D&D’s 3D virtual tabletop experience Si...

The Dungeons & Dragons faithful have another option for times when a physical tabletop isn’t feasible. Wizards of the Coast’s Sigil is a 3D virtual tabletop (VTT) experience that borrows some elements from video games without straying too far from the joy of sitting around a table with like-minded cohorts. It launched publicly this week and is now available for anyone to try.

If you have no clue what a 3D VTT is, imagine a graphical recreation of all the hallmarks of tabletop D&D: virtual versions of a game board, miniatures, dice, character sheets and so on. It isn’t a full-on video game like Baldur’s Gate because the characters are still static minis that you move around as if they were physical pieces. But it adds digital touches like animated spell effects and lighting. If done well, it’s like recreating top-of-the-line D&D gear (with some added flair) that you can use to play with anyone in the world.

Sigil (named after a city in D&D lore) isn’t the first of its kind. BouncyRock Entertainment’s TaleSpire is a popular 3D VTT currently in early access for PC and Mac. And its business model will be preferable to many: Everyone pays $25 as a one-time purchase. Although Sigil is free to tinker around with and join others’ games, you’ll need a D&D Beyond Master Tier subscription ($6 monthly or $55 annually) to host multiplayer games and unlock extra goodies like builder kits and mini customization options.

Where Sigil has an advantage is its integration with D&D Beyond’s character sheets. So, if you’ve already built out your characters, equipment and abilities with the official D&D digital companion service, you should (at least in theory) have an easy transition.

Sigil provides a library of assets, brushes and lighting effects for you to play around with and customize your maps and minis to your heart’s content. “These customizable tools let you bring your world to life, whether you’re exploring fantastical landscapes, towering fortresses or dangerous dungeons,” the company says in its pitch.

It also includes tabletop-esque touches like virtual dice that tumble realistically across the game board. You can customize your miniatures with different scales, sizes and appearances. “All of our assets are created in a way that’s like actually buying a high-end mini or figure,” the company said in its 2024 introduction video. “We wanted them to feel kind of painted, but kind of realistic — trying to capture that beautiful in-between where art, figures and games come together.”

Sigil runs on Unreal Engine 5, and you’ll need at least a decently powerful gaming PC to partake. Although its minimum system requirements are less daunting, D&D Beyond recommends at least an Nvidia RTX 2080, AMD R9 380 or Intel UHD on the GPU front, along with 16GB of RAM. It’s Windows only for now, but the company wants it to eventually run on consoles, mobile and maybe even your fridge. (Fridge-top gaming, anyone?)

If this sounds like your kind of adventure, you can sign up with your D&D Beyond account on the product page. (For a more established alternative, you can also give the highly rated TaleSpire a spin.) For a better sense of Sigil, check out Wizards of the Coast’s intro video from D&D Direct 2024: