RPG and board game reviews and discussion presented from a game-design perspective. We review and discuss modern role-playing games, classics, tabletop gaming, old school games, and everything in-between. We also randomly fall in and out of different games, so what we are playing and covering from week-to-week will change.
SBRPG is gaming with a focus on storytelling, simplicity, player-created content, sandboxing, and modding.
I play the Black Flag system (Tales of the Valiant) on Shard VTT. I want to create a Drow character. ToV doesn't have Drow? Well, that sucks. And I can't port one in from my 5E content?
I may use an Elf lineage with a Shadowed heritage.
It isn't perfect but...
Wait. What's this?
Do they give me the same tools the developers use? Can I create my own extensions and add things to my books? I can take a copy of an Elf lineage, rename it to a Drow, and add all the special powers and abilities from my 5E source material. The Shard VTT lets me do this? With the same tools the developers use?
Can I DIY everything I want? I hope so.
What about special powers, like giving all Drow the dancing lights cantrip, plus the two other once-per-day spells at 3rd (faerie fire) and 5th (darkness) levels? Given out at those levels, they don't appear on the character sheet early? And with a once-per-day checkbox on the character sheet?
Does it do that? It does.
And I can give the Drow weapon proficiencies, too? I can.
Can I add art, type all the information, and make it look nice? Does this work in the character creator in my account, and can I use it for all of my characters? And does this work with Tales of the Valiant now? Yes, I can. I added a custom race to my ToV information, which works in my character creation tools. I always wanted this with Hero Lab, all this other software, and other VTTs. It is so easy, and I figured it out in about 30 minutes.
My Drow lineage (CC-SRD) is now in Tales of the Valiant. One less reason to stay with D&D.
Can I create more custom heritages, backgrounds, and other things? Can I make other lineages, like monsters and some of my favorite 4E races, and play them in ToV, too? Yes. I went in and created a character. My Drow heritage was in there, and I could pick it, and all the custom powers and flavor text were automatically added to my character sheet.
This is awesome.
Can I port in Star Frontiers races if I get the Esper Genesis 5E science fiction game? Yes. I just did, and gave my Vrusk character all the abilities from the book, converted into 5E. I even made the Vrusk carapace add two to AC, and the Comprehension ability gives all Vrusk proficiency in the Insight skill. Well, here is that 5E version of Star Frontiers I always wanted.
While on the Roll20 VTT, I sought a way to play Tales of the Valiant on Roll20. Well, things have fallen apart between Roll20 and ToV this year, and even a character sheet for use with ToV is nowhere to be found.
But Shard supports ToV.
The Shard VTT also has subscription options for the complete Kobold Press library.
Please, please, please do not make me switch VTTs! I am bought in over on Roll20! This sucks!
Then, being so used to the Roll20 system, I bounced off Shard pretty hard—until I watched the above video, which made the entire system seem so easy. I like Mr. Tarrasque; he shares many of my game preferences and has infectious energy and enthusiasm. Please watch and subscribe!
Shard is an interesting VTT; it is just built for 5E. While Roll20 does a bunch of games, the support for "alternate versions of 5E" sort of sucks. Sure, I can play GURPS in Roll20, but playing any other version of 5E except D&D? Let's say Ultramodern20, Level Up A5E, or Tales of the Valiant? I suspect it is not easy with the Roll20 API, as character support and sheets are best supported by Official D&D. I wish ToV had come to Roll20, and the backend API support for different flavors of 5E was better.
With Shard? I can convert a character between ToV and D&D (2014 and 2024) with a button on the character sheet. The backend API for supporting 5E character sheets and applying a rule system is much better. If all you play is 5E, give Shard a try.
At first, with the sample starter adventure, I was put off by Shard since the city map and the starting pieces did not look all that great. Shard needs a better "new user" starter adventure experience. I don't want an ugly town map with a few dozen confusing encounters; give me a battle with goblins in a forest. Pre-generate four characters, and put the goblins in an encounter for the GM to reveal and run. Give me something simple, but make it look amazing.
Once you start playing adventures and getting your maps created, the system looks identical to Roll20. That starter adventure needs to be updated.
The cost per player for a whole ToV experience is also far less than that of D&D Beyond. If you go with a player-focused Tabletop Adventurer plan (2.99 per month) plus a subscription to every ToV player book (3.99 per month), you are talking a $7 per month cost per player, and you get all the books as long as you are subscribed. I love this option, and it makes the service compelling.
Solo players will also need a GM subscription (6.99 per month), which will be more. There is also a "sharing" option for GMs, like Roll20, where players can access the GM's books when they join a game (the pro plan allows sharing in 5 games). If you go "whole hog" as a ToV GM, this is about $25 per month for a complete Kobold Press library, but this is also far less than the thousands of dollars you could spend buying virtual books on a digital service. Subscribing is the way to go, since books are constantly added to the collection.
They have sales, so if you ever wanted to buy books, you can. A VTT is like an MMO subscription for me, and the entire VTT economy is morphing into that. I wish Roll20 had subscription offerings to publishers like this. Also, not owning digital goods is actually a benefit. If a VTT ever shuts down, you lose that investment. Subscriptions are the smart way to go.
This is another area where Shard wins.
Oh, and I own my PDFs with Tales of the Valiant, whereas I don't with D&D. This is another clear win. A PDF is not "digital content" since I can burn it to a DVD and open it forever without a subscription. A PDF is a physical good in digital form (a digital good). Content? You don't own that. It is rented, but content on VTTs should be rented since it isn't forever. A complete subscription for a 5E fantasy game, where new books are added, and I am not spending hundreds of dollars on Roll20 to buy each book? That is a win.
Shard is cheaper than a Roll20 habit.
In a perfect world, when you buy the book from the Kobold Press store (or choose an option to), you should get it unlocked in Shard or any other VTT of your choosing in the future. The publisher should hold the VTT rights, which should be linked to your store account.
I hear you, Foundry people! I will get to that VTT. There are many passionate Foundry people out there who love that system, too. The purpose is to look at Shard and its support of ToV, along with the Kobold-verse of 5E books.
Shard VTT, current pricing, April 2025
So, free players can have up to 6 characters and join one game, and a GM can share a complete library. That seems fair, and while a little less generous than Roll20, it is enough to get players sold on a game.
Tales of the Valiant is the Pepsi to D&D's Coke. It does not have a significant market share, but it also works and tastes. The best part of the game is owning my PDFs, but subscription models to own and play with the books are also convenient. Being the small guy does have its advantages and lets them try innovative things like this, which I appreciate.
I still like Roll20 for a few things, but for 5E and ToV, I am currently looking elsewhere.
As for D&D, I have moved on, and I prefer a system where I can own PDFs and subscribe to the library. ToV is a (mostly) drama-free system, without Wizards, and one that is better for my campaign settings.
