Over the last year huge numbers of groups have moved their games online. The upshot of that is that I've suddenly found I'm playing more than I have for some years, and to an extent lamenting the fact that I don't have time for more games - it turns out that it's super fun.
But with the rise of online gaming we have also seen the rise of endless articles about how it should be done. And that's good, except they invariably start in the wrong place - they start with "how to play D&D online", when in fact they should be going for "how to play D&D online".
That is, the articles talk about getting a group together, managing the rules, handling dice rolls, what software to use, and so on. All of which are important, but it's only then, and as an afterthought, that they address the single most important thing.
Audio quality.
The blunt fact is that the second most important thing for a successful online game of D&D (after a good group) is the ability to hear one another clearly. Once you've got that, everything else can be negotiated. Without that, you're stuck.
So invest in the best internet connection you can afford, and the best microphone (and, as a lesser concern, camera) you can afford. Then choose your software package based solely on the metric of audio quality.
You can then build anything you want on top of that foundation, and it will be good. But get that foundation in place first, because audio quality really is king.
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