Art Tool?

Is there a way of having players write notes or draw lines on the game board. Playing a role-playing game where we are building a kingdom and we need to add roads and aqueducts to a map. without cluttering it up with a bunch of counters.

I do not think that this is possible. Maybe you take a look at roll20.net, that platform has this function and all the flexibility you need for role-playing.

Thus spake Marshallaw via messages:

Is there a way of having players write notes or draw lines on the game
board. Playing a role-playing game where we are building a kingdom and
we need to add roads and aqueducts to a map. without cluttering it up
with a bunch of counters.

Not pesently, but it’s something I have planned for a future version.


J.

Forget Roll20, it’s not very good. However, I struggled with the lack of drawing tools in Vassal over the years, and after countless abandoned solutions I’m curently supplementing Vassal with MapTool. I’m using Vassal for dice, tokens, rules cheatsheets, character sheets, notes and stuff, and in the few games where complex cartography is actually needed I’m running MapTool just for the map. Not the ideal solution, but still better than other available free options.

Maptools from RPtools.net is far superior and you can keep as much on your computer or dropbox or whatever, forever. roll 20 keeps your IP, like its theirs… not cool.

s

Ok so MapTools is a good free option. How about paid tools? Are there any that are much better than MapTools, but still at a reasonable price?

I am kinda confused with your indifference to a “free option”. I do not know of any role playing utility you can “buy” and build maps with in a multiplayer online environment. Building a map or anything in inkscape or Gimp is a single person/artist program, but again “free” and full use capable from installation. So what is your need for a paid system? Instruction for these programs, (Maptools, Inkscape, Gimp) are all all over youtube and the internet. So you can get visual and written assistance with these “free” programs. I have been using inkscape and Gimp to assemble the maps for War in the East and The War in Europe to begin an insane idea to make a vassal module for those two old war games. I have had to ask the INTERNET questions all week and everyone of those questions was answered instantly with the procedures to get done what I needed to do, and honestly I am not digital artist so I am happy with how the map has come together.

Sorry to disagree, but Maptools by RPtools.net allows drawing on a common VT while any number of players/ gm’s are logged into the game. It is exactly what the OP asked for and it has been around for at least a Decade.

Skotkolr, my reply refererred to the OP’s question, not to the following discussion (obviously). In other words, it answers the question whether this is possible in VASSAL.