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Question about fantasy grounds


Rathesk

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Hello all,

I purchased the hardcover CoC handbooks a few  years ago, play and keepers books.  Recently my party has delved into the fantasy grounds software to run sessions due to location and flexibility.  My question is, do I need to purchase the investigator and keepers handbooks in fantasy grounds to be able to run the system? Thanks for any help.

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The ruleset comes with the Keeper’s Handbook and it’s content. The adventures from the book are also in as modules. This is fully sufficient to run the game. The investigator book is player module and when shared will give access to wide range of professions to chose from. And of course all the art and extra content for players. If your players chip-in for the book it is definitely worth it. 

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7 hours ago, Rathesk said:

Hello all,

I purchased the hardcover CoC handbooks a few  years ago, play and keepers books.  Recently my party has delved into the fantasy grounds software to run sessions due to location and flexibility.  My question is, do I need to purchase the investigator and keepers handbooks in fantasy grounds to be able to run the system? Thanks for any help.

Yes, you will need to buy the Fantasy Grounds 7th edition Call of Cthulhu rules set module first to run any of the Call of Cthulhu scenario modules available there. The 6th edition rules set is also available for the platform and contains three scenarios which will automatically convert to 7th edition when loaded.

Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition (Ruleset)

The 7th edition Investigator Handbook is available as a separate purchase so that players and the Keeper can access this information within Fantasy Grounds.

Call of Cthulhu 7E Investigator Handbook

Fantasy Grounds is the way to go for Call of Cthulhu, imo, as this platform has far more pertinent content than Roll20 or the other virtual tabletop platforms. Do you quick search on the site and you will see.

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I'll throw some logs on the fire.

1) So, if I purchase an Ultimate subscription, so long as I maintain it, my players with the demo version would be able to participate in video conferencing using the platform?

2) Would they be able to host digital character sheets too? 

3) Despite the answers above, we could still purchase any CoC module, use hardback rulebooks for consultation, and run dice rolling and the handouts out of FG?

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46 minutes ago, klecser said:

I'll throw some logs on the fire.

1) So, if I purchase an Ultimate subscription, so long as I maintain it, my players with the demo version would be able to participate in video conferencing using the platform?

2) Would they be able to host digital character sheets too? 

3) Despite the answers above, we could still purchase any CoC module, use hardback rulebooks for consultation, and run dice rolling and the handouts out of FG?

1) If you have the Ultimate edition (it does not matter if you purchase the perpetual license or the subscription) you will be able to host games for unlimited amount of players. The platform is NOT providing audio and video capabilities. For those you will have to use Discord/Skype/Zoom/whatever. Fantasy Grounds is simply VTT. If you want your VTT to support audio and video, go for Roll20 which has OK charsheet for CoC and modules. Foundry VTT has no CoC support in the form of working charsheet, so don't go there.

2) what do you mean? Fantasy Grounds comes with ruleset with already defined character sheet with automation built-in

3) yes, you can use FG only for dice rolling... But the ruleset is coming with the Keeper's Rulebook as built-in module and automation for rolling and combat. You are free to use other books though if you have them - the product supports custom content such as spells, items, npcs and etc.

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4 hours ago, Valyar said:

1) If you have the Ultimate edition (it does not matter if you purchase the perpetual license or the subscription) you will be able to host games for unlimited amount of players. The platform is NOT providing audio and video capabilities. For those you will have to use Discord/Skype/Zoom/whatever. Fantasy Grounds is simply VTT. If you want your VTT to support audio and video, go for Roll20 which has OK charsheet for CoC and modules. Foundry VTT has no CoC support in the form of working charsheet, so don't go there.

This helps me more than you know, because I assumed that it was doing something that it doesn't do. When I've been watching videos of actual play that cite Fantasy Grounds, I assumed that all the video and audio that was wrapped into was what Fantasy Grounds was doing. Roll20 may be more what I'm looking for. Maybe Zoom. Video with screen sharing is what I really need. Not VTT support.

