Roll20 and Discord Rolls Out for Everyone
Roll20 and Discord, a team-up that seems even more plausible than Scooby-Doo and Batman and Robin, kick off a new era in online gaming.
And just for the record, Scooby-Doo did team up with Batman and Robin—a couple of times. And that last time was with Matthew Lillard as Shaggy (with voice direction by Critical Role’s Sam Riegel), so it’s little wonder that Joker and the Penguin got taken down like a couple of chumps. But. Discord and Roll20 seem like an even more natural team-up.
Sure, neither Roll20 nor Discord have solved a mystery—unless you count the mystery of how do we make it so that you can safely play D&D or Among Us during an unprecedented pandemic lockdown; or maybe the mystery of “the scheduling demon” which was really just ‘sometimes putting on pants and driving across town is hard’ in a mask.
So I take it back. These two virtual platforms are also detectives now. And they have a bold new team up effective immediately. Now, you don’t even have to leave Discord to start your Roll20.
Roll20 and Discord Team Up Underway
Now Discord and Roll20 have sort of unofficially been together for a while. Everyone I know who uses Roll20 also already uses Discord to coordinate games, handle notes, and also for voice/video chat. I can’t think of a single time I’ve leapt at the chance to use Roll20’s onboard voice or video chat. Usually it’s deny camera/microphone permissions to the tab and then open up Discord.
So it is with many gamers. Even Roll20 knows this, as Jayme Boucher, Senior Marketing Manager at Roll20 said in a press release about the team up:
“Players and GMs already love using Discord for scheduling and socializing. Making it easier to jump straight into a game – with maps, tokens, character sheets, and all the Roll20 tools you know and love – means you can focus on the fun without the hassle of juggling multiple apps or managing invite links. By leveraging Discord’s familiar and beloved tools, we’re offering an easier, more streamlined way to connect and play.”
This is accurate. One of the biggest hassles was finding the right virtual tabletop to use while Discord runs. And now you can run it from within the app (well, the Desktop client or web app, it’s not currently supported on mobile devices). And after a four-month beta period, the Roll20 Activity has rolled out to all Discord users.
According to Roll20, this launch is designed with “existing and aspiring tabletop roleplayers in mind.” What does that mean? Well, in their words:
It provides access to existing Roll20 users’ campaigns, as well as plenty of options for those looking to start fresh or try tabletop RPGs for the first time. Activity users can start new campaigns utilizing nine systems at launch: Dungeons & Dragons, Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game, Call of Cthulhu, Cyberpunk RED, Pathfinder Second Edition, 13th Age, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, and Alien: The Roleplaying Game. Free starter adventures are available for seven of the nine systems, providing an easy, free way to explore new games. Each system allows the creation of blank campaigns and access to adventures pre-formatted for the virtual tabletop.
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It’s a huge launch. You can try so much without even having to buy anything. All you need is Discord and a free Roll20 account (but you can make that from within Discord when you launch the activity).
Of course, as this rolls out, it’s only the beginning. But what a beginning.
