Adventures from the store.

[bnickelsen]

I was just in the store and the only adventure for 5e are the ones published be WotC.

Couple of questions.
Are there plans to have other modules in the store.

If Yes, is there a time frame.


Next, since there are no other 5e adventures in the store is it possible to take one for another edition and bring it in with 5e rule set and convert it?

[epithet]

I would be surprised if Necromancer didn't offer adventures as FG modules sooner or later.

At the moment, SmiteWorks is trying to play catch-up and get all of the published WotC material up on the store. Also, if Necromancer Games or another publisher were to create one of their adventures as a FG module, they would have to deal with the fact that SmiteWorks has decided to keep their most up-to-date module creation tools in-house, so they would have to deal with xml in order to create a product of the same caliber as the WotC adventure modules in the FG store, making it somewhat less likely that they would bother.

[Trenloe]

Adventure modules can be created entirely within FG and exported as modules. You don't need PAR5E (public or private) to create adventure modules.

As far as I know there is no active agreement with Necromancer games.

Also, as WotC still haven't release any third party publishing licence or guidelines most 3pp companies are walking a thin line with any "fifth edition of the world's oldest RPG" material they release. If this was specifically released for the official 5e ruleset this might raise unwanted attention from WotC. That being said, I have no idea what type of arrangements Smiteworks have with WotC for releasing other 5e material.

[Trenloe]

Next, since there are no other 5e adventures in the store is it possible to take one for another edition and bring it in with 5e rule set and convert it?

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?23400-3-5-to-5e-I-wish-I-knew-even-a-little-about-programming-meh

System specific "stuff" will need converting. But generic data (story, maps/images, etc.) will work fine.

[epithet]

I mention Necromancer because I have here on my desk their 5e "Quests of Doom" books.

As far as I know, you can't create a "reference manual" within Fantasy Grounds, can you? While not strictly necessary, I wouldn't publish a module for someone else to use without one.

I would think that if they were to offer adventures in a FG module format, they would be more likely to just sell it through the Frog God storefront. I realise that the FG store offers update capability, etc., but I doubt most publishers would do much updating. I could be wrong.

[Zacchaeus]

You can create a reference manual within FG; the PHB being a prime example ;)

[epithet]

That was created, as far as I can tell, using PAR5E, not from within FG.

[Zacchaeus]

Ah, good point. You are correct; I mistook your meaning.

[JohnD]

Pretty sure no company is going to sell a FG module on their website without an agreement with SmiteWorks in place.

[Trenloe]

As far as I know, you can't create a "reference manual" within Fantasy Grounds, can you? While not strictly necessary, I wouldn't publish a module for someone else to use without one.
The majority of adventure modules don't need a "reference manual" - any textual information is entered as story entries, which you do through the FG interface. The 5E adventure modules (HotDQ, RoT) are created as adventure modules, not reference manuals. The reference manuals are separate library modules - PHB, MM and the basic rules. And the only library "reference" material in LMoP is the backgrounds and quests sections that could easily have been added as story entries. All of these commercial modules could have been created in their current form through the normal FG campaign interface.

All of the non-5E adventures available in the store were created using the normal FG interface, not manually editing XML or using something like PAR5E.

[damned]

I mention Necromancer because I have here on my desk their 5e "Quests of Doom" books.

As far as I know, you can't create a "reference manual" within Fantasy Grounds, can you? While not strictly necessary, I wouldn't publish a module for someone else to use without one.

I would think that if they were to offer adventures in a FG module format, they would be more likely to just sell it through the Frog God storefront. I realise that the FG store offers update capability, etc., but I doubt most publishers would do much updating. I could be wrong.

Modules/Adventures are not typically reference books.
They contains Story, Map, Image and Encounter data - these all load into Tabs in those locations.
Typically Modules/Adventures - are made from within Fantasy Grounds.

[epithet]

I have no experience with packaged adventures sold through the FG storefront - I had already finished LMoP before it was made available for purchase. All I can say is that if I were creating an adventure module for sale, I would want to include a "reference manual" for the background material. I think it would be helpful to potential content creators if the FG program were to include the ability to create them, as well as drag-and-drop classes and subclasses, drag-and-drop backgrounds, and drag-and-drop spell lists.