 

Quote

2) what do you mean? Fantasy Grounds comes with ruleset with already defined character sheet with automation built-in

Meaning that a Keeper's Fantasy Grounds account has saved digital characters for each of their players. Based upon your response, it doesn't sound like it does this either?

Thanks for responding!

Edited by klecser
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29 minutes ago, klecser said:

This helps me more than you know, because I assumed that it was doing something that it doesn't do. When I've been watching videos of actual play that cite Fantasy Grounds, I assumed that all the video and audio that was wrapped into was what Fantasy Grounds was doing. Roll20 may be more what I'm looking for. Maybe Zoom. Video with screen sharing is what I really need. Not VTT support.

 

Meaning that a Keeper's Fantasy Grounds account has saved digital characters for each of their players. Based upon your response, it doesn't sound like it does this either?

Thanks for responding!

The enterprise video conferencing solution Google Meet is now free without limitations until September 30th, 2020. That is what I use for my biweekly virtual group along with Fantasy Grounds and it works very well for five people. Roll20's integrated video solution isn't supposed to work well at all, btw.

Once a license holder purchases a Call of Cthulhu rule set module, Fantasy Grounds will perform all of the dice roll calculations with any pertinent modifiers (e.g., bonus or penalty dice, Hard or Extreme success, and so on) so it is certainly worth using.

Players can manually enter their Investigators' information into the available character sheet templates, which are then used in dice roll calculations including Sanity and Luck. If you purchase Call of Cthulhu modules in Fantasy Grounds, any pregen characters included can be loaded into your saved Campaign and then are ready-to-go for players to use immediately. I used the pregen characters for "The Dead Boarder" scenario just a few weeks ago and nothing needed to be changed except typing in the characters' personal names.

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9 minutes ago, ColoradoCthulhu said:

The enterprise video conferencing solution Google Meet is now free without limitations until September 30th, 2020. That is what I use for my biweekly virtual group along with Fantasy Grounds and it works very well for five people. Roll20's integrated video solution isn't supposed to work well at all, btw.

You just saved me 15 bucks a month/99.99 a year! Thanks @ColoradoCthulhu!

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And do the investigators need a Standard licence or just a Demo licence ?

I don't really understand FG's webpage where they explain what the different licences offer. All 3 licence types offer the same abilities except for Ultimate which has "Demo for anyone" as an extra ability ?!?!

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/FantasyGroundsUnity.php

Edited by groovyclam
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4 hours ago, groovyclam said:

Can some FGU users explain the difference to me as a Keeper if I bought just a Standard licence for FGU or do I need an Ultimate licence to host CoC scenarios ?

According to Fantasy Grounds' website, a $3.99/month Standard license does not allow a GM to host free virtual games for Demo players so the players would need to purchase a FG subscription as well. If you purchase an Ultimate perpetual license or a monthly Ultimate subscription for $9.99, then a GM can host games for Demo players so that your Investigators do not have to pay anything for Fantasy Grounds. I bought a perpetual Ultimate license, so my players only have to download the FG Unity 64-bit client and then connect to my campaign hosted on Fantasy Grounds' public cloud server.

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4 hours ago, groovyclam said:

And do the investigators need a Standard licence or just a Demo licence ?

I don't really understand FG's webpage where they explain what the different licences offer. All 3 licence types offer the same abilities except for Ultimate which has "Demo for anyone" as an extra ability ?!?!

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/FantasyGroundsUnity.php

According to the chart in your link from Fantasy Grounds, the only difference between FGU Standard and FGU Ultimate is the ability to "Host Games for Demo Players." I believe then if the GM purchases a Standard license or subscription, then the players will also need a Standard or Ultimate license or subscription to connect to your campaign. The Ultimate license includes everything so that the players only need a Demo client installation.

