Modules?...Rulesets?...Oh my!

[Salar]

Hi all,
Downloaded FG2 and it's absolutely great, BUT...

I don't now if I'm being particularly dense or what, but I am getting very confused about Rulesets and Modules, and how to get the FG1 versions working. I have tried going through the posts, but to be honest I find them confusing and on that basis am very reluctant to start playing around with files.

In the absence of documentation, can there be a FAQ put up in plain old common English for us computer f**kwits?

I'm thinking a one-stop shop for the new, the techno-illiterate and the generally stupid (I count myself as two of the above ;) ) which has...
an explanation of terminology
how to get started
common commands
getting old rules (WFRP etc) running on FG2

...and probably loads more, but those are the biggies from my POV.

John

[joshuha]

Unfortunately at this time there is no easy way to get old rulesets working. The original authors of those rulesets are going to have to restart from scratch essentially (although they will be able to use all the old graphics, reference info, etc.) but at this time is a very manual process for converting rulesets.

As far as documentation on how to use FG 2 itself, the devs had said after all the initial feedback/bugs are worked out documentation is their first priority.

[Salar]

Hi joshuha,

I appreciate what you're saying and I'm quite happy to wait, unfortunately from my perspective when I have a problem I'll come to the forum to have a look for a solution or an explanation. This tends to confuse me more than anything, especially when you start talking about unpacking thingumys and changing the whatsit to a doodad. These posts may as well be in Greek for all I understand.

What I'm saying is that perhaps a forum created FAQ with basic terminology and how-tos to get people going may help the slight disconnect going on between those who have a very good knowledge of the workings (and hence speak 'in tongues') and those of us who would simply like to start gaming.

This is not meant to be a replacement for any documentation but rather a place where simple instructions and terminology (emphasis on simple) could be put.

I do take your point about the V1.0 rulesets and their compatibility with V2.0, but reading the forums and with my limited knowledge of how things work, it sounds like it is possible to get them going. Can you see what I'm getting at? The old problem of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing...

John

[joshuha]

I do take your point about the V1.0 rulesets and their compatibility with V2.0, but reading the forums and with my limited knowledge of how things work, it sounds like it is possible to get them going. Can you see what I'm getting at? The old problem of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing...

John

Modules/Adventures/Campaigns are relatively easy to get going.

Rulesets are very difficult unless they are just minor modifications of the d20 ruleset. Because the new FG 2.0 tackles the entire tags differently as well as splits things out into LUA there is no guide yet.

One of the things I am working on is a framework that will work out of the box with no D20 stuff in it but this is a huge project and I have other things I need to work on for the campaigns I am actually running.

I am also slowly working on a guide to the default ruleset that is built in but again that is a massive project.

So if you are interested in creating a ruleset the only way is to reverse engineer the d20 if your ruleset is similar or if not then build from scratch (or create your own framework) and use the Reference Documentation posted here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/refdocbeta/

[symmetrian]

Modules/Adventures/Campaigns are relatively easy to get going.

Okay, can you explain to me how to make a custom module work, then?

All I want to do is add a reference book with my customized races and I have tried pretty much everything I have seen in the forums to no avail.

[Salar]

Okay, can you explain to me how to make a custom module work, then?

All I want to do is add a reference book with my customized races and I have tried pretty much everything I have seen in the forums to no avail.

Thanks Symmetrian, I'm glad it wasn't just me. :D

John

[Goblin-King]

The simplest way to make a very basic module with data for the players:
Make a story book page with just plain text describing your house rule
Type "/export"
From the story page list, drag the entry you created to the "Exported data" section
On the line for that entry, check "I" (causing the entry to be displayed in the library) and either "C" or "S" (see below).
Type in the module name, filename and index group. Index group means the title the module appears under in the library and is "d20 Essentials" for the d20 rules modules
Bring up the sheet radial and select "Export"In step 4, you can select "C" or "S". The difference is that if you select "C", you can send the module file to your players and they can access it, including local mode when they create characters offline. If you select "S", you can activate it when you're acting as a GM and the players will automatically have access to it.

If you selected "C", you will need to distribute the file to the players.

[Callum]

Modules/Adventures/Campaigns are relatively easy to get going.

