Since the pandemic I’ve been running my Classic Traveller game on Roll20.net (for the most part).

My friend Greg is creating some macros for use with Mongoose Traveller 2nd Edition on Roll20. He’s shown them to me and a few other players. They are very cool. He has some good reason for wanting to automate some of the functions in his games. My next statements recognize this, and are not a criticism of such efforts.

Online RPG gaming, especially using various Virtual Tabletop Systems like Roll20 (VTTs) is fantastic. It give players the ability to join games with enthusiasts all over the world, and it allowed our game to continue during the pandemic.

I’ve been fiddling around with macros in Roll20 the last few weeks. I feel like in my case they are a waste of my time, and I realized that on a personal level I am opposed to having too much automation in my online sessions.

If you automate everything, I think players will not learn the way the game actually works.

To me, part of the hobby is learning the game. You learn to roll up a character. You learn what your character can do. You learn which dice to roll, and when to roll them, and why. You learn how skills work. You learn how combat works. You learn to use the rules, as given in the rulebook, to figure out what your success rolls are.

As a game master, you learn to build a game using whatever system you are using. You gain a feel for the game by – reading - the - fucking - rules. You create scenarios. You learn to organize your materials in such a way that they work for you.

You play the game and you learn the rules to the point that you barely have to consult the rulebook, and you can play the game and have a great time with pencil, paper, and dice. All the rest becomes add-ons.

So my point?

I think one must be careful with the use of VTTs just like one must be careful with the use of hated AI. If you don’t watch out, all the helpful tools will have reduced your knowledge of the game, and you may become simple consumers of media rather than creative gamers.