The immersive part, on the map
Let's Role offers an easy virtual tabletop with many systems, sheets and a strong following among French-speaking players. TerrainTale puts its immersion into the map itself: a lit 3D place with miniatures. The public site is in thirteen languages, French included; the app itself is in English.
Side by side
| Topic | TerrainTale | Let's Role |
|---|---|---|
| The map | A 3D scene from a realistic library | 2D maps and scene images |
| Systems | System-agnostic: no rules engine | A directory of systems with sheets |
| Character sheets | None, by design | Built in |
| Measuring | Feet with diagonal rule, waypoints and height | Map tools |
| Initiative and HP | Tracker, HP, conditions, round counter | Supported |
| Lighting | Real-time 3D light and shadow; fog brush | Dynamic lighting and phased maps |
| Remote play | Shared rooms by link | Yes |
| Pricing | Free plan with one saved scene; Premium $6/month | Free account, with a paid Play Pass |
Let's Role is a trademark of its owners and is not affiliated with TerrainTale. Feature notes describe the other product in general terms as we understand it at the time of writing; check its site for current details.
Immersion through light and depth
Torches in a corridor, a moon over a graveyard, real walls you can hide behind. The map does the work that scene art does elsewhere, and it is a place the miniatures actually stand in. At night, a corridor lit by two torches has bright pools and dark stretches between them. Drag the time of day to noon and the same castle courtyard becomes an open approach. Shadows are real, cast by walls and props from the sun and from torch lights, and the hour is saved with the scene.
Fast to build
Room kits for dungeons, castles, taverns, crypts and caves; a tile brush for irregular shapes; terrain brushes outdoors. Sixteen starter scenes cover the usual session-one locations and more. A worked example: a hall 6 squares by 8, which is 30 by 40 feet, is one drag with the dungeon kit, with walls on every edge and corners that meet. A doorway placed on a wall edge replaces exactly one segment. Irregular rooms come from the tile brush, and outdoor scenes start with terrain brushes for hills and water.
Where Let's Role is still the better pick
Groups who want sheets for their specific system, a soundboard and journal in the same window, and play that is mostly narrative. TerrainTale leaves rules and sheets to the table. As we understand it, Let's Role also has a large French-speaking community and a directory of systems built by its users, which is a real strength if your game is niche.
Moving across
There is no Let's Role importer. Rebuild locations with the room tool, start from a starter scene, or import a scene recipe as JSON. Token images you own drop on the window as standees. If your campaign uses scene images, keep them in Let's Role for narrative scenes and use TerrainTale for the fights that need a grid. Uploading your own token images is part of Premium on the hosted site.
Fog of war and secrets
Fog in TerrainTale is drawn by hand. The DM covers the map, then reveals each area as the party explores, in the editor or mid-game. Players see black ground where fog lies, and the minis, props and lights standing in it are not sent to their browsers. A single mini can also be hidden from players until it appears. There is no automatic line of sight and no per-token vision; the DM decides what the party sees.
Running combat
Start combat and every mini on the map joins initiative. Roll or type each number, press N to advance, and the active mini glows. HP is on the token card with damage and heal buttons, conditions are badges the table sees, and the round counter sits in the top bar. The ruler counts feet with the diagonal rule you pick, follows waypoints, and reports height. Players roll from a dice tray shared with the table.
Language at the table
The public site, with its guides and comparisons, is in thirteen languages, French included. The app interface is in English. The words a player meets at the table are few: Move, Measure, Grid, Dice and the initiative list, so a group that reads a little English can play. Rules text and sheets stay in your own language in whatever tool holds them.
Questions
Is TerrainTale available in French?
The public site is, along with twelve other languages. The app itself is in English.
Does TerrainTale have system sheets?
No. It is a battle map with initiative and HP; sheets stay elsewhere.
Does it have fog of war?
Yes. The DM brushes fog over the map and reveals it as the party explores.
Can my group play remotely?
Yes, by sharing a saved scene link. Players sign in, ask to join, and see the table live once the DM lets them in.
Is there a dice roller?
Yes. A dice tray throws physics dice the whole table sees, with notation such as 2d6+3 and advantage. A free online roller on this site also works without signing in.
Is it free?
There is a free plan with the whole table that keeps one saved scene. Premium, $6 a month or $48 a year, keeps up to 200 saved scenes and imports your own models.
Can players move their own miniatures?
Yes. In a shared room players drag minis, measure, ping and roll. The feet they move are charged to the token's turn, and they cannot edit the scene.
Do creature sizes take the right number of squares?
Yes. A Medium creature takes one square and a Large creature a 2 by 2 space, and tokens snap to match. The ruler measures from wherever you start the drag, so reach from the edge of a large space is easy to check.
Can an AI assistant build a scene for me?
Yes. Scene recipes are a documented JSON format. Describe the place to an assistant, have it write the recipe using the asset catalogue, and load it with File, Import Scene JSON. The scene builder keeps floors tiled, walls meeting and everything standing on the terrain.
Keep reading
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Starter scenes
Sixteen finished battle maps with real screenshots.
Features
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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.