Become a Supporter on Patreon
Hey everyone! We're excited to launch the Patreon for Realm VTT and invite you to support the future of virtual tabletops.
I started development on Realm a few years ago with the belief that VTTs could be better. I envisioned an online, ad-free experience with basic modern features like dynamic lighting and fog of war that aren't hidden behind a baseless paywall. Instant access to premium features and a smooth gameplay experience as soon as you log in on your browser, without the need to download a dozen modules or spend an entire session troubleshooting.
What You Already Get for Free
Some of the features included absolutely free are:
- Integrated 3D dice rolling
- Dynamic lighting that responds to token movement
- Fog of war that reveals naturally as players explore
- Immersive animations
- Combat tracking
- Custom ruleset editor (along with support for D&D 5e 2024 SRD)
- Built-in token creator
- Many more that I don't have room to list (lol)
You can try all of these right now at play.realmvtt.com -- no download, no credit card, no catch.
Why Supporting Indie VTT Development Matters
Building Realm has been a labor of love. Up until this point, Realm has been built and self-funded from scratch without outside investors. As you can imagine, building a platform to compete with the current corporate-funded and VC-backed VTT landscape as an indie team is no small feat.
The tabletop RPG community deserves options. When a handful of companies control the virtual tabletop space, players end up locked into ecosystems that prioritize subscription revenue over gameplay. Features that should be standard get held behind premium tiers, ads creep into the experience, and community feedback takes a back seat to corporate roadmaps.
Indie development works differently. Every decision I make for Realm VTT starts with the same question: what makes the game better for the people playing it? There is no investor pressure, no board of directors, and no quarterly earnings report dictating what gets built next. That independence is only possible because of direct community support.
Where Your Patreon Support Goes
Your Patreon support directly funds continued development. Here is a transparent look at what contributions go toward:
- Server and infrastructure costs. Realm VTT runs on cloud infrastructure that needs to stay fast and reliable. Hosting, CDN delivery, database services, and bandwidth all have real monthly costs that scale as the community grows.
- New feature development. Every new system implementation, UI improvement, and gameplay tool takes hundreds of hours of work. Recent efforts have included Pathfinder 2e support, expanded grid options, and improvements to the canvas and scene editor.
- Content and data licensing. Bringing official rulesets and content modules to the Marketplace requires licensing fees and compliance work. The more support we have, the stronger the case we can make to publishers for official partnerships.
- Bug fixes and performance improvements. A better experience for everyone, from faster load times to squashing edge-case bugs reported by the community.
- Keeping Realm ad-free. No banner ads, no sponsored content injected into your game sessions, no tracking-heavy ad networks. Patron support is what makes this possible.
What Patrons Get
Every new feature, performance improvement, and bug fix is made possible by the community. Patrons get access to an exclusive Discord channel where you can connect with other supporters, or make priority feature requests and bug reports. Your feedback shapes what we build next and makes it possible to keep ads off of Realm.
Beyond the exclusive Discord channel, here is what you can expect as a patron:
- Priority feature requests. Your ideas go to the top of the list. If enough patrons want a feature, it gets built.
- Early access to development updates. Get sneak peeks at upcoming features and releases before they go public.
- Direct communication with the developer. I personally read and respond to patron feedback. This is not a faceless support queue.
- The satisfaction of shaping the platform. Many of Realm VTT's current features exist because a community member suggested them. Patrons have a direct line to influence the roadmap.
The Bigger Picture
The future of virtual tabletops depends on having a healthy ecosystem of tools for players and GMs. Supporting Realm VTT on Patreon is not just about one platform -- it is a vote for a VTT landscape where indie developers can compete, where players have genuine choices, and where the community's voice matters more than a corporate bottom line.
Whether you can contribute a small monthly amount or simply help by spreading the word, every bit of support makes a difference. Share Realm VTT with your gaming group, post about it in your favorite TTRPG communities, or leave feedback on the forum. Community growth is just as valuable as financial support.
Check out what we've already built at realmvtt.com, and if you like what you see, consider backing us here on Patreon.