Adventure Module Creation Best Practices

[LordEntrails]

This is a guide to help people understand best practices for creating adventure modules for Fantasy Grounds. The AAW guide from 2013 is the current base for this guide (see link below). When creating an adventure module, read through these best practices before beginning.
Note; some rulesets may not include all of the capabilities mentioned below.

This guide currently focuses on FG Classic. Minor changes around image best practices are expected in the near future for FG Unity.

Due to the length of these best practices, they have been moved to the attachment. Below is a very short summary:

Create a Module Development Campaign
Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this for the creation of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Map/Image Preparation
Images should be kept to less than 16 MB in file size and less than ~4k x 4k pixels in size. JPG/JPEG format with a 70% quality is recommended. Grids should be 100 pixels or lower resolution.

LOS/Lightning/FX
Do not allow colinear (overlapping) segments. Minimize use to what is needed to prevent performance issues.

Item Creation
Any items that you are going to give to NPC's or make available as treasure should be created in the module Item list. i.e. copied from other sources.

NPC Creation
All creature or NPCs that are going to be used in the module should be created in the module NPC list. i.e. copied from other sources.

Story Entries
Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include links to; maps, encounters, parcels, and any other logical entry. Prefixing names with 0#.## for automatic Previous/Next.

Encounters
All map based or combat based NPC's should be organized into Encounters. This facilitates population of the combat tracker and the encounter map with a single click.

Parcels
All treasure or items that may be distributed to the party should be included in treasure Parcels and linked in the story.

License
This work including attachments is released per CC-BY-SA license. If I happen to no longer be active on the forums, I encourage someone else to continue updating this.

Edit
Last Update:
11 November 2022 - Updates to FGU standards
6 April 20 - Minor Updates, both attachments updated, added license statement, added FGU statement.
27 June 18 - Added PDF version
1 March 17 - Updated attachment

License: CC-BY-SA

[LordEntrails]

Some Common Definitons:

Ruleset = the mechanics and computer code. The include the character sheets and the knowledge of interactions (such as how an attack roll works against armor class and how damage effects hit points. They do not have any of the text / descriptions / or database items such as a Fighter class or a Longsword etc.

Modules (aka Data Libraries) = all of the data base objects such as classes/weapons/armor/spells/etc and include descriptions and specific mechanics (such as hit dice, saves, damage, damage type, etc)

Campaign = A set of characters, modules, maps, stories etc that are created using a specific ruleset. So you might have one 'campaign' for your Wednesday night Dragon Lance 3.5E game with Bob, Tom, & Mary. Then you might have a different campaign for a Dungeon Crawl Classics game you run the first Saturday of the month with Ahmed, Tom, Celeste and Pat. Then if you are like me, you will have multiple development campaigns for creating your homebrew.

----

This is (obviously) not completed yet. But, Not sure I will get much more done tonight. Some of this was done by memory, so it may be wrong.

PLUS, so far these are just my suggestions. The intent of this thread is to get input from everyone. So, please post your module creation suggestions and questions. Then I can edit the first post with what appears to be the general consensus / best practice.

Therefore, post your suggestions :)

EDITED to include the common definitions

[Trenloe]

Thanks for putting this together. For the story entries, I'd include info about creating section headers/part summaries/chapter header that include links to the sub-sections within that section/part/chapter. Then have links to other parts. You can see e maples of this in the second screenshot here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/product.xcp?id=CHA0321AFG and in most of the screenshots here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/product.xcp?id=CHA2328FG2

Some folks might think this is link overkill. If you're creating the module just for yourself then it might be and go with the approach that works best for you. But if you're producing a module for public consumption then try to offer easy navigation from most story entries, with previous/next links (if appropriate) and a link to a section/part/chapter header, plus any other appropriate navigation links.

Offer many ways to navigate around entries so that the GM can use the method they find easiest. Also bear in mind (especially for conversions from PDFs/books) that the GM might not have those products and is reading/digesting the whole product purely through Fantasy Grounds. Lay it out logically, and provide those multiple levels of navigation links to make it easy to move around and find the right story entry needed.

[Callum]

This is a very useful guide, LordEntrails - thanks!

For maps, your image size and scale recommendations mean that it's not possible to include a map that covers more than 70 feet top-to-bottom or more than 120 feet across. I'm sure there are many maps that exceed these limits, so perhaps you could include some recommendations for those?

[LordEntrails]

This is a very useful guide, LordEntrails - thanks!

For maps, your image size and scale recommendations mean that it's not possible to include a map that covers more than 70 feet top-to-bottom or more than 120 feet across. I'm sure there are many maps that exceed these limits, so perhaps you could include some recommendations for those?

Glad you find it helpful :)

Good point that I had not addressed. I've got a few battle maps that I've done that are larger than 120 x 70. I still keep the 10 pixel/foot, but use a lower JPEG quality setting to get the file size down. One specific is 200x300 ft with a quality of 20%. File size is 415KB. I'll update the first post to address.

[LordEntrails]

{contents deleted, see post #2}

[LordEntrails]

Was unable to edit the first post so I put it above. Will try again to get it into the first post and then will cleanup these posts.

Not sure what if any information needs to go in about tables.

[Diceman]

Very well done guide. Thank you for your efforts. Your guide is timely for me as I am in the midst of recreating an old campaign from 2002 that only exists in my notes and in my head. This will help me get better organized.

Once again, thanks!!

[LordEntrails]

Very well done guide. Thank you for your efforts. Your guide is timely for me as I am in the midst of recreating an old campaign from 2002 that only exists in my notes and in my head. This will help me get better organized.

Once again, thanks!!
You are very welcome. Glad it helps. Seemed it would be worth putting it together and glad to hear it's of value.

[Talyn]

Rollable tables should be under their own tab, just like Story, NPCs, Items, etc. should be. Decide before you export whether the table should output to Chat or to Story so it's preset for the GM; if it's a table that players would be rolling on, leave it on Chat. Decide before you export whether the table should be Locked or not (usually yes, especially if you're reproducing from published material). Give all tabs the same color, icon and name so your entire module is consistent.

For the story chapter display order technically the order is controlled by the index id, not the name. But since most people are just copy-pasting into a Story frame the engine gives the index id the same name as you gave the chapter. Anyone writing in (or editing after the fact) the XML source has a lot more fine-tuned control over the index ids.

[damned]

Tabs cannot be set to the same colour and same icon within FG. It sets them as unique combinations.
And... tabs are gone sometime later this month.

[Talyn]

And... tabs are gone sometime later this month.

DOH! Well, huh... I'm almost finished with my project too. Guess I'll just put a stop to it and wait for 3.20 to arrive so I can make it compatible.

[damned]

DOH! Well, huh... I'm almost finished with my project too. Guess I'll just put a stop to it and wait for 3.20 to arrive so I can make it compatible.

You can switch to TEST and update to the current 3.2.0 beta and see how it works - your groupings will still be there but not Tabbed.
Make a backup of your campaign first.... just in case.

