(5e) DM Should / Needs to load Players version of modules?

[BrettM]

Hi! With most (all?) modules having a DM as well as a Player version, is it suggested for the DM to also load the players version, and will that potentially affect performance with, effectively, 2x the modules loaded?

I ask since, as DM, I recently bought Volo's Guide. I loaded the DM version, and gave the player's access to the Player's version, but didn't load this one myself.

In clicking a link on the players PC, it told me I didn't have the module loaded, and asked if I wanted to. I clicked "Yes", and it loaded the Player version of Volo. I would have assumed I would have access to the info via the DM's version already loaded... so now I'm wondering if I should load the Player's versions of all the other modules.

(If it helps, I have 2 - 3 modules before Volo's, and haven't run into this, nor have had any performance issues. Although I've only been using FG for ~6 weeks.)

Thanks!
Brett.

[Talyn]

No, the DM version has all the content. The Player Modules only have the data that players have a use for (classes, races, spells, etc.)
Loading both of them will only increase the memory usage on your PC as well as duplicating all that data in the databases.

[BrettM]

Thanks Talyn. That’s what I would have thought. Weird it asked me to load the Player’ Version. I’ll look into it more later. My thanks!

[Zacchaeus]

It asked you to open the player’s module because the links in the character are to the player’s version. The creation of the PC would have been done with the player’s version rather than the DM one. The DM and player’s version are separate modules. Creating a character with one of them links to that module - not to either.

[BrettM]

Thanks Zacchaeus.

[BrettM]

The DM and player’s version are separate modules. Creating a character with one of them links to that module - not to either.

Zacchaeus -- going back to my original post, does this mean as DM I need to load both the DM version and Player version of modules?

Seems to be overkill to load all the modules as DM (or, I guess, I don't need them loaded 100% of them time -- just as needed), but that seems to be what's needed if I want to see the links the players are using from the Player's versions?

Thanks!

[LordEntrails]

Zacchaeus -- going back to my original post, does this mean as DM I need to load both the DM version and Player version of modules?

Nope.

Yes not having the player versions means I can't click on a link from a PC sheet. But, as a DM I don't think I've ever actually ever clicked on a link from a character sheet to open the entry. No reason not too, but never done it, and since I don't load the player versions... I just go through the DM tools to find something if I need it. I mean if I need info on a feat, just open the feat list from the right icons and search for it by name. Or, for a class or race or item, I do the same things.

I guess part of that depends on your style and familiarity with the rules, and how you like to find and access info.

[Moon Wizard]

You don’t need the player module loaded. The only reason it’s asking is because the player is sharing something from the player module, which is a separate data pack. There’s no way for FG to know they are somehow the same.

You can either look up ability/spell in the GM version on your own; or let it load when the player shares.

Not optimal, but better than the player’s having access to the full module with GM data.

JPG

[BrettM]

Thanks LE & JPG.

[Trenloe]

The data that this issue applies to is fairly limited. The only things that are links to module data on a 5E player character sheet are: Race, Background, Class and Skills - everything else should be stored in the campaign charsheet data (a copy of the data from the original module is made and stored in the PC sheet data).

Abilities, feats, features, traits, items, spells, etc. should have the data available within the character sheet without needing access to the original module that was used to add the data to the PC.

[BrettM]

Thanks Trenloe — that clarifies why it comes up with some links off the PC sheet, but not others.