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Any recommendations for the best virtual table top to play Savage Worlds via?

Been asked by my son to run a game on the net with him, his brother and his son. A three generations game. I figured Savage Worlds might be a good choice for a 12 year old. Plus I have Savage Pathfinder and wouldn't mind exploring it.

I run 2 of my games using Savage Worlds. The system has a simplicity that I like but allows enough choice to keep characters builds, combat etc interesting. No recommendations as to best virtual table top but Savage Worlds adapts to most scenarios.

Only thing I would add to this is in the SW games I play in with Gypsy we use the "Test Drive" rules, which are a condensed set. Its fine for the first game or two but if you decide to continue playing I'd recommend getting a full set of rules to add more choices and options for the pcs.

Unfortunately, all of the VTT tools I use are aligned to the D&D 5e system.

I will likely play Savage Pathfinder because I want to explore Pathfinder and use SW to keep it simple. I am sure Roll20 will allow Savage Worlds, just wondering if there is a better one out there, as I don't have much experience with them.

Well you should be able to use Roll20 (or likely any other VTT, like Forge maybe?) with any system (even if that system is not embedded in the tool) as long as you are mainly using it for mapping and movement. They all allow generic die rolling in the chat windows. You just get many more automated features if you use the game system it is designed to be used with.

Pande, I wouldn't pick a VTT that matches a game system. I would select one that you are comfortable with and works well. It's like asking which of several different 8x8 black and white board is better for chess and which is better for checkers.

Most of the VTTs support what you need. After using Roll20 to run my FTF games for a long time, my long-time group struggled with the Audio/Video. My brother picked up running a game on the Foundry VTT hosted on Forge. (Note the phrases that I used). I am now going through a proof of concept to migrate my other game, the one I DM weekly, to Foundry. As I am doing so I am learning a great deal. But before I draw any conclusions, here's what I think you should consider above all else are capabilities and cost.

Capabilities needed are really DM dependent. When we all started playing we needed paper, pencils and dice. I remember not having dice and wanting to play so we used pennies to make dice (we marked up the pennies and converted from binary). If you're the type of DM that prefers theater of the mind, or if you like to run loosey goosey, you don't need a VTT at all. I'm guessing that you want something "more". The capability I want above all else is for it to be a singular tool that I use to prepare and run a game and that my players use to play the game. So my VTT needs to include the text of the adventure, the NPCs, the rules that can be looked up in an instant, a combat tracker, the ability to communicate with my players both as a whole and individually. You get it. I demand a lot.

Cost is always on my mind. What investment do you want to make? Be careful of hidden costs. I pay for DnDBeyond and Roll20. I buy books and adventures. On Roll20 my cost is $99 per year but I've got the pro version. The reason that I have the pro version is that I can then use the API features. And why would I want the API feature? Because it's a requirement to link to DnDBeyond. But any books that I buy on DnDBeyond are now available in Roll20. Foundry is a completely different cost model. You pay a 1 time $50 price to own the rights to the program. You may elect to run it on your own PC server or pay for a hosting service. Unless you want to invest the time and money needed to make sure that your home-grown server is accessible and secure, you're going to need a host. That's where Forge comes in. The cost for getting your game hosted there is between $4 - $13 per month, depending on the level you opt for. And , to some extent in both VTTs, if you want to add integration or any other bell or whistle, you may have to become subscibe as a patreon to obtain a piece of software.

I am still evaluating my move to Foundry/Forge but the decision is not easy.

Interesting.

Personally, I run loosey-goosey, as you are well aware.

But I am going to run a module so that I have a more defined timeline. It will be more of a challenge with a 12-year-old and wrangling my own 40+-old kids and their schedules. I suspect shorter games than longer ones, i.e., a 2-hour block rather than an 8-hour block. This means tighter writing to try and actually get something done rather than, say, one combat.

I like a lot of different systems, but frankly, my friends and I (Stranger and another couple that don't play on message boards) tend to use Google Docs and just roll dice in our browsers. Zoom/Google Meet/Team for voice and potentially video. We don't demand a lot. A place to put a map, a picture of an NPC, and a place to write creatively together.

I could easily do that with my sons and grandson, just considering other options because I could make the game prettier. But the cost is certainly a factor.

I don't want to host a server, though I certainly could. I have a place to do so (fixed IP). All I have to do is arrange a box to hang it off of. Right now, it just goes to my router, which allows for faster traffic when I am working. That also would take time to learn more stuff, and then the question becomes how much my time is worth.

Just dream if I was a kid again.... but I am not. I won't spend hours hand-drawing maps, or using any of a billion mapping programs. I will likely purchase a map, port it someplace and use it.

I suggest to use what works for you. VTTs, all of them, will have a high learning curve.
Google Docs, web dice rollers, and all that stuff you currently use will be a better investment of your time and the lowest costs. Just learning how to place a map on a VTT is a chore.

As far as what a session should entail, I try to have a combat always ready in my hip pocket to toss out there to fill time if I'm not ready. A two-hour session usually is about 1/2 combat and 1/2 roleplaying/exploring/non-combat encounters.

Rely on KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid

Good advice.

Pande, you still see Stranger? Remember us to him please.

Yes, I do. In fact, I attended a gaming convention in person with him for the first time in over 20 years. We were just discussing The Organ Trail a bit fondly. I went down to help him with a game that he went a bit overboard on. He built the entire temple complex so that the players could explore it with their miniatures running it in Savage Worlds as well.

With regard to this particular thread, it has been taken out of my hands. The players decided Savage Pathfinder was a go and that we are playing on Roll20. Guess I will have to figure some things out.

But we went from my two sons and one grandson to adding in a granddaughter (who is 19 and attending college) too! Color me excited!

Excellent! Sounds good!

Just came across a low-resource bare bones vtt called Owlbear.

For those who are gaming on the web, there is an option that can be accessed easily for a variety of ways phones, tablets, computers etc...