lolz at linuxer
So, I downloaded and installed iTabletop. Here's how it works, basically:
I have a new chat program running. In that chat program, I can have contacts and place them into groups (like any chat program). I can then make Gatherings, and invite contacts to Gatherings (Video, Audio, and Custom Audio/Video Gatherings). If I had any friends I could try out the Video Gathering. Err, if I had any friends
with iTabletop installed.
To sign into the chat program I had to create a user account. That user account also lets me sign into the forums to see the FAQ written by another user:
http://www.itabletop.com/Support/iTabletopSupportForums/tabid/133/aff/6/aft/37/afv/topic/Default.aspx. Too bad it requires a login for an FAQ, that would've been useful info to make publicly accessible. Oh well.
So the strength of iTabletop is (according to its makers) its simplicity. You see a shared map and can move things around on it, you can video- or audio-conference (or both), there's a simple dice roller in the chat section, and there's no complicated scripting options.
I've tried the mapper and quickly got frustrated with it, though. It's completely non-obvious what object I'm grabbing, so I kept moving the grid by mistake, and there's no Undo for any moves. And I'm not interested in making glossy maps for online play, I just want to be able to sketch out the surroundings and get on with it. But no, sketching out the map was frustrating.
