Considering Purchasing

[Dragoku]

First i'd like to say i have no idea if im putting this in the right forum so please feel free to direct me wherever you feel i can get the most help.

I'm really interested in purchasing the Fantasy Grounds Ultimate license (or at least as a subscription) but before i pulled the trigger i was hoping to get some answers to some questions that aren't very clearly addressed on the webpage. First off i've played D&D for a while now (started in 3e) but i havent had a chance to get into 5e yet. i would like to attempt to run a simple campaign with just a few friends through this application but i feel like it might be more of a monetary commitment than i would like.

My main question is if i purchase the ultimate copy does it include any 5e modules (classes, monsters, spells, etc.) or will i have to purchase those in addition to the license?

If so it looks like the price point for me to even attempt a bare bones campaign will be:

Ultimate License ($10/mo)
D&D 5e Complete Core Class Set ($50)
D&D 5e Complete Core Monster Set ($50)

Total: $110

If that is how it is, it'll be much harder for me to get the ball rolling. I dont have that kind of extra cash and the people i would be getting to play would be more of casual/new players so they probably wouldnt want to drop money to just get their feet wet in 5e. I hope its not the case because this application is kind of the main selling point i have for getting some of my players to play. We've tried skype for remote play and such but it has never worked as well as i feel this could.

Can anyone help me out?

[dulux-oz]

Hi Dragoku, and Welcome!

The difference between the Ultimate License and the Full License is that players with a Demo License can connect to a GM with the Ultimate, but not the Full - that's it! Nothing more!

Now, the Full and the Ultimate come with all the mechanics to play a number of games out of the box, including 5E - BUT you'll have to enter in some information (ie stats) manually. The Class and Monster Packs simply have all that info pre-loaded, saving you time.

So you don't need them to play, but they might make things easier.

Does that help?

Cheers

[Dragoku]

Ok so i could just get the ultimate license and the main difference between that and getting all the core sets is Fantasy Grounds just can automate/autofill stats and spells if i get the sets, otherwise each person would fill their own out. That is helpful now i have to ask, you said it comes with the mechanics for 5e, does that mean that if i get my players to build and fill in their sheets manually will the program still understand basic mechanics such as movement/saves/skill checks for the players?

To clarify, if i just get the ultimate license and i start a campaign, my players have all manually filled out their character sheets, and i ask for a dex save, will the program allow the players to just roll a d20 and automatically pull their dex modifier from their sheets as bonuses?

[dulux-oz]

Short answer - Yes!

I'm including a link below to an article which should help explain things in detail, but the short explanation is that the FG program can be thought of as a game console, each Ruleset (one for 5E, one for 4E, one for 3.5E, one for Savage Worlds etc) can be thought of as the game consoles, and Modules (which are what the Core Class Pack, etc, are) can be thought of as

When I say filled in manually I mean entering in the info on a Character Sheet or NPC Sheet, etc, inside FG - using the Class Paks simplify things because you can Drag and Drop things from the Class Paks onto the PC Sheet and the details are all filled in for you. But remember that FG is not a character builder, its a tool to allow you to game over the net, so its core strengths are in that area.

Let me also encourage you and you Players to watch some of the Tutorial Videos available on the FG Wiki - damned's are good, as are Xorn's, and people seem to like mine as well (mine are also available from the links in my sig, below). Start with the ones on the CoreRPG, because the CoreRPG Ruleset forms the foundation of all of practically all of the Rulesets that we use with FG, and by learning how to use the CoreRPG you'll learn about 80% of what you need to know to use any RPG with FG.

The link (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Development_Overview).

And keep on asking questions - we're a pretty friendly bunch here, and we like answering people's questions! :)

Cheers

[Dragoku]

You've been extremely helpful and i really appreciate it i just have one more question for now. Are there any prebuilt campaigns available? Mainly i mean a set of maps/encounters that i can use as an introduction to the program. Or do i have to custom build maps?

[dulux-oz]

Sure - check out the FG store - I don't play 5e, so a name escapes me at the moment, but there's at least 3 or 4 that get mentioned regularly - all(?) the ones from Wizards of the Cost spring to mind.

Cheers

[damned]

I would also recommend what Archania has said (not that Dulux has said anything wrong!) - The Lost Mines of Phandelver is a great adventure, it will teach you a lot about how to prep stuff in FG and it comes with everything needed to play the adventure - which is a decent length. It comes with pregens but it also comes with the 4 basic classes, about 200 spells and 200 monsters. So you would do $10/month + $20 one time and by the time you have finished your way through that you will know what you want from the system and if you need more what it will cost you.

You can Par5e your own 5e rulebooks - I dont recommend it unless you have the time and patience. You can also use Valeros Basic Rules parser to get the monsters and spells but not the 4 classes.

You could also do the $10 sub and a $3 one time purchase of the Basic Rules. I would opt for the Basic Rules or LMoP (which includes Basic Rules) because you will have more fun and less time wasting.

