Change My Mind: Invest in FG, need top 5e capability but also OSR/ShadowofDemonLord
Hello everyone!
Several weeks ago I posted on multiple subreddits regarding my internal debate on whether to choose Fantasy Grounds or Roll20 at my main VTT. A majority of users there recommended Roll20 but some strong advocates for FG also came along and offered confident praise and pointed me toward the community here which was said to be very active and helpful, so here I am. I am sure this debate has come up time and time again, but here I offer you a little twist.
Let's cut to the chase: Between Fantasy Grounds and Roll20, which supports OSR/Shadow of the Demon Lord better, if at all?
An introduction that goes back in time is in order: I have been DMing a game of homebrew DND 5e for 5-6 people for over a year now. I absolutely love the versatility of the systems but what really makes it stick with me is the sheer amount of content that fans create, some of which is bad sure, but some of which is brilliant. With that said, about four months ago I began researching two other RPG systems that I absolutely love the sound of:
- Lamentations of the Flame Princess
- Shadow of the Demon Lord
I now own these systems and both match my DM and world style, which is very Dark Souls-esque but I have not tried either...yet. Fast forward to now and one of our beloved players is leaving to California and potentially not coming back (it's for work, and it's up to her so we shall see). Upon hearing this news two of my most tenured players (45 years experience between the two of them) were very sad as they like her very much and through some sort of miracle began suddenly open to the idea of gaming online with her to make our games work and not exclude her. Before I go on let me state that I believe there's something special about sitting around a table physically with your friends to game but I've been itching to try to play online as well and these two were the biggest roadblocks to that.
So now we get to the question above. We all know both support DND 5e quite well but what about other content they don't advertise as front page? I am aware of the power of Fantasy Grounds and have heard horror stories of Roll20 requiring you to build macros to make it automated but those may be untrue. On the other hand, I have heard that Roll20 is more open platform and some fans of LotFP and SotDL have created some sort of "mod" for it but perhaps not Fantasy Grounds?
With that said some users responded on reddit and one stated something that had me worried:
"Both can handle both of those systems fine.
For me, though, there's not even a competition between Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. Fantasy Grounds has the same problem most other VTT's have, which is that it is software that you run from your own computer. Everyone has to download, install, and connect, creating many opportunities for tech issues to pop up. The number of sessions I lost to tech supporting people's issues is unacceptable to me."
Another user responded to the above stating, "I use Fantasy Grounds a lot for online play and never had any issues and the only issues other people have is when their internet is not stable. The only technical issue one may face is to open a port on their router, some routers will automatically open it and some won't. "
So in the end it was a wash but is this true?
My mission statement for this: I want a virtual tabletop that will play DND 5e better than the other but also have the versatility or ability to play LotFP and/or SotDL if I decide to switch. I do not want to invest $200-400 (which I will be getting the top of the line content) and then have to switch. I am interested in a VTT because of the ease of use and ability to lay down exquisite (i.e. immersive) maps, monsters, etc and not worry about tracking math (for the most part) which will lend more time for me to immerse my players and myself. Furthermore, having the power & speed of a computer at my fingertips during play will be very useful as I currently use an iPad Pro at the table linked to all my files and it's fine but I'm just faster on my PC.
Are either of these major VTT’s out there useable? Perhaps only one is useable and that’s for LotFP? Or perhaps the opposite is true and SotDL is the one with the mod support?
If you need to clarify something before answering fully please feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my ability, though keep in mind I am no knowledge/content expert for either VTT platform.