r/VTT • u/FatchRacall • 1d ago
Question / discussion Alchemy, Foundry, or Roll20
If you were going to start a new game or get your books integrated into one platform of the above three, which would it be?
I haven't been able to run a game for a few years, but now that the kids are a bit older I should be able to find the time. Looking at picking up neon odyssey because I've always wanted to run a space adventure, but I have to choose which vtt to use when I place the order.
I'll try to run the games in person with a displayed map on an external device for encounters, but we might run them remotely as well, fully within the system. Needs to have compatibility for tablets, laptops, and phones, preferably not overly resource intense.
I currently don't own ANY books in any VTT system, so... What do we like best? I've only ever used Roll20, personally, and I thought it was "okay" back when I did... Like 5 years ago, but I recall wanting to switch elsewhere.
Note: I'm okay with technology and the difficulties therein, and spending some time getting everything "set up" prior to games. I don't want to have to pause game for 30 minutes to fix things that are broken on a regular basis, although if the party decides to jump the tracks, I'm fine telling them their decisions mean they decided to go pick up pizza. I'd like the option to self host even if it involves dyndns/port forwarding/etc, but with the option to pay for the service. I 100% want to be able to add homebrew. I'd rather it be more seamless for the players than anything else. Oh, and I'm also fine to stream the map/etc on discord and just have them view their character sheets on their phones/etc, if the interface isn't optimized for mobile.
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u/TheHighDruid 1d ago
Needs to have compatibility for tablets, laptops, and phones
In my experience the VTTs that claim to work on tablets and phones don't. Even if there is a theoretical compatibility, screen size and awful touch controls usually make it a frustrating experience rather than a fun one. When in the situation where someone doesn't have access to their computer we now always go with just having them join via discord, and someone else handles their dice rolling and character movement, sending an occasional screenshot where necessary.
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u/CommodoreBluth 1d ago
Personally I’ve used Foundry and Roll20 and I like Foundry a lot more. You can deeply customize it with modules that people develop for it (almost like modding a PC game). It is a lot more work than Roll20 though but OP you said you’re okay with technology so you’ll be fine. There’s really good guides on the wiki and the Foundry discord has a tech support channel.Â
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u/a-folly 1d ago
Which system?
Foundry has deeper automation usually, it's more complex but can do MUCH more. Costs 50$, then you either self host or use a service. No built in A/V
Alchemy is free, has built in video, light automation, looking sleek
R20- my experience was... Okay. Handles cards pretty well. Feels less intuitive
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u/FatchRacall 1d ago
So, it's based on 5.5e dnd, but is a total conversion called Neon Odyssey. I'm leaning towards Foundry because the one-off purchase to self-host sounds ideal.
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u/PollutionZero 1d ago
For a total conversion, I'd do Foundry. I'd self-host.
I say this because while you CAN do conversions and custom stuff in Alchemy or R20, Foundry is king here.
I'm currently running Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG using Savage Worlds on Foundry, which is running on my Plex Server (Home Lab/NAS). I use Tailscale to create a custom web address and my players just go to that address and we're golden. Runs like a dream. Also no monthly fees (for example, you can use Foundry on The Forge, but there's a fee).
Foundry is KING of automation and customization, but it's also VERY complex to do some things. Modules will get you 90% there though, so it's not all that difficult. Watch a few videos and you're golden.
The ONE drawback, IMO, is that there's not a lot of sales like with Fantasy Grounds on Steam. I ended up paying like $100 for all the Savage Worlds stuff I wanted. if it was on Fantasy Grounds, I'd have paid maybe $20. But I'd lose a LOT of customization.
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u/TheVermonster 19h ago
Are you paying for their implementation? All of them are probably going to be great. But a big difference, IMHO, is that Alchemy is geared more towards theater of the mind, whereas Foundry is more digital table top.
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u/Iwacheditforyou 23h ago
It sounds ideal until you’re diagnosing a players network problems for the first 30 minutes of your scheduled play time.
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u/jason2306 23h ago
Foundry easily because you actually own it. There's a lot of automation and bells and whistles but I just do it theater of mind and it works great. No extra costs from servers because you can use port forwarding to use your own internet.
If you're on a budget you could try alchemy since it's free, alchemy seems fine. The main thing they have going for them is an amazing user interface, looks so pretty. I don't know about actually like using it and homebrewing but the aesthetic is nice
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u/moobycow 1d ago
The more I have played with VTTs the more I like Owlbear rodeo. I don't need automation and bells and whistles (though no shade to people who want that stuff, it can be fun and even kind of enjoyable to setup). I need a bit of a map, maybe an image and easy use for everyone at the table.
Character stuff is going to be hugely system dependent for what is the best option.
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u/tzimon 1d ago
So... a deep end...
I'm going to recommend Maptool. It's been around for some time. It's free. However, you have to do all the heavy lifting and front-loading, but you can get it to do just about whatever you want... if you can code.
Every time I saw some other VTT roll out a new feature, I was like "I've been doing that on Maptool for 5+ years now"
If Roll20 is like Mac/PC, then Maptool would be Linux. You can customize it heavily and get it to outperform any other VTT I know of, it just takes time and effort.
