5e Fantasy Grounds Training Class

[jh79]

Hello everyone, I will be conducting hands-on Fantasy Grounds 5e training class workshops once a month, the first Saturday of every month at 9AM ET, over TeamSpeak for DM's new to Fantasy Grounds. The class size will be 6 people.

This class will encompass and teach all features of Fantasy Grounds and 5e functionality, and is specifically focused for DM's playing 5e. The 3 hour workshop will teach all aspects of the Fantasy Grounds interface for DM's, all the buttons and commands and how to use them. We will also build a sample module, including adding monster NPCs, text, treasure, images, maps, and how to link them to the the story. Many more things will be taught also.

The focus will be to provide formal training to DM's with little or no experience with Fantasy Grounds features. You can be an aspiring DM or an experienced one, both will benefit equally from the training if you are new to Fantasy Grounds.

To enter this class you will need either a full or Ultimate licence, we will all have our own DM instances up for the majority of the class, 2/3, as I explain each feature. Please make sure to take notes, a notebook and your favorite pen would be highly recommended, alternatively you could take notes in notepad or even in FG with the notes button, a lot of info will be given at a moderate pace.

Towards the end of the class, 1/3, everyone will log onto my server and a full demo will be given including a full combat encounter. If you're interested in uncovering the full power of Fantasy Grounds, PM me for a spot in a class and you will have the tools to start DMing your own FG groups.

[vikingbrad]

That sounds great.

Can I also suggest you try to record it so it can be made available later for other potential DMs to check out

Cheers

[jh79]

I won't be recording for several reasons, but some of the main ones are, the focus of my class is person to person, real-time. Some people like learning from a teacher that is present. Videos are great but they can't answer random questions, or further explain, especially when you just don't get something.

Also they're already plenty of videos from upstanding community members to fill this need. Anyone can just go to the wiki and will find them.

And lastly, some people just don't like to be on video, even their voice. They may shy away just for that reason, in addition to that, I really don't want to deal with getting everyones permission to video them. If interested in a class environment anyone can join one of my classes, otherwise they're are plenty of vids on the wiki. Best of luck either way and happy gaming on FG everyone.

[Larac]

The vids we have are good, but they are not fielding questions, they know how it works and may skip something that a question might bring up.
That is obvious to most but I missed how to do it.

That said I also understand the shyness on being on a stream thing.

Perhaps you can just do a most asked during the class post, after you do the training that covers stuff you were surprised was not common knowledge.

Hope to make one of your classes btw, need to get up to speed, for a game.

Lee

[jh79]

Perhaps you can just do a most asked during the class post, after you do the training that covers stuff you were surprised was not common knowledge.

Lee

Unfortunately, these three hour classes is all the time I have to contribute to the community besides DMing the 5e content I currently run. Any videos or follow up posts, etc are just not feasible for me due to family, several FG campaigns, etc. Hopefully people that join my classes will get a lot out of it and then can pass it forward and grow our wonderful community. I got your PM and you are signed up for the next class.

[damned]

Hi Larac and vikingbrad there are some Hangout sessions recorded from FG Con 5 - 3 that used the Castles & Crusades ruleset but are very generic (they wont teach you anything 5e specific though) and one Savage Worlds session.
https://www.fg-con.com/latest-news/fg-con-hangout-recordings/
They are 60-90mins in length. They were down live but I cant remember how many questions and answers occurred - i think mine were mostly driven by me but the Savage one was a little more interactive.

[jh79]

This was a fear I had that this would not work out as a personal class as intended without talk of videos. I'm going to go ahead and do this one class that I committed to and end the idea about personal FG 5e classes. Probably just not a good fit since there are plenty of videos as people have pointed out.

[Trenloe]

This was a fear I had that this would not work out as a personal class as intended without talk of videos. I'm going to go ahead and do this one class that I committed to and end the idea about personal FG 5e classes.
Don't be put off by the talk of videos - we were just trying to save you future effort and allow people who couldn't make your sessions to gain something from them via a video at some later date.

You're offering a great service to the FG community, do it the way you want and the way you're comfortable with.

There will always be the need for personal sessions, so please don't be put off by us poking our nose in and making suggestions of videoing the session - they were all well intended suggestions. But, we hear you loud and clear - no videos! Please ignore our unwanted comments and continue offering to run personal sessions... Please...

[jh79]

Hey guys, all comments are always welcome, I have also given this some forethought. My intent for these old school person to person classes was to complement the great vids made by our upstanding members and be something in addition too those, another avenue of learning.

The vids I see here on FG are well made step by step instructional videos, great for learning in that manner, where my classes will be more free-form, and can jump around a lot. Great for the student I am jumping around with in person, probably not so great for someone watching a video of it. They would be better off watching a well made step by stepper imo.

So, with that said, after this first person to person class, I will evaluate it and see if this truly does bring additional value to our community, and if it can stand on its own merits like the videos do. Ill get feedback from the participants and decide if this is the case.