[Trenloe]

Tabs cannot be set to the same colour and same icon within FG. It sets them as unique combinations.
Within the same data list (story, NPC, etc.) this is generally the case. Across different data lists you can use the same icon and colour - and is recommended when creating modules.

You can sometimes get FG to set the same colour and icon within a data list by cycling through, FG just creates a unique combination, within the data list, when the tab is first created. And, you can always edit the resulting XML to have the same icon and colour. Just look at the 5E commercial modules - most of these have multiple tabs of the same icon and colour.

[Talyn]

You can switch to TEST and update to the current 3.2.0 beta and see how it works - your groupings will still be there but not Tabbed.
Make a backup of your campaign first.... just in case.

OH! I thought 3.20 was something I had to apply for. Ok cool, yeah everything works because a "tab" is just a "group" anyway. Same code, different display.

[LordEntrails]

Ok, post #1 has been updated. I've moved the bulk of the guidelines to an Word document that is now attached. Please see it before commenting as the details in Post#1 are very incomplete.

[damned]

OH! I thought 3.20 was something I had to apply for. Ok cool, yeah everything works because a "tab" is just a "group" anyway. Same code, different display.

Dont try and use 3.2.0 for game play just yet though as its incompatible with 3.1.7

[damned]

Within the same data list (story, NPC, etc.) this is generally the case. Across different data lists you can use the same icon and colour - and is recommended when creating modules.

You can sometimes get FG to set the same colour and icon within a data list by cycling through, FG just creates a unique combination, within the data list, when the tab is first created. And, you can always edit the resulting XML to have the same icon and colour. Just look at the 5E commercial modules - most of these have multiple tabs of the same icon and colour.

Ahhh I get it now - across different types of entries use the same combination.
Im almost positive that when creating within FG you cannot have two tabs in the same data type with the same combination - at least you couldnt in a recent version I tested on.

[LordEntrails]

Ahhh I get it now - across different types of entries use the same combination.
Im almost positive that when creating within FG you cannot have two tabs in the same data type with the same combination - at least you couldnt in a recent version I tested on.
What I do is to keep a consistent color or icon for all tabs in one module. This way there is something that is always the same. I think I usually use the same color. Then use different icons for the different tabs, trying to use something that makes sense for the category.

[LordEntrails]

Update attachment in post #1.

Also, should this thread be stickied or linked from elsewhere so it gets appropriate visibility?

[Trenloe]

Also, should this thread be stickied ...
Stuck. :)

[Talyn]

Also, I'm going to add one more "Best Practices" note that no one seems to be doing. Reference links.
Too many FG conversions are just doing a straight word-for-word rip of the PDF, adding those "Next" and "Previous" story links.
Ever notice how nearly every scenario has at least one reference to (See page NN) somewhere? Supplements have several and rulebooks even more.
Fantasy Grounds doesn't have "pages" so all those handy dandy references that work fine on PDFs and dead trees aren't so handy-dandy in an electronic environment. I know I've been caught confused several times because I didn't know exactly where in the FG ruleset or scenario or whatever was being referenced was located and would have appreciated a link to it.

I specifically asked about this when starting the project I'm working on and SmiteWorks and the publishers agree that some "creative license" is required when shifting content between mediums like this. So far, for my project, every (see page NN) has been replaced with (see link below) or simply (link below) and immediately after that paragraph I created a link directly to the material being referenced so the GM and players can get directly to it.

Oh, and impromptu note 2: make a QA pass on your source text and clean up funky characters! :)

[LordEntrails]

Also, I'm going to add one more "Best Practices" note that no one seems to be doing. Reference links.
Too many FG conversions are just doing a straight word-for-word rip of the PDF, adding those "Next" and "Previous" story links.
Ever notice how nearly every scenario has at least one reference to (See page NN) somewhere? Supplements have several and rulebooks even more.
Fantasy Grounds doesn't have "pages" so all those handy dandy references that work fine on PDFs and dead trees aren't so handy-dandy in an electronic environment. I know I've been caught confused several times because I didn't know exactly where in the FG ruleset or scenario or whatever was being referenced was located and would have appreciated a link to it.

I specifically asked about this when starting the project I'm working on and SmiteWorks and the publishers agree that some "creative license" is required when shifting content between mediums like this. So far, for my project, every (see page NN) has been replaced with (see link below) or simply (link below) and immediately after that paragraph I created a link directly to the material being referenced so the GM and players can get directly to it.

Oh, and impromptu note 2: make a QA pass on your source text and clean up funky characters! :)

Did you look at the attachment? I think I address this adequately in there. But take a look and let me know if you think I should add more. The actual post is just a very simple outline as the actual details are too much to put in a post.

[Talyn]

I did not, I normally just click the "New Posts" button then go to the last post on a thread I want to read. I'll go back and get your attachment, though. That was just something I've been thinking about a lot especially after starting a project of my own and I'd never seen anyone mention it yet.

Edit: Just read it a couple times and I don't see a peep about what I'm talking about. Just the "Next" and "Previous" bit. Maybe I'm missing it...

[LordEntrails]

Updated attachment in post #1 to reflect information on how to add spells to NPCs in 5E.

[Tosayuf]

I posted a thread in the Token section of the forum, but on stumbling upong this post, I wonder if it should be moved here. Here is the link: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?34621-Putting-Tokens-in-Campaign-Module-Tokens

In essence I am trying to figure out how to put tokens in my custom campaign without have to use the module the tokens exist in. I have put specific time linkes to a youtube video I was following to create my first campaign.

I don't want to duplicate threads. Can someone follow that thread and update your document with the information that hopefully will be shared? Or better yet can you reply in that thread and then update the document?

If this thread is where my original post really belongs, let me know and I will copy-paste- then delete. Or if there is a moderator who can move threads, feel free to move it here. Thank you.

[LordEntrails]

@Tosayuf, Since I don't know the answer to your question, I would suggest we keep the discussion in the other thread since it might take a bit to figure it out. Then once we know the solution we can come back here and update with the correct info.

[Tosayuf]

@Tosayuf, Since I don't know the answer to your question, I would suggest we keep the discussion in the other thread since it might take a bit to figure it out. Then once we know the solution we can come back here and update with the correct info.

Great idea. See you on the other side.

[Brynnan]

You mention using "Synchronize" to update a live campaign. If I'm understanding what that means and how to do it, then I can't get it to pop up that option. First question is: Does that still work in 3.2? And otherwise, can you expound on how to actually get to that option because I'm not finding it.

Ultimately, what I'm trying to do it PAR5E the story entries, load up the module and manually add some other stuff like NPCs and re-export into a module. But Synchonize sounds like it may make that a bit easier and I can't seem to get a opened module to re-export. So, ideas there?

[LordEntrails]

I don't know yet what impacts v3.2 have to this yet. I'm planning on going back through my modules and re-evaluating them for the changes from 3.2 to see what I can do now or better. So I do expect some changes, but I really don't know what that will be (other than the part about tabs).

