10 Year Anniversary at the helm of SmiteWorks

[ddavison]

It was 10 years ago when I formed SmiteWorks USA LLC and bought the company from the original devs of SmiteWorks Ltd (out of Finland). The original company had been operating since 2004, so 15 years in total.

I have been very happy to see our team and the community continue to grow. We have come a long way from the 1 person, and 2-person shop we once were. We are still small (at 10 people), but we are so much more capable now. While I'm still invested every single day, I love that I can see the company moving full steam ahead on so many things completely independent of me -- or with only the occasional direction. I've had the opportunity to meet many of our community members in person at conventions and I've been able to meet with so many amazing people who work in the RPG industry. Many of these folks now call us partner and I think also a friend.

I want to say "thank you" to the community for the support you've shown us over the years. You've allowed me to follow my dreams. I look forward to the next 10 years.

[deer_buster]

Congrats!

[Larsenex]

Wow! Congrats!! To another awesome 10 years >>>> !!

[Zacchaeus]

Congratulations young man and to all of the expanded team; jolly well done.

[viresanimi]

Congratz on the big day! You guys have done amazing work over the years, and fostered the best community on the whole interwebs.

Vires Animi

[Velocinox]

It's been a long and steady improvement.

13 years in, this is the best gaming investment I have made in my half-century of gaming.

[Trenloe]

Congratulations Doug. And also to all those involved in making Smiteworks a success now and into the future.

[mac40k]

As someone who has been using FG since before you bought the company, I can honestly say it is the best thing that ever happened to online RPGs. The growth in both the core system and supported rulesets has been phenomenal and the community is one of the best (if not the best) out there. FGU is only the start of an even better next 10 years AFAIC.

[Asgurgolas]

Grats!

[Kelrugem]

Congratulations and also thank you :)

[MarianDz]

Thank you SmiteWorks, old and new!
And thank you Doug, for this kind of valuable informations for community, and how this great project advanced forward to FGU.

[mattekure]

Congrats and Thank You!. Looking forward to many, many more years of gaming with FG.

[LordEntrails]

Congrats Doug! Very few entrepreneurs make 10 years. As you know, it takes more than just a good product, a good team, and a good philosophy, it takes them all.

I'm glad to be a small part of your success. You and John have created not only a product, but a community that I am glad to be a part of. And you continue to grow it with the people, the philosophy and the direction that promises a winning future. I'm looking forward to being a part of the next 10 years.

[ddavison]

Thanks everyone!

[Bidmaron]

Congratulations! I think your openness and the willingness to let the boards discuss anything within the realm of decency is remarkable. I can only remember one person getting ejected in all the time I have been here. (And they well deserved it)

[H2Os]

Congratulations and here's to many more!

[Moon Wizard]

The amazing community here is one of the reasons Doug was able to convince me to join him in the reboot we started 10 years ago. It's the longest I've ever worked on a single project, and it still keeps be engaged every day.

Cheers,
JPG

[Bonkon]

Good Day All :)
Congratulations to you and your whole amazing team, and that includes the Moderators here on the boards!
I am fairly new to VTT's, a friend got me started here and I am so glad he did. The community you all have fostered here is nothing short of amazing, welcoming and helpful.

[Myrdin Potter]

Congrats on the first 10 years!

[Valyar]

Congratulation on the 10 years anniversary! :)

[rob2e]

BAM!

Also...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww SNAP!

Also...

Everyone just calm down. Let's relax.

...and other Rob Twohyisms.

Congrats!

[Gwaihir Scout]

Congrats!

[Laerun]

Nice, well put! Keep on growing and make the software awesome, the community will keep in building...!

Laerun

[UncannyAxeman]

Congratulations and here's to many more

[Mellock]

Congrats, it's been quite a ride. :) Here's to the next 10! :)

[Callum]

I'd like to thank you, too, Doug - for all the work you've put in, helping SmiteWorks and Fantasy Grounds to develop and grow. The original developers were nice guys who made a great product, but it's really come along under your direction. You've built an amazing team, and made many, many gamers very happy over the past decade. Here's to another ten years of Fantasy Grounds gaming!

[Ampersandrew]

Congratulations. Here's to the next 10 years!

[Bidmaron]

.... The original developers were nice guys who made a great product...

