Ultimate License now available by subscription

[ddavison]

For those gamers who want to host all their friends without requiring them to pay for a license of Fantasy Grounds but who don't want to spring for the Ultimate all up front, we now offer a monthly subscription of $9.99. We still offer the one-time purchase for those people who prefer that method.

[Mask_of_winter]

Great business decision as I believe the $150 price tag or asking your players to buy a players license was putting a lot of people off. At least that's the feedback I keep getting from gamers I talk to.

[ddavison]

Hopefully this will allow more gaming groups to see what truly sets Fantasy Grounds apart from the competition.

[Valarian]

Could get you more money in the long run, unless you are "paid-off" after 16 months. Good idea.

[damned]

it is a subscription - so yes - if you stay on subscription you will pay more in the long run - just like you would with roll20. over time roll20 is much more expensive.
as someone else also mentioned in another post it is good if you sometimes need to rotate GMs too - you can just spring for a month long subscription when you need to swap your usual GM.

[Jwguy]

I think this is a good move, personally, though I would still stick with the pay once option.

But yeah, the ability to swap GMs would be super nice.

[RosenMcStern]

Applause. Good move Smiteworks.

[ddavison]

Thanks. We will see how many people take advantage of it. At the end of the day, more options for players, GMs and gaming groups can't be a bad thing. :)

[lowew79]

I wish there had been this option a week and a half ago when I bought my license.

[Doswelk]

Trust me in the long run you are better off by not paying subscription...I bought Fantasy Grounds in 2005 and have not had to pay any more charges (other than buying modules etc.) since!

[Mgrancey]

Yes, I have easily gotten back the value of buying an ultimate license a couple of years ago.

[ianmward]

Does the subscription include the initial license or is it an add-on to the "Fantasy Grounds License". ie. if I had no license today, could I just pay the $9.99 and start playing?

[Honken]

Does the subscription include the initial license or is it an add-on to the "Fantasy Grounds License". ie. if I had no license today, could I just pay the $9.99 and start playing?

I think it does include the initial license. Should wait until somebody with better know answers.

/H

[damned]

$9.95 and just start playing.
want to get your game on straight away - the whole group can play for $9.95.
wanna rotate the GM for a couple of weeks? $9.95 and your in!

[Valarian]

or $9.99

[JohnD]

Yes, I have easily gotten back the value of buying an ultimate license a couple of years ago.

Indeed. My per-evening cost is probably around $0.25 at this point.

[ddavison]

The first payment of $9.99 gets you the license and all the built-ins that normally come with the $149 Ultimate package (tokens, maps module, rulesets.)

[damned]

whats 0.04c between friends.
lets go salami slicing!

[damned]

we are friends arent we?

[Mgrancey]

No. Absolutely not! ;p

[Knivel]

So, ultimate was only penultimate... I'll wait for the superultimate license, where I can pay for the whole group and nonetheless rotate GMs. Really, that would be great! :cool:

[Blacky]

Relaying a question I've been asked: is the subscription available without Paypal?

[ddavison]

It is not. Paypal is handling all of the actual collection of money each month, cancellations, etc. and they notify us through an integration with our site.

[Blacky]

Thanks for the quick answer.

[Coanunn]

How do you disable this or does it auto-disable when you purchase the ultimate license? I am not stopping using Fantasy Grounds, just have the money now to buy it and don't really want to get billed twice.. Not that Doug and company don't deserve it but you understand.. lol

[ddavison]

To disable your subscription, just cancel the authorized payment plan in PayPal. Make sure you have your new license key entered into your settings first.

[Coanunn]

To disable your subscription, just cancel the authorized payment plan in PayPal. Make sure you have your new license key entered into your settings first.

Thank you! I will be doing that a bit later this month since I got bored waiting for the answer and spent a bunch of money on extra books inside Fantasy Grounds instead.. lol I think I now own all the companions and several more goodies though to make my games that much better in Fantasy Grounds!

