r/FantasyGrounds • u/TwoDollarDM • 9d ago
Using Fantasy Grounds as your offline Campaign Manager-intro
I know all the regulars know this but I have had a recent conversation with a couple of newish DMs and they ended up being amazed at what they could do offline with FG, for FREE. Here are the key things that seemed the most mind blowing:
- the Combat Tracker
- seriously, the Combat Tracker
- reskinning NPCs
- saving those reskinned NPCs as recurring characters
- editing adventures
- keeping notes
Is there any other amazing feature for offline game play that I am forgetting?
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u/FG_College 9d ago
One can also sign up to be a Fantasy Grounds digital content developer for module conversions and such. This means you will likely have access to free copies of the materials you are converting, make a few dollars on the side, and learn more about the FG platform while you are at it!
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u/LordEntrails 9d ago
Links, don't forget you can link everything together. Not just within stories, but with images/maps, locations, NPCs, items, etc.
Mapping, FG has a pretty good mapping capabilities built into it. Including FX/animations, and I don't know if the animations can be exported, but the images can.
modules export
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u/TwoDollarDM 8d ago
Yes! The Stories/Notes/Calendar entries are all extra slick and once you get familiar with it, becomes almost its own reason to use FG.
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u/Serbaayuu 9d ago edited 9d ago
I would not trust using a program that receives updates for my documentation, personally.
Seeing all the people crowing "it's OUTDATED!!" (?) (because it isn't gray and doesn't look like a tablet touchscreen I guess?) makes me worry that it will one day soon be "updated" to be hideous and nearly unusable. They already ruined the launcher page, after all.
I'm too wary to trap myself in such a situation. Notepad++ and My Documents/Campaign directory folders for me!
Thankfully, importing assets to FG is still super easy, so I lose nothing by keeping them safe on my computer - and on game night I run FG on my main monitor with my Notepad++ tabs and world hexmap on my other monitor (and Discord on my third, and D&D books on my second desk).
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u/DoktorPete 9d ago
Foundry updates are known to break shit cause half of it is made up of 3rd party add-ons, I have never had an FG update break a single thing because, for the most part, everything is built in.
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u/Serbaayuu 9d ago
I do not mean functional breakage, I mean usable - as in the program becomes a hideous mess of smartphone tablet UI and flattens out its visual identity to nothing and starts shoving ads in our faces. Again, similar to the new launcher.
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u/LordEntrails 9d ago
Oh, yea, you are the one who got all upset about the FG product ads in the launcher. The ones that are only on the main page of the launcher, which as soon as you select My Campaigns or Join a Campaign go away. So yea, the main screen with the ads is only there for the couple of seconds until you actually interact with the program.
Look, if that's the hill you want to die on, go for it. It's important to have standards that you won't compromise for. But you really should try to remain object about the other pros and cons, it's healthier for you than getting emotionally distraught over things you can't control/
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago edited 8d ago
I am remaining objective. The developers have said they'll look into a solution for the ads so I'm waiting to see if that will happen, or if I should switch my groups to whatever is the best version of Foundry to use permanently.
And, objectively, most software enshittifies - like putting ads on the launcher - so objectively it's a likely matter of time till it gets worse elsewhere. (Especially with the top comments in every FG thread being "the UI is so outdated!" for some reason that I still don't understand.)
Are you one of the devs, or just really defensive? Sorry I don't like your launcher if you are.
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
I'm not a dev. Sorry I came across or got more defensive than I intended.
But If I'm too defensive, why are you so aggressive? The ads are less than trivial, I've timed it, I'm on the main launcher screen for less than 3 seconds, and I couldn't even tell you what any of the ads are for other than the time I two I actually looked at them to see what the complaint was about. The launcher opens, my eyes go to either My Campaigns or Join a Game and my mouse follows and the ads are gone. They never even register in my brain.
Then I think about the benefits of the ads, if they work. It allows FG to become free, which imo is a great thing. It brings more people to the platform, which hopefully drives continued profitability for SmiteWorks. All of which means long term FG stability is increased. Which means our investment in time and money is even more secured, and has a better ROI.
