A not so subtle brag but, when you have more friends than you have space at the gaming table, you know you are a lucky Game Master. I am fortunate to be able to count myself in this category. One of the biggest reasons that I run games is because I can’t stop myself from wanting to invite everyone to play. For me, the experience is much less about telling a story than it is spending time with people both familiar and new.
My current Dungeons & Dragons Curse of Strahd adventure has grown from a regular group of 5, up to an occasional 7 player event. We finished a set piece session where the full party was present. Including the most recent attendee, who lives a few time zones away. Playing by camera, we don’t get to see his face every game, but when we do it’s always a welcome sight.
This was an impulse addition to the campaign when one of our sessions was short by a few players. We rigged up our first attempts without knowing what would work or having any experience beyond the everyday kind of remote play, where all participants are online. Soon it was clear that we needed something a bit more customized for remoting in just one player while the rest of the group was at the physical table. We have hooked up a speaker that was part of the living room entertainment center, we have used a conference room with a mounted wall TV.
Getting set up with a remote player presents a new set of challenges, especially if you are not a technically minded person in the audio and visual sense. One of my roommates, also a player in the Strahd game, took over the set up responsibilities and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. He instituted the idea of a battle camera as well, so that we can show the remote player how the tabletop grid looks, to help assist with the verbal descriptions. We’ve had hit and miss success with the battle cam; when the connection is strong and the lens is clear, it’s a brilliant addition. On the other hand, when the video quality is down, or the audio feedback unexpectedly turns on, it can be a painful experience.
Noise level was, and continues to be, the most problematic factor in the experience. It takes a very accommodating collection of personalities to be able to resist the background conversations that generate from scene to scene. My players are great at giving each a turn in the spotlight, but we also enjoy the little character building moments, which make it difficult for the player in the remote seat to track. Overall, the experiment of bringing in a long distance player was more successful than I would have guessed. It comes with some setbacks, and it’s not a model for gaming that I am eager to make a permanent fixture, but it’s good to have that knowledge on hand. We will always welcome additional players to our table, friends that can play in person and the friends that are well out of reach.