[Skellan]

I think this is a great idea jh79. I reckon some people might find it easier to do a 'face to face' session. I hope this goes well.

[Xorn]

jh79:

I would LOVE a transcript of the questions asked. I spent a lot of time on my video tutorials, but I know there are still a lot of questions remaining. There is nothing I would love more than to make one more video fielding the questions new DMs have and specifically addressing them.

That said, I think face-to-face training sessions are a fantastic idea.

[Moon Wizard]

That would be an interesting idea for the wiki as well, sort of a common questions page that could answer the question or could point to various portions of the wiki that answer that question.

Regards,
JPG

[Larac]

I remember I can do something but sometimes not how.

Like trying all the right click options to resize a Token, then having to ask and find that One is mouse wheel and ctrl.

Like the rest I think this is a great idea, the extra info on it was the "proof read syndrome" if you proof read your own stuff, you miss glaring holes because you Know it already and fill in blanks.
Happens to rules writers all the time as well. If you know the system well you will omit points that have become 2nd nature or gloss over them quickly.

This is where the Q&A sessions are so helpful. As one can say wait go back and slowly show what you did.

Very sorry to cause you any issues, as there are a host of things I know FG can do and some it teases it might do I am trying to figure out before I start GMing a group.

[jh79]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the support on this endeavour. There's been a lot of interest in this workshop class idea, which frankly caught me a little off guard, and a second class has already filled. Personally I learned with all the great videos you guys make (I've seen them all, and I mean all...) and hands on DMing, but apparently there is a niche for this after all.

I am hoping this will facilitate many new DM's to our great community, which of course will bring in new players and make this whole community grow. A third class signup has already started with one person, so I have decided to take a (no man/woman left behind way of thinking). As long as there is a need, and classes of four fill up, I will be there to pass on everything I have learned from the upstanding members of this community and hopefully contribute a small portion of what many of you have already done for Fantasy Grounds.

[jh79]

Also, I'll go ahead and collect metrics/questions for you guys that want it, from the class participants, let me run at least three or four of them to get a good wide range of questions, ect. This way teaming up from all fronts; classes, videos and Wiki FAQ's, we can get this place booming with avenues of learning Fantasy Grounds from top to bottom.

[Art Wendorf]

jh79 conducted a wonderful class that hit on all the basics (I think) for running a game in fantasy grounds. Thought I'd throw out a public "Thank you!" for taking the time out of your schedule, jh79, to help us beginners out!

[Mask_of_winter]

Hi there! Thanks for doing this JH!

I don't mean to hijack your thread but I just thought I'd let everybody know I'm running a GM session prep Hangouts on Air! tonight. I will do a screenshare and have the Q&A enabled. The way I prep for my games can be used for any ruleset. You're all invited. Here's the link: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cmdk4tklak8n7jm3b8tsjnvvc1o

[jh79]

Art, thank you for the kind words, the workshop went fantastic imo, and went just over 3 hours as expected. We hit on everything basically that FG has to offer. Had a very smart group, everyone seemed to pick up all aspects of FG nicely as conveyed and we went along learning organically with a hands on approach, great group!

Everyone had their own DM Full, or Ultimate Licence's open for the first 2/3 of the class, as we built up a test module that included everything to build one, text, images, linking, NPC's and encounters, treasure parcels, ect, then linking it back to the story. Also the whole interface and every button was explained one by one for FG and 5e.

The Last 1/3 of the class, they logged onto my server, and everything they learned was demoed in real time, including a battle with hill giants, dwarves and them helping the dwarves :), targeting was demonstrated, along with the combat tracker, how to mask for fog of war and erase Fog, how to setup the grids, ect.

All and all it went much better than expected. Look forward to using the same approach with the 2nd class that has already signed up. Hopefully these new DM's will start creating new worlds for FG'ers to enjoy, then hopefully pass on the skills they learned to someone else so we can grow the community.

Mask_of_Winter, that is great! please feel free to use this thread anytime you have a teaching session, that goes for anyone that is willing to teach and grow our community.

[vikingbrad]

Thanks JH very worthwhile and I recommend it to anyone else looking to get started.

I know the whole interface and finding how the different sections interact was kind of overwhelming when I first got FG but going through the tutorial class helped explain it a lot.

Looking forward to making my first module.

[jh79]

TY Vikingbrad, much appreciated, let me know how your module turns out :)

[rhammer2]

Thank you for donating your time to the class. It was very useful.

- Robert

[jh79]

My pleasure Robert, was a good time and glad you found it useful.

[BBGaming]

Arigato Gozaimasu jh79!!

Thank you so much for the great class. I learned a lot and even had the chance to put some of it into practice tonight while GMing for the first time.

It was very kind of you to offer your time like that. Very informative.

I enjoyed meeting my fellow classmates and wish you all well in your future games!