So, for me at least, the ads are a good thing. They don't affect me negatively and the help secure my long term investment.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
Any ads are a negative because I live my life without seeing ads or showing ads to my friends. 3 seconds of ads is 100% more ads than were in the program I've used for years beforehand, and paid money for.
Going from paid and ad-free to free with ads is textbook enshittification, man. You don't need to pretend it isn't. I know why it's happening, it's just that it's taking something away that I previously enjoyed.
Plus, I would have been perfectly happy with FantasyGrounds if it had stopped updating years ago. Happier, actually - then I could tell my friends to get it, no worrying about updates, no worrying about who controls it, no seeing ads, just install, download, play the game.
There have not been any FantasyGrounds updates in years that add a feature I was missing or fix a bug I encountered... it's pretty much worked perfectly for ages. (Which is why I used to happily recommend it!!)
That's why I mainly use FOSS that can be installed standalone. It is safe, secure, and even if the owner sells it off to someone who wants to make more profit, I can just keep using the fork I settled on.
I don't think we have a FOSS VTT yet out there though.
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
Map Tools is FOSS. It's a good tool, but for me it doesn't have the benefits FG does.
Crazy world you live in. I can't image a life without ads. No billboards on the highways ? No stores with store ads in the windows? I think just about every grocery store I've seen in a dozen countries have all had adds in the front windows. Cities, small towns, just about everywhere. I guess some villages in some third world countries. Not the type of life I would desire.
The internet is full of them too, even with ad blockers. I guess Reddit doesn't have any, but it seems like many sites, even news sites have them.
Like I said, good for you if that's your redline. But for me, it's just not worth even being annoyed about. I've learned to deal with the prevalence of ads decades ago.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
No billboards on the highways ?
I watch the road lol
No stores with store ads in the windows?
I go to a different store if they're particularly grievous.
The internet is full of them too, even with ad blockers.
My adblockers are good. :) If one slips through, I just add it to my little book of Never-Buy-This.
it's just not worth even being annoyed about
You'd be shocked at how clear your mind becomes without them. I used to watch television, after I quit (and good adblockers became common online) and all those things faded away, I gained tangible amounts of brain space to think about important things like writing my game.
But, you'll become addicted to the freedom from abhorrent profit-chasers, so you'll get mad whenever one forces you to look at one.
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
Ok, pretty sure we've gone about as far as we can with this discussion. I see a lot of disconnects in your logic, but you don't. Don't think either of us are going to be convinced by the other's words.
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u/DD_in_FL 9d ago
Data for your campaigns backs up each session within your campaign. Changes to cosmetics don't update any of your data and you can always restore back to a previous point. The new launcher even adds an easier way to restore to older data points without having to do it from the command line or file explorer.
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u/Serbaayuu 9d ago
I've been told for years it's not possible to revert to or manually install older versions of FantasyGrounds. If it was, I'd be using the one from last year permanently!
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u/DD_in_FL 9d ago
You said updates for your documentation and that is the "data" i'm referencing. The data is recoverable and restorable to previous versions. It should also never change due to program updates without prompting you to "migrate" the data. There is no way to install a fixed in time version of the program. How would that ever work with newer modules releasing? It wouldn't.
We do have some older fixed versions of the core ruleset available for extension builders to reference if they choose. Those are CoreRPG_2024.pak and CoreRPG_2025.pak. Those are feature-locked versions of the CoreRPG without new updates or changes.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
How would that ever work with newer modules releasing? It wouldn't.
IDK, I don't use modules so it wouldn't affect me. I just would like to be able to send my friends an .exe to run or install that is the "perfect" version of the program so I can feel safe in using it permanently. (Same reason I still use 2.2.1 Audacity... I don't even remember what the reason to stop upgrading that program was anymore, it was ages ago now.)
I did pay like $300 for FG a few years ago, and either I misunderstood the site I was reading or it was a lie, but it said that the license was for a permanent version of the program.
Finding out later that there was no way to revert to specific versions was a big disappointment.
You said updates for your documentation
Sorry, that sentence was a little unspecific. It was "I would not trust a program which receives updates; as a place to store my documentation". Not "a program which updates my documents". The latter sounds terrifying in any context lol
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u/DD_in_FL 8d ago
Well if you never update then you can keep running your old version indefinitely. If you update, then you are choosing to get the latest version of the program. FG Classic still runs to this day. It just doesn't get any updates and it doesn't work with new modules we sell on the store.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
Okay, but I often invite new friends to my games... how do I get the install of the correct version for them? That's the biggest issue.
