very basic - rules sets and characters

[Jephrey]

I don't see a new players' forum, so asking here. I am brand new to the idea of online tabletop rpg and having trouble with the mindset and presentation style of FG (as well as another one that I gave up on already). All the explanations I see start the reverse of what I'm looking for: huge amounts of detail on controls and exact features but no summary of the product's logic.

For starters, how do I know what rules I am using? I opened the FG client, selected "new campaign" and chose CoreRPG rules set. This is from memory, because nowhere in the vtt view can I find those choices. So how do I verify what rules I'm using and how they work? Let's assume I want to know how movement, attacks, and defense are handled before I even begin drawing up a map. These details seem completely hidden on the vtt. I want to verify and define what a sword does before handing them out to npc's. For that matter, the npc list is blank and there is no option to create one. How am I supposed to generate characters and monsters?

[LordEntrails]

So, depending upon the rulesets, you will have different levels of automation. BUT, know that just because FG supports a ruleset, it doesn't mean it includes an explanation of the rules. It can't legally do so unless they have a license to also publish the text of the rules (which it does for the 3E & 5E SRD and the 5E Basic Rules).

Now, the CoreRPG rule set is not rules specific to a game. It is a set of functions that most RPG games can use as a basis. Things like characters, inventory, maps, story entries etc. So, you create a campaign using the CoreRPG ruleset, the VTT doesn't enforce things like movement, damage of a sword etc. It's up to the players to input the correct values on their character sheet etc. And it's up to the GM to determine things like how far a character moves.

As for creating things like NPC's, at the bottom of most list or UI windows you will see a little pencil, click on that, you can then you will see a green plus. Click on that and it will create a new entry of whatever type you are on. In this case a new NPC.

Hope that explains a little. There is a great deal of info, tutorials etc. But if you can tell us what types of games you are wanting to play first, we can get you pointed in the correct direction.

[Andraax]

Many things are done via the "radial menus" - right click on stuff and you get a context-sensitive radial menu to select from. To add an NPC, for example, right click on the NPC window, and select "Insert". This will create a new record, which you can then click on and edit. To select multiple dice, right click on a die image, and you will get a menu to select 2 or 3 or whatever of that type of dice.

[Jephrey]

I appreciate the effort, but you are shooting over my head. I see a small dialog that allows me to add "rolls", "equipment", "languages". None of those three choices has any selectable values. Nor does this seem like an npc to me. Where are his stats? I want to define what an orc is and put one in the game, for example. Where do I start? None of the help resources I can find address this basic level of question.

[JohnD]

Well what ruleset do you want to use? In some aspects the answer you need depends on that, while in other respects there is uniformity across some rulesets.

[Andraax]

The CoreRPG is a very generic, basic ruleset. Here is a description of what goes on the NPC sheet: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/CoreRPG_NPC_Sheet

Here is the link that shows the user guides for a variety of rulesets: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/User_Guides

And there are a series of videos n how to use fantasy grounds, though I don't have that link handy (I'm sure someone will come by and advertise his work...) :-)

[JohnD]

Have you looked at videos on YouTube or the FG website? Those also give you a lot of information. Dulux-Oz should be along to pump his videos soon... if not just take a look around for his posts.

[Jephrey]

Thanks for the help. Yes, I have read way too many things. I think it would be better for me to ask differently. Let me try asking this way... I select new campaign and load d&d 5e ruleset. I prompt it for a new NPC. The first value it wants is Size, but it's an open text field. I type in "Not Very Big". So...what have I done? There is no way it can interpret that value or do anything with it. Suppose I answer in French, "Il est tres petite". It's meaningless. My point is, there are no value lists for anything. It's all free-form. How does "Not Very Big" translate into an effect on a map image? There is nothing to indicate that I am tapping into the values of the 5e ruleset. How do I know if I got it right?

In my way of thinking (just hypothetically), if I have this beautiful 5e ruleset and want a monster, I would simply select "troglodyte" from a list or "3rd level npc" and then choose what levels he has. Nothing works like that in this system. It doesn't seem to know anything. Does that make sense? It's very confusing to me.

[Nylanfs]

Go into your Library, the Modules, the open either the 5e SRD or Basic rules. Quite a bit of the info you will want is in there.

[Andraax]

If you want to use the 5E ruleset, there are modules that have many of the NPCs defined. Look at this for more info: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/5E_NPC_Sheet

[Trenloe]

I recommend you watch some of the "D&D - Fifth Edition" videos here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Videos

For example, some of your questions regarding a 5E monster are covered in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-POluSDHAc This shows manually entering a monster - which allows you to enter any creature you want, but you need to know the standard 5E RPG system format.

However, as others have mentioned above, there are a lot of creatures ready to go in the 5E SRD Creatures module - you'll need to activate this from the library.

[Jephrey]

Thanks for the responses. I just cannot understand the system's logic. I have a hunch I am not the only one, given the various videos that exist. It is strange that none of them walk step by step through creating even a very small adventure. They all assume pre-existing assets.

[Andraax]

They all assume pre-existing assets.

Possibly because the "pre-existing assets" come with the system?

[Moon Wizard]

There's an assumption that you know the game system in order to use Fantasy Grounds. If you know the system, then you know what values make sense.

All of the automation in Fantasy Grounds is based on the exact wording used in the books published for each game system. That's why people are suggesting the SRD for 5E, since that is official data from the publisher of 5E.

For playing systems not specifically supported by FG, you can use the CoreRPG ruleset, and that ruleset uses primarily free text fields to allow you to enter whatever you need for the game you are playing.

Regards,
JPG

[Trenloe]

Fantasy Grounds is a very powerful application, it is not something you can just pick up without spending some time to understand the application - hence the User Guides and Videos. This is the same for any powerful computer application that you're not familiar with - you need to spend time with the application in tandem with a user guide and/or instructional videos to understand how it works and how to use it to it's full potential.

Additionally, if you're not familiar with the RPG system you want to use, then you will be even more confused as the Fantasy Grounds ruleset uses the same terminology that the RPG system uses. For example, your observations earlier in this thread regarding creature size, which is defined in the 5E RPG system itself - see the "Creature Size" section on page 92 of the 5E SRD document available here: https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/SRD-OGL_V5.1.pdf

In addition to watching some videos I'd recommend loading up the "5E Sample Campaign" and step through the story entries, these give in-system guidance and examples - including a small sample adventure (click the blue tab at the bottom of the Story window to access the sample adventure story entries).

[damned]

Thanks for the responses. I just cannot understand the system's logic. I have a hunch I am not the only one, given the various videos that exist. It is strange that none of them walk step by step through creating even a very small adventure. They all assume pre-existing assets.

I suspect you are right in that you are not the only one but I also suspect that you are in a minority. RPGs are very complex and it is extremely time consuming documenting every possible way that people might try to use the software. I have personally done exactly the same thing as you - but probably a handful of times in the 6 years that I have used this software. Yes more doco would be great - but I cant see it happening. Without knowing what it is you are actually trying to play/achieve/whatever Id suggest starting with the 5e demo campaign and the UserGuide https://www.fantasygrounds.com/filelibrary/FantasyGroundsUserManual.pdf and then exploring from there. If its not in the guide make a note of it - and open an existing sample and see if that gives you more info. Report back with the glaring things that arent in the UserGuide and we'll see if it can be added.
Your input is valuable and its not being dismissed - you just might not get the answers you want...

[LordEntrails]

Jephrey, send me a PM if you would like. We can do a ~30 minute web meeting this weekend and I can get you started.