maptool is an online, multiuser, networked, graphical, interactive, programmable virtual tabletop. requires java 6+. it can be used for facetoface play, or internet roleplaying in real time even if your players are on the other side of the world. maptool in particular works great with voicechat services!
these tools are not a role playing game by themselves, nor are they meant to replace everything at the rpg table. rather, they are designed to be as flexible as we can make them, usable for a wide variety of gaming systems, from fantasy to scifi; from tabletop miniatures games to purely spokenword games.
the tools aren't built from the ground up for any specific rpg, which is what allows for the great flexibility we have, but as a result, it can be difficult for us to indicate easily to individuals how best to make use of the tools for their specific purposes. fortunately, the community forums are a thriving, active source of rapid responses to any questions you may have. we take pride in this as one of our greatest strengths and we encourage you to join us there. if the game you want to run is a commonlyfound one, there's a good chance you can locate someone who's done most of the finetuning for you! at the risk of leaving some out, our users have developed frameworks for d&d3.x, d&d4e, pathfinder, shadowrun, nwod, gurps, and many others.