As for Synchronize... it's actually called "Revert Changes" You find it by going to Library > Modules > then right click on the module.

For your specific case, my understanding (I haven't tested this yet) is that if you re-export your module, campaigns that have it open, but have not modified any module data yet, will automatically get the latest updated module. I think this is even true for individual entries, but again, I haven't tested it yet. If you do figure out exactly how this works, I would love for you to put it together and I can add it to the document.

[Trenloe]

If you do figure out exactly how this works...
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?32005-My-(non)-understanding-of-how-upadtes-work&p=273328&viewfull=1#post273328

[Brynnan]

Seems like "Revert Changes" is no longer there in 3.2. But are you saying that will reload the module and overwrite my campaign updates? Because that's not what I'm trying to do.

Specifically what I'm trying to accomplish is using both PAR5E and Campaign /export to create my final module. PAR5E is great for a lot of things, especially Story entries, but not quite as good as other things such as NPCs. So PAR5E in all of the Story, open it up, add NPCs (Which will go into the Campaign data) and then re-export everything into a single module.

Right now, it's looking like I may have to export my changes then manually edit the XML to merge the two files, which would be a pain... So I'm hoping I'm just missing something.

[Trenloe]

Seems like "Revert Changes" is no longer there in 3.2.
It's there, you just won't see the option if there's nothing to revert.

[Trenloe]

Ultimately, what I'm trying to do it PAR5E the story entries, load up the module and manually add some other stuff like NPCs and re-export into a module.
If you want to do this you must copy (drag/drop) each entry from the PAR5E library module into your campaign so that it is present in the campaign database. FG will only export what is in the campaign database, not records from library modules already open.

And remember to test your new module in a different campaign from which you created it.

[Brynnan]

OK,. thanks Trenloe, that cleared up part of it. I found why Revert Changes wasn't showing up and now it is. But my fears were confirmed, it reverts to the original file and what I want to do is the opposite. Is there a way to modify the file, or re-export the combined .mod and Campaign data into a new .mod?

[Brynnan]

Ah, you were posting at the same time. ok. So PAR5E my Story entries, load the campaign and drag them from the mod into the campaign data, make my additions, re-export. I can do that. Awesome. That will work. thanks.

[Brynnan]

(I actually did search all the forums and the WIKI for the answer, but I was searching for "Synchronize" Which appears in exactly 1 place in all of FG world. Here. :)

[LordEntrails]

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?32005-My-(non)-understanding-of-how-upadtes-work&p=273328&viewfull=1#post273328
Thanks:)
It always make sense when I read it. It just doesn't stick for some reason.

[Brynnan]

If I modify a story entry (and it has the little quill) will the modification then /export into a new mod file? So that I can then open up the original mod file and my export one and see the modified story entry still? That could come in real handy for some of the errors/changes I want to make on published mod files.

[Brynnan]

LordEntrails, Can you add a little screenshot or text block showing a suggested/sample story entry? In the format you are proposing?

[Trenloe]

If I modify a story entry (and it has the little quill) will the modification then /export into a new mod file? So that I can then open up the original mod file and my export one and see the modified story entry still? That could come in real handy for some of the errors/changes I want to make on published mod files.
Nope. That modified record with the quill is not in the campaign database. The records you export to a module have to be in the campaign database.

You should drag the record from the library into the campaign data list and then modify the record there.

[LordEntrails]

...
You should drag the record from the library into the campaign data list and then modify the record there.

Just to clariy the steps here. If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks, typically a WotC 5E product), then you need to do the following;
- Create a "Mod" campagin, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"
- Open the published adventure in this new campaign
- Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the campaign list for the same type.
- Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.
- Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.
- Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;
- Create a new camapgin, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"
- Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

Have fun!

[LordEntrails]

LordEntrails, Can you add a little screenshot or text block showing a suggested/sample story entry? In the format you are proposing?
I'm not sure what you're asking for here. Can you explain?

If you are looking for how I'm updating the guide about updating campaigns/revert/synch, this is what's going to be added after I make the 3.2 updates;



Updating a live campaign
Once the module has been updated, a campaign can be synchronized with the new module either in its entirety or each individual modified entry.
To update all campaign entries to use the latest module entries; Select the module in the campaign library, and from the right mouse button select "Revert Changes". Note, this will revert any entries that have been modified in the campaign and remove shared objects.
To update individual campaign modifications; Select a modified entry (as indicated by the book and pen icon in the campaign object list) and from the right mouse button select “Revert Changes”.
Note that entries that have not been modified from the original will automatically show the new updated versions and do not need to be synchronized or “Reverted”.

[dmkevin]

One thing I cannot figure out is how do you create a non-rollable table in a story entry.

I keep searching for this. Is it not called a table?

16918

[Zacchaeus]

Right click over the story entry and select 'Paragraph Types' and then 'Table'

[Trenloe]

Once created, the table format is controlled through shortcut keys. See the bottom three listed here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/The_Basics#Formatted_Text_Fields

[dmkevin]

Aiiighhh!, how did I miss that? I just couldn't figure this out at all.

Thanks so much Zacchaeus and Trenloe!!!

[dmkevin]

That lesson on non-rollable tables has just helped me with properly inserting the "Conversation Reactions" from Social interactions on page 245 of the DMG into the DM's Story for my A-1 Slave Pits of the Undercity 5e conversion I have made.

[Myrdin Potter]

I have been inputting a lot of text recently (converting a book with close to 900 table entries over) and this is how I get the text from the PDF.

You can cut and paste into FG, select the text and CTRL-J to get rid of the extra LF this adds, but I often have to do more cleaning up and sometimes mess up my edits and FG does not have undo as an editing option.

I use Word. What I do is cut and paste all 100 entries for the table I am working on (works for descriptions in adventures, etc.). I then go into the text and put a special character into all the places where I want a LF. I generally use $ as Fantasy rarely has that in the text. I then select the text I want to clean up (usually several pages in Word) and use the replace fucntion for 2 passes.

First pass is to take out the paragraph characters. You can chose then via the special button at the bottom of the replace control. I replace all and I get a lot of text with no LF. Make sure you do not agree to replace in the rest of the document if you are doing pieces at a time. I then do replace again looking for the special character ($) and replace it with the paragraph break. Again, do not accept the next question to replace all or it will go past your selection to the rest of the document.

This way I have a word master file with all the text I need and if I mess up in FG I save a lot of time.

The LF character looks like ^p in the replace field.

[Moon Wizard]

CTRL-Z should undo text changes in a field, though it may reset when focus to the text field is lost.

Regards,
JPG

[Myrdin Potter]

The text entry into the FG client is decent, but I found it easy to switch focus (cut and paste from the PDF) and lose ctrl-z and Word is obviously a better editor.

If you are just doing a couple of entries, then right into FG is fine. CTRL-J to remove the extra LF, CTRL-Z to revert changes if you mess up, and I use CTRL-3 to make the paragraph a text box all the time (saves right-clicking and selecting via a sub-menu).