Not really. The original developers adopted the goofy notion that you couldn’t automate mechanics because that would somehow be a copyright violation. It wasn’t until Doug and company took over that we really got serious automation.

[Nylanfs]

They were following the d20 STL guidelines

[feldrol]

Congratulations ! Can't wait to get my hands on FG 5 with it's 100% VR experience :-)

[aellongm]

Congratulations ! Can't wait to get my hands on FG 5 with it's 100% VR experience :-)

Building modules would be hell , having to create virtual walls and monsters. It would get really close to an online computer game

[gqwebb]

Celebrate good times !
https://gifimage.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/minion-happy-dance-gif-9.gif

[skj310]

Well done FG team and community ... to a great tool, a great community, and many more years to come! Thanks to everyone as I, for one, appreciate this tool immensely in connecting me with others, as the town i live in makes finding a game complicated.

[Stuart]

Not really. The original developers adopted the goofy notion that you couldn’t automate mechanics because that would somehow be a copyright violation. It wasn’t until Doug and company took over that we really got serious automation.

The RMC ruleset's major strength is the automation?

[Saeval]

You guys have done amazing work with this company and have fostered a fantastic community and here's to 10 more years and beyond! :D

[LightBringer]

Congratulations!

[Steve Flammang]

Wish you all the best for the next 10 years!

[Guoccamole]

Congrats, and well done!-)

[Griogre]

Best wishes Doug, and the rest of Smiteworks. FG certainly has been one of my best RPG investments.

[ddavison]

Moon Wizard (aka JPG) deserves a solid 90% of the credit for all the automation. I keep a few percentage points for harassing him to add more. :D

[leozelig]

Well done, I appreciate everything you have done for my tabletop gaming pursuits!

[Szabtom]

Congratulations!

[punisher5150]

Congrats! FG and SmiteWorks revolutionized tabletop RPGs!

[Nylanfs]

Technically Maptools paved the way I believe. :)

[Trenloe]

Technically Maptools paved the way I believe. :)
And those developers used https://www.kloogeinc.com/ before they developed MapTools.

Paving the way and being revolutionary can be two different things! ;)

[ddavison]

I think it's safe to say that we have paved the way for officially licensed content for games we all love to be available in VTTs. :D

[Trenloe]

I think it's safe to say that we have paved the way for officially licensed content for games we all love to be available in VTTs. :D
Yes indeed. Thanks for your leadership and persistence!

[wrongholt]

Awesome Congrats and thank you for this amazing system!

[rpotor]

Bit late to the party, having just noticed this thread, but congrats from me too and I just want to echo all the thanks said before me. Fantasy Grounds is really an awesome tool!

[Azaran]

Congrats Doug! and thanks to you guys for giving us such an awesome platform to RP on. For me, it's brought me back in touch every week with some of my oldest friends for some very good and challenging times.

Lee.

[k410]

Congratulations and thank you, Doug!

[Mellock]

Thanks to the efforts of Doug & Co, and Fantasy Grounds, I also feel like I’ve been validated as a real D&D player, and gamer overall. I remember in the beginning, when Fantasy Grounds was just a tiny community, and regarded as little more than a “fancy way of playing D&D on IRC”. Playing D&D online like this was a marginal phenomenon, the numbers probably negligible. There was very little attention paid to the people who resorted to this form of play because they couldn’t find a face to face game. I felt like I was politely ignored by bigger publishers, even if I bought all the books I could get my hands on. I had some small experience converting a DnD 3.5 adventure to FG. The process was arduous, and a huge time sink.

At least there was Savage Worlds, and Pinnacle Games, who were on board from the start. I played quite a few Savage Worlds games, and remember how great it felt to be able to get my hands on easy to use, official materials for such a fun and easy system. But it felt like a drop on a hot plate, and support from larger publishers felt nigh impossible to get.

I remember many a post from Doug, where he revealed a tiny update about how he kept relentlessly prodding and poking the big giant boulder that was Wizards of the Coast. I kept playing in the cobbled-together fashion of the day, but it was frustrating at times. At least the community grew, and Fantasy Grounds was carefully tended to. And then, one day, the dam burst. Support for DnD was official. Pathfinder followed soon after. I was elated. I don’t think it can be overstated what a herculean effort went into what we have today, or how FG players are appreciated as the gamers they are.

