Summary
Project Sigil is D&D Beyond’s completely immersive 3D virtual tabletop experience that’s designed to help you create and run virtualDungeons & Dragonsgames online with friends. With an interface and design that’s reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s easy to imagine diving headfirst into an amazing, multidimensional campaign complete with full-scale maps, miniatures, and more.
But, if you’re just diving into Project Sigil for the first time, you might be wondering where to start. It can prove a bit overwhelming at first. That’s why we’ve created this list of ten tips and tricks to help you create Dungeons & Dragons campaigns in Project Sigil.
10Organize Mini Claims First
Finders Keepers
One of the first things that should occur once you’ve loaded your session, and all players are inside the lobby, is to organize miniature claims. By selecting a miniature, you can claim control over the mini. Obviously, for Dungeons Masters, you’ll want to do this forkey NPCs and creatureson the field of play.
For players, you’ll want to lay a claim over your miniature so that you can control your own character. This will also give you access to their stats, your character sheet, and more. This also helps keep combat encounters organized when it comes to Project Sigil’s initiative tracker.
9Use Fog Of War
Your Literal Best Friend
When creating a space, map, or even just running the adventure, make sure you’re using Fog of War tools to obscure specific areas. Not only can you use Fog of War to make sure your players aren’t able to see what’s around every corner, but you can also use Fog of War on specific creatures.
Gone are the days of using blank printer paper on your map to hide minis or tokens. Now, you can simply select either the Fog of War button (looks like an eye) or right-click a miniature on the board and toggle their visibility to prevent your players from getting the drop on you, when it should be the other way around.
8Create Detailed Adventure Notes
Organization Is Key
One of Project Sigil’s key features is its campaign/adventure journal notes capabilities. If you want to see a really good example of how you can use a campaign journal in Project Sigil, open the pre-made adventure called Trouble at the Bald Boar from the main menu and select Adventure Journal in the right-hand menu.
In your own campaigns and adventures, you can use this as scratch paper for yourself, or for detailed campaign and adventure prep. Markup tools available in the Adventure Journal allow you to create headings, sample dialogue blurbs (so you don’t have to remember it all yourself), notes on traps, and much more.
7Make Use Of Player And DM Notes
Yes, Notes Are That Important
Beyond just your standard campaign journal, you can also leave notes for yourself and for players all over the physical space you create. This is helpful for two different reasons.
One, you can leave a note for yourself in the physical space, hiding it from players, reminding you that you placed a trap here. That way, when a player moves their mini into the space, you can see the physical note and remind yourself to initiate the trap. Additionally, you can place notes for players to see that might clarify what they’re seeing. For example, you can explain that a door is locked.
Connect Spaces Together
In the premade adventure offered by Project Sigil, you can see that multiple maps are connected in the Load Map button on the right-hand side of the screen. If you’re running a session that takes place in one large, interconnected area, this function is key.
Of course, many adventures might take place on the open road or across several, non-connected areas, in which case this isn’t always as helpful. But, regardless,when you make mapsfor your campaign, you’ll want to load them into this file so that, wherever your players go, you can automatically move yourself and all player minis into the corresponding space you need.
5Highlight And Ping
Keep It Above Board
One of the better tools that Project Sigil has on offer is the ability to highlight and ping certain areas on the map. Everyone knows the pain as a Dungeon Master of not being able to clearly communicate where things are in physical space, or having to reach over your DM screen to point out where players should be looking.
With Project Sigil, you can press Alt + Left Click to ping a certain area on the map. This is visible to all players. Additionally, DMs have access to the highlight tool on the right side of their screen, allowing you to markup and show players where something is if need be.
4Toggle Camera Angles As Needed
Best Used For Combat
For combat, in particular, the toggle camera tool is immensely helpful. Sometimes, you might create a really intricate and detailed space, but from an isometric, third-person perspective, it can be hard to tell what’s going on in a complex encounter.
In the top left-hand corner of your screen, you’ll see a camera icon that you can use to toggle isometric view versus top-down view. Make sure you’re using thisfor combat encountersas a Dungeon Master so you can keep everything straight, and miniatures don’t get hidden behind corners.
3Remember To Save Maps
Pick Up Where You Left Off
When you’re creating maps or running an adventure, it can be easy to forget that you’re not technically in a virtual, video game-like space. Before you exit out of a session or your map creator, make sure you save the space as is by using the save button on the right-hand side of your screen.
This is imperative when you have to leave things off on a cliffhanger, particularly in combat. If you use this tool frequently, you’ll ensure that no matter what time you come back to your game, everything will be just where you left it. At least, this way, you won’t have to ask your players where you left off next time you play.
2Make Use Of The Tape Measure
Distance Matters
Whenever you pick up a miniature, you can see how much movement it’ll cost to move the mini from one place to another. Obviously, this is more important in combat than in free-play mode. However, the only issue here is that you have to physically move the mini to see the distance traveled.
However, as a DM, you can use the Tape Measure tool to show players how physically large a space is before they move. Simply go to the right-hand side of your screen and select the Tape Measure tool. You can even leave measurements on the ground so that players can see the size of the space as they make decisions.
1Environments Are Important
Create Tone And Atmosphere
This last tip is more about creating a vibe than anything tangible, but don’t forget to use the Environment Details toggle, especially as players spend more time in a physical location. Plus, this is especially important for creating interior spaces, as they might look a bit out of place if they’re filled with sunlight.
you may also add music, select base environment layers like grass, and change the lighting. Don’t skip out on these tools, as they’re essential for creating a solid atmosphere and overall tone for your adventure.
