Noob questions

[Dragonlord]

Thanks in advance for checking out this post. I have been playing table top D&D for about 18 years now, but life it seems as finally caught up with me and the rest of my group and so we are looking for a way to continue our campaign online. I stumbled upon this software and it seems great! However, before I purchase it, I have a few questions:

First, I see that there is a full version and a lite version, the full version being the DM toolset and the lite version being the player toolset. If I purchase the full version, will it come with clients that the rest of my group can connect with, or will they each need to purchase their own client version?

If they each need to purchase, then I have a bit of a dilemma. The campaign that we are in is set up a bit different than most. There are eight of us who play regularly, with two or three others who play occassionally. Each of us has about three characters in the campaign and we each take turns DMing short adventures that usually consist of a few weeks. So would we each need to purchase the FULL version, or is there a way that I could put the FULL version on a common server and whoever is DMing could launch it from that server and do the hosting?

If that won't work, would it be possible to save off the campaign information and give it to whoever is running the next adventure so that they could bring it up in their version?

I guess what I really need to know is: Does each member of the group need to purchase a copy of this software, or can we purchase one copy and have everyone just connect to it?

I realize our situation is different from the norm, but I'm hoping I can make this software work for my group. It seems awesome!

Well, I guess that is my main question. If we can get it working for our group, I might be posting other questions. :)

Thanks again for any help that you can provide!

[richvalle]

Howdy!

The bad news is that each person would have to get the Full version if they want to run a game.

The good news is that you should be able to buy them in a bundle and save $$ on the purchase.

Each Full version also allows you to connect as a client, so you don't have to purchase both.

Yes, you should be able to share the needed files in order to allow more then one person to run games. You could either export it as a module or just zip up the campaign directory and email it.

Hope that helps.

rv

[Dragonlord]

Hey there! Thanks for the quick reply! I appreciate it.

Hopefully I'll be able to talk my group into going for this. With the bulk package, we should be great! We can get any full copies down to about $21 and each Lite copy down to about $8 since we'll be buying at least 8 copies. :D

I have the demo downloaded so I can test it out with a couple of the players first and make sure we like it.

Again, thanks for the reply and I'm sure I'll be posting more!

[gurney9999]

Welcome dragonlord to the show that never ends... sounds like you have a good group!

[Dragonlord]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to trying this out! My group is great. I've played with most of these guys for at least 13 years, so we're a pretty close group. We've had people come and go and a few of the people who've gone would like to play, but live in other states. So, this would give us a great opportunity to have them join us again.

Plus, a good portion of the group now have children, which makes it all the more difficult when trying to get together on a regular basis. So, with this software, we can stay home and still get our gaming fix sated. :)

Oh, another question I have is with regard to updates and/or recurring costs. I'm sure that the members of the group will ask me. Is there a recurring cost for this program, or does the one time cost of purchasing it cover you for any upgrades down the road? Do I need to subscribe to anything? What if a certain company decides to come out with a 3.75 edition of D&D :rolleyes: , will my group need to buy new copies of the program, or will an update be released?

I really appreciate all of the help!

[richvalle]

I know what you mean. Working and having 3 kids are what drove me to finding FG. Now I run a game once a week!

There is not any recurring charges. I bought the software a year ago and have not HAD to pay for anything since. I have bought the d20srd and a monster pack that was also from Digital Adventures (it adds monsters to FG from a 3rd party book).

That question about what happens if DnD itself changes is a good one. By all accounts, that is years away at worse. I would think it will depend on how much the game changes. If it is not too much, I bet an upgrade will be free or for a small charge. Heck if FG and DA/CMX are still doing well maybe they will come out with an upgrade for a small fee. Or some clever user will.

All in all, I wouldn't worry about it for now.

rv

[Dragonlord]

Thanks again for the reply! I'm not overly concerned about purchasing any major upgrades in the future, just trying to answer any questions before they are asked of me by my group. :)

Sorry to barrage the forum with questions today, but I'm getting very excited about this!

With that in mind...I have a question about the bulk pricing. Here is what it says in the description:


Get a copy of Fantasy Grounds for your entire gaming group and take advantage of our bundle discount pricing! For each additional license you purchase, you get a cumulative 20% discount per item (up to a maximum discount of 60% per lite license and 40% per full license). The discount is automatically calculated when you add products to the basket. (Discount applies to up to 10 licenses, additional licenses available at standard pricing)

I took that to mean that if I wanted to purchase six full versions, I would get a 40% discount off of each one. However, as I add them to my cart, and after much calculating on my part :), it appears that I am paying full price for the first one, getting a 20% discount on the second and then a 40% discount on the last four. Is that right? I just want to make sure that it is calculating right so that I'm not going to pay more than what I should. Also, my group will either have to split the cost amongst ourselves or someone is going to have to pay full price...likely me. :) No big deal, I just want to make sure.

Thanks AGAIN for the help! I don't know if you'll know the answer to my pricing question, but perhaps someone out here might read it and no the answer.