And you should sign up for a session at FG Con running this weekend - https://www.fg-con.com/events - meet some people, play some games, learn some stuff, have a great time. All free. Can use a free demo client even. What are you still doing here? Go. Register now!

[Zacchaeus]

Welcome Dragoku.

As Dulux says there are many benefits to owning the PHB or Core class packs and the Monster Manual. I'd add a couple of things to what he says; first up if you are looking at a module then I'd suggest the 'Lost Mine of Phandelver'. This is the 'starter' set and walks the DM through the 5e ruleset. There's also 5 pre-generated characters. You can also purchase the 'basic' rules for $3; this gives you access to all of the stuff in the PDF which WotC published a long time ago. With it you'll be able to create some character classes, give them spells and I believe there's some monsters in there to get you going as well. One other thing to have a look at to get you going is this (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?21835-D-amp-D-Basic-Rules-PDF-Parser). It basically downloads the same basic pdf as mentioned before and automatically creates a cut down PHB and Monster Manual.

But do be warned, once you get into it you'll be hooked :)

For goodness sake; ninja'd twice! That's Trenloe's job you two!

[dulux-oz]

For goodness sake; ninja'd twice! That's Trenloe's job you two!

@ Zacchaeus :p

[whiteTiki]

Hi Dragoku.

I want to help you with your decision:
I've been a user of Fantasy Grounds for about 2 months now (or more I think) and all the answers you received from the admins are correct. The cheapest way you can run your campaign is with a FULL LICENSE (4/mo I think) but then you’ll have to make your players get the same subscription. YOU DON’T NEED ANYTHING ELSE. Or of course you can buy an ULTIMATE LICENSE like you said and that’ll save your players the money.
Now, whats more convenient? Well in my case me and my players all together purchased:
D&D 5e Complete Core Class Set ($50)
D&D 5e Complete Core Monster Set ($50)
D&D 5e Hoard of the Dragon Queen Adventure ($29 I think)
And I can tell you how awesome, simple and pretty your life becomes when doing so, but of course it’s your decision which most of the times its $$ based and it’s ok.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Now I want to tell you something NO ONE talks about, before you make your decision. All this of course, is just my opinion:
You will have a seriously difficult time learning how to use Fantasy Grounds. Its not an easy software to learn. Not even with the tutorials; believe me I watched most of the official and unofficial ones and I still had a lot of problems.
In 2 months you’ll master Fantasy Grounds but you’ll really have a bad time at the beginning. I was a user of Roll20 for more than 1 year and now that I have FantasyGrounds I won’t change it for anything out there. It really is a great software and its getting better each day, but BE WARNED: ITS NOT EASY.
So, I don’t want to scare you, like I said, Is my favorite VTT and I’ve been a user just 2 months, but I want to recommend you to really watch all the tutorials and after that, don’t forget to use the forums. This community is great and we’ll help you with the tons of doubts and problems I’m sure you’ll have.

[Nylanfs]

And as an added note IF you are in the US you can get a 6/mo payment plan through PayPal (which runs the back end cash register of the store) if your cart is $100+. So you could get the Ultimate, the two Core packs and an adventure and have that spread out over 6 months.

And alternate plan is you can now buy gift certificates through the store so you could buy them when you can, send them to your own email address and then when you have accumulated enough get all that you need.

[Zacchaeus]

Hi Dragoku.


IMPORTANT NOTE:
Now I want to tell you something NO ONE talks about, before you make your decision. All this of course, is just my opinion:
You will have a seriously difficult time learning how to use Fantasy Grounds. Its not an easy software to learn. Not even with the tutorials; believe me I watched most of the official and unofficial ones and I still had a lot of problems.
In 2 months you’ll master Fantasy Grounds but you’ll really have a bad time at the beginning. I was a user of Roll20 for more than 1 year and now that I have FantasyGrounds I won’t change it for anything out there. It really is a great software and its getting better each day, but BE WARNED: ITS NOT EASY.


And just to point out the current test version which will become the live version in due course has added a whole bunch of stuff which will make it a whole lot easier. I believe Tiki is talking about effects and the creating of them to make a lot of spells and stuff automate (if not Tiki - sorry). The updates will mean that every spell will parse when dragged and dropped and will create all the effects you'll ever need.

[whiteTiki]

Indeed Zacch. Must confirm that; getting to know and use Fantasy Grounds at a basic (playable) level its a matter of 2 days just after you watch the tutorials or even just by intuition by looking at it. The problem comes when you want to get "advanced" with it or planning some automation for the adventures or player's characters. For that, you'll need 2 months or less if you're more capable.

I'll say this again: when you are in that "advanced" case, your best option is this community by far. All my problems and questions got answered here and not with the tutorials. So when you get to that point, try not to rage about it (cause it can happen) and bring your "advanced" questions and doubts to this community.