Rulesets are very difficult unless they are just minor modifications of the d20 ruleset.
Can I second Salar's call for a FAQ covering the basics of moving to FG II?

I've made some very minor modifications to the d20 ruleset, and would like to move my campaign over to FG II, so that I and my players can benefit from all the fantastic new stuff therein. So, really, I'd just like some clear, step-by-step advice on how to get my campaigns/modules/characters up and running in FG II with the least disruption to my players.

Thanks!

[Salar]

Thanks Callum,
I think some users forget the range of computer literacy that exists out here in the 'real world'.

Goblin-King, thanks for the input regarding module creation. But it still means very little to me as its not in any context whatsoever.

If we could have a simple FAQ explaining some of the key terms that are being thrown around, so that some of us can try to catch up with the rest of the people on the forum.

This forum is becoming very frustrating for me, and to be honest my rate of return here is diminishing rapidly as the questions and responses get increasingly complicated and seem more and more based on a level of expertise with the system which I simply do not have. How many more people are having the same experience and simply giving up on a very, very good programme?

As I wrote in my first post, I'm not asking for an in depth users manual, I understand that's on the way, but it would be nice to have some basics laid out in plain English which doesn't need a programming degree to decipher. For example...
Tags
Rulesets
Modules
A quick and easy guide to starting a game as GM/player
...

I know i keep repeating myself, but i must be explaining myself very poorly due to the various responses so far. I am not asking for 'the complete guide to creating rulesets', I am asking for a simple list explaining the terms which get thrown around very casually with the obvious belief that we all know what the hell you are talking about.

And, yes, I know a lot of these things are explained elsewhere on the web, but if you want new people to take up FG2, how about giving them and me a bit of a hand, eh?
John

[DrDeth]

In another topic, I mentioned that a Wiki would be a great idea to gather information into one place, rather than people having to trawl the forums for confusing answers.

I dont mind hosting the Wiki, but it would need either a lot of community support, or someone dedicated to gathering the information. Currently I just dont have the time, but anyone is welcome to step up to the plate.

Salar(John): I dont have much time at the moment, but I'll try to keep this as clear and simple as possible.

Modules - are essentailly xml files, packaged neatly in a zip file, that defines data and information used by a Fantasy Grounds ruleset, such as the definition of spells (school, range, damage, effect, etc) or monsters (hp, ac, initiative, damage, description, etc).

RuleSets - consist of the graphics and icons that make Fantasy Grounds look good, as well as xml definition files and scripts that essentially tell Fantasy Grounds where to put those graphics, which data to put into the 'sheets', and how to react and what to do when the user clicks the mouse button.

Tags - um... like XML or HTML tags... heres what they look like:


<root version="2.0">
<name>d20 Spells</name>
<author>The Awesome FG Team</author>
<ruleset>d20</ruleset>
</root>

root is a tag, and so is name, author and ruleset. Each tag in the above example has a closing tag. The root tag has one attribute named 'version' with a value of '2.0'.

Does any of this make sense?

[Oberoten]

Hi all,
Downloaded FG2 and it's absolutely great, BUT...

I don't now if I'm being particularly dense or what, but I am getting very confused about Rulesets and Modules, and how to get the FG1 versions working. I have tried going through the posts, but to be honest I find them confusing and on that basis am very reluctant to start playing around with files.

In the absence of documentation, can there be a FAQ put up in plain old common English for us computer f**kwits?

I'm thinking a one-stop shop for the new, the techno-illiterate and the generally stupid (I count myself as two of the above ;) ) which has...
an explanation of terminology
how to get started
common commands
getting old rules (WFRP etc) running on FG2

...and probably loads more, but those are the biggies from my POV.

John


Going back to your first post then to see if I can be a bit less unclear about things.

Last question first : The new version of FantasyGrounds is working on a completely new base-language. This means that getting old rulesets is going to take a lot of work and that most of the time re-starting from scratch will be the easiest option.