Take care everyone.

[jh79]

BBG, that is great you were able to use it right away, makes it all worthwhile for me!

[Art Wendorf]

BBG, that is great you were able to use it right away, makes it all worthwhile for me!Oh, I'm using the class, too. I'm going through my first adventure Module and tweaking it so it works/flows better. Well, worth the time. Thanks again!

[jh79]

Cool guys, music to my ears :)

Also, want to give a plug for BBG Gaming's (Robert's) youtube channel, I just realized I'm subscribed to his channel :p. He has some cool solo playthrough's which I find very useful to see if I want to buy the products he is featuring or not.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv90RfypyOCy63rKvjK7n5Q

Also BBG/Robert, not sure if you figured out your connection issue from Japan, but if you need help testing it out, just send me a PM, I'll throw up my server and you can work through connecting to it.

[jh79]

Hello everyone, the DM Workshop Class list just keeps growing and growing! With so many new people on the list, I have decided to run one class a month.
1. To keep my sanity,
2. To still be able to give it my all, for my players campaign experience.
3. So my other half doesn't smite me! :D.

However I will bump the class to 6 people instead of 4. We had 5 in the first class, after a surprise visitor showed up, and it still went very smooth, so I don't see an issues with making it 6 people, which is a full party of a D&D game anyways. Everyone was very respectful, so I foresee any problems at all.

So Workshops will be the first Saturday of every month, approximately 8am ET, I may change it slightly if we have enough people close to the same time zones by coincidence, but that 8am ET time is to accommodate everyone from around the world, so just plan for that.

The first class was already given, the second class will be June 6th. The third class is almost full and will be July 5th. I'll let the participants know the time in a PM. So if you are new, and want a thorough 3 hour workshop of how to use Fantasy Grounds, learn the interface as a DM, combat, targeting and combat tracker, learn all elements of building a full module, I would sign up as early as possible to secure your spot. I will send out reminders to scheduled participants as the time draws nearer to their Workshop date.

[Larac]

Thanks again!

[damned]

jh79 would you be able to share the list of things you go thru in your session?
i have run similar but shorter sessions on Castles&Crusades and would like to see what you cover in yours.

[jh79]

Well, I can give you a list from what I remember, since the classes are 3 hours long. This should also answer the questions from the other guys that want to make videos. I found that in each subject I covered, at least one or two people learn it for the first time.

I try and do as much as possible in that 3 hour time frame. This also may be a good to do/learn list for people that can't attend an actual class. Watch videos from our great video people on the subjects below and you will have a good grasp on FG.

So starting with the splash screen:

I show the settings button and show them how to switch between the test-Live servers, and explain why each is good, for certain situations.

Then I jump over to Manage Characters, and show them how to have their players roll up characters, or use the point buy system. The point buy is a little trickier to setup, and found not many people know how to define the point buy ranges. I also show them how to import and export characters from the Manage Character Tool.

I then quickly show them how to join a game, and how it works with the IP, alias, and tell them how to setup the port for their routers, and what to set it to, if someone doesn't know. Then I have them run the test to see if they have Success.

Once inside FG, I show them how to build a player character sheet from start to finish, everyone fills in every line of the character. I also show them how to use the little circle buttons, so they can add/delete items on the character sheet. Not as intuitive as you might think. Found people saying, ohhh, that's how you add something.

I show them how to add powers, effects, spells, weapons, ect. I suggest to them to either parse their own modules or buy them, because it is much faster to drag and drop all the items from the PHB, MM and DMG from a parsed book, but show them how to do it manually.

I then show them how to create a campaign from start to finish. We all create a test campaign. Once we all do that, I start teaching them how to build one step by step. I explain all the buttons down the right hand side, and go into detail on each one.

After the explanations of the right side main buttons, we manually start to build out a test campaign together, as I feed them text from TeamSpeak, and they follow my lead; with all the buttons on the right hand side, in this case starting with the Story button. Then...

Show them how to add images.

Show them how to manually build an NPC from the NPCs button, (How to write out the attack strings),

Show them how to build items and parcels, add tokens, ect.

I then show them how to re-link all that stuff back to the story in the story button. They then have a good grasp on how to build a module from that point, because they just did it and they have the test module to refer back to whenever they want.

I show them how to do all text and make it look nice like in modules in The Story button. How to do red-headers, bold text, ect. how to make box text and have it appear in the chat window for the players. I go through it thoroughly and make sure everyone has that part down.

I then show them how to /export modules, /commands - show them how to build an empty shell and bring in parts of the story/modules into that empty shell. I explain the empty shell is just for the overland maps, and the player characters, and to bring in the story parts they built in separately by activating them in the library, instead of having one big module mess.

I show them each GM option, in the options.

I then show them each of those 9 buttons, (top right) and show them how to use each one.

I show them little gems I've learned along the way like sharing text or images with only one player, not the whisper command... little things like that.

