Shepherding your online tabletop group for a game night is going to get a little bit easier. Popular virtual tabletop tool Roll20 is coming to Discord, integrating right into the chat and voice platform. So, instead of running Roll20 separately in a browser with some other voice client, you can start the activity from right inside Discord itself.
It works the way you’d launch any other activity on Discord. After jumping on a call, you can click the little rocket ship to begin an activity (or join in an existing activity). From there, Roll20 will be one of the options.
“We are thrilled to introduce Roll20 to a new audience through our collaboration with Discord,” said Riley Dutton, co-founder of Roll20. “We know how many existing Roll20 users love Discord, and we’re excited to offer them an easier way to play!”
If your Roll20 account and your Discord are under the same email, you can seamlessly log in. Otherwise, you’ll have to sign in (or create a new account). Every member of your party will need to make a Roll20 account and be on the same voice call.
The first person who launches the activity is the one who picks which campaign to launch (so, they assume the role of the GM). Everyone else filters into a waiting room before the GM starts the game. If you need to leave at any point, when you come back you’ll jump right back in right where you left off.
Additionally, if there’s something on the Roll20 website you want to fiddle with, you can seamlessly switch between the two experiences. Whatever you do on the browser will be reflected in the Discord activity and vice-versa. You can join via the activity and have another player join in the web application. But you’ll need to all be on the same Discord call, as the video and voice call tools within Roll20 itself won’t link up to the Discord call. None of those tools are going away, but they won’t be available within the activity. All the features you might have within your Pro or Plus accounts will be available.
The Roll20 Discord integration will also showcase Jumpgate, the big overhaul of Roll20. It’s specifically focused on improving performance, but will also tweak the user interface for a more streamlined experience. Jumpgate is still in testing, but it will eventually become the Roll20 default. Right now, though, it’s the version of Roll20 available in the beta Discord activity.
The Discord integration will first be available to Roll20 Pro subscribers via an exclusive beta testing phase starting April 30, before it unveils to the general public later this year. It will be available on both the Discord app and browser, though not on mobile.
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