What is SceneGrinder?
SceneGrinder is a virtual Tabletop for RPG games. It’s 3D, browser based with no download, runs on PC’s and phones, and games are available 24/7. SceneGrinder’s rules templates can support any RPG game system, and templates already exist for Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Pathfinder 2e, and a number of other systems.
What do I need to know about these templates?
SceneGrinder templates can be created by non-developers, and shared within the SceneGrinder community. The SceneGrinder team is also busily creating more templates for everyone to use, and we’ll be looking for community feedback on which templates to create next.
Why is 3D important?
An obvious advantage of using 3D models is they look great from any angle. This makes the gaming experience much more immersive - especially when viewing the world in 1st person view. Additionally, a 3D perspective resolves a lot of game issues, like who can see what from where.
Do you support hex grids?
Yes... yes we do... and square grids.
What do you mean by “games are available 24/7”?
SceneGrinder is always online, and you can login at any time to view your character and the world around them. This option is very handy when you want to do things like adding notes about what happened in the last gaming session, or reviewing the journal to help you plan for the next game session.
Of course, GMs will always have the ability to restrict access in case they are planning a new surprise...
What exactly is the Marketplace and why is it important to me?
With SceneGrinder, pretty much everything can be shared. You can share individual player/NPC/monster models, you can share objects used in scenes such as buildings and tables. You can share scenes, or even entire campaigns. If you want to sell your items in the Marketplace you can do so, or you can let others use it for free - it’s up to you.
I keep hearing people talk about Explore Mode - what’s that?
Put simply, Explore Mode is an optional feature that allows a GM to automate some aspects of their game world. They do this by adding story notes to objects, NPCs and monsters, and by allowing NPCs to buy & sell items from players. The story notes can even be branching quest lines for players to follow.
Combining this feature with SceneGrinder being always online, GMs can let players buy/sell items between game sessions, or even create mini-adventures players can do without a GM between game nights.
Watch the videos for details on exactly how this works and some examples of what you can do with this feature.
When will SceneGrinder be live?
We expect to go live in the 2nd quarter of 2022, but we’ll be starting a beta in October 2021. To get access to the beta you’ll need to purchase the Beta Slayer pledge level or higher on the Kickstarter.
What will it cost?
At the current time, we're pushing our Kickstarter campaign, so all subscription and pricing is accessible through the campaign.
Check out our pricing page for details !
What are the minimum requirements to run SceneGrinder?
For players, the minimum requirement is the equivalent of an i5 processor with 8 GB RAM, with an HD Graphics 520 card or better. For GMs we recommend at least 12GB of RAM. Players should be able to run SceneGrinder on any phone sold in the last 4 years with at least 4 GB of RAM.
It’s important to note that with SceneGrinder we do not restrict the size and complexity of scenes, because we want gamers with more powerful devices to be able to take full advantage of the beautiful 3D options SceneGrinder supports. However, larger, more complex scenes will have higher requirements.
To minimize the chance that a GM will create a scene that their players will not be able run, we display estimated minimum requirements when building scenes and also in the Marketplace when downloading scenes. In the world view, we also display the estimated minimum specs of the largest scene in each world the GM hosts.
How will the beta work, and will I lose my data when it’s done?
Excellent question. People that participate in the beta won’t lose any of their data - either during the beta or when we go live. We’re all gamers here and we know how awful it would be to lose your game notes so we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. We’ve been running campaigns in SceneGrinder since Oct. 2020 and we’ve never lost data. It is possible we’ll update templates you’re using and you may need to re-enter some character stats - but you won’t lose your game data.
What’s the purpose of the beta?
There are 3 main benefits for getting the beta pledge.
First, you'll be able to start using SceneGrinder at least 4 months before everyone else. That's four more months of immersive fun.
Second, the Beta Slayer pledge is only $12 more, so you are getting 4 months of gaming for $12 which saves you 33%.
Third, you’ll have direct input into how core features have been implemented. Of course, we’ll always listen to your suggestions on how to make SceneGrinder better, but during the beta you’ll have special access to the development team.
However, remember this is a beta and there may be minor hiccups at some points while we optimize both the user interface and the overall system performance. As we’ve stated before, these “hiccups” will not result in lost game data - but it is possible that some functionality may not work as expected at times during the beta.
Is the beta for me?
There are 2 main benefits for getting the beta pledge. First, you’ll be able to start using SceneGrinder at least 3 or 4 months before everyone else - for only $12. That’s about half of the monthly subscription cost.
Second, you’ll have direct input into how core features have been implemented. Of course, we’ll always listen to your suggestions on how to make SceneGrinder better, but during the beta you’ll have special access to the development team.
However, remember this is a beta and there may be minor hiccups at some points while we optimize both the user interface and the overall system performance. As we’ve stated before, these “hiccups” will not result in lost game data - but it is possible that some functionality may not work as expected at times during the beta.
How does SceneGrinder support sound?
Currently, SceneGrinder supports playing sound tracks that can be uploaded by GMs. These soundtracks can be heard by all players at all times.
The stretch goal in the Kickstarter is to add the ability for sound to radiate out from specific NPCs, monsters, objects, and action targets. The volume of these additional sounds will be based on the player proximity. For example, the GM can add the sound of running water to a fountain model, and have the sound radiate up to 40 feet. For players this means at 40 feet they will hear a faint trickle of water, and as they get closer to the fountain the sound will get louder and louder. Another example is to add sound to a monster, and even if the player can’t see the monster they may be able to hear it if they’re close enough.