CoopTell vs Roll20

Roll20 is a browser-based VTT for play. CoopTell is what you use the rest of the week — to prep, to track NPCs and knowledge, to plan the next beat.

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Where CoopTell wins

✓Beat blocks make session prep faster: each block is a reusable chunk (read-aloud, dm-notes, encounter, skill check) you can rearrange between sessions without rewriting.
✓Sliding session windows — your campaign owns the ordered beats; sessions are a view over them. Move a beat to next session and nothing else has to change.
✓AI suggestions for NPC dialog, propagation when a beat finishes, twist hooks, recap drafts.
✓Player knowledge tracker separates what individual PCs know from the campaign canon. Roll20 has no equivalent.
✓Free tier covers a full home-table campaign indefinitely.

Where Roll20 wins

•Long-running ecosystem, large compendium of marketplace adventures from third-party publishers.
•Dynamic lighting and fog of war for tactical play.
•Built-in voice + video chat — your group never needs a separate Discord.
•Wide audience makes finding online groups easier.
•Native character sheets for ~50 game systems beyond 5e.

Switch cost

Most Roll20 DMs we’ve talked to use Roll20 during sessions and a separate doc (Notion, Google Docs, OneNote) for prep. CoopTell replaces the prep doc. Bring your campaign notes over manually for v1; a Roll20 JSON importer is on the roadmap.

Try it on your next campaign

No credit card. Free tier covers a full home table.

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