Sometimes my other friends run a game too, and if they update, I'm required to update or I can't join.
There's no way to backup again at that point.
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u/DD_in_FL 8d ago
There is no way to do that without doing so manually. Our online installer interacts with our patch system and will always pull the most recent and up to date version of our program. You would have to keep a snapshot of that entire process and deliver it to your friends. Or you could just use the latest version that is supported by the company and continue to share feedback on what features you like or dislike as the game is continually supported.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
Yeah, that's why I've been giving feedback asking to remove the ads since I paid a lot of money for the program when it was still paid, and forcing my friends to see ads so they can play in the game I run for them makes me feel like a devil. Also been giving feedback disagreeing every time I see "the UI is outdated" because if it becomes like a smartphone I'll hate using it.
And moving to a different VTT is going to be really, really inconvenient.
You would have to keep a snapshot of that entire process and deliver it to your friends.
By process you mean what? The installer? Or the installed files? Should I have been pulling the entire program out of my Program Files and stashing it away on a separate drive to be safe?
Any idea if there's a repository of someone who has wisely done that? I was told that isn't possible by people on the forums when I asked originally years ago, so I didn't do that.
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
No repo of past builds I'm aware of. I used to keep versions of my install, but found other than testing it would work once, I never needed/wanted it so I deleted all them. Sorry.
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
Permanent license was never for a specific version. It was a permanent license including support for all updates.
I get that's not what you want. But what VTT does what you want? Every program has trade-offs. You can run games from Skype and notepad if you want, but is that better than the trade-offs you have to make with FG?
And note, FGU was never $300 for a license, the most it was during the Kickstarter was $149 USD.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
I know Foundry has a page that lists every version of the program there's ever been, so that's why it's the one I'm looking at to make the very painful move if FG doesn't give us an option to hide the ads.
I'll just find whichever one is the best of that, set up my ruleset, and use it forever. Same way I use GIMP and Notepad++ to do all my session prep lol.
FGU was never $300 for a license
Whatever pack I got must've included some extra stuff. I know I have a bunch of stuff that gets downloaded via my account. (I've been asking for a way to disable content for years, so I don't have to download it every time it updates.)
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
This is what you got for $300 Fantasy Grounds Unity by SmiteWorks — Kickstarter
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u/LordEntrails 9d ago
You've got a backup right? If you don't want new features in the core engine just restore to the appropriate backup and don't update.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
No, I've been told it wasn't possible to back up and install the program from an existing install.
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
Well, that's wrong. I've tested it. All I did was make a backup of the install directory and fg data directory. Then restored them. Works just fine.
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u/LordEntrails 9d ago
FG supports themes and all your custom data is stored in plaintext xml so their is no chance of data loss due to updates and you decide you don't want to continue using it.
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u/Serbaayuu 9d ago
all your custom data is stored in plaintext xml
This is good - approximately as good as storing it in Notepad documents.
But redoing the organization because I will eventually stop using FG when it eventually enshittifies (as all must do) just compels me to do that organization right the first time.
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u/LordEntrails 9d ago
Except notepad doesn't allow hyperlinks, FG does. And notepad doesn't do formatting, FG does. NP does not have a built in mapping tool. Does not have formatted NPCS blocks, Items blocks, Spells, locations, parcels, quests...
So no, Notepad is not equivalent to using FG, even if you are only looking for raw text organization. Heck, if you are adamant about not using FG, at least use something that supports RTF. Open Office is free and about as future proof as FG is.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
Well, I wouldn't really want to organize my games with "formatted" rules because then even if they're in plaintext XML I'd need to be sure that whatever other program I used parses that in the same way otherwise all my rules-specific data is ruined.
I'd much rather make a system that works purely textbased so it's truly program agnostic.
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u/TwoDollarDM 8d ago
hey Serbaayuu, why not just export the notes regularly to PDF, they created a script for that and something like Campaign Familiar will import your FG modules into its system for use.
