5e - Export an edited purchased module question.

[Martin153]

Hi Guys

I have a campaign built around a purchased 5e adventure. In the master campaign story, I have unlocked the story and added some of my own maps and encounters. When I export the campaign, these newly added encounters and map links aren't showing in the story anymore? Am I missing something?

I understand that pre-placed tokens don't appear on exported maps and you have to redo them, but it looks like I will have to go through the whole adventure and add all of my custom encounters again to the story?

It could be because I am editing a purchased campaign and something to do with copywrite is stopping me?

Martin

[Zacchaeus]

You can't export the original module; but you should be able to export whatever you created within the campaign. You would have to make a copy of the story entry before you add your new links since the story won't get exported if you don't. As regards preplaced tokens those will export too as long as the map, the npcs and the encounter are all exported at the same time into the same module.

[Martin153]

Thanks.. that cleared it up.. yes everything exported fine except the changes/edits to the purchased module.

Many thanks for clearing it up

[Martin153]

Sorry one other question, I note that my images have not exported.

Are these just linked by the newly created campaign (i.e. the images folder is empty in the newly exported campaign). If I create encounters and place them on these images (still sitting in the original campaign folder), will the original encounters I have made be changed/deleted? Do I have to copy the images manually to the new folder and then redo any custom encounters to avoid overwrting encounters on the original campaign.

Hope that comes over clear ;)

Martin

[Nickademus]

The images are protected by copyright. You will not be able to move them to a new folder or copy them in any way (other than taking a screenshot or such). FG isn't designed to export images that are not already in the campaign's image folder.

[Martin153]

Hi. I am not talking about the images that came with the module.

I am talking about images/maps I have made and placed in the images folder. These are not being exported. Does the freshly created campaign link to images in the old campaign, or should they copy into the new image folder created by the export?

[Bidmaron]

Martin, it would be best if you posted some screen shots of what you are trying to do. It is still not clear.

[Martin153]

I am trying to export my images (not the copyright ones with a purchased module) to a new campaign. I /export and select all images but nothing is copied over. The target image folder is empty. I am trying to export these images. I could just copy them in file manager, but ideally I would like encounters linked to these images to export with them.

[damned]

Hi Martin153 are the images definitely in that campaigns images folder or could they possibly be in another module you have previously exported and opened in that campaign?

[Martin153]

They are in there.. It's okay. I have manually copied them into the new images folder and redoing my custom encounters. Thank for your help.

[Trenloe]

I am talking about images/maps I have made and placed in the images folder. These are not being exported. Does the freshly created campaign link to images in the old campaign, or should they copy into the new image folder created by the export?
I think there might be a misunderstanding, or miscommunication, of what export does. Export creates a new module - a .mod file in <FG app data>\modules, it doesn't create a new campaign or copy anything to an existing campaign. There is no image folder created by this process. As you mentioned an images folder, I think you might be expecting the export process to copy to another campaign? Which it doesn't. Go to the library of your new campaign and click the "Modules" button - look for a module with the name you gave when you exported data from the original campaign.

[Martin153]

Ok now I am even more confused. The directory structure I can see straight after my export is attached below. It did create an image folder so I wondered if that should have been filled with my own selected images.

17883

I am confused, but that's normal! What I wanted to achieve is a /export hoping is would basically duplicate everything. I wanted to run the exact same campaign for a new group of players and not have to recreate all of the custom encounters that I created in the original. I suppose just a copy/paste of the campaign folder won't work?

[Trenloe]

Ok now I am even more confused. The directory structure I can see straight after my export is attached below. It did create an image folder so I wondered if that should have been filled with my own selected images.

17883
That directory structure is your campaign data - you can see that it is in <FG App data>\campaigns\<your campaign name> - with the campaign name you gave it when you created the new campaign: "HotDQ". That data structure is created by FG when you make a new campaign. It has nothing to do with the export process - all the export process does is create a module .mod file: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Library#Module_Export Which you then activate as you would any other module from the Module Activation screen: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Library#Module_Activation

[Martin153]

Thanks Trenloe and sorry for being a pain...

What I wanted to achieve is a /export hoping is would basically duplicate everything. I wanted to run the exact same campaign for a new group of players and not have to recreate all of the custom encounters that I created in the original. I suppose just a copy/paste of the campaign folder won't work?