[damned]

Nice one Coanun.

[Coanunn]

What can I say, I enjoy the software and use it an awful lot, and all those drag and drop skills, edges, hindrances, powers, gear, and more.. hehehe, FG heaven!

[ddavison]

You can't go wrong with that. :)

[Doc Sportello]

I still haven't decided what sort of license I'll buy, though I'm pretty sure I'll buy something; I'm really impressed with the software. One question I have is about pricing and Steam. (I like using Steam because I like having all my game stuff in one cloudy place, retrievable if and when my current PC dies!)

Is the lump-sum Ultimate License on Steam a bit more expensive than through the website here? Steam says you have to buy the $39.99 license first, then upgrade to Ultimate by paying $114.99 -- a total of about $155. Whereas the lump-sum license here is about $150. Do I have that right?

Thanks in advance.

[Nylanfs]

You can buy it here and when Doug sends a list of retail license keys to Valve you can register it in the Steam interface.

[ddavison]

Nylanfs is correct. I just sent a batch of keys over to Valve that were purchased on our store last Friday (1/2). It could be another month or two before I send over a new batch for activation.

On our site, there is a slight discount if you go straight to the Ultimate versus upgrading here as well. The Steam price is slightly higher because we weren't able to support the direct purchase of the Ultimate on Steam without creating a completely new app. That, in turn, would have caused us issues with keeping the DLC separate, but in sync. Long story short, it ended up being slightly higher.

[Doc Sportello]

Thanks; that sounds reasonable. I'll think on it.

[sillyxander]

I hope I don't sound silly. I'm still trying to figure out how to buy this. I don't have the amount to just by the license so the best way for me is to do the subscription but do I have to still buy the DnD 5th edition items or are they part of the subscription. This may sound like a dumb question and I'm sorry if it is or as been asked. I want to get my group into it but they are already put off by the price. I told them I would pay the 10 dollars a month but I just wondering how the different campagins work. Thanks for any infomation you can give and I know the money doesn't go to help us buy the license but is there any way you guys could come up with a system like that. I would love to get all your items but being a poor teacher has a draw back. We don't make much money. Thanks again.

[Trenloe]

I hope I don't sound silly. I'm still trying to figure out how to buy this. I don't have the amount to just by the license so the best way for me is to do the subscription but do I have to still buy the DnD 5th edition items or are they part of the subscription. This may sound like a dumb question and I'm sorry if it is or as been asked. I want to get my group into it but they are already put off by the price. I told them I would pay the 10 dollars a month but I just wondering how the different campagins work. Thanks for any infomation you can give and I know the money doesn't go to help us buy the license but is there any way you guys could come up with a system like that. I would love to get all your items but being a poor teacher has a draw back. We don't make much money. Thanks again.
The subscription just gives you the base product - which includes the framework to play a number of games, but no data (unless it's an OGL product like 3.5e or Pathfinder). The 5E products require purchasing, although the base 5E framework is provided with your subscription. "Ultimate" means that the players don't need a licence. You still need to purchase the add on products (library modules, adventure modules, etc.) if you need them. You can enter your own data if you don't want to buy the extra products, but this can take many hours.

If you live in North America, you can use the PayPal option to pay off a purchase above $99 over 6 months interest free - this might be an option for you to pay installments and get to keep the products.

[Nylanfs]

Alternately what you could do is get a reloadable pre-paid credit card and have everyone in the group chip in to put the required funds on it every month or so till you have enough to make the purchase.

[damned]

get the Ultimate Sub and buy the Basic Rules for $3.
if your players declare they want to play more classes have them chip in $15each and you can buy the D&D Complete Core Class Pack.

[vikingbrad]

get the Ultimate Sub and buy the Basic Rules for $3.
if your players declare they want to play more classes have them chip in $15each and you can buy the D&D Complete Core Class Pack.

Just to add to that, if you buy Lost Mines of Phandelver it includes the Basic Rules for DM & Player. Doesn't say so in the notes