Using FG in a ''live'' game

[Mavrik6666]

Just want to comment on I used FG on my laptop to run live Adventure League Games at the recent UK Games Expo - and it was great to use - I'm often buried with paper as I run 5 different module over the weekend .. I converted the PDF's into module, and had them all on hand, including text boxes, pictures, and the all important stat blocks... was a breeze and fun to use too.

So anyone thinking of using it for a live game, please give it a try, you wont be dissapointed

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[MrDDT]

Nice I love it. This is pretty much how I would do it at a live session.

Me the GM use the laptop and have all the player info loaded, use the maps, and run all the players myself and showing them the maps and images and even stories and content to them. I would keep the rolls in manual setting mode and just put the rolls in manually that they roll.

[HywelPhillips]

I also use FG in live games for more complex systems like 5E.

One of the reasons I love FG so much is its use as a GM organiser and campaign management tool, which is functionality notably absent from most of the other VTTs.

The fact it has stuff organised in a "GM friendly" manner like encounters which can have multiple NPCs, maps and pins, Syrinscape sounds that pop up in a context sensitive manner means it's a very good way for organising your notes and planning sessions even if you don't use the tokens-and-maps VTT side of it at all. Likewise even having the NPCs only in combat tracker so you can keep track of HP and conditions there rather than on a scrappy bit of paper helps a lot with crunchier systems.

I don't really need it for rule-lite systems like Vaesen, and Savage Worlds is designed to be streamlined at the tabletop so I don't generally need it there. At most it becomes a convenient way to keep my notes and handouts/Syrinscape organised in a familiar structure. But anything as rules heavy as 5E really benefits from its use as a GM assist tool at the table.

Cheers, Hywel

[MrDDT]

Yeah FG is powerful, no doubt. But I've had crashes and UI hiccups during sessions. Wouldn't trust it completely unless I had a backup plan.

Have you reported your issues so you can get it resolved?

[Trenloe]

Have you reported your issues so you can get it resolved?
Considering they created the account 11 minutes before posting, I doubt they've used FG much... ;)

[Lazybones1969]

I started using FGU with my live 5e game about a month ago, in addition to my two online games. I use a laptop with a 32" TV in a wooden case laid flat on the table. I run a DM instance of FGU on the laptop and a player instance on the TV. We still use minis for the players, while I do the monsters in FGU. All dice are rolled live, but the combat tracker makes it a breeze to keep track of monster HP and the like. Being able to draw and place pointers on the map makes things like adjudicating weapon and spell targeting easy.

So far it's been pretty nice. The main issues have been:


Getting used to the mouse controls, since the TV isn't arranged exactly in line with the laptop (I sit at the end of a long table, with the TV perpendicular to my DM setup).
Making sure the maps all scale to a 1" scale on the TV (usually requiring just a bit of adjustment; I keep a ruler on the edge of the screen to facilitate this).
Handling line-of-sight and lighting manually is a bit tricky. So far I've been using a placeholder character to represent the player characters, moving it as needed as they move their minis.
Squinting at the laptop screen (my normal monitor for FGU is 3440x1440, which is much easier on my aging eyes).

[Mekons]

I've been running my FtF games using FGU for several years now. Much better than my old excel spreadsheet system for combat management!

[Trenloe]

Making sure the maps all scale to a 1" scale on the TV (usually requiring just a bit of adjustment; I keep a ruler on the edge of the screen to facilitate this).

This extensions is designed to do this for you: https://forge.fantasygrounds.com/shop/items/7/view

[Booker Grimm]

Just to add that I've been using FG and FGU for years in our face to face games. It is really good and the fact that you can run two instances and have a central display for the players is really good. Over the years things have become more simplified and automated and I'd recommend it to any others who want to play face to face. Get a laptop and a portable monitor and spice up your games!