[Trenloe]

Thanks Trenloe and sorry for being a pain...
No worries at all. :)


What I wanted to achieve is a /export hoping is would basically duplicate everything. I wanted to run the exact same campaign for a new group of players and not have to recreate all of the custom encounters that I created in the original. I suppose just a copy/paste of the campaign folder won't work?
Yep, that's exactly what to do - copy/paste the current campaign in Windows Explorer and then rename the copied campaign directory. The name of that directory is the name of the campaign that appears in FG.

[Martin153]

Trust me to make something as simple as that into a long thread.... Thanks again! In the deepest darkest corner of my mind I thought I read that copy/paste = no....

[Bidmaron]

That's why I wanted you to do screen shots and explain what you wanted because I was sure there was a miscommunication going on. Trust Trenloe to step in and mind read what you were thinking. Sorry we weren't more effective at helping you.

Running adventures well is hard and complicated work. The program to facilitate that is also somewhat sophisticated, so you will have some conceptual areas as you learn. I've been doing this a while, and I still have conceptual errors from time to time.

[Martin153]

The problem stemmed from the back of my mind where something told me that you can't just grab a campaign and copy it. I think in the initial export screen it asks you for a location. I am almost certain that it created a new campaign folder structure that included an image sub folder. Not near a PC to test it though..

This led to me trying to work out why my images were not being exported to that folder when I selected them during the export process.

[Martin153]

Can I just just check before I stop posting in the thread.

I copy campaign a into a new folder to create campaign b. I update some stuff in campaign a and then copy it again to campaign b. As long as I dont select overwrite all during the process, my updates will be added to campaign b? Therefore I can constantly keep both campaigns in sync.

Sorry I am not technical and the answer is probably obvious.

[Trenloe]

I copy campaign a into a new folder to create campaign b. I update some stuff in campaign a and then copy it again to campaign b. As long as I dont select overwrite all during the process, my updates will be added to campaign b? Therefore I can constantly keep both campaigns in sync.
Do not do this at all. All of the campaign data (player characters and other such data) is stored in a single file. You cannot copy individual items or just updated records.

Your best approach is to have three campaigns:
1) Campaign A for player group 1.
2) Campaign B for player group 2.
3) A data entry campaign that the players will never join. Enter all of your data in this campaign and export to a library module. Then open this library module in campaigns #1 and #2.

Campaign 3# will contain all of the base information - story entries, maps, images, NPCs, encounters, quests, etc.. Exactly like any of the commercial library modules you can buy from the store - very similar to the Hoard of the Dragon Queen module (I'm assuming you have that based off your original post).

See "Campaign Entry Basics" and "Building Campaign Data Modules" in the videos by Xorn here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Videos

[Martin153]

Thanks.. It's my custom maps and encounters that I worry about and would like to use in both. I am trying to avoid duplicating effort. I run 2 games. I haven't finished adding content in campaign 1.

When I do create my own content for the next session in campaign 1, I would like to use it campaign 2 as well. Next week I will add a bit more content in campaign 1. I would then like to add this to campaign 2 and so on every week.

[Trenloe]

When I do create my own content for the next session in campaign 1, I would like to use it campaign 2 as well. Next week I will add a bit more content in campaign 1. I would then like to add this to campaign 2 and so on every week.
The only way to do this is exporting as a module and loading the module in the other campaign.

The recommended approach is to create the content in a separate campaign that is never used by the player (campaign #3 in my post above), export it as a module and then load up the module in both campaigns. This will keep your campaign specific data separate from your general data. This will mean you are only entering data once, but using it in multiple campaigns.

[Martin153]

I will have a play. I worked out the module export, but I am now back to my original point. My custom maps and encounters don't export. I think I will just duplicate effort.

Thanks Trenloe

[Trenloe]

but I am now back to my original point. My custom maps and encounters don't export.
Are you selecting Maps, encounters, etc. in the Export window?

Do you then go to your other campaign and open up the newly exported module?

As mentioned earlier in this thread, exporting a module doesn't copy anything within the campaign directories, it created a library module file that you need to activate within a campaign to see the data.

[Martin153]

Ok I have just tested some stuff and I can see them in the newly created module.

I can now see how your 3 campaign approach works. If at a later date I update campaign 3 and re export to a module and open it in campaigns 1 and 2 it will contain the updated stuff.. Thanks again