Do I have to buy DMG, PHB, MM?

[ScottFromPortland]

Hi, I'm new to FG! Not really, I suppose - I played on FG about 15 or 20 years ago, but I'm effectively new. I suspect that my question is answered somewhere already, but I haven't been able to find it by searching forums, so my apologies if I'm asking a question that's already been covered, and I respectfully request a redirect.

I purchased the Standard License. I'm trying to build a campaign, and I believe that the first step is to load sources. When I attempt to load the DMG, PHB and MM, it appears as if I need to now purchase those, separately. Did I just pay $40 for a game that now needs another $30 or so for every source book I want to utilize?...

[pindercarl]

Welcome back and welcome to the forums.
You can find a good summation from Zacchaeus here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...eed-to-play-5e

[ScottFromPortland]

Thank you for the most helpful response Pindercarl!

It feels very much like I got tricked into buying way less than I thought I was buying. It will be much harder to create games here unless I shuck out another $60 dollars or more. Plus, will I then discover that there are even more hidden missing portions that are gonna cost me more? It feels like I've been scammed. If I'm mistaken about this, please let me know!
If I'm not mistaken and I'm still gonna feel scammed, is there a quick refund available?
If not, I'll give it a day or two before I rant about this on Facebook to warn others not to get similarly scammed by purchasing a "Surprise, gotta invest a bunch more money!" version of Fantasy Grounds.

It really seems like my response must fairly common for people who buy FG and then discover that they've purchased a bare-bones system that isn't gonna work nearly as well as one would think when one buys a $40 product.

[dulux-oz]

Hi Scott,

In short, no, most people don't feel like they've been scammed - you don't need to buy the extar Modules (Books) as you can do it all manually, but yes, the Modules do make things easier/quicker.

You will find that you will want to purchase "extra" stuff no matter which VTT you choose to use - again, you don't need too (I generally don't, because I write my own stuff), but you'll have to decide what your time is worth to do it all yourself or pay someone else to do it for you (ie buy the Modules).

However, SmiteWorks are pretty good about refunds, etc - shoot an email over to [email protected] explaining your situation and see what they can help you with.

I personally hope you see the value in both the product and this great community and stick around, but if its not for you then that's OK too.

Cheers

[ScottFromPortland]

Thank you, Dulux-Oz!
(And, Pindercarl!)

[pindercarl]

Sorry to hear that. A Fantasy Grounds license is for the software, which includes a number of rulesets adapted for use in Fantasy Grounds. In the case of 5E this includes the basic rules and SRD data. Additional resources are not required for the 5E ruleset, but are definitely recommended as illustrated in the post linked above. The price for the modules/resources are determined by the publisher, in this case Wizards of the Coast, and are comparable to the same resources on D&D Beyond and less than on Roll20.

If you purchased through the store on the Fantasy Grounds website, there is a 30-day refund policy. If you have issues, you can send an e-mail to [email protected].

[Trenloe]

@ScottFromPortland - sorry you feel you’ve been scammed. As Carl has mentioned there are the SRD and Basic rules modules that come with Fantasy Grounds - these are activated through the Library - Modules window and will give you a lot of data to get going.

I’m not aware of any official page/posting that would have led you to believe that you got the PHB, DMG and MM official WotC products with any FG license. The features list on the home page shows that you get data libraries for the D&D Basic Rules and SRD, but doesn’t say anything about getting the PHB, DMG or MM. There are also many threads in these forums, and videos/streams where this is mentioned. Scamming is when someone tells you one thing but then gives you something else (or doesn’t give you anything that they said they were going to give you). If there is some post/information released by SmiteWorks that led you to believe you’d get the PHB, DMG and MM with your Standard FG license please let us know where so that it can be reviewed and modified if necessary.

There’s a lot of data in the Basic Rules and SRD library modules. Load those up and have a look through the features and functionality, if you have any questions, please come back and ask.

[damned]

It feels very much like I got tricked into buying way less than I thought I was buying. It will be much harder to create games here unless I shuck out another $60 dollars or more. Plus, will I then discover that there are even more hidden missing portions that are gonna cost me more? It feels like I've been scammed. If I'm mistaken about this, please let me know!
If I'm not mistaken and I'm still gonna feel scammed, is there a quick refund available?

There is about $10,000 worth of add-ons available for Fantasy Grounds. In the Store, where you got the license from. It is surprising that all those authors and artists and publishers are charging for their products.

If not, I'll give it a day or two before I rant about this on Facebook to warn others not to get similarly scammed by purchasing a "Surprise, gotta invest a bunch more money!" version of Fantasy Grounds.

It really seems like my response must fairly common for people who buy FG and then discover that they've purchased a bare-bones system that isn't gonna work nearly as well as one would think when one buys a $40 product.

It makes me sad that adults today choose to casually threaten bullying over Social Media as a way to resolve an issue that isnt even an issue. There is so much information about the additional products and what is and isnt included and the refund policy is right there at the top of the page where the licenses are sold:

--
Fantasy Grounds Licenses
Option 1 Choose a Subscription
** READ FIRST ** --> FAQ on subscriptions
30-day Money Back Guarantee on all Purchases
Standard Subscription
Ultimate Subscription

Option 2 One-Time Purchase
No Monthly Subscription Needed
Fantasy Grounds License$39
Ultimate License$149
--

The refund policy is no questions asked - if you are not happy they will give you your money back.

Apologies for being short.

There is a lot of included material. But this obviously does not include material that Fantasy Grounds dont have permission to give away. For 5E there is the full SRD and also the full Basic Rules. For 3.5E/Pathfinder there is a condensed SRD. There is also a lot of Pathfinder PRD/SRD material on the forums. There are lots of community developed rulesets available on the forums/wiki but these do not contain the test/graphics as they are copyright. There are several commercial rulesets in the store (for sale) that also contain reference books and materials.

Also just in case there is some confusion - this is not a game in itself. It is a virtual table top and you do need to connect up with others to play games as you would for a face to face gaming session - only this can be done from home.

If a virtual table top is what you are after - this is an amazing product - with great support - and one who pays proper royalties and license fees to the game publishers and authors and artists - so hopefully you will stick with it and see what it can do. You do have 30 days (maybe 29 now) to discover as much about it as you like. There are plenty of people here who can help answer questions. There are great resources like the User Manual https://www.fantasygrounds.com/filel...UserManual.pdf and Wiki https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/ and Discord https://discord.gg/VKbhkSt and there is a group of enthusiasts who run introductory classes for new comers - https://discordapp.com/invite/Ew6nYyw

Holler if you have questions.

[SirGraystone]

On top of what have been written already, in a game you use the DM books, so as player you need none of those books.

[Targas]

When I started FG 5 years ago, I had a similar confusion, like you had. It would certainly help to read a product description stating, you buy a skeleton piece of SW, you can enhance by buying rulesets, the formulars/mathematics of a rule system, as well as content you don‘t have to generate like rulebooks. It might seem obvious to veterans, but it was not to me when I started playing VTTs. That‘s how you should look at it, and it would make sense. Why would a company like WotC give their content besides SRDs away gor free..