Hey gang,
Perhaps I can help.
Duckfinder: "... has anyone used [GRIP]? what are your experiences of it ? ...does the game go smoothly?"
I've used GRIP, and it's a great system - once you get used to it. The learning curve is a little steep, especially where character sheet design is concerned, but a complete understanding of the software isn't at all necessary to begin playing; anyone can download the free player version, and most are able to interact smoothly within just a few sessions of gameplay.
Duckfinder: "... can you only play with people you already know or does it help you find players?"
This is the main gripe most of us GRIPsters have with the GRIP system, and we're trying our best to remedy the situation. GRIP has a "Game Scheduler" built-in, and the schedule is posted on the RPGRealms website; however, it's not been greatly effective, and we (the users) have generally resorted to promoting games ourselves. For anyone interested, I would suggest you drop by the following Yahoo Groups list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/griplist/
This is the best place to get answers and friendly help.
Ben Bell: "Roger Wilco can be used via GRIP."
Yep, it's a separate program, but it can be opened from within the GRIP interface - It works VERY well. Roger Wilco consumes very little bandwidth for a voice program, and it's great in conjunction with GRIP; OOC (out-of-character) chat can be sent via Roger Wilco, keeping the GRIP chat window available for role-play.
Flynn: "... OpenRPG, WebRPG or Screen Monkey?"
Try them all - I did. But save the best for last; there's simply nothing better than GRIP, and when you discover the same, come help us better populate the GRIP community.
I'm a GRIP enthusiast, and there are a number of us GRIPsters who'd be happy to lend a hand to those interested in GRIP.
- milo
a.k.a. swankalot (on the yahoo griplist)