Ultimate License questions

[d24man]

If i purchase the Ultimate license can i select another player to be the DM? I ask because in my group i am the only one who can afford to buy a license and i want to be able to use it for any other games i may want to join or host. If there is not an option to allow another person to DM, am i allowed to let them log into my account and DM for me. I was not able to find any info regarding this and before i buy it i need to know, i dont want to pay $150 then find out only i can DM when i have no clue how to DM.

[Moon Wizard]

The Ultimate license is for the GM only. There is not currently an option to allow another person to GM based on another user's license.

It may be cheaper to get individual Lite/Full licenses, and hand them out; since there is a bundle discount in the store. A GM and 4 players is currently $99 with the bundle discount.

Regards,
JPG

[d24man]

i do not see this option on the store, where do i find it?

Edit: found it

[hangarflying]

Just go to the store and add one full license and four lite licenses to your basket and it will automatically apply the discount.

[d24man]

This isn't a very flexible option if we want to drop or bring in new players. Is there currently no other way to make this work?

[Doswelk]

This isn't a very flexible option if we want to drop or bring in new players. Is there currently no other way to make this work?nope, but how is that really any different from any other software, when you "buy" it?

Most software you do not actually buy we just pay for the right to use it, each person that wants to legally use the software has to pay for their own license.

The Ultimate license did not exist when FG1 was released it was added as a way for a GM to get FGII without having to get their players to pay up!

Maybe the group of players I play with are unusual but back when we started using FG1 I said to them to play they needed to buy a lite license, but if they ever wanted to GM or have offline access to the rules or create their own rulesets they needed to by a full version. Again back then there were no bundles we each paid for our own license.

There is never going to be an option that pleases everybody, but the fact that I bought the software back in 2005 and have not had to pay for an upgrade makes it one of the best RPG purchases I have ever made.

[GunnarGreybeard]

Fantasy Grounds is installed on your local machine like any other software so you cannot transfer the license between players and move it from machine to machine. Best option would be the Full/Lite license bundle as mentioned previously.

[d24man]

The other systems i was looking at all had a log in system to become the DM, there for if i bought the package i would be able to give my log in info to the current DM at the time while i was still the owner of the account. That way i would not be giving a $150 key to someone who may not DM the next game we run. We are a very large group of people so we need a system where people can join and drop as needed. I honestly really like how the Fantasy Grounds system looks and feels but i cant afford to buy 20 game keys. A few of the other systems suit our needs but they look terrible and are a little clunky, but Fantasy Grounds is by far the best i have seen so if anyone has suggestions on how i could make this work for my groups needs i would be all for it.

[GunnarGreybeard]

Without me knowing the other systems, but working in the hosting business, if you are sharing access to login information you are likely violating their TOS unless it's a free account. Based on the way Fantasy Grounds is designed, you need the GM client installed on the machine you plan to use it on. Its not web based.

[Qai]

The way my gaming groups go about using a VTT is actually quite simple: since I am the only one that has a license (Ultimate), whenever I am GM we use FG - no exceptions. FG is the only software I'll use as a GM. Whenever someone else GMs, then we use Roll20. Problem solved.

Just because I spent money to purchase a license doesn't mean I have to use FG EVERY SINGLE TIME. This is a long term investment, and apart from Windows, it will in all likelihood be the piece of software that I'll use the most ever in my life. So, if I have to set it aside from time to time to enjoy some gaming as a player in something like Roll20, then fine.

If somebody cannot afford to purchase a license, then they can't afford it. If someone has to settle for a free alternative, then there's no shame in pointing them to another VTT. FG is a commercial product with a commercial standard. Just like any other product you go to the store and buy. If you can't afford to buy it, then you can't have it. Save up your money and buy it when you can afford it. In the meantime, look at the free alternatives.

[Weltengeist]

Fantasy Grounds is installed on your local machine like any other software so you cannot transfer the license between players and move it from machine to machine. Best option would be the Full/Lite license bundle as mentioned previously.

To the best of my knowledge, this is not correct.

You can have a particular GM key on as many machines as you like. I'm pretty sure of that, since I have my key installed both on my PC and on my laptop.

What you can't do is run two copies of FG2 with the same GM key at the same time.

This means that as you long as all of you agree and stay good friends, you CAN have the right license on the right machine at all times. In particular, your current GM can run FG2 with your group's GM license, while the others run lite licenses. And when the GM changes, then the new GM can take over the GM license. Just make sure that the old GM (now turned player) now runs FG2 using a lite license, and you should be fine.

[Qai]

Weltengeist, the ability to have the key on more than one computer is to make it easy for the license holder to transfer their copy of FG to another computer without having to worry about activation limits and dial-home DRM. This is NOT meant for you to share your license key with other people.

[Trenloe]

This means that as you long as all of you agree and stay good friends, you CAN have the right license on the right machine at all times. In particular, your current GM can run FG2 with your group's GM license, while the others run lite licenses. And when the GM changes, then the new GM can take over the GM license. Just make sure that the old GM (now turned player) now runs FG2 using a lite license, and you should be fine.
When anyone buys whatever FG license it is for that user only - you cannot legally transfer the license key to other users.