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Guys, the concepts are very simple when it comes to fantasy grounds version and hosting game:

Game master is the HOST. He creates the campaigns and provides the content and keeps all records such as character sheets and etc locally on his computer. He can also share sourcebooks if he/she has them purchased. Which means players don't need ot buy anything. This is how I run my games, I buy all things and share online. Some players chip in money, which is nice, but I don't mandate it. Since he is the host and clients connect to his table, the version that the players need depends on HIS version.

  • If the GM is using Ultimate - the players don't need to pay anything, they need the free demo version only. The whole data is anyway stored on the GM's computer.
  • If the GM is using Standard - each player needs to have Standard as well. The data is still saved locally on GM's computer.

Difference between Fantasy Grounds Classic and Ultimate are the engine that runs the virtual table. If you purchase product such as Call of Cthulhu it will be available for both platforms, because products from Classic are compatible with Unity.

Now Fantasy Ground Classic and Ultimate can be purchased as a subscription (monthly) or perpetual license. It is up to you. Buy subscription to test and if you like the software perpetual license is the way to go. It is much cheaper.

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19 minutes ago, Valyar said:
  • If the GM is using Ultimate - the players don't need to pay anything, they need the free demo version only. The whole data is anyway stored on the GM's computer.
  • If the GM is using Standard - each player needs to have Standard as well. The data is still saved locally on GM's computer.

Someone should tell FG that their website should copy and paste Valyar's text. Their own webpage is clear as mud to someone trying to work out what licence to buy/subscribe to.

I think "Demo" is probably a poor choice of words for the low level licence - something like "Player Character Only" might have been better. 

Edited by groovyclam
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3 hours ago, Valyar said:

Guys, the concepts are very simple when it comes to fantasy grounds version and hosting game:

With  respect, whether you find them simple or not doesn't matter to your audience. As an educator, if someone asks you a question, saying "it's simple" doesn't instantaneously make it simple in the audience's mind. You have to know your audience. Not all of us are tech savvy, or have experience in VTTs.  We're also essentially asking these questions because Fantasy Grounds website does not adequately make it clear to us what we are paying for. That isn't our problem. That's Fantasy Grounds' problem.

I'd like to point out that what you said in your last message is far clearer than anything anywhere on the website. Thank you for doing that. 

Quote

Someone should tell FG that their website should copy and paste Valyar's text. Their own webpage is clear as mud to someone trying to work out what licence to buy/subscribe to.

I think "Demo" is probably a poor choice of words for the low level licence - something like "Player Character Only" might have been better. 

And I typed my response before reading this. ;) Well said groovyclam!

Edited by klecser
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3 hours ago, Valyar said:

Guys, the concepts are very simple when it comes to fantasy grounds version and hosting game:

Game master is the HOST. He creates the campaigns and provides the content and keeps all records such as character sheets and etc locally on his computer. He can also share sourcebooks if he/she has them purchased. Which means players don't need ot buy anything. This is how I run my games, I buy all things and share online. Some players chip in money, which is nice, but I don't mandate it. Since he is the host and clients connect to his table, the version that the players need depends on HIS version.

  • If the GM is using Ultimate - the players don't need to pay anything, they need the free demo version only. The whole data is anyway stored on the GM's computer.
  • If the GM is using Standard - each player needs to have Standard as well. The data is still saved locally on GM's computer.

Difference between Fantasy Grounds Classic and Ultimate are the engine that runs the virtual table. If you purchase product such as Call of Cthulhu it will be available for both platforms, because products from Classic are compatible with Unity.

Now Fantasy Ground Classic and Ultimate can be purchased as a subscription (monthly) or perpetual license. It is up to you. Buy subscription to test and if you like the software perpetual license is the way to go. It is much cheaper.

Thank you for this concise summary of Fantasy Grounds' VTT options. However, I am fairly sure that all content for a host's campaigns is stored on FG's cloud server if a host is using Fantasy Grounds Unity. I checked my hard drive and the 'C:' Drive's Fantasy Grounds installation doesn't seem to have specific files for the two campaigns I've created. Fantasy Grounds Classic, the 32-bit client, is hosted on a local computer and requires port forwarding for the players to connect to a campaign.

