Unlike board games, which often contain all that you need to play in the box, TTRPGs usually require additional tools and resources to facilitate gameplay. These can be physical items like dice and miniatures, or increasingly, digital tools like virtual tabletops (VTTs) and digital dice rollers.

I’m going to focus on the digital tools here, but I will link to a few sites at the bottom where you can order physical items if you prefer. Typically, it is the game master who ends up collecting most of the tools in this hobby. However, there are also some tools that players might find interesting.

Some of these categories are large enough to warrant their own page.

• Virtual Tabletops - Apps and websites that allow groups to play online using digital maps and tokens.
• Token Builders - Tools to help create a digital representation of your characters.
• Map Making - If pre-existing digital maps don’t meet your needs it is possible to create your own with some of these tools.

Dice Rollers

• https://rolladvantage.com/diceroller/

Campaign Management / World Builders

If a game master would like to organize their campaign or the game world in which it takes place, they can use specific campaign management and world-building tools. It allows them to catalogue the descriptions and links between entities, like NPCs and locations, their various magic items or whatever they have in their game. They may do this for their own organizational purposes or to share with their players.

Some tools help guide you through the creative process with prompts for various things you might have in a campaign or a fantasy world. Others are more of a blank slate, allowing you to write things up freely. Most will enable you to upload your own maps, create documents about places and people, and make links between them.

• LegendKeeper - Easy to use, with a powerful map tool and wiki. Less opinionated about content.
• World Anvil - Full featured world building tool with a bit of a learning curve.
• Campfire - A world building tool aimed towards writers.
• Kanka - More campaign focused, with RPG specific features like quests and inventory management.
• Fantasia Archive - Offline tool. Free.
• https://chronographer.net/Info
• https://chronica.ventures/
• https://www.obsidianportal.com/
• https://www.the-goblin.net
• https://www.scabard.com/
• https://www.critical-notes.com/
• https://adventurerscodex.com/

Other Tools

• https://gmassistant.app/ - Upload audio recordings of your sessions to get session notes. (AI-based)
• Kenku FM - Play music from your computer into your Discord calls.