[hangarflying]

?...i dont want to pay $150 then find out only i can DM when i have no clue how to DM.

I just want to address this part of the OP: to let you in on a little secret, none of us who GM have a clue how to GM. This was especially true when we all first started out. The more we GM'd, the better we became at faking that we knew what we were doing. Everyone had to start out from scratch, and the only way to learn is to just jump in and do it. There are a few things to keep in mind. First, you are the story teller. You come from a position of authority and the players are looking to you for guidance. You can't be wrong because you are the only one who knows what will happen. Second, if you're not too comfortable with the rules and you come across a situation you're not sure of, either a) make it up as you go, or b) if your players are rules-savvy, rely on them to provide the information to allow you to make an informed decision.

In the end, don't be afraid to GM just because you've never done it before.

[Nickademus]

When anyone buys whatever FG license it is for that user only - you cannot legally transfer the license key to other users.

I sent an email to JPG about this a little bit ago but I didn't get a reply. Is there any way to gift a license to another FG account (as in you make the payment and designate the recipient and then the license is downloadable when they log into the store, not you)? I know personally there are people that I would like to buy a license for and this is a lot easier than a money transfer on my end. Probably more complicated on SW's end though.

[Moon Wizard]

My apologies if I did not respond to the email. Doug manages the email support and I help out, but we've both been swamped with primary work and family responsibilities.

Technically, the EULA that comes with Fantasy Grounds states that it is for a single installation for the owner of the software. (standard EULA terms) We have stated publicly in these forums that GMs can install the software on multiple machines that they own as long as the software is only used by that GM. (This is to support campaign preparation and ruleset/extension development.)

For gifting, we do not have a mechanism in our store to support gifting currently (nor a bunch of other options we would like to provide). However, if you want to gift a license to someone, please follow these steps:
* Purchase the license.
* Have the gift recipient set up a FG forum ID.
* Send us an email at [email protected], asking us to transfer the license to the recipient.

Regards,
JPG

[damned]

To the best of my knowledge, this is not correct.

You can have a particular GM key on as many machines as you like. I'm pretty sure of that, since I have my key installed both on my PC and on my laptop.

What you can't do is run two copies of FG2 with the same GM key at the same time.

This means that as you long as all of you agree and stay good friends, you CAN have the right license on the right machine at all times. In particular, your current GM can run FG2 with your group's GM license, while the others run lite licenses. And when the GM changes, then the new GM can take over the GM license. Just make sure that the old GM (now turned player) now runs FG2 using a lite license, and you should be fine.

to clarify that and what Moon_Wizard said - the license agreement is the controlling agent here - not technical limitations or work-arounds. because you *can* copy the license key to another machine does not mean you are allowed to. different communities and groups have different attitudes to copyright, piracy etc. me personally - i am totally against piracy - tv shows, pdfs, music, movies, games, artwork whatever. the person who created and owns that product can license it or not however they choose regardless of whether we agree with their model.

so whilst the above might work it is a violation of the agreement you enter into when buying the software and the owner of the software could invalidate your key if they discovered such activity. whether they would do that or not isnt important.

maybe i didnt clarify anything? maybe i just muddied things further...

[Nickademus]

My apologies if I did not respond to the email. Doug manages the email support and I help out, but we've both been swamped with primary work and family responsibilities.

I didn't press the issue because I figured as much. Completely understandable considering what you two take on.



For gifting, we do not have a mechanism in our store to support gifting currently (nor a bunch of other options we would like to provide). However, if you want to gift a license to someone, please follow these steps:
* Purchase the license.
* Have the gift recipient set up a FG forum ID.
* Send us an email at [email protected], asking us to transfer the license to the recipient.

I am glad to hear that you are willing to manually do this. Makes me more willing to purchases GMing licensing for friend GMs.

[d24man]

I apologize if it sounded like i was looking to steal something, that is not the case. I was just looking for clarification on what the software could and could not do, thank you to the people who provided constructive answers.

To clear things up as to why i am asking these questions, I work for a charity organization called RizeUp Gaming(rizeupgaming.com). We stream different types games while raising money for charities. The nature of our group and events requires us to be able to pick up and drop players as the events go on. I sent an email about the event but i had not heard back so i was considering buying the $150 pack so any of the 30-40 streamers could join in if they wanted. I just wanted to make sure the program would meet our needs.

Edit: I resent the email to the support address.

[Weltengeist]

Technically, the EULA that comes with Fantasy Grounds states that it is for a single installation for the owner of the software. (standard EULA terms) We have stated publicly in these forums that GMs can install the software on multiple machines that they own as long as the software is only used by that GM. (This is to support campaign preparation and ruleset/extension development.)

Okay, point taken. I should note that I'm not personally "swapping" GM keys (I'm very careful about passing on any IP material that I've paid for), but I'm aware that it's technically possible and that some people do it. To be honest, I was not even aware that it is against the EULA, otherwise I would obviously not have given the above recommendation. Coming to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing an EULA for FG2... So out of curiosity (and since I've obviously not done my homework correctly when installing FG2): Where do I find the EULA terms and conditions?

[Moon Wizard]

They appear when the installer first runs. You can delete the Fantasy Grounds executable to trigger "installation" mode with the updater/installer.

Cheers,
JPG