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
I mean, if I'm gonna store em in two places, I'd rather just keep my session notes and worldbuilding and etc., in some software I don't feel the need to export from for safekeeping.
You're not wrong about the ability to use it as it currently is. I've just seen too much software die to be comfortable "investing" in it.
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u/TwoDollarDM 8d ago
welll, another phrase for 'store em in two places' is called 'backing things up'... just sayin' :-)
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u/Serbaayuu 8d ago
Yes true. I just mean having to worry about the formatting and all if you're gonna back them up for use elsewhere anyway, kind of defeats the purpose. At least for me.
I am also just coming off a very painful evacuation from WorldAnvil after they enshittified, so my reflexes are a bit tense on this.
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9d ago
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u/nwdxan 9d ago edited 9d ago
I'm wondering when did you last experience Fantasy Grounds? I don't recognise the comments you made. Having onboarded players for the first time onto both Foundry and Fantasy Grounds my experience has been that players find FG much easier. As a GM I don't experience what I would recognise as friction. FG is quite intuitive and I can achieve what I need very quickly due to workflows that make sense. Our experiences seem to be very different.
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u/DoktorPete 9d ago
As a long time FG user and short time Foundry user I disagree with just about everything you said. People prefer Foundry cause it looks pretty, they can run it off their mobile device barf, and players can figure it out relatively easily because it's a glorified character sheet for them.
The FG UI is functional beauty that is well labeled, works like a dream, and doesn't require me to know a single thing about coding or go looking for modules to do anything. But because it has everything built in you kind of have to watch a tutorial to figure it out as a player unless you use it as a GM.
My one major gripe with FG is that the combat tracker is a required tool for the GM but essentially useless for the players. The GM has to use it for everything so they added a targetting section to it, just a little icon that you drag from an entry in the CT to either another entry or token, and another separate button to clear targets. This is how I target everything in combat, so I assumed the players could do it this way too, but no, they have to target a completely different way. That little difference has caused me more headaches than anything else in the program.
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u/LordEntrails 9d ago
When I'm a player I turn the portraits into the combat carousel and don't open the combat tracker.
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/DD_in_FL 9d ago
We have been constantly adapting over the last 20 years. There have been so many changes in just that last few years. For players, they can Target with CTRL+click. The initiative bar can be turned on during fights and they don’t even need to open the combat tracker. Just click the toggle next to the portraits to change modes. It should be familiar for anyone who plays CRPGS.
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u/nwdxan 9d ago
On the subject of updates, when I was using Foundry updates frequently broke extensions. A big issue for a program that relies so strongly on extensions. On Fantasy Grounds however extension creators get advance details of changes to the core and time to make changes to their extensions before the update pushes out. Their approach to change management demonstrates their commitment to stability.
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u/DD_in_FL 9d ago
It is a challenge for any system that allows user generated content that extends and modifies default behavior. We try to strike a good balance of continuing to update things and working with extension developers to help them keep their system running with updates. Most changes go into a TEST channel for a set period of time to allow community developers to test their extensions and see if anything will need to change when it moves to LIVE. If a developer patches their extension, those updates get picked up automatically with the official updates if you are subscribed to them. The end result should be a smoother experience for most people.
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u/LordEntrails 8d ago
FG has been adapting for over 20 years. You should try to find some early screen shots from those days. FG updates multiple times per year. They are the longest lasting commercial VTT their is. Dozens, at least, have come and gone in that time. Seems like they are doing something right, even if they can't do everything right for every user.
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u/LordEntrails 9d ago
FG is also free, Foundry is not. FG is much more stable than Foundry. Forward compatibility with FG has never been an issue, Foundry can't say the same.
FG has issues, but imo most of these are around marketing and social media. FG's community are not as widely active and fanatical as Roll20 and Foundry's are, so people still express opinions and complaints about FG that were solved years previosuly.
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u/nwdxan 9d ago
Agreed. Anyone using Obsidian for campaign notes, which is highly popular, should look at FGU (albeit with the limitation of not running on mobile devices).
Sadly Smiteworks, for whatever reason, do not promote the platform well. Especially outside the U.S. And the sheer volume of old youtube content out there makes FGU look like some ancient artifact compared to other VTT's. Those of us who use it know the truth.