After we have done all that in our own GM Clients, I log them over to my server for a live demonstration of everything just learned.

We then have a mock battle encounter where I show them how to target, un-target, and how to roll the dice so the attacked creature shows it was hit in the chat window, show them several ways to do that.

I show them how to be an evil DM and have Hill Giants throw boulders at first level characters :)

How to setup a grid.

How to setup masks, (fog of war) and how to erase it as players move through an area.

How to use all the pointers on the map.

How to re-size and sync and share the map.

How to move the map to different sections of the map with the move tool.

Fully explain the combat tracker, and every button in it.

I then explain how to use the party sheet, marching order, give out XP, loot, parcels, ect, and have FG divide it out to the players itself.

I show them the bars at the bottom of FG, and how to drag things that are used a lot, like weapons, ect, so it's easy access and one click.

Show them how to add Modifiers.

Show them all the 5e buttons, Advantage/Disadvantage buttons.

How to add effects and take away effects.

Show them extensions available.

I know there's more we go over, but that is the gist of it off the top of my head, but I basically try to cover everything so we can groom new DM's and grow as a community. Hope this helps everyone that had questions.

[Mask_of_winter]

Impressive! And you get all that done in 3 hours?

[WhtZombie]

..... but I basically try to cover everything so we can groom new DM's and grow as a community...
I am looking forward to the June 6th Class... I have run 4 sessions with my group using the LMoP module and there have been pauses while I fumble a bit looking for something or other.. fortunately my group is made up of son, nephew, brother and two co-workers so they are forgiving and allows for them to have some OOC banter and get in a joke or two.. Once I get my fumbling pauses down to a minimum I will broaden my horizons and GM an open session here.

[Willem]

Sign me up asap ;)

[jh79]

Impressive! And you get all that done in 3 hours?

Yes, or just a little over. The last workshop went 3:15 minutes, but got it all in. The time seems to fly by even though the information is conveyed at a slow to moderate pace.

June and July classes are now fully booked. Look forward to meeting all of you. I'll send out reminders as it gets closer to your class dates.

[Larac]

Many Many thanks,

Was worth getting up at 5:30 Am to meet!

Lots of good stuff.

About 3:30 for us but many questions answered.
Much learned, also some This is How I get there stuff that was shared by all, very worth the time.

Thank you so much for the session.

[WhtZombie]

Much Thanks goes out to jh79 for taking the time to present the information. This is well worth the time folks. Reinforced what I had learned from trial and error and introduced a lot of things that will speed up my future games. If you are new to FG this is a MUST HAVE Experience... I also want to tip my hat to my fellow attendees and thank them for their input, learned a thing or two there as well. Now, off to make my gaming sessions a smoother experience.

[Doc_Jones]

There was so much more in this workshop than I expected. Having watched more videos than the average person (Thank you Dulux Oz and Xorn) I expected a bit of overlap. However, there were so many things I learned that I had no idea was even a part of FG! I think jh79 deserves a custom title for putting these on. If you are considering becoming a DM, sign up for this workshop. It is time very well spent.

[jh79]

Thanks for the kind words guys! You guys were all awesome and makes teaching these really easy. I am not surprised (here on FG), and yet surprised, every time I meet such a great group of people, and shows why this is the best community on the forums. I will continue to give these as long as we (the FG community) have DM's that want to learn/use the best VTT out there.

[crb31]

Is it possible to get signed up for this still?
Thanks in advance
Cal

[jh79]

Sure-thing, I've signed you up for the next available class. Let's talk more in mail, that's were I do all my grouping from and send updates to the workshop-class participants.

[jh79]

For the guys comng to the FG Workshop class today at 1PM ET here is the the teamwork info.

Team Speak Address: ts.fg-con.com
Password: Dungeoneers

Look for me DM-JH79, see you there :)

[kylania]

Hi JH79!

Thanks for the wonderful class today. Learned a lot of little things I didn't even know I didn't know! Your support of the community is greatly appreciated.

[jh79]

You're welcome! let's keep passing it forward :)

[LordEntrails]

I have to agree with kylania, great class. Really appreciate your time and I learned a lot.

[jh79]

Thanks LordEntrails it was my pleasure meeting you :)

[Ulric]

When will you have your next class?

[dreign]

Jh79,

I am new to Fantasy Grounds and I would be interested in one of your classes as well. Please let me know if you plan to conduct another training session :)

[jh79]

Jh79,

I am new to Fantasy Grounds and I would be interested in one of your classes as well. Please let me know if you plan to conduct another training session :)

Hello, I am traveling back home today from a trip and have had quite a few more requests to join a class, so I will be having two this month to catch up. I will PM you the date and time when I get it sorted out :)

[Nanael]

JH, please PM me with the day and time and i'll join you :)
Couldn't find anything on the calendar.