I have a bookcase full of materials nowadays, most of which I also have for FG. I hope publishers realize that it’s just a big win for them, a market they can tap into. Fantasy fans are some of the most loyal I’ve ever known. Sure, there are more systems I’d like to give a go. There’s Warhammer, World of Darkness,… But I’ve come to the point where I’ll buy into it when it’s supported on FG. Sure, there’s great free rulesets out there, but I’ve had a taste of what great support can be. I’ll support the publisher when they support me. And I know that Doug is out there, championing my cause as a player and fan, every day.

So thank you, for making my life a little better.

[ddavison]

Thanks for the super awesome post Melloc.

[skj310]

Thanks to the efforts of Doug & Co, and Fantasy Grounds, I also feel like I’ve been validated as a real D&D player, and gamer overall. I remember in the beginning, when Fantasy Grounds was just a tiny community, and regarded as little more than a “fancy way of playing D&D on IRC”. Playing D&D online like this was a marginal phenomenon, the numbers probably negligible. There was very little attention paid to the people who resorted to this form of play because they couldn’t find a face to face game. I felt like I was politely ignored by bigger publishers, even if I bought all the books I could get my hands on. I had some small experience converting a DnD 3.5 adventure to FG. The process was arduous, and a huge time sink.

At least there was Savage Worlds, and Pinnacle Games, who were on board from the start. I played quite a few Savage Worlds games, and remember how great it felt to be able to get my hands on easy to use, official materials for such a fun and easy system. But it felt like a drop on a hot plate, and support from larger publishers felt nigh impossible to get.

I remember many a post from Doug, where he revealed a tiny update about how he kept relentlessly prodding and poking the big giant boulder that was Wizards of the Coast. I kept playing in the cobbled-together fashion of the day, but it was frustrating at times. At least the community grew, and Fantasy Grounds was carefully tended to. And then, one day, the dam burst. Support for DnD was official. Pathfinder followed soon after. I was elated. I don’t think it can be overstated what a herculean effort went into what we have today, or how FG players are appreciated as the gamers they are.

I have a bookcase full of materials nowadays, most of which I also have for FG. I hope publishers realize that it’s just a big win for them, a market they can tap into. Fantasy fans are some of the most loyal I’ve ever known. Sure, there are more systems I’d like to give a go. There’s Warhammer, World of Darkness,… But I’ve come to the point where I’ll buy into it when it’s supported on FG. Sure, there’s great free rulesets out there, but I’ve had a taste of what great support can be. I’ll support the publisher when they support me. And I know that Doug is out there, championing my cause as a player and fan, every day.

So thank you, for making my life a little better.

Very cool and poignant post! Nicely stated.

[Dark Lord Galen]

2nd that on Mellock's posting.... Nicely stated and spot on....

Having been one that has pushed WOC on other fronts, I know what a battle and victory it was for Doug and his team.

Myself, new to FG but have watched it from the shadows for all the years of its US existence.

I was and am a die hard mini collector (8000 and stopped counting)and user since that is my origin...... table top wargaming and napoleonics. FG did come recommended from a friend that lived in Sweden at the time, but I foolishly tried on so many others as I transitioned my table to electronic mapping from the grease pencil / dry erase days. So when the rumours of a kickstarter that would add the elements I felt were missing came into view, I took the plunge. Here's hoping to another 10 years.

Congrats
DLG

[KILLGORE]

It was 10 years ago when I formed SmiteWorks USA LLC and bought the company from the original devs of SmiteWorks Ltd (out of Finland). The original company had been operating since 2004, so 15 years in total.

I have been very happy to see our team and the community continue to grow. We have come a long way from the 1 person, and 2-person shop we once were. We are still small (at 10 people), but we are so much more capable now. While I'm still invested every single day, I love that I can see the company moving full steam ahead on so many things completely independent of me -- or with only the occasional direction. I've had the opportunity to meet many of our community members in person at conventions and I've been able to meet with so many amazing people who work in the RPG industry. Many of these folks now call us partner and I think also a friend.

I want to say "thank you" to the community for the support you've shown us over the years. You've allowed me to follow my dreams. I look forward to the next 10 years.

Thanks for doing this Doug. You made me happy being able to play these games with my friends all across the world and a great platform in which to do it.