The best virtual tabletop for OSR games
Old-school play runs on exploration, light and supplies, rulings over rules, and a referee who describes more than they automate. An OSR table needs a dungeon to map, dice and very little else.
What OSR games need from a table
A dungeon the players explore room by room, ten-foot squares or plain description, light sources and turns, simple combat and lots of dice. Character sheets are short. Automation tends to get in the way of rulings.
Foundry: if you want sheets in the tool
Foundry has community systems for Old-School Essentials and other old-school games, plus generic systems for the rest. It is the most flexible choice if you want sheets and rolls in the VTT.
Owlbear Rodeo and Roll20: simple maps
Owlbear Rodeo is a fast, simple map for groups that want almost no tooling. Roll20 has sheets for several old-school games and a free tier. Both handle an image-based dungeon map well.
Where TerrainTale fits
TerrainTale suits referees who want the dungeon to be a place: walls, doors, stairs and torchlight in 3D, and minis the players move. The ruler counts squares and can report feet, so 10-foot squares just mean reading the count differently. There is no rules engine, which suits OSR, and fog of war is a brush: cover the dungeon and reveal it room by room as they explore.
- System-agnostic: works with any old-school ruleset
- Dice roller for every die
- Initiative and HP tracking when combat starts
Choosing for a dungeon crawl
Need sheets in the tool: Foundry. Need the lightest possible map: Owlbear Rodeo. Want the dungeon itself to impress and the rules on paper: TerrainTale.
Questions
What VTT is best for Old-School Essentials?
Foundry has an OSE system for sheets and rolls. For a simple map, Owlbear Rodeo; for 3D dungeons, TerrainTale.
Can TerrainTale use 10-foot squares?
The grid is one cell per square; read each square as 10 feet. The ruler reports squares as well as feet.
Does TerrainTale have OSR character sheets?
No. It has no character sheets for any system. Keep sheets on paper or in another tool.
Is there fog of war for dungeon exploration?
Yes. The referee brushes fog on and reveals rooms as the party explores. There is no automatic line of sight.
Is it free?
The free plan keeps one saved scene with the full table; Premium keeps 200 for $6 a month or $48 a year.
Keep reading
3D Dungeon Map Maker: Rooms, Corridors and Torchlight in Minutes
Make a 3D dungeon map in the browser: drag rooms with the Dungeon kit, paint corridors with the tile brush, add doorways, torches, a treasure chest and a skeleton, then play on it.
Best VTT for Shadowdark: Torches, Timers and Tables
The best virtual tabletops for Shadowdark RPG: Foundry for sheets and torch timers, Owlbear Rodeo for a light map, and TerrainTale for real torchlight in 3D dungeons.
Battle Map Maker: Build a Map in Minutes
A fast battle map maker in the browser: drag a room, paint tiles, drop props and lights, then play on the same map with miniatures, a ruler and initiative.
Owlbear Rodeo alternative
Looking for an Owlbear Rodeo alternative with 3D maps? TerrainTale keeps the simplicity (no rules engine, nothing to install) and adds real miniatures, light and height.
TTRPG Virtual Tabletop for Any System: 3D, Free, No Rules Engine
A virtual tabletop for any tabletop RPG on a grid: D&D, Pathfinder, OSR, Shadowdark, Savage Worlds and more.
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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.