Jumping in to DM: FG vs D&D Beyond - Content

[GrayMouser]

I have been running Dungeon of the Mad Mage at my local store using D&D Beyond. As a book replacement, it is better than FG. To actually run a game, FG is better for me, but I do not want to lug a 40" screen to the store every Sunday and I like using my 3d printed terrain anyways for in person games.

I can tell you that I use the printed map pack and that D&D Beyond is lacking anything like pins on the maps to jump to the text, so it involves scrolling. I have all the books, so the monsters are just a click away in both systems for me. The real help is that it replaces a stack of books and the character builder is far better than FG. It is 5e only, though.

I run two games a week via the internet on Fantasy Grounds and FG allowed me to get my friends that played with me 40 years ago back and playing. There also is a good AD&D ruleset available for FG, so that is an option as well.

Funny enough, I have a twitch employee at my AL table and every time I find a D&D Beyond bug he reports it to the Curse team. That will fall away with the recent sale of D&D Beyond, though.

Thank you! I am quickly getting to the conclusion that both are useful and have their place. Do you, then, have copies of electronic media licensed with both apps? It seems you do, if I understood your reply.

FG appears awesome as a DM tool and for running games all around. But, I do like D&D Beyond character generator and the way things are hyperlinked and connected.

I have been pondering running Webex or Zoom with video and screen sharing backed by D&D Beyond as an alternative to face to face playing. But FG battle sheets, party sheets, and parcels look like they make all the admin and accounting automated, which really appeals to me.

We have yet to determine as a group if we want F2F, mobile/remote, or VTT as our medium to play. Thus, my quandary at the moment.

But, it is beginning to look like I may be purchasing both and duplicating books.....

[GrayMouser]

So, it appears to me that D&D Beyond is useful as an online, mobile book repository as well as a good character generator and a way to aggregate a group of characters under the guise of a campaign. But, you will have to manually run your campaign and manually adjust your character sheet as play proceeds. It is not clear to me that D&D Beyond has any utility in the actual running of the campaign beyond simple manual character sheet manipulation.

Based on what I have seen of FG online, FG is a VTT in full with most everything automated for the DM. It can be used simply as a DM tool outside of a VTT as well. It's primary drawback at the moment is it is not web-based and, thus, mobile. It can be used to run games in person or online and remotely distributed.

I am sure those are both oversimplifications and there is plenty omitted. But, for my purposes, it is how I am characterizing them for now.

[Targas]

In essence, yes. If you search through the forum, some even use a big TV tabletop like, where all players can sit around, roll dice maually and still have nice maps, combat automated, if they like, etc. I would use a glass table with beamer instead...

[ddavison]

You can do a full trial of Fantasy Grounds if you want for 30 days and then return it for a full refund if you decide that you like DNDBeyond better for your needs. That will allow you to benefit the most from the current discounted sale prices and bundles.

[Myrdin Potter]

FG is mobile. I run games on my laptop when traveling all the time. It is not in iOS or Android so no tablets or phones, but works fine on a laptop.

D&D Beyond is not even close to a VTT, it is just the books in electronic form.

I have the books on each and each has its role.

[iotech]

That will fall away with the recent sale of D&D Beyond, though.

Say what now? I hadnt heard this... I abandoned even trying DDB due to it requiring a Twitch login... like sites that force me to login via Facebook; no thanks.
Who bought DDB? Is there hope of getting it separated from Twitch/Curse?

[mattekure]

Say what now? I hadnt heard this... I abandoned even trying DDB due to it requiring a Twitch login... like sites that force me to login via Facebook; no thanks.
Who bought DDB? Is there hope of getting it separated from Twitch/Curse?

They announced they would be allowing non-twitch logins during 2019.

bought by fandom https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d...joining-forces

[iotech]

They announced they would be allowing non-twitch logins during 2019.

bought by fandom https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d...joining-forces

*groan*

[treefallingquietly]

This is not what I expected tbh. I always thought DDB was going to migrate into the WoTC VTT to bring all the forms of the game under one roof. I am still waiting to see who wins the the VTT wars. Roll20 or FG. I tried Roll20 after FG and was totally disgusted. I think FG is the better solution but I have seen, in my life, the better product not win the race.

I think FG needs to approach WoTC now that they have a solid product. Let WoTC license the engine for their games.

[LordEntrails]

I think FG needs to approach WoTC now that they have a solid product. Let WoTC license the engine for their games.

FG has a license from WotC... So does Roll20 and I think one of the other VTTs (though I don't think they ever did much with it, and I can't remember who it was/is). Not sure what other type of license you are thinking of.

As for DDB, I never got the impression they were ever thinking of becoming a VTT. At least nothing more than as a fancy/dream. They still have a lot of maturing to do on their current platform and just doing the core things they want to do, before they start competing with the VTTs.

Note, FG had a license from WotC something like 2 years before DDB even existed. I think the license was granted in February 2015? I know it was before my time with FG (because at the time I joined it was the only licensed digital content).