Dumb question

[Segin]

I have been playing around with the Demo and I like it enough to consider buying it. The demo has all the base monsters and magic items and spells and such. So I figure the base DnD ruleset comes with it, since it is on the Demo. But I notice that one of the things you can buy is the Dungeons Masters Guide. So if I buy FG, I will then have to buy the DMG to get all the information and if not, what purpose does buying the DMG do for me?

I may not be the first to ask. If this is common question just point me to the place I need to look to find it out myself.

Thanks

[Andraax]

The base system comes with all the stuff included in the SRD. The DMG and PHB are the complete system. If you have the books for the DMG and PHB, you can enter the information yourself; if you buy them, it is to save time.

[Segin]

Thanks. Not to pester the forum good will, but I noticed the DMG is 5th edition. Then I couldn't locate a similar 3.5 DMG or PH.

[Segin]

I think I am going to take the plunge! But Demo with one player and one GM CHECK and Host Games for Demo Players NO CHECK makes me question if I will be able to do a 1 player 1 DM game using FG or if I need to consider the Ultimate.

There is only 1 player 1 DM in my DnD world. I am thinking I can connect/host my player (I'm the DM) if they have the Demo.

[Segin]

Yes! I found information on a reddit forum that answered a lot of my questions. posting a partial excerpt here in case there might be one person that see's this and finds it useful.
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I've been using FG2 for almost a decade now. My thoughts on the pricing... $39 for a regular license is okay. You can join and host games that way. If you plan to play with multiple groups over time, it's a great option. $149 for the ultimate license seemed scary when I first saw it, then we all kind of realized that if you have an established group, it's a great option, and much cheaper than getting regular clients for everyone.

But now they added the subscription option, and I'm blown away. For $10/month you are good to go with the ultimate license--you can host games and anyone can connect, even with the demo client. It's just badass. So now you can try it out for $10 and if it's for you, then go ahead and get the ultimate license. (You can try out the regular client for $4/month, incidentally, but for a DM I'd just drop the $10 and have your guys grab the demo client.)
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[damned]

Hey segin

Many versions of D&D so it helps to specify what version you are talking about.

The Wizards of the Coast own all the content that make up the many, many volumes of D&D source books. This stuff cant be distributed without a license to do so.
A couple of years ago Fantasy Grounds were the first 3rd party licensed to distribute/sell D&D 5E products. That license covers 5E products and 5E products only.

The Wizards also released a bunch of material in the SRD (Systems Reference Document) and the Basic Rules for free. Free still doesnt mean someone else can distribute without license/permission. FG was given permission to distribute those too.

No license for 4E, 3.5E, 3E, 2E, 1E, RC, BECMI, B/X or OD&D have been given to anyone other than the DMsGuild Partnership between the Wizards and OBS for PDF content for these older versions.

3.5E however also had a SRD that with license allowed certain content to be used (with caveats). That material is what forms the modules you see in the 3.5e ruleset.

Then there are the rule mechanics themselves. These cannot be protected by copyright. Thus Fantasy Grounds were able to make a 3.5E and 4E ruleset without a license. But they can only include (or sell) content that they are licensed for. So the 3.5E material you see in the SRD is the sum total of Wizards material that is available on Fantasy Grounds for 3.5E. For 5E there is huge amounts of content available.

If you like 3.5E and are willing to stray a little you can get a lot of Pathfinder material - both free (OGL/PRD) content and licensed/paid content.

For the licenses - if its you plus one more and only ever one more then the Full License ($39) is what you need. If you ever have a second player they will BOTH need a license or you can upgrade to Ultimate.

I hope that helps!

[LordEntrails]

To give you some idea about the official content, linked is a post that talks about 5E and official content. But the concepts apply to other rulesets as well (i.e. when and why you might want to buy official content). https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?32987-What-do-I-need-to-play-5e

[Segin]

To give you some idea about the official content, linked is a post that talks about 5E and official content. But the concepts apply to other rulesets as well (i.e. when and why you might want to buy official content). https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?32987-What-do-I-need-to-play-5e

Thanks both. I went with ultimate. Wizard's remind me of FOX with their treatment of the Firefly license. I am intending to skip 5th edition. Wizard's lost me with 4th and when there is another good option, I'm not going back. Waiting for Pathfinder 2.0 and now I've got the platform. Until then, the srd for 3.5 will suffice.

[Andraax]

You should look at Castles and Crusades as well.

[Segin]

Hey that's a great tip. It's at a much more accessible price than PF or DnD, with the core Ruleset (containing basically the DMG and Monster Manual) sitting at a pretty sweet nitch price of $8. I'm definitely onboard to try it out. Thank you!