I also cannot get the idea site to accept my idea, but I wish that the item creator allowed either a drop down list for type and sub-type or you to set a default. When you create over 100 items at a sitting, it gets painful to have to type these each time or to copy a master item and edit it over and over ...

[LordEntrails]

First post and attachment updated. Significant changes;


Incorporate elements from Xorne’s tutorial. Removed Tabs info. Added info for FG v3.2 groups. Added info on unidentified names/entries for images and items. Note about page references added. Previous/Next link in story entries removed due to new UI functionality. Added “Modifying Official/Purchased Modules”. Added 2048 x 2048 statement for large maps. Revised Story entry sections for completeness. Corrected statement about differing tokens for each NPC instance in an encounter.

I still intend to add example images.

One thing I have seen differing info on is the thumbnail image. I have reference that it should be sized to 75 x 86 pixels, but also that it should be 128 pixels wide. Anyone know the correct answer?

Also, currently the recommendation for token size is 50x50 pixels for medium sized creatures. But, as I think about this, I would think tokens should be higher resolution than the underlying map. Thoughts?

Thirds item that occurred to me is pre-gen characters and portraits, anyone have best practices they could point me to?

[Trenloe]

One thing I have seen differing info on is the thumbnail image. I have reference that it should be sized to 75 x 86 pixels, but also that it should be 128 pixels wide. Anyone know the correct answer?
In CoreRPG the thumbnail control size is 63x63. I don't see this being overrode in the main rulesets layered on top.


Also, currently the recommendation for token size is 50x50 pixels for medium sized creatures.
I don't think 50x50 has been an official recommendation. I usually recommend 100 pixels, which is what the official modules use.

The official (5E and upcoming Pathfinder) modules use:
- Small creature - 75x75
- Medium creature: 100x100
- Large Creature: 200x200
- Larger than large: 300x200.


Thirds item that occurred to me is pre-gen characters and portraits, anyone have best practices they could point me to?
Most portrait controls (and the token created from the portrait) is 63x63 pixels. There is a portrait_token_mask resource that is 90x90 but this doesn't appear to be used anywhere. So, 63x63 for portraits should be fine.

[Moon Wizard]

50x50 was a very old recommendation in order to create a standard for "Medium" creatures, prior to the auto-scaling to grid option being added. I believe the current recommendation is around 100x100 for Medium tokens, as Trenloe mentioned. He would actually know better, since he's working with Lokiare and Doug on creating modules.

Cheers,
JPG

[LordEntrails]

Excellent, thanks for the info.

On portraits, since they are often used as tokens, should token size be used be default? (i.e. 100x100) and then leg FG scale them for the portrait?

[Moon Wizard]

That's fine. FG automatically scales the images for portraits already, since it varies by ruleset.

Regards,
JPG

[Trenloe]

On portraits, since they are often used as tokens, should token size be used be default? (i.e. 100x100) and then leg FG scale them for the portrait?
... (the token created from the portrait) is 63x63 pixels. You can't use a portrait directly as a token - FG creates it for you, at 63x63 pixels.

@JPG - which rulesets do you know of that don't use the standard CoreRPG 63x63 portrait_mask?

[Moon Wizard]

That's true. The token generated from a portrait is the size of the portrait for the ruleset. (63x63 for CoreRPG)

Cheers,
JPG

[LordEntrails]

Ok, thanks :)

[SneakyHaggus]

Hello FG. First post. I love this program. I have been looking for a way to play D&D remotely for years. A friend mentioned this to me and I am a subscriber and GM for a campaign. I want to create my own modules but I'm not sure how. My first question is how do I create maps and load them to FG? I have tried a few times with pre-made maps and I doesn't work. I can't get the map to update into FG. I want to make my own maps, what programs are available that would work best with FG. Thanks peeps!!

SneakyHaggus

[SneakyHaggus]

Hello FG. First post. I love this program. I have been looking for a way to play D&D remotely for years. A friend mentioned this to me and I am a subscriber and GM for a campaign. I want to create my own modules but I'm not sure how. My first question is how do I create maps and load them to FG? I have tried a few times with pre-made maps and I doesn't work. I can't get the map to update into FG. I want to make my own maps, what programs are available that would work best with FG. Thanks peeps!!

SneakyHaggus

[Zacchaeus]

When you say you can't get the map to update into FG what do you mean? To get an image into FG click the images and maps icon on the right and then click on the folder button. Now drag and drop or copy/paste the image into that folder. The image will then appear in the images list of FG ready for use (by clicking on its name).

Creating images for use depends on your skill and how much money you are prepared to throw at it. Photoshop, Campaign Cartographer, GIMP, even Paint are just 4 of hundreds of drawing and map making software packages. More information here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20879-Map-Making-Software-summary). And here you'll find some community made (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?90-Maps) maps.

[SneakyHaggus]

Thank you Zacchaeus. I might have an issue with that destination folder. When I open it it crashes back to desktop. Ideas??

Looks like I have it working for now. Seems like there is a corrupt file in there. When I try to do anything with it it CTD. Thanks for your help.

[Trenloe]

Thank you Zacchaeus. I might have an issue with that destination folder. When I open it it crashes back to desktop. Ideas??
Sounds like you have some file access rights issues. Some info on potential fixes here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?30604-Windows-file-access-issues-can-t-update-campaigns-not-saving-etc-Fix-options

[ravenloft713]

Just to clariy the steps here. If you want to modify an official published adventure (i.e. one that has been released by SmiteWorks, typically a WotC 5E product), then you need to do the following;
- Create a "Mod" campagin, such as "LMoP Custom Mods"
- Open the published adventure in this new campaign
- Take the entry that you desire to modify, such as a story entry or NPC and drag them to the campaign list for the same type.
- Open and Unlock this campaign version of the object. Modify to your hearts content.
- Rinse & repeat until you have all of your customizations done.
- Export to a module such as "My Custom LMoP Mods"

Now, when you want to run an LMoP campaign using your custom mods, do this;
- Create a new camapgin, such as "LMoP Friday Night Group"
- Open the published adventure, then open your custom module

Have fun!

Thank you so much!!!! I couldn't tell you how many experiments, YouTube videos, and forum searching I have done. This summed it up very nicely.

[LordEntrails]

Thank you so much!!!! I couldn't tell you how many experiments, YouTube videos, and forum searching I have done. This summed it up very nicely.
Welcome to FG and the forums!

Glad you found this and that you found it useful :)

[HavocSmurf]

Hey there. Is there a maximum file size for any Module that one should take into consideration? I am creating a 'maps' module strictly to keep maps/images for on the fly use during any adventure. If there is a max size recommendation then I'll take the time to break these into multiple modules 'havocs dungeon maps' 'havocs outdoor maps' etc. The master I've currently built is around 150mb's and I expect to keep building on it.