* Common Commands :
These are the same as in FG1.5 with a few changes.
GM-Commands
/die now has a reval option. ( /die reveal ) to let the GM show his rolls out in the open.
/export now pops up a new page where you get to type in more information and decide what is saved and who will be able to acess it.
/story -- This is the games breadtext. This is how you type in what happends around the players.
/id (identity) Used to make new NPCs available.
/identity (Name) Used to make new NPCs available.

/w (name) Message
/whisper (name) Message

/save Saves current progress and setups.
/clear Erases the screen-buffer of the chatlog. Good for getting rid of OOC spam.
/night Setting lightning to night.
/day Setting Lightning to day


Player-Commands
/die nrDtype+Bonus IE /die 1d6+2 or /die 1d6+2d10+2 etc. Will roll the wished for roll. Can also be used /die Number to show the number.
/mood and /m works the same as before, IE you type in /mood (currentmood) Message or "/mood (Currentmood)" for a persistant mood or tone.
/e and /emote --> Adds the name of the char before an action, IE if John types in /e hits on the barmaid FG shows it as John hits on the barmaid.
/vote (Message) Shows a checkbox and a voting topic that players can choose to tag or not depending on their vishes, usually useful to cut down on discussion time.

[Oberoten]

The good Doctor has allready answered the jargon-questions I think... If there are other questions, please keep posting and we'll do our best to answer.

Then ... here comes the biggie. :) Getting started...

Normally I'd collect up to 3-4 players... It is generally a good group-size since it gives them someone else to ask things than JUST the poor belaboured GM. It also gets them ro RP with eachother while you stall for time :)

If you are to use any tokens (Basically painted miniatures in digital format) those should be put in C:\Documents and Settings\<Your UserName>\Application Data\Fantasy Grounds II\tokens\host

To avoid tokenspam which is rather rude to whomever did the tokens in the first place. Cor if they are your own to share, feel free to drop them in the shared folder instead of the host folder.

Maps should go into
C:\Documents and Settings\<Your UserName>\Application Data\Fantasy Grounds II\campaigns\<Campaign-name>\images

These maps should preferably not be over 1024 x 1024 (Don't know if they have fixed this bug yet to let them be bigger. )


Now when you start FantasyGrounds into your campaign you will have the minis in the box closest to the bottom and the maps will be under the loose map-pages in the program on the far right of the screen.

Click on the map-pages and you will bring up a list of filenames, choose the relevant map and it will open up in a new window in FG. If you wish you can now set a grid to make measurements easier. This is done by rightclicking on the map window, going to the "layers" button at "half past four" and choosing "Set grid", next draw a square with the "set grid" tool turned on and it will be the basic size-unit of the map.

Miniatures/tokens will now snap to positions in and on the grid.

Next activate any modules you wish to use in game by clicking on the third button from the top (shows a stylized book and is named modules) and bring up the module selection window. Modules are shown as a book-cover to the left, a title in the middle and a closed book and a dimple on the right.

To open a module press left mousebutton over the close book, drag to the left and it will open. The module is now activated for the GM.

At the bottom left of the window you have three little round signs, one red, one clear green and one pale green. The red indicates that the module is NOT available to players, the clear green sets it as allowed, and the pale green force-loads it for the player. IE it will be there wether they want it or not. ;)

Any modules activated are now contained in the library, which is the stack just over the tokenbox. (Second from bottom)

The library contains among other things (if you have selected it) the monsterbooks. First open the personalities list (Looks like a portrait of a warrior with a spear and shield) and then drag whatever monsters you might wish to make a named npc out of onto the list, click on the resulting entry and you now have a NPC that can be edited and/or saved for later re-use.
You can also drag a token to the open NPC's window and drop it on the little dimple to the left of their name to associate a token with him/her.

... and this finally brings us to the combat-tracker. (Opens on the second button on the next to rightmost buttonrow.)

The combat tracker is one of the most powerful tools of FG. It will help you control tokens and keep track of who is doing what...

But first it will need some data. The easiest way to fill it up is to grab the little box to the left of a NPC name or Monster-name shown in a module or the personalities section and drag it to the combat-tracker window.

You can also do the same with player portraits.

Presto... You have just about everything I can think about set up now.

