Online Game Development Platforms This page is intended to catalog the platforms on which an independent developer, or even just a savvy player, can implement a version of a tabletop game that can be played online, taking advantage of the community and reach and features of the platform rather than trying to develop an app from scratch to publish on their own. 2D Platforms

Boardgame Arena

Boardspace.net

FreeBoardGames

Battlegrounds

Vassal

Foundry

Cost

Free to join all games, host most games, and develop games

Subscribe to host "premium" games

Free for All

Free to play and develop

$14-38 for client, depends on player count

Free during COVID-19 crisis

Free

$50 for GM software, free for players

OS

Web

Windows, Mac, Android, IOS, Linux

Web

Windows, older Mac

Windows, Mac, Linux, other Java platforms

GM on Windows, Mac, Linux. Play on Web.

Unscripted interaction

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Game scripts

PHP + Javascript

Java

Javascript

No

GUI + DSL

Javascript

UI definition

Javascript + HTML

Java

Javascript + HTML

GUI, XML(?)

GUI + XML

??

Code exposure

Javascript + HTML accessible to players

PHP kept private

Source code is Private

All code accessible to players

??

All code accessible to players

??

IP situation

Licensed games only

By permission only

Mostly open source games

Mostly licensed or free games

Varies

TBD

Online dependency?

Unusable if site/servers are down

Online or Offline

Cannot play online when site/servers are down

Game code can be run and hosted locally

No. P2P, no online service dependencies

No. Optional online server browser

No.

Browser / Lobby / Matchmaking

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

??

Asynchronous Play

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes (incl by email)

No

3D Platforms

Tabletop Simulator

Tabletopia

Tabletop Playground

Cost

Client costs $20

Free to play after buying client

Free to play some games and develop

Subscribe for more games

Subscribe for more dev features

??

OS

Windows, Mac, Linux

Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

Windows

Unscripted interaction

Yes

Yes

Yes

Game scripts

Lua

No

Javascript

UI definition

XML

No

TBD

Code exposure

All code accessible to players

All code private

All code accessible to players ??

IP situation

Some official licensed games

Many unofficial unlicensed games

Can play unpublished games

Many official licensed games

Some public domain games

Some private unlicensed games

??

Online dependency?

Online multiplayer connection depends on Steam

??

Multiplayer via IP and mod installation have no dependencies

Server browser depends on Steam

Automatic mod download/install depends on mod.io

Browser / Lobby / Matchmaking

Yes

Yes

Yes

Asynchronous Play

No

No

No

Glossary Cost - Do you have to pay to use this platform? To play on it? To create games? To host games? A one time fee? A subscription?

OS - What computer or mobile operating system is this compatible with? "Web" indicates it can be played from a [usually modern] web browser.

Unscripted interaction - Can you do things the designer of the game didn't intend? Can you move pieces arbitrarily? Can you add your own components or remove components built into the game? Can you "break the rules"?

Game scripts - Can games have programmed logic built in? This logic might automate certain actions, prevent other actions in certain situations, keep track of parts of the game rules, etc. If so, what programming language are those scripts written in?

UI definition - Can games define their own user interface for the player, outside of directly interacting with the game components? This might be dialogs, menus, scoreboards, etc. If so, what programming and/or markup language are those interfaces defined in?

Code exposure - Do players have access to the scripts and other definitions for how a particular game works, or is it all kept server-side and players only see the assets and the results of their actions?

IP situation - Are there officially licensed commercial games on this platform? Home-made and prototype games? Unlicensed commercial games?

Online dependency - What parts, if any, of this platform require you to be online and connected to the platform's online components in order to be able to host and play?

Browser / Lobby / Matchmaking - Does the platform provide a way for players to meet each other and find people to play and games to join?

Asynchronous Play - Can you play "PBEM" style games, where one game might last days or weeks or months, and players log in to make a single move at a time? The opposite of this is a "realtime" or "synchronous" game, where everyone is online and playing at the same time.