. I imagine the finished version of Role will make it easier to find and download templates. Even then, I suspect some character sheets (specifically those from Fantasy Flight Games’ Star Wars RPGs) would translate poorly to this format.
I was able to recreate the essential parts of Mothership’s character sheet, sans the flow charts. Being able to bring up the player’s character sheets, including their current health without having to juggle multiple tabs and software was likely the highlight of my Role experience.
Unfortunately, there are some serious issues right now. There are no map building features to speak of, just the option to upload a pre-existing image. A prompt asks for the dimensions of the square or hexagonal grid to make the tokens usable but even then there was some unevenness. I’m a Game Master who relies mostly on “theater of the mind” and even I found the lack of map support frustrating. There’s no indication of who’s moving a token and no undo button, only an imprecise delete tool.
I ran into similar issues with the built-in dice. These work fairly well, including an option to conceal rolls from the other players. Most common dice are supported, as well as coins and cards. Unfortunately, there’s no history or log for dice rolls, ensuring your results are cast into the void with each new roll. Even more bizarre is the lack of any text chat whatsoever. The absence of these two crucial features is concerning and honestly a little surprising.
Overall, Role looks to be promising and has an important niche to fill. But there’s some pretty significant work to be done before it can see a successful wide release. I hope to see these issues resolved and maybe some additional game master/host features and privileges for good measure.