Using assets from D&D Beyond to make FG campaign?

[dr_steve_dillon]

I’ve been running D&D 5E for years in several home games. I’m pretty tech savvy and have used D&D Beyond for game management quite extensively. With COVID-19 forcing all of my regular groups to self isolate, we have suspended our play. I’m very interested in using a virtual table top like FG to allow us to play online. I’m willing to fork out the money for an ultimate license, but I’m wondering how difficult it would be to recreate an official D&D campaign (say Storm King’s Thunder for example) in FG by using the assets I have from D&D Beyond? I have spent several hundred dollars getting nearly every rulebook, supplement and officially licensed adventure module on D&D Beyond and I’d hate to buy something for a third time (Physical book, D&D Beyond, and now FG). Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? How much would I lose if I tried to make my own maps and NPC’s (from D&D Beyond) in FG and try to run an entire campaign?

Thanks in advance.

[LordEntrails]

There is a DDB > FG character converter you can find here;
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?41885-Character-Converter-for-D-amp-D-Beyond

Most of what else you would need to do to re-use data from DDB would be to transfer the maps and setup any non-SRD creatures and items. Story entries etc can all be read/references from DDB. Importing images is simple (copy paste into the right folder in FG and setting the grid). Creating NPCs and items is pretty simple but tedious. Though you don't have to convert them all, just what you need when you need it.

You wouldn't lose anything but time converting things on your own. Probably the most time intensive part is creating the non-SRD NPCs. You might find it worth your time to buy something like Volos so that you have more monsters to call upon, but not needed.

[damned]

Certainly dont go and rebuy everything again (unless you want to).

Get the $10 standard license or sub for Ultimate for a month.
You can refund prior to 30days if it doesnt work for you.

Try the SRD and see how that goes. There are a small number of Adventure modules for FG for free on DMsGuild. Try one out.

If you want to give it a more detailed workout buy the PHB and the ONE adventure you are playing and test with your group.

Have a look at Zacchaeus videos on adding Character content
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV0vH1eeUZM&list=PLvtWYj3HpGj6aninQHnV7ZYH4fHpLg42I

creating an adventure module is completely doable - just takes time.

[esmdev]

Deep down the Fantasy Grounds system is designed around flexibility. With some work you can run any game system you want without buying anything except the core software. The 5E Ruleset that comes with the game is sufficient to run the game like a tabletop game, that is the players manage their characters, the DM writes the modules and enters the encounter information, maps and whatnot are easily added. Players can just plug in whatever is on their character sheet into the virtual character sheet field by field. It takes some getting used to but that is mostly just because it's virtual and not face to face.

That said, I did find it useful to have the FG versions of the various books just to save time.

My advice would be play a couple sessions and see how it works for you out of the box. You also might try joining the Fantasy Grounds college. It's free and they often have how to classes for playing and running games.