For all the graphically advanced computer RPGs out there, nothing has yet surpassed the potential of a group of imaginative gamers playing Dungeons & Dragons around a table; in an period of social distancing and physical isolation, large numbers of gamers and RPG fans are using the high-quality chat clients, online resources, and specialized websites listed below to play D&D with each other in a virtual "tabletop space."
The impact of Dungeons & Dragons, the original RPG, can't be underestimated. First released in 1974 by designers Gary Gygax and David Arneson, D&D combined fantasy storytelling with the tactical complexity of war games, empowering friends to weave stories out of their imagination and the fickle rolls of polyhedral dice. This new and sometimes controversial style of entertainment popularized so many modern gaming concepts – priests that cast holy magic, treasure-filled dungeons, the notion of "Leveling Up", and other such conceits.
Despite initial predictions, MMOs like World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2 didn't make D&D obsolete. On the contrary, the internet inspired a revival of interest in D&D and other roleplaying games, with fans organizing games on forums and chat clients while enthusing over live-streamed games run by groups such as Critical Role. A number of online tools have arisen to streamline the process of playing tabletop RPGs online – software and websites that facilitate the rolling of dice, the tabulation of information, and the imaginative potential of both players and Dungeon Master.
Discord: A Chat Client For All Kinds of Gaming
The chat client Discord was originally designed for friends playing multiplayer video games together, but has since expanded into an IRC hub that many gamers use to run text or audio-based RPG games. Feature-wise, Discord is pretty sparse, with no built-in video feeds or game map functions. Even so, Discord's reliable sound quality and special "Dice-Bot" accounts make it easy for gamers to run narrative, "Theater Of the Mind" style RPGs.
Roll20: A Virtual Tabletop Website Tool
One of the most famous "Virtual Tabletop" websites, Roll20 lets Dungeon Masters advertise their games to prospective players, then run their games in a chat-room with various useful tools: a customizable map, a library of tokens and tile images, along with an adaptable dice-rolling function designed for true randomness.
The basic rules for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition are included as a free compendium on Roll20, along with the rulesets for alternate systems such as Pathfinder, Call Of Cthulhu, Dungeon World, and FATE.
Astral Tabletop: Get Up & Get Rolling
A daring new competitor to Roll20, Astral Tabletop is designed to facilitate both online and in-person roleplaying games. Along with map-creation tools, dice rolling functions, tokens, and virtual character sheets, Astral Tabletop offers players and DMs a versatile combat manager, journal-writing functions, and a library of visual/audio effects that's large in the free account and vast in the Pro account.
Tabletop Audio: For all your "Bang!" and "Fwoosh!" Needs
The perfect tool for a DM who wants to emulate the foley of old-time radio plays, Tabletop Audio is a website of audio libraries and "SoundPads" for a variety of story genres. The "Combat SoundPad", for instance, contains audio clips of clanging swords, war-horns, and hissing fire spells, while the "True West SoundPad" has gunshots, galloping horses, and the ever-classic Wilhelm scream. Tabletop Audio lets DMs send their players channel links to certain SoundPads...or mix-and match certain sound clips to create their own custom SoundPad.
Regardless of what tools gamers use to play Dungeon & Dragons online, the most important thing is that they communicate clearly, treat each other with respect, and have fun; win or lose, a great story for all involved is the true reward of D&D!