My hope is that the license relationship between WotC and SmiteWorks encourages third-party content creators to make products specifically for Fantasy Grounds. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to go someplace like Frog God and pick up an adventure, or a "Book of Lost Spells" type resource, as a bundle with a pdf and a FG module.

[Trenloe]

I have no experience with packaged adventures sold through the FG storefront - I had already finished LMoP before it was made available for purchase.
I think you need to pick one up and see what they actually contain. Because I think you're completely underestimating what you can do in terms of putting together a complete adventure modules within the FG interface.


All I can say is that if I were creating an adventure module for sale, I would want to include a "reference manual" for the background material. I think it would be helpful to potential content creators if the FG program were to include the ability to create them, as well as drag-and-drop classes and subclasses, drag-and-drop backgrounds, and drag-and-drop spell lists.
Again, I think you're confusing reference manuals with adventure modules. Until the recent advent (recent in FG history terms) of PAR5E *everyone* created their adventure modules through the FG interface and used the Module Export (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Library#Module_Export) functionality to make their own modules. This hasn't changed, this is still available, this is still the preferred method for the vast (silent) majority of Fantasy Grounds adventure module creators.

PAR5E only works for 5E - there are HUGE adventure modules created for Fantasy Grounds for other systems just using the standard FG campaign interface. Here's just one example: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/product.xcp?id=OGUA037FG

I really don't know how may times experienced FG users have to say this: you don't need PAR5E to create adventure modules, story/background material, etc.. Use the Fantasy Grounds campaign interface.


Ultimately, I'd like to be able to go someplace like Frog God and pick up an adventure, or a "Book of Lost Spells" type resource, as a bundle with a pdf and a FG module.
That would be great. Seriously. Perhaps you can reach out to them and ask them to do just that? If a bunch of FG community members start asking them to get on board with Fantasy Grounds then I'm sure they'll start looking at it.

[Andraax]

All I can say is that if I were creating an adventure module for sale, I would want to include a "reference manual" for the background material.

I include background material in my modules all the time, all created within FG and exported as a module via the /export command. It's trivially easy to do.

[merlinpaladin]

I have so far recreated The Keep on Shadowfell and my players are loving it. It was just a small change over to encounters and treasure. The story, npcs, world is crafted for me. :) I am about 1/2 through thunderspire which is the next installment. It seems to be flowing well. I would recommend if you plan on doing it to play test any encounters beforehand. As things can get dicey fast. Also as others said any piece of info you want to put in you can. I left out some of the points as I have the books at my disposal as a time saver. There is literally nothing I have ran into to stop me in this wonderful product.

[epithet]

That would be great. Seriously. Perhaps you can reach out to them and ask them to do just that? If a bunch of FG community members start asking them to get on board with Fantasy Grounds then I'm sure they'll start looking at it.

I did that. I also mentioned the expanding user base since the 5e license, and the demand for packaged content.

Here's hoping.

[Nylanfs]

Rite Publishing's adventure is released for 5e, would be a simple change over to use the text and maps and switch all the monsters and NPC's

[Trenloe]

Rite Publishing's adventure is released for 5e
You mean "The Breaking of Forstor Nagar"?

[Nylanfs]

Yep, didn't take the time to look it up :)

[epithet]

You mean "The Breaking of Forstor Nagar"?

It's already available for VTT packaged for both Maptool and Roll20. It's a Pathfinder adventure. (Edit: I see now that it has indeed been released for 5e, and that it's already on the FG store for Pathfinder. Neither of those facts, oddly enough, are on the product page at Rite's website.)

I hope that publishers aren't hesitant to supplement 5e in the absence of a comprehensive OGL, and by extension be hesitant to publish FG modules because of the official licensed WotC products they'd be competing with.

To clarify my earlier assertions regarding a "reference manual" as a part of an adventure module, I'm currently converting The Shackled City Adventure Path to 5e and building it as a module for each chapter. If I were to create a commercial product from this hardcover, I think the best way to package it would be to have a module for each of the twelve chapters (each essentially one Dungeon magazine article) and a 13th module that contained the character build options (which would be backgrounds in 5e, and perhaps feats) and a gazetteer (reference manual) describing the city, the region, the power dynamics and political machinations, etc. I use the hardcover, so I don't need most of that 13th module, but it would be essential for someone trying to run the adventure path with nothing but the VTT product.

