Can you help me communicate what makes Fantasy Grounds so great vs others?

[Atenhotep]

Hi,

I'm a YouTube content creator. For a while now I've been planning on making a video about why I like using Fantasy Grounds. I've held off on making this though for a few reason - for example I wanted to see some indication that WotC would allow other VTTs to have the new edition of D&D. I think it now looks like they will. (Any ideas about this?)

I know why I picked Fantasy Grounds over the others but I'm not familiar with playing on the other VTTs so it's harder for me to communicate the strengths and weakness compared to the others which is something I'd like to do, respectfully of course.

So basically I'm wondering if Fantasy Grounds has some sales pitch info already written out? But even more so I'm hoping community members here could lend my their brains and do a huge data dump of info and offer suggestions and their ideas that I might incorporate into creating this video I have in mind.

Any help is much appreciated.

My channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2B...E9K7VqIhmRDkAw

[LordEntrails]

Foundry was granted a license the end of January. That now means FG, ROll20 and Foundry have licenses. d20Pro ? had one for awhile, but last I knew they had not released anything but the first couple of books in years.

You can find a bunch of thoughts and opinions at the following links;
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...l=1#post689679
Why is Fantasy Grounds so popular? : FantasyGrounds (reddit.com)
18 months on : FG vs. Roll20 vs Foundry (fantasygrounds.com)
Dungeons & Dragons - Fantasy Grounds | Why did you choose to use FGU instead of roll20 or foundry | Facebook

The official pitch is here; Fantasy Grounds Unity

[ddavison]

We mostly don’t talk about weaknesses of competition, but focus on the strength of our platform.

I have seen fans of some platforms list it as a weakness that you have to buy official D&D modules versus platforms that don’t have those modules officially supported. That is pretty disingenuous. You can enter everything in FGU as well. It should be a positive that you can buy it all officially and done for you. Our official versions also come with extra bells and whistles, such as the full text, images, automation, character builder support, maps with LOS&lighting, tokens, and portraits.

The areas where FG shines, IMO, is campaign management, ease of running combat, and smart automation. Map and image support is also as good or better than most competitors with support for layers, painting with images, animation support, special Fx, and automatic lighting and vision support. The upcoming 2D/3D camera view and token view feature is also a new feature in the space, and one that will continue to grow and improve with more functionality.

You don’t have to configure your router to host the game and are only limited by your available storage and bandwidth. No monthly fees if you buy a Standard or Ultimate license. Some competitors have a perpetual monthly fee for the full features, and others are a 1-time cost but you may need to pay a monthly fee to host your games without configuring your router.

[Jiminimonka]

Hi,

I'm a YouTube content creator. For a while now I've been planning on making a video about why I like using Fantasy Grounds. I've held off on making this though for a few reason - for example I wanted to see some indication that WotC would allow other VTTs to have the new edition of D&D. I think it now looks like they will. (Any ideas about this?)

I know why I picked Fantasy Grounds over the others but I'm not familiar with playing on the other VTTs so it's harder for me to communicate the strengths and weakness compared to the others which is something I'd like to do, respectfully of course.

So basically I'm wondering if Fantasy Grounds has some sales pitch info already written out? But even more so I'm hoping community members here could lend my their brains and do a huge data dump of info and offer suggestions and their ideas that I might incorporate into creating this video I have in mind.

Any help is much appreciated.

My channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2B...E9K7VqIhmRDkAw

As Doug says, I would just focus on what I like about using Fantasy Grounds, and demonstrate it in action.

[Atenhotep]

We mostly don’t talk about weaknesses of competition, but focus on the strength of our platform.

I have seen fans of some platforms list it as a weakness that you have to buy official D&D modules versus platforms that don’t have those modules officially supported. That is pretty disingenuous. You can enter everything in FGU as well. It should be a positive that you can buy it all officially and done for you. Our official versions also come with extra bells and whistles, such as the full text, images, automation, character builder support, maps with LOS&lighting, tokens, and portraits.

The areas where FG shines, IMO, is campaign management, ease of running combat, and smart automation. Map and image support is also as good or better than most competitors with support for layers, painting with images, animation support, special Fx, and automatic lighting and vision support. The upcoming 2D/3D camera view and token view feature is also a new feature in the space, and one that will continue to grow and improve with more functionality.

You don’t have to configure your router to host the game and are only limited by your available storage and bandwidth. No monthly fees if you buy a Standard or Ultimate license. Some competitors have a perpetual monthly fee for the full features, and others are a 1-time cost but you may need to pay a monthly fee to host your games without configuring your router.

I agree, I believe in talking up the things we love rather than criticizing the things we don't. My channel is all about positivity, and my only "drama video" is actually a history lesson on why negativity gets us nowhere.
Thanks for your response Doug, your commitment to your company was one of the major attractions to Fantasy Grounds. I'm also a small business owner Here is my company: https://hauntedhistoryseattle.com/

[BelleMuerte]

Hello, I sent you an email with some more information and an updated Fantasy Grounds logo. Please reach out if I can help you further.

[Atenhotep]

Hello, I sent you an email with some more information and an updated Fantasy Grounds logo. Please reach out if I can help you further.

Thank you very much! I received your message.

Thanks to everyone, you've been a great help.

[Nylanfs]

Matt Colville did a video on why he liked FG. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFj48x0c4EM

[rigerco]

I think the ease of automation and how fast combat can flow is something that needs a major highlight in any "pro" piece. The biggest arguments I hear from people who don't want to use FGU are: 1) steep learning curve/too intimidating, and 2) not being browser based. I'd also add in the depth of support they have with both DnD and Pathfinder. Its even better in my neck of the woods, Savage Worlds. Ikael, Jimini, Doswelk, Lonewolf and the rest of the gang do a bang up job of getting PEG product to us within a week of the official release, and they really highlight the automation capabilities of FGU. The other VTTs wait months to a year to get their SWADE content and rely on a bewildering array of add ons that conflict with each other to get what we have out of the box.

Personally I think the learning curve is overstated if you enter the process willing to learn. @Laerun does an excellent job with the Academy. There are tons of videos giving how to do various things.

As for the FGU/Unity Engine vs Browser, I think that there are some legit reasons for why they did what they did - both from a historical transition POV as well as a future support issue. Our turnkey software at work is borked at least once a year because Google has changed something in Chromium that was a key dependency and we have to spend hours to days figuring out a work around. It becomes even more convoluted when dealing with non-Chromium browsers. Coding for all of the browser and platform options just make the whole process slower and more expensive.

Thems my $0.02.

[anstett]

Reach out if you would like additional comments.

I have run my 2e game on VTT since 2003. The first 18 years using KloOge, since then on FGU. I moved my game here and invested because I know this is the best platform for my game over the long term.

We will pass the 31 year mark later this spring. I expect Smiteworks will be around when I hit the 40+ mark.