[richvalle]

I don't know about the pricing. I guess that is one way to do it.

In my opinion you guys should just split the cost (for the full versions anyway).

rv

[Ged]

Yes, that is how it's supposed to calculate the discount. If you add lite licenses, from the fourth license on the discount would be 60% per license, but for full licenses the maximum discount is 40% as you indicated.

[Dragonlord]

Thanks to both of you! It actually works out really well for us. If we buy 9 copies of the Full version and split the cost, it comes out to only $23.30 per person, which is MORE than acceptable.

So far, I seem to have buy in from a few members of the group, so things are progressing well. :) Thanks again to all of you who have responded to my questions today. I really appreciate it!

[richvalle]

You can round the price up to $25 a person and send me the differance.

:P

Just kidding. Let us know how your game goes.

rv

[Dragonlord]

LOL...I'm sure you wouldn't mind that. :)

Okay, I'm back today with more questions. :o

A friend of mine pitched the FG idea to the D&D group last night and it was an overwhelming success! Everyone is interested in buying it, so I'll most likely be placing a bulk order today. :)

But, there were a few questions:

Does the software support Prestige Classes or just the basic classes from the PHB?

What about Psions? We have a couple of members who LOVE playing Psions and they wanted to know if the software supports that class.

How easy is it to create custom material for the software? In other words, if the Psion class does not exist, how difficult/easy is it to create it?

Okay, I think that's it for now.

Thanks!!!

[richvalle]

Welcome back! :)

One of the best things about FG is that it doesn't really support, or hinder, any class. The information about the core classes are in the FG d20 support material, but none of it is built into the characters sheet.

Same with PRC's.

The section for where you put in what class(s) a character has is free form text entries so you can put in anything you want. Same the feats. You can type in the psionic powers on the spells page (I'm thinking that would be the best place for them).

I'm not sure if the core FG material has psionic stuff in it. Anyone know if the d20srd does?

Anyway, as long as you guys have the books/know what the information is, you can do anything.

rv

[kalmarjan]

Yes, the D20-SRD does have information on the Psionics.

A beautiful buy, and well worth it! :)

Sandeman

[Dragonlord]

Thanks for the info! I keep seeing posts about the D20-SRD...what is it and where can I get it? Is it an add-on for FG that I can purchase and it will pull the info in?

Thanks again for the help...I'm off to purchase nine copies of FG!!!! :D

[richvalle]

Its a rules set created by Digital Adventures (Thore and company). It is a more complete SRD rules set then what comes by default in FG.

https://www.digitaladventures.net/product.htm

Plus they sell some FG adventures and more rulesets are on the way.

MPX (Code Monkeys) also sells some FG adventures btw.

rv

[Dragonlord]

Thanks...again...ya know what, I should just add a line at the top of each posting that just says "Thank you". :) Seriously, I really appreciate the help.

I bought nine copies of the full version of FG and I just bought and downloaded the d20-SRD add-on! Can't wait to try them out. If only I didn't have this bothersome JOB to do. :)

I really need to win the lottery.

[Callum]

Thanks for the info! I keep seeing posts about the D20-SRD...what is it and where can I get it? Is it an add-on for FG that I can purchase and it will pull the info in?
There is an add-on for FG that you can purchase, which another poster has talked about. More generally, though, the d20 SRD is the Open Game Content version of D&D, made freely available by Wizards here:

https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35

A great hypertext version of the d20 SRD has been developed by Jans W. Carton:

https://www.d20srd.org/index.htm

[Dragonlord]

Cool, thanks!

And just when I think I don't have any more questions...two more:

First, my group also plays the Star Wars RPG on occasion. Are there any good add-ons for that or perhaps some free content that has already been developed?

Second, I have a PC and a laptop at home. I will generally be using my PC, but on occassion may need to use my laptop. Can I install it on two systems using my one license key, so long as I am only using one at a time?

As always, thanks again. :)

[Ged]

Second, I have a PC and a laptop at home. I will generally be using my PC, but on occassion may need to use my laptop. Can I install it on two systems using my one license key, so long as I am only using one at a time?

Here is a quote from our FAQ (in the Customer Support forum) on this issue:

Q: Can I run the software on two computers with one license, e.g. at work and at home?
A: The EULA states that you have a license to use one copy of the software on any one system and that the license is not transferable to any other system. In other words you are not allowed to install the software on several computers.

The software itself cannot tell what computer it is running on and as long as no two players in a game are using the same license, the software will assume the above to be true.

[Scribblescribe]

I am one of the folks that Dragnlord games with. We ended up all getting the DM copy.. Great tool. Really look forward to using it.

Thanks for everyones help with getting us info.

[richvalle]

Sure thing!

Hope you guys enjoy your game as much as we do ours! :)

rv

[Dragonlord]

I can't wait to play around with this some more. Scribblescribe there is the guy who is running the Star Wars campaign. Does anyone know of any good add-on material for Star Wars?