question about buying 5e manuals for FG

[k410]

Hello,

Complete newcomer here, at least to VTTs and DM-ing. Regarding the FG-converted manuals for 5e:

Am I correct to think that the included 5e OGL content is a subset of what is contained in the DM Guide, PH and MM?

Could you give me an idea of the amount and types of content that would be added by purchasing the manuals, and what restrictions I would face if I tried to set up a campaign without those manuals?

Would not having those three manuals installed cause other WotC or 3rd-party 5e modules to fail or have gaps in their info (similar to missing dependencies in the Linux world)?

Thanks for your help,

Kevin

[Zacchaeus]

Hi k410, welcome to FG.

You might find this post helpfu (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?32987-What-do-I-need-to-play-5e)l. The answer depends on whether you are going to be a DM or a player; and if you are going to DM whether you run published material or do your own thing. If that post doesn't answer all your questions post back with the specifics.

[shadzar]

i cant find where exactly, but the 5e basic free rules should be included in the newest 5e ruleset. i was sure that was posted by someone with the release of 3.3.5.

if you buy something like Mordenkainen's Tome of Foe,s you will probably need the paid for 5e ruleset feaures, menaing you might want the PHB and or DMG.


a standard license i think gives you access to most of the core features of 5e. i still ahven't learned all what the licenses do except to cripple the software so you cannot use FG to actually play games for free with online people, however if you don't want to save the campaign and use FG in a face to face game, the demo version should be fully functional for all you need. though you would have to load everything from a module that you write by hand in XML, since the demo version has the /save feature disabled.

[k410]

Thank you both!

Zacchaeus, thank you for writing up that very informative post in your link!

After just two or three days of research and consideration, I have already bought a Standard FG license. One of the main factors was the large amount of FG-enabled content available.

[Zacchaeus]

i cant find where exactly, but the 5e basic free rules should be included in the newest 5e ruleset. i was sure that was posted by someone with the release of 3.3.5.

Correct, the latest update included access to the 5e SRD and Basic rules with only the demo version.




i still ahven't learned all what the licenses do except

You too would benefit from reading this (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?32987-What-do-I-need-to-play-5e).

[k410]

This is exciting! I might actually gear up to be a DM creating my own adventures, so those three manuals are on my list for sure.

This new direction started just this past Wednesday afternoon, when a page about RPG mapmaking showed up in my Facebook feed.

That led me to see what mapmaking apps were available these days, and on the way I learned about VTTs as well (which I hadn't heard of, despite them having been around for about a dozen years, it seems). That just lit up my head.

So now, out of the blue, I'm thinking about becoming a DM this year, especially since FG would make so much of it so easy. I picked up a few Kindle books as well re: how to be a DM.

[Zacchaeus]

Good stuff :)

[GarthGiantbane]

Hi,

Welcome to the forums. Be sure to check out the Fantasy Grounds College - an awesome "live" resource for asking questions and learning about FG and it's capabilities.

Fantasy Grounds College/ (https://www.fantasygroundscollege.net/)

[k410]

Thank you, Garth -- I sure will.

[JohnD]

Welcome!

[Teufelhunde87]

Welcome! There are a lot of available one-shots to get your feet wet DMing. FG definitely makes the DM life easier! Definitely check out FG college, and feel free to post questions, the community is great for helping each other along!
DM guide and PHB are DM essentials, add on MM and others as you progress (or they go on sale!)

[k410]

Thank you, JohnD and Teufelhunde! One-shots sound like a good idea. I picked up one of Nerzugal's toolkits and some general how-to-GM items from RPGNow. Now it's study time.

I really appreciate the welcomes and advice.

[Bidmaron]

Welcome to the club, k410. You will not be anything but delighted. Have a blast! Check out the complete the bundle deal too, where you get a fairly enormous discount on remaining WotC materials if you make a big plunge.

As a big PF fan, I have to say you might give that a look in the event you ever feel any nostalgia for the old D&D 3.5, as PF is kind of 3.5 on steroids. But whichever way you go, you won't go wrong.

[k410]

I was checking Doug Davison's blog posts and found this, which might be helpful to other newcomers interested in the 5E manuals for FG:
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/entry.php?98-Wizards-of-the-Coast-announces-the-OGL-and-what-it-means-for-Fantasy-Grounds


Thank you, Bidmaron! This seems like a really engaging and stimulating hobby.