So after much trial and error and motivated by the constant stay at home orders here in Hawaii, I decided to try and get something going virtually. A long time user of SLACK, the collaboration work tool, I recruited some friends locally...and now others globally too. best thing about it is they can play anywhere with full access on their phone as well as their computers at home.
I began with trying to clearly delineate between in game and out of game requirements. So for initial setup, references, etc I have channels established topically. Also, with the Dropbox add in, I have the files uploaded so that players can access simply by clicking on them. So data cards or finances, maintenance, etc. all have their own channels.
Then I have a campaign channel where the big (RPG) story unfolds in character. An out of character and player chat rooms exist for discussions off script:
Then for each mission, I use a separate channel to go through the mission. This allows for better sorting of the tactical information. In this channel, players only communicate through radio traffic. I do have some admin excerpts, like Attacks, Defense and Damage. I use a "UAV view" for a couple turns to give the players some better situational awareness since they can't see the whole board. A lot more fog of war compared to the normal HG game. Also, each gear has a view point view. It actually was quite simple to layer on cockpits and eventually added compasses and now sensors. A good amount of measuring and orientation awareness is necessary as GM, but I enjoy it. I dont know how much the players are understanding their environment, but I can tell you they got the first kill.
The latest version of turns is noted with the latest cockpit versions to include sensors...
So in conclusion, after a month of play...I find I have to guide the game quite a bit, but I am still having fun. i hope the players are too. We seem to be gaining players as we go, so I take that as a good sign.