[jh79]

JH, please PM me with the day and time and i'll join you :)
Couldn't find anything on the calendar.
PM sent...

[GunbunnyFuFu]

I'd love to join in on this...just picked up the 5E stuff and am loving it. Would like to learn more about running in 5E!

Thanks!

GB

[jh79]

PM Sent...

[abraunst]

Greetings everybody! Complete noob to FG, but am returning to D&D 30 years after spending horrific amounts of time playing during my youth so that I can corrupt my kids in the same way in which I was corrupted. :) Would it be possible to get in on one of these as well?

Thank you and best regards....

[kylania]

Welcome home abraunst. :)

[Nylanfs]

Yes Welcome to the community abraunst!

[jh79]

PM Sent...

[battler]

Hi,

I am an experienced DM and have played every edition of DnD. I currently run a Friday night game on 5e, through the Phandelver adventure. So far everything is running great, but would love to see some tips on running things a little smoother and what other GMs do during the course of their game.

Thanks!

Battler

[jh79]

PM Sent...

[rob2e]

Is this still happening, I'd love to get in a class!

[dulux-oz]

@rob2e => Quick question for you: have you checked out the various Tutorial Videos available on the FG Wiki? They're another resource for you in addition to the excellent classes run by jh.

Cheers

[rob2e]

Oh I think I've watched ALL the tutorials and have played in and DMed a few games on FG. I'm just trying to EAT THIS STUFF UP!!!

[dulux-oz]

Cool - glad you're enjoying yourself.

Well, the next step I took was to check out some of the Extension that are available to see what else FG could do.

Cheers

[rob2e]

Have been and will continue to...

[whiteTiki]

This is awesome! Great idea and excellent work!

I sent you a PM if this is still going.

[jh79]

Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say i won't be running the class any longer, due to time constraints with family and work. I was extremely pleased with the results of teaching the class for almost half a year, and was surprised at how many people attended, way more than I had expected. I enjoyed the videos immensely too and did suggest both to everyone.

Honestly, the only future suggestions I would have for Smiteworks; would be to find a qualified person to teach the class, due too its success and demand. Maybe a hired community manager when Smitworks gets big enough and do it full-time. The learning curve for FG is quite daunting at first and a three hour class has proven too be beneficial to that end. It takes around the same time too run an adventure, and believe it or not it goes by very quickly. The other suggestion is if someone from the community takes it over; please make it a sticky so it doesn't get quickly buried and people can find it easily. Best of luck to everyone on their FG journeys!

[whiteTiki]

The learning curve for FG is quite daunting at first and a three hour class has proven to be beneficial to that end. It takes around the same time to run an adventure, and believe it or not it goes by very quickly.

I totally agree with that. I personally believe that somehow the learning curve is quite daunting too, but only when you're trying to learn FG by your own means. I've analyzed the situation before for some time and got to the final conclusion that it takes some time to master FG because of a lack of "concentrated information" there is out there. By this I'm not saying that there's a lack of information don't get me wrong, what I'm saying is that the information is all scattered away and you find yourself wasting time in activities like: reading forums, watching tutorials, reading guides, finding and searching for info related to your doubts, posting threads to specific questions you have, etc. Activities which consume a lot of time just by searching and finding the info you need. I'm really confident that Fantasy Grounds could be mastered in 3 hours or 6 hours by max if taught by some teacher (like jh79 offered this community) instead of wasting a lot of time finding things out for yourself or posting, searching, web surfing, etc. But I also understand that there's a huge possibility that none of us really has the time and experience to continue with jht9's job.

So, in conclusion:
1.- I realized that the problem is not the software at all. The software is really simple, its optimized, its intuitive and its practical.
2.- Its not about the information not being out there in the web
3.- The real problem relies on the time it takes you to find each one of your doubts while experimenting and using the software and the time it takes to search for the information from various sources.

As a suggestion, which also requires a lot of time but it also solves the "who's going to continue with the classes issue?", I'd like to propose a creation of a PDF "FG for Dummies" like file (which I know there are some related tutorials and there's a "help" section like any other software) that comes along with the software. This file should include concentrated, simple, basic, practical information and tips related to FG that will summarize hundreds of doubts that have been posted here on forums. The idea is to take some of the already created threads (such as TASagent's "Tips" thread) and many others combined with some information from the help section, from the tutorials and using screenshots. In other words, let's create a PDF file that looks like the WotC D&D 5E Quick Start Guides which contains really basic and practical rules and tips.

I'll offer some of my time to the community to create a Master Format for this File and I'll include some of the basic info I can find and post a thread containing the first attempt to create such file in the upcoming days. Any comments or suggestions regarding this idea will be much appreciated so that we can decrease the initial errors the file could have.

