The best virtual tabletop for beginners
If you have never run a game online, the best VTT is the one you can learn before Friday. That rules out anything that needs a server, a module list or a manual. Here is what we would recommend, honestly.
What a beginner actually needs
A map, tokens, dice, and a way for friends to join without installing anything or paying. Automation sounds helpful but adds setup; sheets can live on paper or D&D Beyond. Learn the game first, the tool second.
Owlbear Rodeo: the simplest
Owlbear Rodeo is a browser map with almost no learning curve: upload an image, add tokens, share a link. It is the easiest place to start if you already have a map image.
Roll20: ready-made content
Roll20 has a free tier, character sheets for many systems, and adventures you can buy and run. More features means more to learn, but beginners can run a prepared module without building anything.
Foundry: worth it later
Foundry is powerful but asks you to install or host it and choose modules. Many GMs move to it once they know what they want; it is rarely the easiest first VTT.
Where TerrainTale fits
TerrainTale runs in the browser and starts you in a ready-made scene, so you can drag a mini, measure a move and roll initiative in your first minute. Built-in tavern, dungeon, crypt, forest and castle scenes mean you do not have to build a map to start. It has no character sheets or rules automation, which keeps it simple to learn.
- Nothing to install; players join by link
- Starter scenes ready to play
- Free plan keeps one saved scene; Premium is $6 a month
Our advice
Pick one tool, play one session, then decide. If your group cares about a map that looks like a real place, try TerrainTale; if you want sheets and adventures in one tool, try Roll20; if you want the least software possible, try Owlbear Rodeo.
Questions
What is the easiest VTT for beginners?
Owlbear Rodeo is the simplest for image maps. TerrainTale is easy if you want ready 3D scenes. Roll20 is a good choice if you want ready adventures.
Do my players need to pay?
Not on TerrainTale: players join a shared room free. Roll20 and Owlbear Rodeo also let players join for free.
Do I need to install anything?
Not for TerrainTale, Roll20 or Owlbear Rodeo, which run in the browser. Foundry needs installing or a host, and Fantasy Grounds is a desktop app.
Does TerrainTale have character sheets?
No. Keep sheets on paper or in D&D Beyond. TerrainTale tracks HP, conditions and initiative on the map.
How do I talk to my players?
Use Discord or another call. TerrainTale has no built-in voice, video or chat.
Keep reading
How to Play D&D Online with Friends: Free, Nothing to Install
How to run D&D online with friends: voice on Discord, a free browser tabletop for the map, sheets and dice, and how to keep remote sessions fun.
Free Virtual Tabletop: 3D Maps, No Download, No Seat Licences
A free virtual tabletop in the browser: open a 3D battle map, drag minis, measure in feet, run initiative.
Play D&D with Friends: Start a Group and Run Your First Night
How to get a D&D group going with friends: who runs it, what to buy (almost nothing), a first adventure, a schedule that survives adult life, and a free 3D battle map for the first fight.
Starter scenes
Sixteen finished battle maps with real screenshots.
What Is D&D? Dungeons & Dragons Explained in Plain Words
What Dungeons & Dragons is, how a session actually works, what a DM does, what you need to start (almost nothing), and where a battle map fits.
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Ready to put a map on the table?
Open the builder and start, no account needed. Sixteen starter scenes are on the welcome screen; sign up free when you want to save one or play it with your group.