D&D Beyond Maps Vs. Project Sigil: Which VTT Is Right For You?

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publisher Wizards of the Coast is currently working on two official virtual tabletop solutions, and they could hardly be more different. The Maps feature on D&D Beyond takes a straightforward approach, and it should seem familiar to anyone who's used a classic VTT program or simply sat down at the game table to play things out on a standard physical map. Project Sigil, meanwhile, is a seemingly robust 3D alternative, resulting in a potentially more immersive experience that might come with its own drawbacks.

Considering how long popular VTTs like Roll20 have been around, Wizards of the Coast is surprisingly late to the game when it comes to an in-house option. D&D Beyond already makes it possible to handle core aspects of a campaign on an official digital platform, but the lack of an interface for playing out battles or crawling through dungeons left it feeling like half of a solution. While compelling arguments for choosing alternative VTT programs certainly won't disappear, official solutions have advantages that could prove compelling for many players.

The biggest upside to D&D Beyond Maps, and one that's hard to overstate in general, is the ease of use. For any groups that already use D&D Beyond for character sheets, the integration of Maps makes for an unusually convenient way to throw things onto a grid. Sticking to one site is easier for everyone involved than bouncing between multiple sources, and the addition of Maps features over time has made it into a reasonably comprehensive way to handle combat encounters.

Playing D&D can be hard, especially for a DM trying to run a campaign online, but there are plenty of websites that will help session go smoother.

D&D Beyond now includes the option to track initiative and stats in combat directly within Maps, bringing the resource up to speed with competing VTTs for dungeon masters. On the players' end, rolls can be made directly inside Maps or by clicking on the relevant features in a D&D Beyond character sheet.

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