[damned]

whiteTiki ultimately the finished product should be a Wiki entry as thats where the doco should be going - however whilst building the doc - especially if it is to be built by many people (which I think it will be required to be to get the result that it needs) access to the wiki as editor is not so easy.
Have you a suggested format/tool you would like to use? I can add a wiki section on the https://www.fg-con.com site where this could be developed and then the finished product could be moved back to the wiki here, or it could be done in a googledoc or one of many other tools.
It will also need someone to provide some sort of editorial oversight and guidance. Is that a role you could/would take on?
I could help you on this project if you wanted to do it but I dont have the time to manage it or run it...

[dulux-oz]

I'm really confident that Fantasy Grounds could be mastered in 3 hours or 6 hours by max if taught by some teacher

Now I take umbrage at that (& I know that's not how you meant it Tiki) - As a University Tutor and (sometimes) lecturer I consider myself quite adapt at transferring information and knowledge to others, and while I know some people learn best face-to-face and some others from reading (although the number of times I've said under my breath "RTFM" ...) the consensus among educators as to the most efficient way to teach a group of people is at their own pace and at their own time - ie Tutorial Videos.

The Players' Video section of my Tutorial Videos series is nine videos averaging about 30 minutes each - which just so happens to fall squarely within your 3-6 hour window - and yes, I haven't completed the GM's part yet, but its coming. The videos are easy to find on the FG Wiki, there's a link to them from the FG Launcher, they're (relatively) easy to find with a YouTube search, there's a link from my sig and God knows I post often enough, and I've been accused by others of spamming them here because I bring them up (and damned's, and Xorn's, and others) "constantly" whenever I see a new person posting on these forums, so to say they're hard to find I find incredulous - to the point I now have to ask: Have you actually looked at them (mine or other peoples')?

I know what you said wasn't aimed at me personally and I certainly don't take it that way, but I just couldn't stand by and let slide what I consider to be inaccuracies - especially when I and others have put in so much effort to help people with the work we've done and continue to do.

OK, I've calmed down now, and I'll get off my soapbox. Good luck in putting together the manual you propose - the more avenues people have to learn this great software the better we will all be.

Cheers

[Morik]

Wish I would have found this sooner:) Does anyone have notes or an outline from the course? I'd like to read them, or see someone take them and continue the courses.

[whiteTiki]

damned:


(...) the finished product should be a Wiki entry as thats where the doco should be going - however whilst building the doc - especially if it is to be built by many people (which I think it will be required to be to get the result that it needs) access to the wiki as editor is not so easy. (...)

I would definitely like to manage or run this product. My idea, as I commented above, was to make a PDF just like the "Quick Start Guides" you find from the official WotC D&D 5th material. Now I understand the reasons and it sounds logical that it needs to be in the Wiki entry. As you said, the wiki editor and getting access to it is not easy, so let me first study all the basics, codes and things I need to learn about the wiki editor (if you can guide me in a right direction with some tutorials you know I will appreciate it, if not, I'll search for some) and then I'll let you know so we can properly get started with this project.

Also as a first-release I'll like to share with you some design ideas, table of contents, etc to see if you agree with the general distribution of the information if you don't mind. After that, the second step would be to select the platform I'm going to use to develop this wiki entry for admins and participants to revise it also (it could be in some FG section or google docs, etc.)

dulux-oz:


- to the point I now have to ask: Have you actually looked at them (mine or other peoples')?

Hi there Dulux, I'm so sorry I wasn't clear with what I wanted to say up there and I must admit its the second time it has happened to me in the forums, but I'll come back to this in a moment. First I'll answer your question (which I quoted); Yes. I haven't watched all of them out there in the Wiki, but I've seen all the videos under these sections and sub-sections:

General Tutorials

Walkthroughs (Doug)
Tutorial Series (Dulux)
Tutorial Series (khersheyjr)
Tutorial Series (Xorn)

Game System Tutorials

D&D - Fifth Edition



Now, getting back to the initial topic here, I'm sure I wasn't clear enough but when I was talking about the difficulties I find to "learn" Fantasy Grounds, what I meant by "Learn" was actually "Master Fantasy Grounds", and by that I want to make clear that I'm talking about really mastering it, that means as a Player and as a DM, at least to the point where you're purchasing official content and not creating it, because "Creating Content" disserves a completely independent Tutorial-Guide by itself. So, the post was actually intended for people trying to Master Fantasy Grounds not just as a player.


(...) The videos are easy to find on the FG Wiki, there's a link to them from the FG Launcher, they're (relatively) easy to find with a YouTube search, there's a link from my sig and God knows I post often enough (...)

Maybe I failed to explain what I intended, but here's again: The problem (as I saw it) wasn't the "Lack of information" neither if the tutorial videos or information were "hard or easy to find", the real problem, as I see it, is that to "Master Fantasy Grounds" you won't find all the info you need just in the tutorial videos I watched, or just in the wiki by itself, or just in the forums, or just in google. You actually need to combine all of this sources of information to Master Fantasy grounds, and I stated that is this Combination of multiple sources of information what I personally believe is the real problem with the learning curve. That's also why I mentioned the "lack of concentrated information out there" as the problem.