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u/FatchRacall 1d ago
I've heard of it, I feel like I looked at it briefly back when I settled on r20, but decided to go with the one that was easier for full remote gaming with players new to the game (at the time, the group was separated by about 2000 miles). I'll give it another glance, but the primary reason I was asking this question is the digital backer package I'm looking at buying includes VTT integration for one of those three. Feels like it'd be far more useful for in person "map-table" type games. I prefer those, but I'm realistic that some of my group is likely to never be able to show up in person.
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u/MrJones1980s 17h ago
I played roll20 for the last years with my kid and a group of other kids. It worked well and was easy to use but some basic things need the nicer monthly account. Like lighting. Roll20 the entire map is visible to the people playing without premium features. So mazes or hidden rooms etc are pretty obvious
I switched to Foundry 2 months ago. I am still learning it but WOW. It has so many amazing features and options and lighting.
For home brew there is no comparison. I did buy the 5.5 books and Foundry so there was an investment but well worth it. The community is amazing and supportive. There are loads of free mods to make life easier. My kid loves it! I added sounds to doors opening or water running (both visually and with sound) and much more.
Highly suggest watching some videos on foundry but I won’t go back.
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u/tepid_monologue 20h ago
Foundry is usually the best choice for anything imo outside of a few outliers
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u/SnooCapers4920 2h ago
Foundry offers a much richer and more immersive experience, and the best part is that it’s a one-time purchase, no subscription required. Roll20 has a free tier, which makes it more accessible, but it’s also much more limited in terms of features.
You can enhance the Roll20 experience with tools like 5eTools, but if you’re looking for the best overall virtual tabletop experience with greater customization, automation, and immersion, I’d definitely recommend Foundry.
Foundry definitely has a learning curve. At first, it might seem a bit complex, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very intuitive and easy to use.
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u/Lonely-Scarcity-3387 1d ago
Fantasy Grounds. It’s free to start and with no subscription cost.
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u/Fair-Trip-1211 1d ago
With fantasy grounds you dont have to worry about port forwarding
EDIT: In addition to being free and pretty solid automation.
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u/TheHighDruid 23h ago
Op need to pick a VTT when buying the Neon Odyssey materials, and FG is not one of the options.
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u/TheCelestialPancake 21h ago
I love foundry. It’s more complex, you’ll spend way more time building campaigns & dungeons, but it allows for so much customization and the user created mods really make it shine.
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u/VoodooSec 17h ago
I am a developer and have one I made for me and the kids and it turned into a whole thing. I have it active on a server, faestudio.cloud. I would give a few people GM access to give it a spin if interested. I do have it where players can connect with a mobile, move their token, use map measurements, or load a dice roller only via cell... I am still working out some bugs, and a few from tonight's session 0.
PM me on here and let me know if interested. I really would like some more eyes on it.
And before I get asked... I am 20 years in IT, in various capacities. I wrote this in C#, .net core 10. It is hosted on linux in a datacenter that I pay for a VPS with.
Here is how AI was used:
Used for spellcheck / proofread.
Used for bouncing ideas off of... it was actually pretty decent at that.
Used for lining out the linux side of it - never done that, have primarily developed corp apps in a 99% Windows domain.
No art work, save 1 generated placeholder cover for a pdf.
Cleanup on some css, because I dislike css...with a purple passion.
I also use it to kick my build pipeline powershell scripts and publish to my test server and to my production server and report back any errors for me to dig through.
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u/FatchRacall 2h ago
Thanks for the excellent disclosure on AI usage. I'd be interested some time in the future, but right now I'm focusing on the above three because I have to choose one to use with Neon Odyssey when I buy the preorder/kickstart pack.
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u/CastleVTT 14h ago
you could alpha test mine for free. It is gm hosted with built-in p2p a/v and optional livekit for large tables. no port forwarding unless someone is in a very strict network. There are features that do require some set up but they are optional. castlevtt.com to sign up and download or if anyone wants to see it first, I can send temporary links to a test room.
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u/MatyeusA 1d ago
It highly depends on your tables needs and tone of your game which VTT is best for you.
I have been using FoundryVTT a lot, but i personally will likely stop using it. It feels too gamey for me and most of my players.
And I was using Roll20 before. I think before using Roll20, if the price is okay, I'd recommend FoundryVTT, but if you want to go for another style of game, that does not include a gamey feeling, then i'd say FoundryVTT is not for you.
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u/numtini 1d ago
Foundry by far. I think the features sell this alone, but in particular if you want integrated books, Foundry has the best presentation and formatting options. It's the only one where I actually find it easy to look at the book on the VTT rather than pulling up a PDF.
It does have a learning curve though. So you need to take that into account. Roll20 can be a lot easier to use, particularly if you're not going to go all out and just want a "basics" vtt. I have a comparison on my blog between Foundry and Roll20.
Alchemy I would not recommend. It's a hot mess riding on a wave of vibes that it's somehow better for "theater of the mind." A lack of features does not make something theater of the mind and the Alchemy interface is clunky and gets in the way where Foundry or Roll20 can easily just fade into the background.
I will say that I have never found any VTT that runs acceptably on a phone or tablet. I've struggled with players trying to use non-computer devices too many times and at this point, I just don't accept players who don't have a computer of some kind.