[Trenloe]

... and will create all the effects you'll ever need.
A bold statement! :o

[lambchopsil]

Well in my case me and my players all together purchased:
D&D 5e Complete Core Class Set ($50)
D&D 5e Complete Core Monster Set ($50)
D&D 5e Hoard of the Dragon Queen Adventure ($29 I think)

I would like to mention that only the DM needs to purchase this stuff. The players just need to connect to the DM and will have access to all this stuff through the DM. (Although I personally wouldn't give players access to the MM or the adventure module)

[Trenloe]

(Although I personally wouldn't give players access to the MM or the adventure module)
Do not do this - it will download too much data to the player side and has been known to cause issues. Only allow access to player specific library modules. Share other "stuff" on an individual basic (right click in the image/NPC/story/item, etc. and share with everyone, or drag the link to a PC portrait to share with just that player).

[Zacchaeus]

A bold statement! :o

Perhaps even recklessly so :)

[epithet]

Fantasy Grounds is not a game, it is the table on which you play it. (Also the dice, pencils, and paper you use to play the game.) The table has been set up to accommodate playing several games, among them D&D 5e, but you'll still need to bring the game to the table yourself. You can do this in two ways: you can manually enter all of the information on your character sheets and NPC sheets, which involves entering any effect you want to automate; or you can use a module. A module in Fantasy Grounds is not like an adventure module from D&D (although it can be an adventure module,) in Fantasy Grounds a module is any collection of data that can be used within your Fantasy Grounds campaign. For example, the Player's Handbook and Monster Manual are both modules, as well as the adventures like "Hoard of the Dragon Queen."

You can make your own modules. Don't even think about that if you're just starting with Fantasy Grounds. Seriously, it's possible but not remotely worth it until you become more familiar with the software.

So, to put this in practical terms, when you're running a campaign in Fantasy Grounds, you can sit at the keyboard with your Player's Handbook and enter your character just like you would at a physical table, typing out all the features, feats, etc. your character has, and putting in the weight, damage, and properties of every weapon your character is carrying. We all used to do that back in the old days with a pencil and a character sheet, and you can still do it that way in Fantasy Grounds... but you don't want to. You can get a rules module in the Fantasy Grounds store that will let you drag-and-drop character classes, feats, equipment, spells, etc. onto your character sheet and save yourself a lot of time. As a DM, you really want the module with the monsters in it, so that you can just drag them onto the combat tracker (or into an encounter, so that you can pop them onto the combat tracker conveniently later,) and easily move on to trying to damage or kill the player characters.

Many people like the ultimate license, because it is cheaper overall for a gaming group. I prefer the full license, because if everyone in the group has the full license you can take turns as DM, and your players have invested at least a few bucks into the venture and are, in my opinion, less likely to say "this is new and scares me, I'm going to go back to the pencil and paper that is soothingly familiar."

If you are wanting to "kick the tires" of the Fantasy Grounds platform and see what it can do for your D&D game, here is what I would suggest: get a month subscription at the "ultimate" level, and purchase the "Lost Mine of Phandelver" module from the Fantasy Grounds store. As mentioned above, that adventure module comes with the basic rules module. Just like the pdf available from Wizards of the Coast, the basic rules module provides a streamlined selection of races and classes that you can use to get an accurate impression of what the full game experience is like. Also, the Lost Mine is a pretty good adventure in its own right, and you and your group will almost certainly enjoy playing it whether you use the basic rules or the full 5e experience. It comes with all the encounters, maps, etc. all set up and ready for you--a "turn-key" D&D experience for $20. That's a total of $30 including a month of ultimate access, and extra $10 per month after that (you'll probably make it through the Lost Mine in 4 - 6 sessions, depending on how long you guys play. Getting to know the software will slow you down a little, maybe an extra session's worth.) Your players can mooch off your license with the "demo" unlicensed software. If you split $40 among a D&D group of 5, you're out very little if you decide that Fantasy Grounds is not for you.

Once you're done with the Lost Mine of Phandelver, you will very likely be wanting to go on full-throttle into D&D on Fantasy Grounds. The more you get to know it, the better you'll like it. My group all got the basic license and all but one of us got the Player's Handbook (one of my players thinks that the PHB module I created myself using a program called PAR5E is good enough.) As a DM, you will absolutely want the complete Monster Manual module if you plan to create your own adventures, but if you stick with the adventures published by Wizards of the Coast, the Fantasy Grounds modules come complete with all of the monsters and NPCs in the adventure.

Anyway, welcome to Fantasy Grounds! The software does take a little getting used to, but once you become familiar with it I think you will find that you've become spoiled by it.

[viresanimi]

Fantasy Grounds is not a game, it is the table on which you play it. (Also the dice, pencils, and paper you use to play the game.) The table has been set up to accommodate playing several games, among them D&D 5e, but you'll still need to bring the game to the table yourself.

This has to be single best description I've seen of FG. Well said sir!


Vires Animi