Changing subject a little bit, that's the reason why I want to make a "Quick start guide" type of file. But for me, the most important thing is that this guide includes all the tips, shortcuts and additional information that you don't find "that easily" and "concentrated". Kind of a compendium of the tips and tricks to master fantasy grounds that are scattered all over the web. To better understand what I'm trying to say here I'm going to share my personal experience "learning" fantasy grounds, which I've found (mostly here in forums) repeats itself a lot and in many cases with different users, so lets suppose and assume this FG levels of knowledge (based on my experience):

To "learn" how to be a FG Player, you need to know 50% of the software.
To be a DM you need to know up to 75%.
To be a Master in FG you need to know 90% or more


Now, In a single day, just by watching the tutorial videos (like your videos) anyone can complete the first level. (Learning how to use it as a player, which means 50% of the software)
In 2-3 more days and maybe 1 practice session you complete the second level (learning how to be a DM, which means 75% of the software)
But, from 75% to 90% (or more) it took me more than 2 months. And of course its not 2 months of constant studying. The thing is, as you're having more and more sessions, a lot of doubts come up that you didn't even know about. And you have to invest a lot of time just to search, investigate, find this solutions, because they're advanced problems which you don't solve just by looking at some videos but you could solve if you had some kind of "Advanced FG Quick Start Guide" or something, which Is the main objective of my initial post and the thing I'm trying to create here. So this way, you could reach that 90% or Level 3 I'm proposing just by reading a simple and small PDF or wiki entry guide.


(...) and yes, I haven't completed the GM's part yet, but its coming. (...)

Now, I just learned about this upcoming creation of yours, and like I said before, your videos in the wiki page are really helpful, so helpful that with a simple combination of your videos with some other material or tutorial videos you can reach the "Level 2" I'm proposing (75% of the software) in just some hours of intense study or 2-3 days of regular "free time" study. I'm really sure and correct me if I'm wrong, that this new DM series of videos its intended to reach this "Level 3" in some hours. So, if this is the real intention, I'm really happy to hear about it because that means I don't even have to create my guide at all. Your videos will prove to be more than plain text in a wiki entry (which was my intention because I don't have the time to make videos).

In conclusion, I hope my comments are clear enough now for everyone to understand, I really apologize for the lack of clearance in my previous post and If I ofended you and the hard work you've invested on this community, my native language is not English so I understand sometimes I don't make myself clear.

Cheers.

[damned]

damned:

I would definitely like to manage or run this product. My idea, as I commented above, was to make a PDF just like the "Quick Start Guides" you find from the official WotC D&D 5th material. Now I understand the reasons and it sounds logical that it needs to be in the Wiki entry. As you said, the wiki editor and getting access to it is not easy, so let me first study all the basics, codes and things I need to learn about the wiki editor (if you can guide me in a right direction with some tutorials you know I will appreciate it, if not, I'll search for some) and then I'll let you know so we can properly get started with this project.

Also as a first-release I'll like to share with you some design ideas, table of contents, etc to see if you agree with the general distribution of the information if you don't mind. After that, the second step would be to select the platform I'm going to use to develop this wiki entry for admins and participants to revise it also (it could be in some FG section or google docs, etc.)


Hey whiteTIKI I personally really value QuickStartGuides for RPGs. I so rarely have the time to read a full rulebook. Ok I lie. I never have time to read a full rulebook.
PDF is the usual format for this but getting it into the Wiki will be better long term for helping build the info there. Additioanally if you develop a good format it can be used for other systems.
In terms of the Wiki - it doesnt support very complex formatting - stick with Bold, Underline, Italic, Bullets and Tables. Avoid anything fancier!
As above - I will help you in any way I can and can help pull some other contributors together too. It is probably too big a task for one prson to see all the way thru unless you are really keen!

[rob2e]

Hey guys, I really want to become a MASTER at FG. I'm willing to participate on whatever level you wish to develop tools for people. I have ZERO skills in programming, but I have desire! Please let me know how I can be helpful...

Rob

[damned]

I think right now rob2e that gathering together all the bits and pieces of info that you found useful would be a great start. Especially forum posts but also which videos really helped too.

[dulux-oz]

@Tiki => Mate, as I said, different people learn in different ways, so a pdf and/or Wiki entries is only going to help, so I encourage you in your endeavors. I think (in hindsight) I might have "jumped too soon" and misinterpreted what you were saying - sorry about that. Good luck with things, andif you've got any questions feel free to ask - I'll answer them if I can

Cheers

[jh79]

So far I totally agree with WhiteTiki that this added PDF avenue would be of great benifit too, along with videos and a class. An awesome triangle of learning. I was a little disheartened to see argueing going on in a thread I had started for the good of learning FG. This is not a competition of video makers vrs other avenues of learning, we can do everything, we are a close community, so let's work together. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the time that was put into the videos, and yes I did watch them all. I think continuing videos would be awesome along with a quick start pdf, and if someone runs a class.