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51 minutes ago, ColoradoCthulhu said:

However, I am fairly sure that all content for a host's campaigns is stored on FG's cloud server if a host is using Fantasy Grounds Unity.

There does seem to be an option for creating the campaign on your own LAN rather than "CLOUD" so maybe you can have the players join direct to your PC if you port forward from your internet IP to your PC's IP with Unity too ?

Also I think Unity puts stuff in your userid directory not in its install directory ( i.e. C:\Users\YOURUSERID\AppData\Roaming\SmiteWorks\Fantasy Grounds\campaigns\ )

Edited by groovyclam
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3 minutes ago, groovyclam said:

There does seem to be an option for creating the campaign on your own LAN rather than "CLOUD" so maybe you can have the players join direct to your PC if you port forward from your internet IP to your PC's IP with Unity too ?

I'm not sure, but that sounds right. I know there is a LAN option for Fantasy Grounds Unity, but it is only one of the choices now with the introduction of FG's cloud server. The cloud server saves a good deal of set-up and troubleshooting on the host side.

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Everything that you create as campaign in Fantasy Grounds Classic and Unity is stored locally. Even modules that you export for re-use are stored locally. The cloud "Service" in Unity version is just to solve the port forwarding issues you might have when hosting a game as game master. Aside from that - no cloud storage at all. Everything is locally.

The default location is C:\Users\YOURUSERID\AppData\Roaming\SmiteWorks\Fantasy Grounds, but you can move it if necessary and change the data location. Unity installed gives you the option to define it during the install.

Edited by Valyar
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Very good description of Fantasy Grounds. An important distinction- Fantasy Grounds Classic requires port forwarding on the host machine. If you don't know how to do this or don't want to, Unity would be the choice, as you can host using Smiteworks cloud. I ran Masks using Classic a few years ago. It was a PITA to get the port forwarding set up, as I am not an IT guy. The program works very well. I have a Unity subscription now, and plan to run some 7th ed stuff on it. I do love the Classic green table top and am not in love with the new look of the table top. Anyone know if the Unity version can be converted to the old look?

M

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The old look is actually the 6E edition ruleset. There is no way to extract the images and desktop code from the pak file, as it is encrypted in the vault I think. It will require the ruleset authors to provide extension with the proper code so you can do it. Haven't explored if there isn't such one in the forums though, as I like the new one more. :)

PS: Just a remark on the "cloud part" - campaigns are still local, even with Unity. nothing is stored in the cloud. The main benefit of Unity is that you use Fantasy Grounds cloud to route the data between client and the host.

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3 hours ago, Valyar said:

PS: Just a remark on the "cloud part" - campaigns are still local, even with Unity. nothing is stored in the cloud. The main benefit of Unity is that you use Fantasy Grounds cloud to route the data between client and the host.

Another good point about this is if your ISP doesn't give your internet connection a static IP then inbound connections/port forwarding is even more of a PITA but Unity gets around this by the routing via the FG servers.

It definitely would be possible to "skin" the 7th Ed desktop to look like the 6th Ed but in no way is it trivial - you need to be a bit of a code jockey and a fair bit of time. I'm picking apart some skins to try and make a working Trail of Cthulhu ruleset but it is a very steep learning curve. Ironically FG's best use is in crunchy combat games with the combat tracker - I'm actually trying to cut that out ( or drastically simplify it ) for Trail of Cthulhu.

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  • 2 months later...
On 5/9/2020 at 3:49 AM, Valyar said:

It also provides good level of automation and combat/chase management via the combat tracker. Attacks, calculations of extreme success and max damage are handed very well.

Can you point me some instructions manual or tutorial - if there is such a thing - so I could master those features? I just bought the Keeper's and I'm kinda lost. Thanks!

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