[Trenloe]

Hey there. Is there a maximum file size for any Module that one should take into consideration? I am creating a 'maps' module strictly to keep maps/images for on the fly use during any adventure. If there is a max size recommendation then I'll take the time to break these into multiple modules 'havocs dungeon maps' 'havocs outdoor maps' etc. The master I've currently built is around 150mb's and I expect to keep building on it.
The usual image recommendations. JPEG format, Quality 50-75 (or less), under 1MB in size if at all possible, 50 pixels per grid square (or a bit more if it's a large scale map), keep image dimensions to 2048x2048 pixels or less.

[HavocSmurf]

thanks Trenloe. I've checked all the image files and adjusted them to meet the individual requirements so I'm cool there. I was more concerned about the overall module file size. I was going to compare against some published product for a guideline, but they aren't visible. I just didn't want to crash anything or cause excessive load times because the module folder is large. I have a complete campaign that I built that is around 35mb's, but this module is around 150mb's because it's entirely image files.

[Trenloe]

@HavocSmurf - as long as you don't allow the players to open the image module (i.e. block the image module from the players) then it doesn't really matter the total size of the module - as long as the individual images are within the limits mentioned above you should be OK. Oh, and as long as the module doesn't have a thousand or more tokens in it! ;)

[HavocSmurf]

Awesome, thanks Trenloe. I just learned something new! I love that!

[Ram Tyr]

Just going back over this handy reference and noticed in the 'battlemap considerations' section the following...


Unfortunately, masks are not exported when you create a module, so this applying a mask is unnecessary.

This is probably an editing error, but wanted to point out the odd phrasing. (Reference to 'this applying a mask' when applying a mask hasn't been raised to that point.)

[LordEntrails]

Thanks. I've removed the spurious "this". Next time I upload the document it will be fixed :)

[Llisandur]

Does record order matter? I'm using version 3.3. I ask because reordering the records in the xml is a pain and I don't want to have to go back and edit them if it doesn't matter.

[LordEntrails]

Does record order matter? I'm using version 3.3. I ask because reordering the records in the xml is a pain and I don't want to have to go back and edit them if it doesn't matter.
You mean if you look at the entity ID in the xml? No, that shouldn't matter as all of the lists are alphabetized based on name. If you do re-order the entity ID numbers, you will have to update all the references (such as links and pins) to the new entity ID.

In order to control list order, people generally use chapter numbers (with leading zeros). Such as;
1.0 Intro
1.1 DM Info
1.2 etc
2.0 The Beginning
2.1 First Encounter
...

Even if you create them in a different order, once you rename them the list will resort.

[Bidmaron]

Hey guys, there is this interesting discussion (https://forums.wolflair.com/showthread.php?t=58350) over at RealmWorks forums that talks about an interesting fork of MapTools that makes scavenging from PDFs a lot easier.

[LordEntrails]

Hey guys, there is this interesting discussion (https://forums.wolflair.com/showthread.php?t=58350) over at RealmWorks forums that talks about an interesting fork of MapTools that makes scavenging from PDFs a lot easier.
That looks like a promising thread. Though there are a few similar ones here on our forums that discuss this as well. I have yet to find a single easy approach that works with all PDF's yet. I generally use PDF XChange Editor or GIMP, but both have more than one way to use them and sometimes it works better than others. I've even had some images that when saved with some techniques are mirror images...

Anyway, thanks for the link :)

[Llisandur]

Hey guys, there is this interesting discussion (https://forums.wolflair.com/showthread.php?t=58350) over at RealmWorks forums that talks about an interesting fork of MapTools that makes scavenging from PDFs a lot easier.

Interesting.

Another way, that I use, is to open the pdf in MS Word then save as html. The resulting webpage's resources folder has 90% of the images as .png files with full, proper transparencies (they appear exactly as in the pdf). For the images that don't come out properly, I use PDFSam Basic to split out those pages, upload them to Google Drive, then from there send them to a connected app pdf to Word converter. Open that file in Word, ungroup all of the images, then save it as html again. That should get the rest of the images with their proper transparencies.
This method should work on most pdf files. I have come across a couple where the images are weirdly split into multiple bits with the background as part of the image. Obviously, this method won't work on those files.

[Bidmaron]

Llisandur, that is an interesting method I hadn't heard before. Awesome. Thanks for posting that secret!

[JRock]

This is (obviously) not completed yet. But, Not sure I will get much more done tonight. Some of this was done by memory, so it may be wrong.

PLUS, so far these are just my suggestions. The intent of this thread is to get input from everyone. So, please post your module creation suggestions and questions. Then I can edit the first post with what appears to be the general consensus / best practice.

Therefore, post your suggestions :)

This information is awesome. Thanks for taking time to compile all this.

[LordEntrails]

This information is awesome. Thanks for taking time to compile all this.
You are welcome. If you find anything that needs to be updated or areas that need more information, just let me know.

[Minty23185Fresh]

This is an amazingly helpful document. Thanks LordEntrails for your hard work.

I no longer subscribe to Microsoft's Office Suite, so Windows 10 defaults to Wordpad to open the .docx file. In WordPad there are highlighted "Examples" (see the screenshot below). Are these links to something somewhere else that Wordpad is failing to resolve? Or are they just placeholders (for future work I suspect)?

(Please know that no criticism is intended. I'm just wondering if my lack of succumbing to Suite extortion has finally produced a negative result - like I can't follow links.)

Thanks.

23839

[LordEntrails]

This is an amazingly helpful document. Thanks LordEntrails for your hard work.

I no longer subscribe to Microsoft's Office Suite, so Windows 10 defaults to Wordpad to open the .docx file. In WordPad there are highlighted "Examples" (see the screenshot below). Are these links to something somewhere else that Wordpad is failing to resolve? Or are they just placeholders (for future work I suspect)?

(Please know that no criticism is intended. I'm just wondering if my lack of succumbing to Suite extortion has finally produced a negative result - like I can't follow links.)

Thanks.


Glad it helps :)
Those are actually images that word pad can't/doesn't show. the only hyperlinks are at the end under Resources.

I've added a PDF version to the first post so you can use that. I wanted the native file available to everyone in case in the future I'm no longer active on the forums, some one else can take over and maintain the doc without having to start over or worry about text extraction from a pdf.

(I'm not a fan of Office 365 either.)

[Andraax]

(I'm not a fan of Office 365 either.)

I use OpenOffice (LibreOffice).

[Minty23185Fresh]

… I've added a PDF version to the first post so you can use that. ...

Thank you LordEntrails. "I can see clearly now..."


I am using something I just discovered, the ability to use the "Random" Encounter generator Form rather than the default set number of monsters in an Encounter Form.

You might want to include this in your document? But if you do I think the caveat (below) needs some emphasis.

I'm sure everyone already knows about this but for the sake of the newcomers (or my inability to express myself adequately), here's what I am talking about..

Screenshots are provided..

1) To create a "Random" Encounter, open the Encounters Library Dialog, then click the Random button.
23842

2) Create a New entry and populate your "Random" Encounter (note the "Generate" button at the bottom of the encounter Dialog).
23843

3) Here is the important caveat. If you test your new "Random" Encounter, by clicking the Generate button, it generates an encounter for you, but you'll probably want to ensure you remove all your randomly generated tests before final publication of your module.
23844

[LordEntrails]

I do need to update the document. Thanks for the details. I'll try to get it updated before too long.

