Ever thought about creating a game to play with your friends on Tabletop Simulator (TTS)? Or maybe you're a tabletop game developer looking to prototype games and playtest them online.
There's never been a better time to take advantage of TTS's versatile gaming environment. Today, we'll teach you how to do just that.
What Is Tabletop Simulator?
For those who don't know, Tabletop Simulator (TTS) provides a 3D environment for playing tabletop games, either locally or online. It's become a great way to play board games online with friends.
Playable games on TTS include everything from poker, checkers, Dungeons & Dragons, mini-golf, and even the latest board games. Any game you want to play is typically available either as DLC or in the community workshop.
Why Use Tabletop Simulator?
If you've ever tried to create a physical tabletop game, you know how time-consuming it can be, not just to build game elements, but also to modify or replace them when you decide to tweak or revise the game.
In TTS, everything from the color to the weight of an object is changeable with the click of a mouse, making the revision process smooth and painless.
In addition, it's easy to live stream your gameplay and show it off on social media and streaming platforms.
What You'll Need to Get Started
Before you begin, you'll need the following:
- A Steam user account
- Tabletop Simulator installed on your PC
- JPG images of your board and card designs
Download: Tabletop Simulator on Steam ($19.99)
Designing game elements is best done in illustrating software, or by scanning images of physical cards you've already made. Just make sure they have JPG extensions and are saved individually.
Creating Boards and Player Mats
When you're designing your boards and other 2D objects, make sure the resolution is high enough that you can size it right without losing quality. TTS will size it automatically when you import it, and you'll be able to resize it exactly how you like.
Creating Cards
Cards in TTS have three aspects: the card face, the card back, and the hidden card (what the card will look like to others in a player's hand). You'll need to have designs for each of these, although you do have the option to simply make the hidden card the back of the card instead.
Create and Arrange Card Faces
Instead of importing each card one-by-one, it's best to import all or most of your cards as a single deck.
To create a deck, copy and paste each design onto a 7x10 card sheet. Using a template like the one below will help you get started.
The template delineates slots for each card in your deck, allowing you to import up to 69 cards at a time. If you don't need that many, you can leave slots unused, and if you have more, you can combine decks or duplicate cards after importing.
However, you don't have to use this template. A card sheet can, in fact, be any size, and TTS will automatically slice it into a 7x10 grid.
For your convenience, the above template and a square card template are available in your TTS local file directory.
If you're not sure where your local files are, you can find them through your Steam library by opening the Properties menu for TTS. Select the Local Files tab and click Browse.
Card Backs
If you only want one design for the whole deck's back, then all you need is a single JPG image of the design; no card sheet will be necessary.
If your deck is going to have multiple unique backs, you'll need to create an additional card sheet with back designs corresponding to the face designs in your first card sheet. For the face design in slot one, place its designated back in slot one of your back sheet. For face two, place its back in slot two, and so on.
Hidden Cards
In slot 70 of the card sheet, labeled "Hidden Card to Other Players" on the template, place whatever design you want to be visible to opponents when the cards in this deck are in a player's hand. This is traditionally solid black or white, or features the deck's back design.
Importing Elements
Now that you've created your boards and decks, you're ready to start importing.
Before actually hosting a server with your game, it's helpful to start a single-player game and import the elements ahead of time. You can then save the setup and be ready to immediately start when players arrive.
Launch TTS and click Create, and then select Singleplayer to create the environment. Delete any elements generated by TTS, and select the table you'll want your game to be played on.
With the environment ready, click the Objects button in the top menu, and then select the Custom category.
Boards and Player Mats
Select Board from the Custom menu, and click wherever on the table you'd like the board to appear. Right-click anywhere to open the board import dialog.
Browse to your image of the board, and TTS will ask if you want to upload it to your Steam Cloud account or keep a local file. Upload the files to the cloud if you plan to ever play your game online or on a different device.
You may optionally upload your images on another host, like Dropbox, Photobucket, or Imgur, and paste the URL here. External hosts are less reliable, however, and not recommended.
When you upload it to your Steam Cloud, TTS will ask you to give it a file name. Once uploading is finished, click Import.
With the board imported, you can now shrink or enlarge it with the - and + keys on your keyboard. To lock it in place so that it isn't accidentally moved during gameplay, right-click on the board, and under Toggles, click Lock.
Card Decks
In the Custom Object menu, click Deck. Click wherever on the table you want the deck to appear, and then right-click to start the import.
Adjust the settings as follows:
- Type: Change this if you have a specific shape in mind other than a regular round-corner rectangular card.
- Face: Click the Browse Local Files button and find your face card sheet. Again, we recommend the Steam Cloud option over local files or outside hosts.
- Unique Backs: Check this option if your deck will have multiple back designs, and then upload your back card sheet in the Back box. If you're using a single design for the whole deck, just upload your back design instead.
- Width and Height: Adjust this if you used a different ratio than the standard rectangular card, 10x7.
- Number: Make sure this matches the number of cards you're importing.
- Sideways: This changes the orientation for the Alt Zoom function in TTS. Leave it unchecked unless you want the card to appear sideways.
- Back is Hidden: Check this if you want the hidden view of your cards to simply be the backs of the cards.
When your settings are correct, click Import. Your deck will appear on the table, and you can start shuffling and dealing.
If you want your cards to have names to help with sorting, right-click on a single card and click Name.
Importing Other Game Elements
Importing other 2D objects is similar to the process of importing boards. Don't forget that TTS has many common gaming elements, like dice and figurines, ready to use in the Objects menu.
If you have custom 3D elements you want to use, follow TTS's guide to importing 3D models.
Saving a Complete Game
After arranging the components in an initial setup state, click the Games button in the top menu.
Select Save & Load and click the Save Game button. Give it a name and click Save. Now, whenever you host games, you can reload it in the perfect setup by accessing the Save & Load menu.
Making the Most of Custom Tabletop Gaming
Designing and playing custom games is simple in Tabletop Simulator once you know how to do it. Invite your friends, or look for ready and willing playtesters in the TTS community. Now, you can show off your custom game to others!