RPG Stories

Pros:
- RPG Stories returns a tremendous value for your money when compared against other products in this field. It can do just about everything Talespire, Dungeon Alchemist, Foundry, Owlbear Rodeo and Roll20 can do fresh out of the box. It does it all fairly well and in some instances much better.
- The assets library and assets and demos available in the community are fairly plentiful.
- RPG Stories is not pigeon-holed into only supporting fantasy. Sci-Fi, horror, Cyberpunk and modern assets are plentiful and everything is done with a very realistic style.
-The ability to export to UVTT format and import 2D assets can transform this into a pretty cool 2D VTT with 3D VFX and assets.
-The journal feature and scene setting, along with a built in fog of war, allow you to make full modules and run them all from one program. Players can join in with a demo version if you host as the GM.

The UI experience is fairly intuitive. You won't want to claw your eyeballs out trying to figure out how to do anything like you would in Fantasy Grounds Unity.

Cons:
- While RPG Stories can do just about everything, there are a few things it can't do or doesn't do as well as other platforms.
- As a map builder, RPG Stories is great, one of the best in class even, but it is slightly outclassed by Dungeon Alchemist for making maps. Granted, DA is NOT a full featured VTT and doesn't really do anything but maps. Since RPG stories has it's own procedural map builder, the comparison must be made. The biggest gap between DA and RPGS in this regard is the inability to raise terrain. You can get there in RPG stories through the clever use of assets, but it's not as graceful as DA.
- RPGS doesn't really have great audio support. This is common for the genre, but you'll find yourself needing Discord or something else to coordinate with others.

Overall I highly recommend the product. I will be transitioning my next campaign from the current tech stack of four different platforms to just RPGS and Discord. This was a great grab.

It's capable of making beautiful maps, but be aware that the camera controls are absolute $H!T. REALLY not designed for a laptop, which most of the people I know use instead of a desktop. Plenty of pre-formed structures to use, but good luck actually managing to put anything inside of them, especially if there's more than one level. That said, if you understand that you're occasionally going to want to throw the computer out the window, I'd recommend it.

Soooo... This might be a long review. I'll try to streamline it a bit...

Total recommend at FULL PRICE to tabletop players, virtual tabletop players, tabletop rpg artists/creators, full fledge game developers, artists, concept artists and mappers... seriously. all of those apply and none are listed "just because",

the details:
as an artist, author and... blah blah blah... this has fully just taken blender's place when it comes to level design, world conceptualization and outside of blender... "LORE BUILDING".

(totally went overboard... heres a streamlined list):
- (built in & dlc)massive environmental prop library(base content definitely varied enough to build with creative depth... the dlc just adds more variety by way of Prop genres); high quality and combined with lighting and color grading effects(separate feature) allows for creative modular use and cohesion for artists to build extremely complex environments that is very unique in that artist's specific style. each dlc adding a substantial amount of content at 6$ a piece which is awesome.
- the quest log writer or journal... provides an in engine tool to manage story content and notes... I have always praised tools that keep you comfortably within a single workspace... so having the ability to design full 3d environments as well as the ability to open the journal to develop some story content or lore... or just jotting notes in a really natural way(not a random windows themed note pad) within the same workspace.
- there are 3d pin markers and other useful tools for tabletop(physical or virtual) players and game masters that I use not as any of those lol... they are just more "noting" and 3d "pinboard" tools for me personally lol. they are great.
- the weather effects, premade particle effects and color grading tools are simple to use and understand. in combination, like most visual effects tools provides a world of possibilities and more importantly, control over the tone mapping(as stated before... going to try to not repeat myself lol). oh, my favorite tool for map creation... "fog". you have access to to a few options in "types" of fog, haze, sandstorm, etc etc etc... to see what feels right for you and the specific environment your working on. it's great.
- lighting tools are simple but ABSOLUTLY EFFECTIVE lol. im a strong lighting artist... fog... lighting... color grading... thats my thing... the secret sauce to my environments lol... no but seriously, it's pretty solid here and the properties available are fantastic.(be sure to set the app's graphics to max, if your system supports it... it took me about...since it launched originally on steam... maybe a year? before I realized, like a game... I can crank the graphics up lol. do that if you can lol... it really brings this tool a solid several steps above the others so far. you can produce absolutely legitimately gorgeous environments in this).
- supports audio which is cool...
- supports "perspective" and "isometric" camera types...
- supports standard camera effects: DOF, FOV, chromatic ab., vignetting(spelling... sorry lol)... etc etc.
- each project supports "multiple environments" using a "tab-like" system... present at the top of the viewport. which is great for and organizationally insane person like me...(that... phrase...)
- solid customer support. the developers are the customer support... and they are actual humans... with feeling that actually care about their users. this is a big one, TOP NOTCH USER SUPPORT... seriously. just really sweet/kind supportive people.
- performance is pretty fantastic. there are occasions when launching, the screen will dim and seemingly load...? but if you press "esc", it goes away and your map pops in lol...
- oh! the load, undo, delete and etc animation for props... simple... but love it.

there is just so much more, i can go on and on as this program has completely taken blender's place in my development pipeline in a massively serious way.

I should detail the development context for what "game development" projects this could work for... so this exports 2d images(and possibly video... buuut I havent checked). for serious developers, this would definitely be a solid tool for making a high graphics point and click game like myst(vr release) or anything like that in high quality, primarily built on the high quality assets, lighting, color grading tools and etc etc. I have 2 decades of unity experience(amongst other engines... and blah blah... not a resume, cut this down mike...).

my point is, this as a level design tool is excellent as the library of assets to stand up well against unity's asset store both "out of the box"(easily) and with the additional dlc(a bonus). the content is seriously modular enough and... (this is important too) detailed enough to scale, rotate and utilize the details on props to instance a create whole new/unique looking environments or even props with how you repurpose them(like i tend to do all the time).

uggg still went long on this lol...

my point, this is totally a viable serious tool for game design... easily. to be clear... for projects that utilize 2d export formats, as this does not export 3d content... thats not a negative in anyway toward this tool, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! artists(comics, 2d animation, 3d animation with 2d environment projection, environmental art), game devs(point and click adventures... first person myst-like or third person broken sword style) and so on and so forth.... sorry this stiiiill was super long lol...

buy this... the price point is and EASY recommend for artists and enthusiasts dungeon masters and players... it's just fun to use lol.

One of the better VTT I have used. The graphics and building is easy. I think they need to add a few other features e.g., GM Dice Roll not posted in Chat, GM control Monsters/etc in Online Game. Overall it is great and would recommend to use, I hope they continue to update and add new features.

Was already pretty easy to slap maps together across different era's/genre's, Recently added VTT export made it even better, playing with foundry and not having to re-map the walls/windows/doors was fantastic, App deserves more attention for what all can be done with it