roll20 secures D&D 5E license

[kylania]

https://www.polygon.com/2016/7/28/12...browser-online

Works on tablets and phones now too apparently.

[NotRussellCrowe]

D&D 5e is just getting bigger and bigger. Great for everyone if it pushes the hobby into more homes. I actually came to Fantasy Grounds for 5e but found that having the ability to play many other systems with official modules and settings is simply amazing and wonderful. The community we have here at Fantasy Grounds is top notch, simply the best. One day I'd like to give back and convert modules/settings/etc..

[Answulf]

Not to sound too dense, but isn't that really bad news for Fantasy Grounds? Or am I missing something?

[Trenloe]

Yeah, on face value it is bad news for FG. But competition can be good...

It may also be good news for FG - all of those Roll20 types who complain about the cost of FG and 5E products will now have to pay similar amounts for 5E content on Roll20, as the costs appear to be the same based off the pricing of LMoP on Roll20 and FG. This might be a wake-up call and prompt some Roll20 users to start to look at FG seriously for their 5E gaming needs.

[Diceman]

Yeah, on face value it is bad news for FG. But competition can be good...

It may also be good news for FG - all of those Roll20 types who complain about the cost of FG and 5E products will now have to pay similar amounts for 5E content on Roll20, as the costs appear to be the same based off the pricing of LMoP on Roll20 and FG. This might be a wake-up call and prompt some Roll20 users to start to look at FG seriously for their 5E gaming needs.

This was my first thought on reading the press release on EN World. Over the years the people that played using Roll20 instead of FG always used the excuse that Roll20 was free. I'm sure that WOTC is going to expect similiar costs for their properties that they do from FG.
Let's face it, most RPG players (especially the older ones like me) are tightwads. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to local mini cons and seen players with huge three ring binders with xeroxed copies of gaming material. To me it was always as bad as people downloading music or movies for free. The only time I can see justification for that is when the source material is out of print and there is no online market place to purchase legitimate pdfs.

Back on topic, I read Mr. Davidson's comments on the ENWorld site and I am glad to see he has a positive attitude about it. It just reinforces my opinion of the great people at FG and the FG community.

[gqwebb]

It's good for the community but for me I am all in on fg already. I looked at roll20 back when I moved off 4eturntracker and I went with fg because it was so awesome!! Still glad I made a smart choice.

[HoratioDrank]

I've become quite a dedicated FG fan and users. I like what Smite Works has done with their product, and I've voted for my favorite VTT with my dollars. That said, I'm extremely pleased that Roll20 is entering the officially licensed D&D fray. I think competition is good for the space and it's good for the consumers who play and purchase within that space.

[Galach]

Not to sound too dense, but isn't that really bad news for Fantasy Grounds? Or am I missing something?

Well... I can only see it as a “bad news” for Fantasy Grounds if Roll 20 start to offer the same degree of automation as FG 5th ed modules offer us.

If not, I would not switch to it even if Roll 20 started to offer 5th ed material for free: I do not have the time, patience or will to do macro programing – and FG gives me almost everything I need in this regard right out of the box.

[damned]

Competition is good for the consumers - and it will have some impact on FG for sure - hopefully it will be that more players will eventually look for the increased power/automation of Fantasy Grounds.

[NotRussellCrowe]

Here's my take on it. D&D 5e is very popular, more so than any other time in history. Because of this RPGs are becoming much more mainstream, so many people know about D&D and other RPGs and not in a bad way like the 80's. This means people are becoming more interested in the game and seeking it out, either because they are just hearing about it/seeing it being played and want to try it out or since it is now becoming an acceptable pass time for people that they can talk about at work without getting judged they are going to get into the game. There is no longer the stigma associated with the game that there once was. Or at least the stigma is becoming less and less.

Because of the above there are going to be people that want to play online for a variety of reasons and they are going to start investigating VTTs. Now Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds do many things the same, but they do some things differently. People may start on Roll20--because that's what people on reddit seem to push more than anything else--but find that the offerings of Fantasy Grounds suits them better (that was my case). Of course the opposite is also possible, but the point is that the more people looking to play online then the more potential customers for Fantasy Grounds. There are likely millions of people out there who are only just hearing about D&D (and other RPGs) now and who want to get involved. Some of them are going to want to play online and will research and try out all the options.

Now I admit I don't know enough about Roll20 but at least with Fantasy Grounds there are so many other systems you can play with lots or full automation. I didn't even know about Call of Cthulhu until I encountered it on Fantasy Grounds, now my wife and I are addicted. I'll be buying some of the physical books (when they are in stock), already have Cthulhu Britannica London en route and plan to run games both offline and online once I'm comfortable enough with the rules.

Fantasy Grounds has such an amazing community who give so much back to everyone that even if it doesn't have as many active users as Roll 20 that doesn't make it a failure or not as good (I don't know the numbers but I have no problem finding games to play in or players for my games). The employees of Smite Works and those who do the module conversions and extensions in their spare time will continue to make Fantasy Grounds not only a top of the line VTT but also one of the best communities around.