If anyone else has suggestions for new areas, changes, or improvements, just let me know.

[Mirloc]

I use OpenOffice (LibreOffice).

You can also use the Google Docs to open the .DOCX files. You can install offline versions of the Google suite, which is pretty simple to do:

Make sure you are online (you are, you are reading this right?) :)
Use Chrome and add the Docs Offline extension to Chrome: (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-docs-offline/ghbmnnjooekpmoecnnnilnnbdlolhkhi)

that's pretty much it, and for the most part the Google suite works as well as Office does, although there may be some minor tweaking to some things needed. To be fair, the same issues occur with OpenOffice, LibreOffice, WPS and FreeOffice, the term '100% compatible' is a bit of a misnomer. Yes you can open and save in the .DOCX format, but it's not going to truly be 100% perfect.

[vooddoo69]

How do i get to the document

[GunnarGreybeard]

How do i get to the document

It's attached to the 1st post in this thread.

[Zacchaeus]

How do i get to the document

Make sure you are not viewing the site with the mobile view otherwise you won't see the link. Find the drop down menu at the bottom left of the page and select FGResponsive or click on the view full site link.

[Ludd_G]

Hi,

I've just started building my first adventure module (it's based around Cellar of Death but for 5th Level, to take my players from LMoP through to ToA) and I'm trying to minimise the number of modules I need open when running it. To this end I'd like to have copies of all the NPCs I need within the module, and not to need the original modules open (MM, Tome of Beasts etc). So, my question is this, do I need to make a copy of each NPC before dragging it to my module's NPC list, or should the act of dragging from say the Monster Manual to my Beyond Phandelver NPCs list automatically create a copy? In my testing it seems like I do need to specifically make a copy of the NPC before dragging that copy to my module, but was just wondering if I was doing something wrong to need this step, or whether this is in fact the best practice? I have been looking around for the answer in the forums, Wiki and manual but only seem to find the instruction to drag the NPC over, but this NPC, not being a copy, vanishes when I subsequently close the MM for example.

I hope this makes sense and thanks for your help in advance.

Simon

[Trenloe]

I've just started building my first adventure module (it's based around Cellar of Death but for 5th Level, to take my players from LMoP through to ToA) and I'm trying to minimise the number of modules I need open when running it. To this end I'd like to have copies of all the NPCs I need within the module, and not to need the original modules open (MM, Tome of Beasts etc). So, my question is this, do I need to make a copy of each NPC before dragging it to my module's NPC list, or should the act of dragging from say the Monster Manual to my Beyond Phandelver NPCs list automatically create a copy? In my testing it seems like I do need to specifically make a copy of the NPC before dragging that copy to my module, but was just wondering if I was doing something wrong to need this step, or whether this is in fact the best practice? I have been looking around for the answer in the forums, Wiki and manual but only seem to find the instruction to drag the NPC over, but this NPC, not being a copy, vanishes when I subsequently close the MM for example.
Manually create a copy first, then drag to your group. Dragging a NPC record to a new group just reassigns the group to the NPC record, it doesn't make a copy.

[Ludd_G]

That's what I suspected, thanks load for the speedy reply!

[pno_mn]

Quick question - I recently saw a suggested "order" to enter things where the poster (I think it was a video, but can't remember for sure) said that would enter things, add NPC's, items, etc., go back through the story entries edit/add links for certain items. The order itself sounded like a bit of a flowchart - go back up and do this step again, etc. For the life of me, my Google-fu is failing me. Does anyone recognize what I'm trying to describe? Can you point me to it? Anyone have a step-by-step that they find useful to remember everything that needs to be done when entering an adventure/sourcebook?

[damned]

Ppost #1 in this thread?

[LordEntrails]

Quick question - I recently saw a suggested "order" to enter things where the poster (I think it was a video, but can't remember for sure) said that would enter things, add NPC's, items, etc., go back through the story entries edit/add links for certain items. The order itself sounded like a bit of a flowchart - go back up and do this step again, etc. For the life of me, my Google-fu is failing me. Does anyone recognize what I'm trying to describe? Can you point me to it? Anyone have a step-by-step that they find useful to remember everything that needs to be done when entering an adventure/sourcebook?
Rob2e/Rob Twohy has a YouTube video where he talks about this. No flowchart that I'm aware of though (he does talk about it like that). IMO, Rob's process is describing how to convert a published adventure. It's not necessarily the process for new content creation.

When it comes to new content, the question to me is how are you going to create this? Do you create it in OneNote, Word, or straight into FG? I've done it several different ways, right now I usually enter it straight into FG, and that process is going to be very different than converting it from something else.

[LordEntrails]

Image file names should not contain special characters or have more than one consecutive space in them.


Added in response to the post; https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?55715-Prepepared-Map-content-not-saving-between-sessions&p=491562&viewfull=1#post491562

[Lensman]

still helpful after all these months...

[GBE300]

Hi All, Looking for some advise wasn't sure if here or a new post would be better, decided here as people may benefit from it in best practices more than reading thru many pages of search returns.

Story/content ordering. I have used the recommended order of simple 0.0, 0.0.1, 1.0, 2.0 ... etc But having an issue when I to 10.0 and higher as they order after 1.0 and before 2.0. How can I address more than 9 sections of a topic or more than 9 topics ? screen shot to help explain where I am at:

34011

Thanks for any help!

Cheers.

[Myrdin Potter]

Number 01.01, 02.01 etc. And then 10.01 and up will be in the right order.

[GBE300]

Thanks Myrdin Works like a charm.

For the guide if I may suggest add that in as an example. I had read that but at least to me it didn't register enough to make sense. Could just be me. Cheers.

[LordEntrails]

Thanks, I added such an example in my copy. Did not update at this point. Usually wait until their are several significant changes.

[Jiminimonka]

I have been converting a 5e adventure and also its reference manual - just finished the adventure part and a bit of the reference manual - then I thought DAMN! I need to have the reference part as a separate module, since it can (and should) be loaded in situations outside of the adventure part. Is there a way to seperate the two at Export or will I have to start doing the reference part seperately?

Hindsight is amazing, should have made the reference book first and then linked the adventure to the material there as needed.

[Minty23185Fresh]

Re: Reference Part vs Adventure Part
I might be simplifying this too much but the reference part would include Spells, Maps and other Images, new Feats, etc. Whereas the adventure part probably includes mostly Story and Encounters. Do I have this about right?

If that’s the case, you just select the pertinent libraries at export.

Though I’m not sure this is necessary, you say you’re converting an existing module. It came as a complete package, I assume, so you’d probably want to export it as a complete package, wouldn’t you?

[Jiminimonka]

Re: Reference Part vs Adventure Part
I might be simplifying this too much but the reference part would include Spells, Maps and other Images, new Feats, etc. Whereas the adventure part probably includes mostly Story and Encounters. Do I have this about right?

