Your Preferred Format for Video Actual Plays?

[TheMookNet]

Howdy, folks, like to pick your brain for a moment.

Assuming you enjoy watching TTRPG video actual plays or recording your own games for archiving, I'm curious which format you prefer of those below (or another I missed that floats your boat).

1) Player Audio Only. Fantasy Grounds dominates the screen and maps, token movements, dice rolls, images, etc. are all seen, but players are only heard (i.e., no webcams).

2) With Video. Video is added unobtrusively, usually in a line at top or bottom.

3) Video Dominant. The players' video feeds and Fantasy Grounds are split closer to equal, giving the video much more prominence. May not even be used as a map, but simply as a shared area for inspirational/game-appropriate images.

Here's a screenshot (https://www.themook.net/gamegeekery/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/FG-Formats.jpg) that might make it clearer. Personally, I prefer audio only when GMing, but I'm not sure if that's because I think it's legit a better format or if I just don't want to fiddle with one more thing.

Thanks!

[mattekure]

A few months ago I joined a campaign where being on video was one of the requirements. Before we started playing, I wasn't sure I would like it, but I find I really like having that visual feedback. Seeing peoples faces made a difference in how I enjoyed the game. It felt just a little bit closer to being around an actual table. The format we used is #2, which I found worked well.

[Valyar]

I prefer properly edited videos, which means option 2 when there is usage of combat maps and images, with switches to option 3 when images are not that important for the narrative that is ongoing.
If such advanced streams are not an option, then option 2

[LordEntrails]

Option 3. To me a 50/50 split or so is pretty good between seeing the players and seeing the "content". I find watching the streams I did in the past (format 1) are pretty boring. Their are long periods (5-10 minutes) where nothing is happening in FG, so a video with only FG really gets uninteresting (might as well be listening to a podcast).

Having so much on video/players, something is always changing. People are (generally) dynamic. They move, the make gestures, they have facial expressions that add to the experience.

[damned]

2/3

[JohnD]

I'm with damned.

I'll go further to say I've seen some where they may be using FG, but you'd almost never know it from what's presented to the viewer. Personally this does nothing for me, especially when it's advertised as a FG stream/video/game/whatever.

I would also say that if a stream/video/game/whatever is going to be advertised as one using FG, that at the very least IMO anyways the DM/GM should be relatively fluent in actually using the software, players should nominally know their way around their character sheets, how to move on maps, how to make attacks, cast spells, whatever. I've seen a few videos where the first 45 minutes was nothing but connection problems and then audio not working... that *really* didn't show off FG in a good light to the casual viewer.

[LordEntrails]

I would also say that if a stream/video/game/whatever is going to be advertised as one using FG, that at the very least IMO anyways the DM/GM should be relatively fluent in actually using the software, players should nominally know their way around their character sheets, how to move on maps, how to make attacks, cast spells, whatever. I've seen a few videos where the first 45 minutes was nothing but connection problems and then audio not working... that *really* didn't show off FG in a good light to the casual viewer.
You should point these streamers to FG College. Or to me and I will point them to it :)

But yea, a sponsored stream should be competent with FG.

[TheMookNet]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, good points. If it ever comes to it, I'm thinking option #2 -- enough video to catch 'presences' and some visual cues while playing, but hopefully not enough to be off-putting to players.

On a related note -- I'm assuming it's best to be an "all or nothing" kind of deal, all with webcams or none. Some with, some without seems super awkward.

LordEntrails -- the FGC is *awesome* and supremely helpful. Just reading the website makes me want to run a game!

[Honken]

Having consumed some TTPRGs over youtube and podcast form I would have to say version 3. Unless the idea is to push FG, then 2. What is important with ALL of these formats is sound quality. I effing hate cheap mics and bad sound.

/H

[TheMookNet]

I feel like my setup is decent, but the ultimate goal is one-shots with rotating players, so that's something good to keep in mind -- players showing up with awful audio.

[Valyar]

I feel like my setup is decent, but the ultimate goal is one-shots with rotating players, so that's something good to keep in mind -- players showing up with awful audio.
Yep, the moment I hear cheap and terrible audio from GM or any of the players, I simply drop the video. It is extremely annoying to listen to noises or people who has no manners, eat and do all kind of noises at the microphone.

[Thorgen]

I have consumed entirely to much TTRPG in streams, and I think option 2 is the best.

[chimera225]

I’ve never played in a game with video. Now I’m curious.

[JimSocks]

I did twitch streaming of the new Alien RPG with a custom overlay where the players were equally spaced along the top (5 players), the GM video was slightly bigger and on the left, the FG chat window (from a localhost client so the GM rolls an whispers were still hidden) was in the middle, and relevant maps were on the right. For our purposes, it was a smashing success!

31135

[JohnD]

Personally I don't know if I'd want to be "on camera" for a game... a lot of frankly weird stuff seems to happen in the background when I'm playing.

[mattekure]

Personally I don't know if I'd want to be "on camera" for a game... a lot of frankly weird stuff seems to happen in the background when I'm playing.

Specifically for that reason I use a program called ChromaCam. Its free, or you can pay a one time license to use it. It makes a virtual greenscreen behind you to block whats behind you. Its not perfect, and sometimes a little bit of the edges of my face get cut, but overall it does a good job of hiding whats behind me.

https://www.chromacam.me/

[TheMookNet]

I'm actually now on more of a fence regarding video -- visual cues do seem helpful, but at the size we're talking about I'm not sure how effective that is. There's also some benefit in each player having an evocative an in-setting appropriate avatar as opposed to the dissonance of Mook the old neckbeard playing a young elf warrior. A way to indicate who's speaking would be helpful, but I think Discord's overlay can do that.

[Nylanfs]

Personally I don't know if I'd want to be "on camera" for a game... a lot of frankly weird stuff seems to happen in the background when I'm playing.

Have you tried exorcism?