Introduction to Game Hosting

Introduction

As seen in the Introduction to Mapping, MapTool lets you create virtual maps and virtual "miniatures" (which are known in MapTool jargon as tokens) to be used for playing a roleplaying game session, much like you would use a real map and real miniatures on a tabletop. In fact, that's why we call MapTool a "virtual tabletop," or "VTT." In this guide, we'll walk through MapTool's fundamental reason to be: sharing a map with other players via the Internet.

Note: MapTool is not only useful for online play - many people use it for their face to face sessions too, because you can do things with a virtual map that you can't do with a physical one. Also, you're less likely to dump Mountain Dew on it. However, this guide will assume that you're playing online.

The Introduction to Mapping guided you through the basic steps to get MapTool, open it up, and put a map and some tokens on it. It also talked about saving Campaign Files, how you can move and zoom the map, and how to move tokens around. These are essential features of the program, without which none of the rest would be worth reading about!

Finally, since this guide is about hosting an online game, "you" will always mean "the person who is running the server."

Architecture

When used for online gaming, MapTool uses a client-server architecture. In other words, one person (usually the GM, but not always) uses MapTool to start a server, and the other people in the group then connect to that server as clients.

Once you start the server and everyone is connected, the campaign file (with all the maps, tokens, and other info) is then shared among all the players, so that everyone sees the same map and can watch as they and their friends move tokens around, enter text in the chat window, and have a great time.

A Word About Networking Stuff

One of the bigger challenges in setting up a MapTool game (like many client-server applications, including many other Virtual Tabletop programs) is configuring your home network to permit your friends to connect to your MapTool server.

With the wide variation in home networks and networking hardware (routers, switches, cable modems, etc.), it's not possible to give a single set of rules that will guarantee success.

Port Forwarding

For home networks that use a router or physical firewall, you will probably need to configure port forwarding. This is a mechanism by which information coming to your network, and arriving on a specific port, is sent to the right place inside your network. This is important for you as the MapTool server person, since your friends need to be sending information to the right place!

The specifics of configuring port forwarding will depend on your hardware, so you'll have to check your manual for that one. But the basic idea is that you indicate two things to the router/switch/firewall:

Which port MapTool will use (more on MapTool ports later!) - this is telling the router "information will be coming in on Port XYZ; pay attention!"
Which computer, inside the network, that information needs to go to - basically, "and when you see information coming in on Port XYZ, send it here"
1. Incidentally, setting up port forwarding also tells the router where it can stick outgoing information, too.

That is port forwarding in a nutshell, and the reason you need to set it up is that most routers (especially if they're configured securely and properly) are not going to just allow random incoming information to get through.

uPnP

An alternative to port forwarding - if it's available on your router - is called UPnP (short for Universal Plug-and-Play). This feature, instead of permanently saying "Port XYZ traffic goes here!", will instead tell the router "for a little while - while we're playing - why don't you open up Port XYZ for us. That would be greeaaaat."

In other words, it makes the handling of ports and incoming and outgoing traffic a little more seamless and simple. Of course, the downside is that not everything supports UPnP, and you'll have to figure out whether your network can do it.

More and Better Networking Information

I was all set to write an elaborate section on networking, when I realized that there is an excellent FAQ written by Azhrei at the MapTool Forums. If you are unfamiliar with concepts like Port Forwarding, configuring your router, or how networks work (in general), please read the FAQ.

If you are familiar with network configuration and managing your home network (especially if you can set up software to act as a server, or have set up port forwarding on your network for other applications), setting up MapTool to act as a server will be old hat: you'll basically need to configure port forwarding or UPnP on your router to permit MapTool network traffic to pass.

On the other hand, if all that stuff above made no sense to you: read the Networking FAQ! All will be revealed!

Now, let's get on with it.

To be continued Rumble 13:50, 25 March 2009 (UTC)