If that’s the case, you just select the pertinent libraries at export.

Though I’m not sure this is necessary, you say you’re converting an existing module. It came as a complete package, I assume, so you’d probably want to export it as a complete package, wouldn’t you?

Yes, hindsight again, after I posted this I thought about it and decided it just comes as a bundle in the original PDF so why bother making life more complex!

Thanks anyway.

[LordEntrails]

I'm not sure how you would break out a Ref Manual to a different module, but a Player vs GM module would be easiest to break out by actually editing the xml itself. Make the whole thing, then duplicate the campaign and in the db.xml delete out the parts you don't want (assuming you can do this in large chunks) Then do final clean up in each campaign then export.

[DagBateway]

Hello,
Can you create a module with a Demo version?
Thanks

[LordEntrails]

Hello,
Can you create a module with a Demo version?
Thanks
Not sure. I've never tried but I doubt it.

FGC and FGU might also have different behavior. But from what I remember, FGC does not allow a demo user to save a campaign (only characters), so IF it allowed module export, then you would have to create everything in one session of FG and export it then. FGU does allow at least characters to be saved in a campaign, but I have no idea about other campaign data or the ability to export it.

[coyote670]

Question: I'm running a PF AP that hasn't been officially converted to FG (Shattered Star). We are finishing chapter 1, and I just created a module for chapter 2, using a development campaign. How do I create the module for chapter 3? If I use the same dev campaign, it will include everything from chapter 2 and 3, won't it? Do I just create a new development campaign for each chapter?

[Minty23185Fresh]

Question: I'm running a PF AP that hasn't been officially converted to FG (Shattered Star). We are finishing chapter 1, and I just created a module for chapter 2, using a development campaign. How do I create the module for chapter 3? If I use the same dev campaign, it will include everything from chapter 2 and 3, won't it? Do I just create a new development campaign for each chapter?
I ran into a very similar issue running a complete season of Adventurers League modules (there are sixteen in the season). Unfortunately I’m a slow learner and I didn’t figure this out until about module six. I then created a shell campaign to house the characters and other items common to the overall arc. I also have “import” campaigns that I import each module or in you case chapter into. Once imported I export to an FG module and then add it to my story arc shell campaign. You can swap modules in and out as needed, load multiple chapters if needed. Hope this help and I hope I’ve explained it sufficiently well.

[LordEntrails]

Question: I'm running a PF AP that hasn't been officially converted to FG (Shattered Star). We are finishing chapter 1, and I just created a module for chapter 2, using a development campaign. How do I create the module for chapter 3? If I use the same dev campaign, it will include everything from chapter 2 and 3, won't it? Do I just create a new development campaign for each chapter?
So Minty has good input.

I don't know how big those chapters are, or the total length of a AP. If each chapter is equivalent of only a few (~8) pages in a printed module you can probably put all the chapters into one Development campaign/Module. Think of how big the official modules are, and that's probably a reasonable size to set as your max.

Other things to consider, more modules and dev campaigns probably don't hurt, unless they have a lot of 'cross' or re-used content, like items or NPCs. In that case, you might want to take Minty's approach and have a central common module and then chapter modules.

Sorry I don't have specific advice for this AP, I just don't know it :(

[punisher5150]

Question: I'm running a PF AP that hasn't been officially converted to FG (Shattered Star). We are finishing chapter 1, and I just created a module for chapter 2, using a development campaign. How do I create the module for chapter 3? If I use the same dev campaign, it will include everything from chapter 2 and 3, won't it? Do I just create a new development campaign for each chapter?

I've created quite a few modules and I have found that creating a new campaign for each module works best. Therefore having a shell campaign to RUN the game in is a good idea. Once I finish exporting the module, then I move that developmental campaign into an archives folder right in the campaign folder. It doesn't seem to affect anything as FG seems to ignore it. I keep the original developmental campaign in the archives folder just in case I made some kind of mistake or until I am sure I won't be making any more edits to the module.

[coyote670]

Okay, thanks folks. I like the idea of the archive.

[Ryuson]

Create a Module Development Campaign
Create a new campaign using the ruleset the module is designed for. Only use this for the creation of your module, do not use it as a live campaign with players. Even if you are only creating this for your own use with a single group, this is still the recommended practice. A name that includes "Development" or similar is suggested.

Story Entries
Story entries should be consistently named and formatted throughout your module. They should include links to; maps, encounters, parcels, Next/Previous story entries and any other logical entry.
Thank you for this guide. I've referenced it many times since I've started GMing. NPC, Item and Image development are pretty simple (for someone who's new to VTTs in general). A few questions though:

1. Story Entries. It's been easy to add those. But all my new story entries are Uncategorized. Is there a way to categorize them? Otherwise, I'm following a name convention.

2. Module Development Campaign. So, is the rationale for creating a Development Campaign is to create all the content, export it to a New Campaign, then run the live session in that New Campaign? What happens if I don't do that? I've just ran a few sessions with my current campaign, so I'm not THAT far into things I can't just start a Development Campaign.

Thanks for all this great guidance!

EDIT: So, I've reading the more recent posts, and one thing that confuses me is the use of the term "module", which can refer to an "adventure" or "adventure path" (which have been called modules) or the technical "widget" in FG that you can activate/deactivate in your Library (sorry if I'm not describing this accurately; I'm not a techie). Creating separate "modules" is really creating separate campaigns in the Launcher?

[coyote670]

In reverse order (and keeping in mind I'm a newb at this stuff):

2. When you export the module, you give it a name; when you then activate it in New Campaign, it shows up as a category. So...

1. You create it in a development campaign, export it, import it in the game you're running, and the story entries will have the category of whatever you named that exported module. For example, I'm running Shattered Star; I entered all the stuff for book 2 in a development campaign, and exported it, naming it "Shattered Star Chapter 2: Curse of the Lady's Light". Now, in the campaign we play in, I can go to Parcels, Items, Encounters, etc, and the Group dropdown has "Shattered Star Chapter 2: Curse of the Lady's Light" as an option.

Modules you create get activated like any other module - once they are in the right folder, start FG, find the module listing in the Data Module Activation window, and click the Load button. (Not-pro tip: don't click to allow the players to load your adventure module. D'oh!)

A Fantasy Ground module is an individual unit of info that you can load into a campaign - it can represent a rulebook, an adventure (frequently known as "a module" in old school D&D), a sourcebook, someone's house rules, or any number of other things.

[Zacchaeus]

Thank you for this guide. I've referenced it many times since I've started GMing. NPC, Item and Image development are pretty simple (for someone who's new to VTTs in general). A few questions though:

1. Story Entries. It's been easy to add those. But all my new story entries are Uncategorized. Is there a way to categorize them? Otherwise, I'm following a name convention.

2. Module Development Campaign. So, is the rationale for creating a Development Campaign is to create all the content, export it to a New Campaign, then run the live session in that New Campaign? What happens if I don't do that? I've just ran a few sessions with my current campaign, so I'm not THAT far into things I can't just start a Development Campaign.

