Questions and answers
Accounts, cost, hardware, which games it fits, and what is not built yet.
What is TerrainTale?
A browser-based 3D virtual tabletop for D&D and similar games. You build a battle map from a realistic library, then run the fight on it with miniatures, a ruler in feet and an initiative tracker.
Do I need an account?
Yes. The app is available to signed-in users. Sign up with an email and password, a one-time email link, or Google, GitHub or Discord where the host has enabled them.
What does it cost?
The free plan has the whole table and keeps one saved scene in your library, built from the built-in library. Premium keeps up to 200 scenes and imports your own 3D models, for $6 a month or $48 a year; nothing else is gated, and cancelling never deletes a scene. Prices and the refund policy are on the pricing page. The server is also self-hostable, with no billing at all on your own copy.
Does it have rules automation?
No. It tracks HP, conditions, initiative and movement and measures distance, but does not roll attacks or resolve rules.
Does it support remote play?
Yes. Share a saved scene by link; players sign in, ask to join, and once let in they see the table live and can drag their own miniatures. There is no voice, video or chat built in, so pair it with a call; the DM can brush fog over rooms players have not reached.
Which systems does it fit?
Anything on a 5-foot square grid: D&D of every edition, Pathfinder, most OSR games. The diagonal rule is a setting.
Can I use my own models?
On Premium, yes: drop .glb, .obj, .fbx, .stl and other model files on the window; Draco and meshopt compression are handled. The free plan builds from the built-in library; your own pictures as token portraits are Premium too.
Where are my scenes stored?
In your account on the server, so a table set up on the laptop is there on the desktop at game night, and you can export any scene as JSON at any time. Uploaded models stay in your browser; a scene only names them.
What hardware do I need?
A modern browser with WebGL 2. Integrated Intel graphics run the low tier fine; discrete GPUs get ambient occlusion, MSAA and 4K shadows.
Can an AI build maps for me?
Yes. The repository includes a scene-recipe format and guides written for AI assistants, so "a ruined temple in a swamp" can become an importable scene.
From the blog
Running combat online without slowing the game to a crawl
Why online fights take twice as long as table fights, and eight concrete changes — turn order, telegraphing, pre-rolled initiative, a shared timer — that get the pace back.
· 7 min read
Self-hosting a virtual tabletop: what it really takes
A realistic account of running your own VTT — the box, the bandwidth, TLS, accounts, backups — and when self-hosting is worth it versus using a hosted table.
· 7 min read
Your first online D&D session: a checklist that actually works
Everything to settle before session one online — voice, the map, dice, safety tools, a fifteen-minute tech rehearsal — so the first hour is play rather than troubleshooting.
· 6 min read
All articles on battle maps, grid rules and running the game
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.