Newb where do I start?

[technowizard]

I'm an old fart who began D&D back when the original red box was new. I really like the looks of Fantasy Grounds and the idea of being able to play online has really caught my interest. The license is on sale at Steam right now, but I really don't know where I should begin.

While my interest is piqued, I don't really know for sure if I'd be able to commit to regular games or not (family, kids, grown up profession etc), but I really want to try. Should I just grab the standard license and then add in the rest of the D&D package after I figure out if I can swing the time commitment? Or should I grab the D&D bundle because its on sale?

Is it relatively easy to get in to existing groups, or is it best to start your own and try to cobble together a group of new players? I think that is where the license differences really make a difference no?

Kind of overwhelmed.

[damned]

welcome technowizard
i wouldnt go and grab the whole bundle if you are not sure about time and scheduling and commitment etc...
gran the base license and try and get in on a one shot or two and see how you feel post that :)

[Ram Tyr]

I'm an old fart who began D&D back when the original red box was new. I really like the looks of Fantasy Grounds and the idea of being able to play online has really caught my interest. The license is on sale at Steam right now, but I really don't know where I should begin.

While my interest is piqued, I don't really know for sure if I'd be able to commit to regular games or not (family, kids, grown up profession etc), but I really want to try. Should I just grab the standard license and then add in the rest of the D&D package after I figure out if I can swing the time commitment? Or should I grab the D&D bundle because its on sale?

Is it relatively easy to get in to existing groups, or is it best to start your own and try to cobble together a group of new players? I think that is where the license differences really make a difference no?

Kind of overwhelmed.
damned's advice is likely spot on.

Pick up the standard license. Owning the standard license will let you play with any DM that runs a game. (You can play with DMs that have a standard license and with DMs that have an ultimate license.) If you do not own the standard license and rely on the free demo you can only play with DMs that have an ultimate license. Owning the standard license will allow you to DM for other players that have either the standard or ultimate license. (You cannot DM for free demo players with the standard license.)

At this point, while the sale prices are attractive, if you are concerned about the cost of the additional products, I would wait to determine whether you want to spend the cash on how you think things are going. The sale prices have returned on occasion... but it requires patience.

I also want to point out that you can purchase the standard license directly from Smiteworks in the store linked up above. It is also on sale, though the sale may end a little earlier in this store than it does on Steam. Either way gets you the same product, one just requires Steam.

If you are a player with someone else DMing it can take some time to find a group... just like finding a face to face game. It depends on what your availability is and whether anyone is running a game within that time window. If you are commitment phobic... you can always look for people running one shots to get into games without having to commit to meeting regularly at a designated time. You may want to take a look at the Adventures League (AL) for DnD one shots. There are people that run them on Fantasy Grounds.

If you are the DM and have a standard license it can be really easy to find a group. You can post that you want to run a one shot (again, to avoid the commitment!) at a specific time so the problem of scheduling disappears! Then players that are available in your time slot and have a license (either standard or ultimate) will respond. Just like in real life, if you are running a game it is relatively easy to find players on FG.

The crucial difference between the ultimate and standard Fantasy Grounds license is in the potential pool of players if you are going to run a game as the DM. If you are DMing with a standard license your pool of potential players are other people with either a standard or ultimate license. If you are DMing with an ultimate license your pool of potential players, in addition to other people with a standard or ultimate license, are anyone willing to download and install the Fantasy Grounds free demo. So the pool of potential players is larger if you have the ultimate license.

As a player, once you have the standard license you have maximized your availability. You can play with DMs with either the standard or ultimate license.

I know I repeated some things multiple times, but hopefully that enhances clarity and alleviates your sense of being overwhelmed.

Welcome to FG and good luck. Maybe I'll get lucky and play in your game someday.

[LordEntrails]

Just the standard license is good to get started. If you are like me, you'll find that it is easier to find time to play online than it is in person when you have family and kids etc.

The standard license has the 5E Basic Rules included, which is enough to get started. The next thing I would do is to checkout the FG College (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?40020-Join-Fantasy-Grounds-College-Learn-Fantasy-Grounds-learn-D-amp-D-and-then-play!), and then look into FG Daze that is coming up in a couple of weeks (linked from damned signature).

[technowizard]

Thank you guys for the quick replies, and thanks Ramza0Tyr for the super detailed post, that helps me out a ton.

I will grab the standard license from the Dev's store instead of Steam.

[Bidmaron]

You will feel more committed if you go whole hog and buy the whole thing while it is on sale. Just sayin'....

[JohnD]

Look at the Castles and Crusades ruleset - it will remind you of those old bygone days. Give them some thought.

[technowizard]

Thanks for the tip, JohnD. I grabbed the ruleset because it was on sale for 8 bucks. It looks interesting.

[Ken L]

If you're new to VTTs, I'd suggest getting your feet wet a tad before buying up things you may not use later. FG offers a sub model so you could sub an ultimate for a month to see if it's for you.

[SirGraystone]

You already made your first step, register to the forums and say hi :)