Thanks for all this great guidance!

EDIT: So, I've reading the more recent posts, and one thing that confuses me is the use of the term "module", which can refer to an "adventure" or "adventure path" (which have been called modules) or the technical "widget" in FG that you can activate/deactivate in your Library (sorry if I'm not describing this accurately; I'm not a techie). Creating separate "modules" is really creating separate campaigns in the Launcher?

You can create categories in your development campaign (or any campaign). Click the edit list button and add anew line and then call it whatever you want. You can create entries in that category if you have it selected when you create new entries; or you can drag and drop existing entries into it. When you export your module these categories will export with it.

The rationale for a development campaign is so that the material you create in it can be exported and then used in multiple campaigns. If you are just creating the content and only intend to ever run this as a single campaign for one group then you don't need to worry about a development campaign. A development campaign allows you to add new things, edit existing ones or even delete things and then use that in any other campaign.

A module isn't a campaign. A module is something which you load into a campaign from the module activation screen. A module can be a complete adventure, a reference manual or just a list of NPCs or items. Modules are something you use in a campaign and are not a campaign in or of themselves.

[LordEntrails]

One other reason I use development campaigns and then export into modules for use in my play campaigns is so I can more easily manage content in my play campaign. My campaigns tend to go a long time (years), and if everything I create I did straight in the paly campaign I would have tons of stuff in there. And I don't like to delete stuff. So for example, my current group started by delving into my own version of the Undermountain. Hundreds of maps and story entries etc. Then they moved onto Dragon Heist, but I also created a bunch of custom content for DH based upon the Alexandrian Remix. Then they did Storm Lord's Wrath, which I also have a custom module for additional content.

Had I not done that, managing all my custom content and saving it for potential future re-use, would be a nightmare!

[redba]

Hi guys,
I am starting to create my own campaing and following the beatiful work pin on this thread I decided to split modules as follow (always are dev campaign):
1) World (Region, Faith, Religion, Group, Faction ...) for this campaign I use Worlbuilder extension I found very useful to organize the data
2) Story (all the plot of campaing)
3) NPC (all NPC not hostile)
4) Monsters (all monster/NPC hostile)
5) Items (any tipe of items and related shops)
6) Hazards (encounter, drop, parcels, traps ...)
7) Core (this is the campaign for the live)

I would take only necessary chunk of the modules above to add to a "session/chapter" module to load in the live campaign so in the future is possible to come back to a specific module so I have the following question..

How can I manage link from a module to another?? If I duplicate entry with drag & drog the system will ask every time the module to come from but if I copy the entry I loose the connection with the original module
Example: I have an entry like a place in World module and want to link to a NPC from the module NPC exported so drag & drop the entry then export this module.. so if I have understand correctly to open the link I need to load the NPC module?!?

Sorry if my question is trivial or silly but I am going crazy about this.
By the way I attach a sample (I have to link Brother Satarin if he is come from NPC modules)???
48508

Thank you to all for the tons of info you give us beginner!!!

[superteddy57]

When linking to another module, there is no around loading the module it links to unless the data is duplicated within the same module. Personal use modules can be merged and streamline data to the same module. If this is being used for public use or commercial and it links to a paid product it would need to be linked and not duplicated.

[Zacchaeus]

Yes. Anything which you link that exists in another module needs the module linked to to be open in the campaign.

[redba]

When linking to another module, there is no around loading the module it links to unless the data is duplicated within the same module. Personal use modules can be merged and streamline data to the same module. If this is being used for public use or commercial and it links to a paid product it would need to be linked and not duplicated.

OK I got it now.. So the splitting is only to best organize the data...
Thanks

[dford1702]

Is there any guidance on creating modules when using the Unity image tools to create your Maps?

My understanding is that when you use the Unity painting tools to create an image using objects from an assets folder is that the image file that would be exported when you create a module will actually contain references to the asset folder that those objects came from. Anyone who wanted to use the module would need to have the same assets folders that the module creator did or the image would not render correctly. So if I were to create a module with maps that used some of the beautiful art from the FG Art Packs, those maps would not be useable unless anyone using the module had those same art packs.

Is the answer to create you own custom assets in the Campaign data folder, and then only draw maps using the assets from the campaign folder. So those custom assets would be exported when the module is created.

Or am I completely off base here?
Thanks

[Zacchaeus]

Your assessment is correct in that the user will need access to the same assets as you used to create the image. So you will need to also create the assets used if you want the user to be able to utilise the completed image. You can create a module with just assets in it - see here for details https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FGCP/pages/996645724/Making+an+Asset+Pack+Tiles+Symbols+Brushes+Decorat ions. You'll then need to export the map into a second module and provide both the exported map module and the assets module. (I think).

[LordEntrails]

Updated the first post and the attachments. Brought all image recommendations up to FGU size recommendations. Included info on LOS, Lighting and FX. Also added a bit more discussion near the start about planning development campaigns and modules.
Open for more suggestions on topics, additions, or corrections :)

[warelock]

Your attachments don't show up on your original post. Specifically: adventurecreationguide...pdf

[Trenloe]

Your attachments don't show up on your original post. Specifically: adventurecreationguide...pdf
The attachment shows (and downloads) fine for me. Make sure you're not viewing in mobile mode in your browser, or try a different browser.

[donpaulo]

Your attachments don't show up on your original post. Specifically: adventurecreationguide...pdf

I would be interested in knowing which browser you are using warelock

for example I am using Chrome on a win machine

[LordEntrails]

As Trenloe says, make sure you are not viewing the mobile version of the forum. The second thing to check is in the bottom left corner of the website (see attachment) make sure you are viewing the page in "FG Responsive". Browser shouldn't matter, but do try a different one if the first two things don't resolve the issue.

Please let us know!

[warelock]

As Trenloe says, make sure you are not viewing the mobile version of the forum. The second thing to check is in the bottom left corner of the website (see attachment) make sure you are viewing the page in "FG Responsive". Browser shouldn't matter, but do try a different one if the first two things don't resolve the issue.

Please let us know!

59253

I didn't change a thing and now I can see the attachments.

[warelock]

I would be interested in knowing which browser you are using warelock

for example I am using Chrome on a win machine

I'm using Mozilla Firefox for Ubuntu Linux v119.0 (64-bit). I didn't change a thing and I can see the attachments now. I did log out of the Forum, cleared out all cookies and site data, then re-logged back in again.

[warelock]

As Trenloe says, make sure you are not viewing the mobile version of the forum. The second thing to check is in the bottom left corner of the website (see attachment) make sure you are viewing the page in "FG Responsive". Browser shouldn't matter, but do try a different one if the first two things don't resolve the issue.

Please let us know!

I looked the PDF over and I must say, I'm impressed. It's quite detail-oriented and thorough. Thanks for creating and maintaining it.

[LordEntrails]

Note, some updates are needed...
- Image recommendations, esp webp and webm
- when exporting maps/images, only LOS, FX, etc that are on the bottom most layer are exported