[Salar]

Guys,
Thanks from me, and I assume some others who've come to check out FG2 as well. I've read through the responses so far and looks like just what I was after. I do appreciate the posts and agree that a wiki may be a good between step between the questions on the forum and the completed documentation.
thanks again,
John

[Callum]

I echo Salar's thanks for the effort that's been put in to explain things. I find it particularly useful when the differences between FG and FG II are highlighted.

What would be most useful for me would be a simple guide to switching ongoing campaigns from FG to FG II, which points out likely pitfalls.

Thanks, guys!

[Oberoten]

I will check on this once I have tried it myself. :) If anyone allready has, feel free to add to this. :)

[Salar]

Ok, just read through the three FAQ posts in depth, and Wow! thanks very, very, much. These three posts have answered so many questions for me. I really felt like I was stumbling around in the dark, and the frustration levels were certainly rising (you may have noticed ;) ). These have certainly made things a lot clearer.
John

[Griogre]

I find it particularly useful when the differences between FG and FG II are highlighted.

What would be most useful for me would be a simple guide to switching ongoing campaigns from FG to FG II, which points out likely pitfalls.

I will just point out some conversion things I noticed when moving a Default d20 set campaign of FG1 to a default d20 campaign of FG2. First, as a temporary measure many who's rulesets are compatible to d20 in FG1 have converted these back to the default d20 set and then imported them into FG2 while they actually work on customizing FG2 rulesets.

Once you have something that works in the default d20 FG1 ruleset, Conversion is simple. Copy the campaign folder from where it is in FG1 to where campaign files go in FG2. This location changed it is no longer in Program files. Depending on your operating system it is in different place. There is a sticky on where new data goes look at this to see the location.

Once you copy the campaign over Start FG2 and run the campaign. FG2 will convert most of the data. To convert a module unzip it into a campaign in FG1 then copy the campaign over to FG2 and re-export it.

Not everything works correctly so make sure you keep your FG1 campaign for referance. The good news is most of the DM's stuff does come over and works. You will lose your masks on maps. Tokens work very differently in FG2. Even shared tokens are not transfered as files any more. They all go into RAM. Maps work the same way. No longer are your map files transfered to a map file on the Client (thought they do go into an encrypted catche). So basically from the DM point of view your Storybook, Personality, Map and Images, and Items work and transfer.

Characters do not convert as well, there are two major upgrades to the FG2 character sheets. Weapon slot data does not come over. Spellbooks do not come over. Notes do not come over. Inventory does. Though it is not in a form that takes advantage of the new inventory system but it is readable. Hot keys do not transfer (they are kept on the client and it may be possible to cut and paste them from FG1 but I don't know if this will work). If I didn't mention it, it transfers over.

Some other things that will confuse your players. Characters are now kept track of by user name. When you log in with a certain username you will only see the characters associated with that user or with no user. So if you have a player who does not login with the same name from week to week he won't see his character(s). The DM can reset who owns the character back to none which allow anyone to see it. You can do this while the player is still connected but it will take a few seconds for him to see the character and he may need to open and close the character selection screen.

Players may be confused by the fact the library is empty until they activate modules for the library. If they seem totaly lost the GM can force the modules to load on the clients. This is what I've learned from converting two d20 games over and running them each once.

I'm sure if I made some mistakes, someone will correct them and might add their experiences.

[DrDeth]

There have been some great posts here!

I have set up the bare bones of a Wiki for all information related to getting started using FG, editing rulesets, etc. Right now, I have just done the installation, but its there if anyone wants to get started - just register and start adding content.

You can find it here:
https://www.wrath.co.za/FGwiki/

[Callum]

Once you have something that works in the default d20 FG1 ruleset, Conversion is simple. Copy the campaign folder from where it is in FG1 to where campaign files go in FG2.
So should I not use the Installer's auto-transfer of campaigns and modules? Are there problems if I do so?

[Griogre]

There is nothing wrong with the auto installer transfer of modules and campaigns as far as I know. It is just you may have had campaigns or modules that did not transfer because say they weren't flagged as being a default d20 ruleset.

[Lilith]

For those using Vista, the information is stored in:
C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming\Fantasy Grounds II

It took some digging, but there it is. It's a system folder, so it's quite likely hidden from view, unless you turn off "Hide System Files & Folders" in your Folder Options.