Newbie Questions

[LordEntrails]

I have the Ultimate membership, but no books yet, and my group and I are torn between Roll 20 and FG. Is there anyone with the PHB that might be willing to host a few people in a Friday night, so we can see what the options look like from the player's side, and maybe run us through a combat or two? I'm hoping to persuade folks to go for FG! (Friday is our standing game night.)

Depending on your time zone, I might be available next Friday (I'm UTC -0600). PM me if you're close to that time and we'll figure it out.

Also check out the FG College, they are a pretty cool group of people.

[damned]

Try this Mithalwulf - https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...-and-then-play!

[JohnD]

You're trying to compare and contrast a Pinto vs a Porsche.

[Mithalwulf]

You're trying to compare and contrast a Pinto vs a Porsche.

That's my hope!

[Atua]

You're trying to compare and contrast a Pinto vs a Porsche.

But which one is the Pinto? ;-)

[Mithalwulf]

That's the key question. Those who have used both, what are your thoughts? For players, the interface seems way better in FG.

[Myrdin Potter]

Over the past year, Smiteworks has added the ability to add 5e PHB content in the program itself (you used to have to parse the text or wrote directly in XML). The only real in program feature that is missing is the ability to create reference manuals which are just a nice way of displaying the data.

If you wait for a sale, you can get the PHB for about 20% off the standard $29.99.

I can tell you one key benefit to FG over Roll20 is the cost. Roll20 sells the WoTC books for the full hardcover price. They also charge a subscription price for the most advertised feature - dynamic licensing and it does not take long for that plus the additional cost for the books to make the “free”program a lot more expensive.

If you already have the DND Beyond subscription and the books there, you can cut and paste into FG to create the content in FG and that greatly speeds up the process.

The cost of the books really comes down to if you have more time or more money. More time than money, input the material you need. More money than time (like me), buy the books. The PHB is probably the most used book.

If you buy the modules/adventures here, they come with all the tokens and images and such.

I think the standard automation in FG is much easier to use and it is much easier to get content into FG than Roll20. The effects engine is quite powerful and there are many examples in the forums or that can be purchased on DMs Guild (I have a set of 16 characters levels 1-10 based on the standard WoTC there).

The only real negative to FG over Roll20 is the client/server model means that the DM has to get access to ports and forward it to their computer. It pretty much works fine and just needs to be set up once for almost everyone, but when it does not it is a pain in the *** to work through the solutions to the problem. Roll20 is just a browser connection which typically is much easier.

[LordEntrails]

I've got a review post and several forum posts on ENWorld that detail why I chose FG over Roll20 and the other competitors if you want detail, but in short the three big reasons I choose FG;
1) Client-Server architect - yes this means I have to deal with port forwarding, but it also means all content is on my computer(s) and I do not need to have an internet connection to use FG and if SmiteWorks goes out of business I will still have what I paid for.
2) Official WotC content - at the time it was the only option. It is still the only option that has everything, and for now it is substantially less expensive than the other VTTs.
3) This community - the most helpful user community I've been part of. And you are allowed to discuss the competition and be critical of the FG and SW (unlike Roll 20).

Two other things of note;
4) Content creation and GM prep is very straight forward and relatively efficient.
5) To me, UI is intuitive, I had trouble with Roll20 when demoing.

[damned]

Roll20 is a good platform too. It has better line of sight and dynamic lighting. It doesnt require any network setup. It has a free tier.

I believe Fantasy Grounds is better than Roll20 on pretty much every other measure. Especially if you use one of the big licensed systems like 5e, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu or Savage Worlds.
Especially for the GM.

[JohnD]

But which one is the Pinto? ;-)

Obvious answer is obvious.