The one thing I would like to say about the class benefits was three fold from feedback I received. Interactivity, hands on work, and attention spans. With the interactivity all questions were answered on the fly, and covered the whole of FG. Questions popped up from totally unexpected places and from other areas of FG than the current topic I was discussing. Meaning it was not so linear like videos, even though there was a lesson plan.

The second thing was it was a hands on class, meaning everyone actually built a test module as we all went along together, covering all the buttons needed, to build one. That's the way I meant hands on, and it seemed to work well in the class. The students would always have their test module to refer back to.

The last benifit, since it was a class, all the information was there in one place, and not spread out through many many videos, and questions were instantly answered as opposed to a PDF, where you would have to search for it and hopefully it was there. So the attention spans were not scattered or waning and everyone seemed focused and enthusiastic.

So I think all three avenues of learning would be of great benifit to FG users. WhiteTiki, I will try to make some time soon, and if you would like we can get together and I can give you a complete breakdown of what I taught, maybe this would also help your project.

I also have received some pm's from people that are interested in continuing the class, so I will get with them and show them what I had done and hopefully it can continue.

[whiteTiki]

LOL jh79, I was addressing your name before as "Grand Templar" because of your "rank" in forums or however that's called. I just edited my previous posts


I was a little disheartened to see argueing going on in a thread I had started for the good of learning FG. This is not a competition of video makers vrs other avenues of learning, we can do everything, we are a close community, so let's work together.

Don't be, I think it was just a little misunderstanding and I take credit for that, my native language is not English so sometimes its hard for me to put my ideas into the correct words in a post. And that's precisely the reason why I'll need support when creating the wiki entry.

I thought that having videos and clases was enough for players and DMs to learn whatever they needed to, so when dulux-oz said he was on his way with some DM series of videos I just relaxed because I felt that was enough (I personally prefer videos and clases than text), then you guys said that thing about "people learning in different ways" which I guess its true so I'll continue with this project.

Any questions, suggestions, doubts or other stuff that comes up related to what I'll be doing I'll be asking for your help (damned, dulux-oz, jh79 "grand templar") if you guys are ok with it. Maybe through PM's for revisions or something similar.

cheers!

[Kaimick]

Hello everyone, I will be conducting hands-on Fantasy Grounds 5e training class workshops once a month, the first Saturday of every month at 9AM ET, over TeamSpeak for DM's new to Fantasy Grounds. The class size will be 6 people.

This class will encompass and teach all features of Fantasy Grounds and 5e functionality, and is specifically focused for DM's playing 5e. The 3 hour workshop will teach all aspects of the Fantasy Grounds interface for DM's, all the buttons and commands and how to use them. We will also build a sample module, including adding monster NPCs, text, treasure, images, maps, and how to link them to the the story. Many more things will be taught also.

The focus will be to provide formal training to DM's with little or no experience with Fantasy Grounds features. You can be an aspiring DM or an experienced one, both will benefit equally from the training if you are new to Fantasy Grounds.

To enter this class you will need either a full or Ultimate licence, we will all have our own DM instances up for the majority of the class, 2/3, as I explain each feature. Please make sure to take notes, a notebook and your favorite pen would be highly recommended, alternatively you could take notes in notepad or even in FG with the notes button, a lot of info will be given at a moderate pace.

Towards the end of the class, 1/3, everyone will log onto my server and a full demo will be given including a full combat encounter. If you're interested in uncovering the full power of Fantasy Grounds, PM me for a spot in a class and you will have the tools to start DMing your own FG groups.

Can I just pay someone to give me some one on one-time cause I work for a living and 9am on Saturday when I work 6 days a week will never happen. I am will to pay up to 50 dollars for someone to teach me how to properly use this.

If not than I wasted 160.00 or what ever it was cause this interface at least right now is confusing and I have had it for over a year.

I am not a auditory or visual learner I am a hands on learner. So if I have to I will pay for someone to help me since this workshop only runs on one day at a specific time with 6 people...so it isn't like I can take off work and then come to the class and be like opps sorry chump your SOL

[Trenloe]

Can I just pay someone to give me some one on one-time cause I work for a living and 9am on Saturday when I work 6 days a week will never happen.
The post you reference was made over 5 years ago and that option is no longer available.

I suggest you look at Fantasy Grounds College here: https://fantasygroundscollege.net/ They frequently have sessions (some one-on-one) to help people get started with Fantasy Grounds.

[LordEntrails]

As Trenloe says, reach out to FG College. If something on their schedule does not fit yours, then they have a form on the website you can file out called an Assistance Request. There you can put your schedule restrictions/availability and what classes/info you need. https://fantasygroundscollege.net/assistance-request/