Now, I've not bought one of the FG module adventures yet (probably won't until Out of the Abyss, because the Shackled City is gonna take a while,) but I've built both a Player's Handbook and a house rules module using PAR5E. I don't know how Zeus is putting these adventure modules together, but I have a pretty good idea how I would do it (at least for the adventure path I'm working on,) and I can tell you that when I buy the Out of the Abyss module I'll probably start by looking for a reference manual type element in the module to start reading (unless I've already got the hardcover, which is admittedly pretty likely.)

I'm in no way disputing your assertion that an adventure, or even an adventure path, can be translated into a FG module from within the program. I'm just saying that from what I've seen, a number of record types cannot be exported from within FG, and those record types are the best way to accomplish certain things. Sure, you can put several pages of formatted text into one or more Story records, but unless that text is something that will be pinned to a map, it's probably more useful in a reference manual record, where it's searchable and has a nested table of contents. Sure, you can include pre-generated characters with whatever local flavor backgrounds you want, but it's probably more useful to include backgrounds, subclasses (e.g. sorcerous origins), and feats that can be used to build PCs from scratch. If your adventure setting has a unique magical phenomenon and you want to include a spell that interacts with it in some way, all you can do from within FG is to describe the spell and hope that the DM running your adventure can get it set up right for any player that wants to use it.

Fantasy Grounds is a great program, and I'm continually impressed with its flexibility. This program has made PnP RPGs my #1 recreational activity again for the first time in decades, and I'm grateful for it. I've also noticed that y'all are constantly working to improve the software and upgrade the experience of using it. All I'm trying to do here is to suggest that providing a means within FG to generate the types of records that currently can only be generated by using PAR5E or rolling your own xml would be a clear and present means by which to improve and upgrade. Nothing sucks, nothing is broken, anything can be improved. Right?

[Andraax]

Sure, you can put several pages of formatted text into one or more Story records, but unless that text is something that will be pinned to a map, it's probably more useful in a reference manual record, where it's searchable and has a nested table of contents. Sure, you can include pre-generated characters with whatever local flavor backgrounds you want, but it's probably more useful to include backgrounds, subclasses (e.g. sorcerous origins), and feats that can be used to build PCs from scratch.

You can build your story entries so that the story window becomes a table of contents (complete with multiple levels by using tabs at the bottom). And story entries are searchable. You also get the bonus that story entries can be more easily shared with players then reference text can be (if you share reference text with a player, when you close the window, it goes away for the player as well). Also, if you put feats, abilities, spells, etc, into blank character sheets, those can be dragged and dropped onto PCs that you're building from scratch. Effects and modifiers can all be saved into the module using /export.

[Blahness98]

That would be great. Seriously. Perhaps you can reach out to them and ask them to do just that? If a bunch of FG community members start asking them to get on board with Fantasy Grounds then I'm sure they'll start looking at it.

I have attempted to reach out a few times to the Frogs. Everytime I make an attempt, I do not get anything back from them. I have even sent them WIP files with explanations when I was converting over The Slumbering Tsar for Pathfinder. I might have to try again and send the request directly to Bill to see what he says..

And I have converted Necromancer's Book of Spells. It took me about 2 days to get everything parsed correctly and is pretty nice over all. They spells themselves leave something to be desired though..

[epithet]

...
And I have converted Necromancer's Book of Spells. It took me about 2 days to get everything parsed correctly and is pretty nice over all. The spells themselves leave something to be desired though..

There are a few of the spells in the Book of Lost Spells that are nice, useful spells that a PC might take. Most of the spells in that book, though, work best as something to throw onto an NPC so that something weird happens, and your players are left wondering what's going on. My group has been playing and DMing since AD&D, so we all know what the monsters are and what the spells do. Something strange is nice, to shake things up a little.

[Nylanfs]

101 Forest spells from Rite Publishing is the same way.

[Trenloe]

I have attempted to reach out a few times to the Frogs. Everytime I make an attempt, I do not get anything back from them. I have even sent them WIP files with explanations when I was converting over The Slumbering Tsar for Pathfinder. I might have to try again and send the request directly to Bill to see what he says..
FGG seem to be pretty tight with d20Pro - any VTT stretch goals they've had in their many Kickstarter campaigns have been for d20Pro. Doesn't mean they won't look at Fantasy Grounds - especially with the official support. I'd say keep trying...