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

[Nylanfs]

Also don't forget how nice the community is.

[Morenu]

Also don't forget how nice the community is.

This needs a restatement. we started FGU at the beginning of the pandemic. Our group played together as kids from Basic - 3.5/4th ed plus so many other RPGs/LARP... I spent 2 months evaluating the various offers in 2019. we did NOT want a video game. we wanted the feel of TTRPG / pen & paper with less of the during session hassle, so the fun could flow through Discord without interruption. I like that if you have money you can save time and if you have time you can save money with entering or buying the books. I will admit that I absolutely love the automation options and the vast number of extensions and mods available by the fanbase. and the forum crowd is the absolute best. I have seen maybe 3 mildly snarky posts in 5 years (and all 3 were immediately dealt with in a kind/firm manner) and I am on the forum every day. the number of improvements over 5 years for such a small company is truly outstanding. their willingness to listen and respond is commendable.

A bonus for me has been that Paizo syncs up and discounts their product if you own it on their site. Humblebundle.com has Paizo bundles 2-4 times a year. I have saved a TON by picking up the Bundle, then buying what I want on FGU at typically half to 1/3 the cost. Owning 5e, 2e, PF1e and 2e and Starfinder books at a level I never expected, yet am truly happy about is awesome. FGU offers a way to trial run for free or a cheap monthly fee before deciding to purchase. and if you can run on the free for a while they put their software on sale multiple times a year in my experience. if you are patient, and grab the humble bundles, wait and buy as much of FGU bundles all at once and wait for sales, you can do a lot of the older, non WotC, material cheaper than you think.

Honestly, without the Extensions/Mods I would be MUCH less happy, but Smiteworks seems to understand this and seems to support them well, giving them beta access before release and creating the Forge.

[SilentRuin]

This question is easy to answer...

FGU is great because it supports the ability to change how the game plays via extensions. This way, the game can be played as it properly should be played - the only way it should be played really...

My way

Or if you want, you can create your own way with your own extensions or just use raw FGU out of the box.

But really, my way is best

[Jiminimonka]

My way is the best too!

[Morenu]

Silentruin’s way would be best if he played PFrpg instead (and better for us too. )

[Griogre]

Nah, nah - 5E all the way... ;p LOL No pulling him to the dark side...

[SilentRuin]

Silentruin’s way would be best if he played PFrpg instead (and better for us too. )

Just get my extension that you want to override - write another extension to override the bits and pieces you want to change to make it work for your world.

But that's the painful trick - you have to figure out each rulesets insanity - put the fixes in for it - then maintain it as they break you at their merest whim!

Not something I will do as the only reason 5E works for my stuff is because I actively use my own stuff - which lets be honest - is for me

The best way

That in a nutshell, is why FGU is great! Its because you can make things do what you want them to do your way. But I recommend only doing what YOU want - trying to cater to the world is a losing proposition and impossible to maintain.

[Trenloe]

@Atenhotep - I know you've mentioned D&D, but these are a lot of the reasons why I use Fantasy Grounds:

• Many officially supported rulesets and associated DLC. There is nearly 3,000 official products in the FG store!
• Works offline - allows me to do prep and dev when there's no Internet connection, or run local instances connected to a TV when playing in an unreliable connectivity area (e.g. conventions).
• 30 day no questions asked refund policy if purchased in the FG store.
• Owners listen to the community and have frequently changed their plans based off community feedback.
• Community support - for issues and modifications and discussions,
• One off payment license available - I'd rather not pay a subscription.
• Syrinscape integration and sound triggers.
• Evolving platform - there have been significant changes to the graphical support and functionality over the last year.
• Whereas some people complain about the interface, I like it. The original design was to simulate playing at a table - where there are multiple maps, images, sheets, etc. on the table - these are the FG windows. It can be argued that this is a chaotic environment, and maybe I can't argue with that, but I like the interface and the environment can be controlled with a little planning - allowing each user to have their window layout the way they like it. I can view multiple images/maps at once, can have a notes window open and make notes as we play - sharing that with other players if I wish. The environment is what you make of it.
• Ruleset automation.
• Ability to enter own data as needed and export into a module for use in other campaigns.
• Ability to code new rulesets and expand/modify existing rulesets all withing the same interface and can easily share these with other users - either via the forum or the FG Forge.

I know other VTTs can offer some of the above too - some at a similar level, others less so. But the whole package makes FG my chosen VTT for the last 10+ years and hopefully for the next 10+ years too!

[BushViper]

Fantasy Grounds is the best of the available options. It's not without its issues (primarily poor performance/laggy interface and maps), but progress on those fronts is being made; albeit slowly.

Roll20 is absolute hot, stinking garbage.

I would genuinely prefer not play RPGs online at all than use Roll20. The only reasons I believe that people still use that platform are: 1. They're unaware of the better alternatives. 2. They're not interested in learning to use another client. 3. The existing financial investment and/or the cost of investing in a new client.

Foundry is amazing. It continues to improve weekly and I believe that, eventually, it will overtake FGU as the top VTT. However, right now, it has some major issues.

The biggest problem is that it requires a ton of 3rd party add-ons to get the most out of the platform. A lot of them are free, but many are not. That said, the cost isn't the biggest problem. The issue is that there's almost no standardization/communication for mod creators and and layering their work is a house of cards. Sometimes a single update will break a mod that causes a cascading series of problems that breaks many, many other things. Sometimes making your game unplayable. Also, it's not uncommon for add-on creators to disappear or just stop maintaining their add-on(s). It sucks when you've got a campaign that has depended on a particular add-on, but suddenly stops working. The add-on community is basically the Wild West and any DM that utilizes a lot of them will spend a HUGE amount of time updating/maintaining the client on top of managing/preparing the game. Fortunately, Foundry continues to absorb the best community add-ons and make them part of the base client.

There are half a dozen+ other VTTs such as Owlbear Rodeo, etc., but none of them offer the same level of experience as the 'big 3'.

[RicePresident]

Fantasy Grounds rocks with its customization and seamless D&D integration. Check out other VTTs like Roll20 for comparison.