Playing with myself... Questions about solo play using FG...

[Entropi]

Greetings and salutations.

I have a full license for Fantasy Grounds, and have physical copies of the core rulebooks (PHB, DMG, MM), as well as the starter set and Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I'm an experienced player, having started with the old Moldvay Basic and Expert sets in middle school, then AD&D, then 2E, 3.5, a bit of 4E and now 5E. I was a DM of a large, open world style FR campaign in 1E and 2E, with multiple groups (and a few one-on-one players). So far, I love everything about 5E. To me, it seems like a throwback to the old-school D&D I used to play twenty-some years ago... AND it's set in the FR, my favorite setting. After the MMO-style 4E, which I never completely warmed up to, 5E feels like home.

Sadly, life being life, it's no longer possible for me to play with all my old buddies. I am no longer in touch with most of them, and those that I do talk to have, like myself, settled down and have families. Gone are the all-nighters of having my buddies over to my apartment for all-night (and sometimes all the next day) sessions of pizza, bong-hits, and D&D. Enter Fantasy Grounds...

So... what I want to do is make a party of 3-4 characters and play through HotDQ solo. I realize solo play is not the optimal way to play D&D, but I'm still keen on doing it. I don't want to join a group of strangers, as I've always been the DM and would prefer to DM myself then just play a single character. And I cannot (and don't want to) commit to DMing a group of strangers on FG.

So my question is... can FG accomodate me? I really do not want to have to run both the player client and DM client at the same time, and have to keep switching between the two. Is it possible to play solo, both as player(s) and DM, using just the DM client? I don't mind using the player client to create my characters (or can I do that in the DM client?), but during play I really don't want to have two clients running and constantly switch between the two - that just seems like a PITA, like it might end up being more trouble than it's worth. I can always just do this using pencil and paper, but I really do like FG and the many conveniences it would provide for me.

I'm willing to purchase the (expensive) official FG modules to do this, provided it's feasible. I think I will need, at the minimum, the complete class pack, as well as the HotDQ module, and am willing to purchase the DMG and MM later if necessary. However, I don't want to spend the money and then find that there are unforeseen (by me) obstacles to playing solo, so I'm looking for input from those who are better versed in the capabilities of the software than I.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

[Hector Trelane]

I think you can play solo from the DM/GM client--DMs/GMs can access PC sheets at all times (and edit them).

But don't write off group play just yet. Plenty of sessions you can join in just a few weekends at FGCon8 -- see event list here, including a ton of 5E and Pathfinder: https://www.fg-con.com/events

You can kick the tires both on the software and group play at the same time. (If you're like most people, you may find you're compatible with some players, and others ... are looking for different thing.)

[gqwebb]

Yes, works just fine in solo. And you have enough desktop space to have a dm session and client session running. Or you could could just do it all from the dm side. That is what I do to host a game at a table. I manage all the game stuff from my dm session.

[Entropi]

Thanks for the info.

I went ahead and purchased the official PHB, DMG, MM, and HotDQ modules. I then set up a new campaign. From the DM client, I went to the PC's button and started to create my first PC. I chose race, class, background, name, and skills. I rolled up my ability scores on paper with physical dice. But I can't figure out how to edit the character's ability scores. His sheet shows all scores of 10, except for the +2 CHA for being a half-elf. How can I put the ability scores I rolled into the character sheet?

[Trenloe]

How can I put the ability scores I rolled into the character sheet?

Click on the individual ability score field and type in the number.

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/...Ability_Scores

[Entropi]

Okay, I'm an idiot.

That was the first thing I tried, but I guess I was expecting a text cursor or dialogue box to come up when I clicked the field. When there was no acknowledgement of my click, I thought it didn't work, and didn't type anything. Double-clicking rolled an ability check and rt-clicking brought up the options for closing the character sheet. Just tried again and it worked just as you say. Sorry for the stupid question (although I can't guarantee there won't be more to come).

[Nylanfs]

I believe you can also just drag the value you rolled into the correct box can't you?

[Entropi]

Maybe. I was using offline physical dice though. I like rolling up my ability scores the ol' fashioned way.

[gqwebb]

I have to give solo a try on my conversion of B1 to see if it is balanced right. I am thinking it would be fun to go against the dice!

Welcome to the addiction

[damned]

You will prolly have plenty of other Doh! moments. Most of us do. Somethings are not immediately intuitive or we try and over complicate things. Ask questions without fear