RPG Stories

After using RPG Stories for almost 200 hours (Steam isn't counting my time from any version except the current one) I can absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants more freedom in their VTT. Resize any asset, rotate them on any axis, place them in any position down to the finest degree that your mouse or trackball allows! My absolute favorite creations have come from assets I've completely misused, like turning a sci-fi apartment building into an engine.
If you want something simple RPGS still has you covered. They offer both simple & in-depth options for creations. You can use their paint tool to throw down the same asset or group of assets in random orientations & sizes in whatever area you drag your cursor over, or you can manually place them to your liking. When you resize or reposition an asset they have a basic and an advanced asset UI that allow you to do the same things but with different degrees of depth & control. You can use the room builder to create the exterior of a room in a few seconds or you can individually place assets to create a more customized look.
The developers are also doing the most important thing that I've seen too many developers fail to do: they've built the foundation they need to effectively add more tools & features in the future. I always keep up with the dev blogs/vlogs for games & software I like and a lot of them talk about an issue they ran into and subsequently had to rewrite their code for. Brave Alice has only done that twice in their first year of development but it's been a huge improvement each time. Once was to allow the wall building tool to better handle creating walls next to each other & allowing diagonal walls. The other time was a recent performance improvement covered in their March dev diary.
The value of RPG Stories is top tier. No monthly fee, no paywall for assets or updates, you just buy the software and you're done. When the VTT features are released this summer players can also buy a significantly cheaper player version if they don't want to pay full price for the version that includes the scene building features. Or if you're a generous game master you'll be able to buy player seats and loan them out to whoever you want for as long as you want. I've bought the full version with 6 player seats, which means I can host plenty of players for as long as I want regardless of who's rotating in & out of the group at any given session.

This is only the second review I have ever written (and first positive one), after 16 years+ on Steam, and almost a hundred titles purchased, I have never felt the need to write one... Until this title came along and surprised me.
I am a professional DM, and I've been a perma-DM since the 80s. I've been using VTTs for a while now, and I own basically all the titles that compete with this one, as well as other dungeon/scenery designer software found on the web (you know the ones). I have even used Blender as a show-and-tell visual aid and 3D battle-map for my players with aphantasia and other neurodivergent needs.
I say all this to say to all the DMs out there, THIS IS THE TITLE YOU WANT.
YES, this title is in Early Access, and it is not (as of this writing) what I would call "complete." BUT it is MUCH farther along than many/most "early access" games to hit the market with million-dollar budgets. It shows GREAT promise as a stable platform on which to expand.
Yes, this title has a small team working on it, but these guys are dedicated to this project, as evidenced by their direct interaction with users on Discord, their willingness to listen, and their responsiveness to questions and concerns. They dont have a huge PR budget, so they simply take the "hands-on" approach.
On top of all this is WHAT they are communicating. They appear to be dedicated to making a true cross-genre platform, without promising the moon. They are building assets that incorporate Fantasy, Modern, and Sci-fi concurrently. They take the pulse of consumer input regularly and their announced plans sync directly with the feedback received. They have even stated a commitment to allow for importing custom assets... something other similar title developers have staunchly worked against.
Now, that isn't to say this is perfect. Yes, I have personal trepidation of this being a true VTT with features to meet the user expectations of those already on the most popular VTT out there. There is (as yet) no procedural asset placement, and the Asset library is still a bit limited (compared to what most may be used to).
However, these are all issues recognized by the team. They are taking the opposite approach of most developers, saying basically "Yea, I'd want that feature too!" and putting their noses to the grindstone to get things done.
Quite frankly, that alone would have prompted me to pay more than I have for this.
TLDR: This has GREAT promise. The base structure is solid. The assets are great, their sense of style is consistent and well-balanced. Their choice of textures line up with the exact aesthetic I was looking for. They want to include community creativity, even if it isnt strictly with their (or their partner's) assets. The team members are front-facing and they CARE about the work, and how it affects the end-users' experiences.
This is going to knock the shit out of the competitors when it is fully fleshed-out. I wish I could give more than one thumbs-up.

Although RPG Stories is still in development, it is already a wonderful 3d cartography tool embracing elements from medieval fantasy, the modern era, and futuristic/sci fi settings. The people behind RPG Stories seem to be a truly delightful and dedicated crew, and their frequent updates give plenty of new virtual "toys" to play with. I cannot wait for this to become a fully functional 3d mapping tool and VTT in one!

Within hours of getting access to this program, as a VIP Backer, I was able to create beautiful and immersive maps. Over the next few months and updates, I have logged so many hours that aren’t even covered by Steam and have created everything from small taverns to cities, landscapes, world maps, spaceships, science stations, Egyptian temples, Werewolf Carens and a ton of other things, sometimes just on the whim of people asking for something on their Discord channel.
There are plenty of tooltips, wiki entries and even video tutorials for beginners, making the learning curve extremely easy for the new builder and updates to the UI based on feedback have been amazing.
Speaking of, the team is responsive, act on bugs and suggestions quickly, and really give it their all to provide, us, the users, with the best system to put our stories out there to the world. These people are punching way above their weight with their limitations and are on track to deliver even more then what was goaled on their Kickstarter, without asking for a cent more!
In my mind the map maker portion is already well on its way to success, and I can’t wait to come back and review the VTT portion for you all.

Probably the most useful tool I have ever used for my TTRPGs. It is also freaking perfect for your level design needs if you do not want to start something from scratch in Unreal or Unity, buy models, optimize assets etc etc.
Insane support and communication from the developers with frequent updates and the most important part is that the product is still in its infancy! The features that are going to be added and the thousands of models make it a must for any creative person!
Worth it to the last penny!

A fresh and excellent little tool for creating custom maps for Dungeons & Dragons and other similar tabletop games.
The user interface is intuitive and allows for quickly creating and editing maps and offers many stylizing options.I highly recommend this tool to anyone looking to create custom maps for their D&D campaigns can't wait for the online multiplayer feature!

While it is not yet complete with all of the playable icons I will need to run Star Wars (and multi-player is not up until next month or so), all of the features that I have looked forward to in map-building seem well refined and simple to use. The Kickstarter seemed amazing months ago. Even though I waited to make sure it would be a working product, it's nice to be able to play around with it now in anticipation of soon using it to entertain my friends. One of the game's dev team, Chrysa TouLysandrou on Discord, is very kind and welcoming. Even watching the tutorials is very entertaining and informative - the person narrating it seems so excited. It turns out, they're all friends! Seems like the perfect environment to conduct our own adventures in - recommend :)