Interested

[Therim]

Hello all,

I started RP'ing back in the late 70's with Dungeon and Dragons. I table topped with friends all the way until I got out of High School. In my 20's I started to do MMPORP'S like EQ and on until WOW.

It's been almost a year since I've had any online account. I simply got bored with the lack of role playing. I'm a very immersive role player.

Anyway, that's my story. So as I was cleaning up the house today, it suddenly struck me that maybe there might be an online, old school table top online community. Why not?

So here I am.

I haven't read too much about Fantasy Grounds. I think that maybe just coming here first might be the best way for me to get a good idea of what I can find here.

So what would I like?

I would like to play a good fantasy roleplaying game for a few hours once or twice a week, just as a player until I get used to everything and then I might consider DM'ing.

So here are some questions.

What do I need to do to just be a player?

Are there good once or twice a week campaigns of mature gamers?

Are most groups linked up with audio and visual?

Are groups and DM's or GM's pretty consistent?

I guess that's about all of the basic questions I have. Thank you.

[GunnarGreybeard]

What do I need to do to just be a player?If the GM has an Ultimate License you can play using the unregistered version, otherwise I believe you will need the Lite Version.


Are most groups linked up with audio and visual? Most seem to use audio chat (like Skype) but if the groups is small I actually prefer the built-in text chat feature in the FG interface as it allow more in-depth roleplaying (at least that's my story and I'm sticky to it :D ).

[dr_venture]

Are there good once or twice a week campaigns of mature gamers?

I've only participated up here as GM, so I can only tell you my impression is that there are a fair number of games, especially in the most popular genres and rule systems. I'd guess that you're likely to find a game that you like sooner rather than later, but YMMV. There does seem to be a lot of old timers like you and I.


Are most groups linked up with audio and visual?

The visual part is all Fantasy Grounds, I would expect. On the audio side, as has already been said, there are a number of options for using voice chat. There have been some discussions regarding using immersive sounds/music, but I don't think most folks do that. FG does not support audio at all, so it must be arranged outside of the application itself. I also agree on the chat interface in FG: it's a unique experience from traditional P&P games. Much like reading a book, text interactions can be interpreted by the imagination of each player, so in some ways it can be more immersive. That said, it's definitely slower. Overall, I enjoy it, though for playing with old friends, it can feel kinda clunky.


Are groups and DM's or GM's pretty consistent?

That's very hard for me to speak to, as I'm just involved with my own games. My guess is that your online experience will be much like that of the real world: some GMs & players are kinda flaky, and some are consistent. One thing I have found that is a positive is that I am able to regularly play with a friend who does not have hours to devote to a face to face game - the nature of FG allows him to 'be at home' with the family while he's playing a roleplaying game. The text chat helps there, as he can step away from the keyboard at times without interrupting the game.


I guess that's about all of the basic questions I have. Thank you.

You're welcome! Look through the forums when you get the chance - the community here is just excellent: very helpful and good natured. I still have yet to meet a jerk up here, unlike the majority of places you tend to find on the Net! It's one of the pleasures of using FG, IMO.

I'd say the best thing to do is keep your eye on the forum named "Guild House" for one-off games, or just advertise your desire to participate in a game. If you buy a Lite license, you can join in anywhere, otherwise you'll have to find somebody running a game with their Ultimate License (allows you to join in using only the free demo software). I would guess that an hour or so of playing would tell you whether or not you'd like it... and guessing from your gaming past, I think you'll have a lot of fun.

[Trenloe]

I'd say the best thing to do is keep your eye on the forum named "Guild House" for one-off games, or just advertise your desire to participate in a game. If you buy a Lite license, you can join in anywhere, otherwise you'll have to find somebody running a game with their Ultimate License (allows you to join in using only the free demo software). I would guess that an hour or so of playing would tell you whether or not you'd like it... and guessing from your gaming past, I think you'll have a lot of fun.
I'd also add - persevere. If you find and try an FG session and you don't enjoy it, try another one or two. Just like face-to-face tabletop gaming, you need to find a group that plays your type of game for you to get the most enjoyment.

[Magnatude]

Well... I'm a consistent DM and there are a few here, but I do hear there is a lot of DM's that run off, rarely seen again.

As a player I "try" to get into a game (Sorry Doc, would have loved your six-shooter) but as we all know schedules change and I see that quite often with the player base... but I'm in 1 group as a player with all older guys... (I'm the eldest at 47), and my 2 groups that I DM for are all older-ish... so from what I've seen I think a lot of us are the older bunch.

So if you get a DM that shows up 90% of the time, try to keep him/her, lol.

You can try out some gaming before buying with us guys who have an Ultimate License, I currenly have a game ready to go for thursdays starting the 29th of Castles & Crusades Join HERE (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/?id=763) which is voiced over skype for 2 hours max. This game is set for demo players like yourself and a few of my regular players want to hop in too, to help out.

You will find that playing voiced over skype (or other voice-chat software) would be the best, it makes for a faster game and its almost like old tabletop gaming. at least you can hear the players interact more fluently and with some vocal-acting too.

Most younger players are lesser voice-actors (eg: not doing crazy Scottish accents when playing Dwarves, just announcing their strategies), but there are a few that are willing to act... personally I like players that voice-act their characters, and I try to do that myself as a DM (with my wife shaking her head at me in the background) but everyone is free to RP in their own way thats comfortable to them, the main idea is to have as much fun as possible.

So not every DM will be to your taste, you will find that out quickly... as well as some of us DM's find some really annoying players... just as in every live tabletop circus.
And yes... there are some players that will not play if "player-x" is attending.

So if you can join up with us Ultimate License DM's, try out the free Demo with us if you can. As the other guys here have already explained each license... thats all for my 2 bits.

[dr_venture]

No worries Mag - we'll be around if your schedule clears up.

[Griogre]

Hello all,
I would like to play a good fantasy roleplaying game for a few hours once or twice a week, just as a player until I get used to everything and then I might consider DM'ing.
If you think you are going to DM in the future you would be better off getting the full license (or better) rather than the lite license. While you can just play with the lite license - you can't run a game.