Beginner's question: BitD in Roll20

Blades in the Dark
#1

Hi all!

I’m new to BitD and Roll20 and (hopefully) about to start my first game soon. For this I’ve purchased the Doskvol Bundle.

I am now wondering: Is there a way to swap the Doskvol map provided for a different one (preferably one from the player’s kit)?

Also, can I somehow add the maps of each district as a background (like the Doskvol map) and maybe even integrate something similar to the player’s kit’s campaign tracker in a fillable form?

Thank you!

P.S.: There might be some more questions coming soon. I’m really excited for this game!

#2

Hello, @Stollentroll17

I am not sure how the Doskvol bundle works, but you should be able to have different maps / backgrounds by having different pages:

  • On the top of the screen, click the “paper” icon (tooltip says "page toolbar)
  • Create a new page

One thing to keep in mind is that players see a different page than you (notice the “players” ribbon). So you also need to move that when changing.

About the background change, maybe this can help? https://www.illusionaryterrain.com/articles/adding-a-map-to-roll20

For the images themselves (each district), you might have to find them yourself on google if they are not provided in the bundle. (Or maybe zoom in the one provided?)

#3

Thanks for the answer, @Rattman!

The link is definitely useful. I just saw there’s a bundle of district maps on DriveThruRPG. I might just buy this one.

I have to try around a bit on Roll20. I find it to be a bit fiddly when trying to draw and stuff like that…

#4

These maps:

are worth their weight in Coin. They are incredibly detailed while allowing plenty of open space for improv. Everything’s on one map, but that’s a little unwieldy on Roll20, so I also uploaded the district maps. Then we tried to mark landmarks, like crew lair and turf, on the local maps.

Here’s some more detail on how I set things up:

https://community.bladesinthedark.com/t/how-i-set-up-blades-in-the-dark-on-roll20/1540

It has worked pretty well for a couple of years. I just use a blank chalkboard background now, as it gets full quickly. You can expand the background as you go by resizing.

I used the clocks on the character and crew sheets, which work really well. We never really liked the rollable tables.

The book is fantastic for understanding the game, but at the table, I find the SRD easier to index and it’s usually the first result from a Google search.

1 Like
#5

I second the recommendation of Old Dog’s maps, I’ve used them a few times.

I bring the maps into my drawing program of choice, cut out the part we’re using, and put that on some old parchment, because generally I don’t use the entire city all the time.

Some of my gameboards in chronological order:
https://i.imgur.com/ZogHnQN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ulqMECl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/WGC04tD.jpg

When I started there wasn’t a Roll20 bundle so I had to roll my own.

I did make a terrible tutorial at one point that you could check out :stuck_out_tongue:
https://imgur.com/gallery/3lxWySf

1 Like
#6

Thank you both for your tips!

These district maps could be very useful, indeed; I bought them now.

I can’t really figure out, how to adjust their size properly in Roll20… They just look a bit blurred to be honest.
Also, it seems I cannot upload the highres Doskvol map. When I try, nothing happens, even after quite a few minutes - strange!

I might try some of your other suggestions - but that’s something for later; for now I need to get the game going first. :smiley:

1 Like
#7

What file size are they? I’m not home to check, but I have some maps that are gigantic images.
You might want to resize and save them as a lower quality jpeg if you’re online.

I use a lot of images on roll20, and I try to optimize so it doesn’t take 5 minutes to load the page in, or lag my player’s computers.

But getting going it’s the most important step!