D&D 5E Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, or both

[Thateous]

Which do you prefer and why. I'm also curious which is better for AL games.

 

[ehenning]

Not playing AL, but in general FG is great for having direct access to the full set of 5e core books, not just the SRD. You can also buy WotC campaigns which saves a lot of time.

I actually use Roll20 in TTRPG, as a virtual map with real minis mixed with virtual minis. Everyone has their own books (physical) and we are all in the same room. Real dice are rolled and RP is face-to-face. I love the flexibility of pulling up a large map on my TV to show players where they are.

Also, Roll20 is browser-based, which has all the attached pluses and minuses. FG isn't native on Mac, so I feel like it's a wash there. If you get used to one system, must make it hard to switch, I would suspect.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Ive used both and prefer roll20 - it is more reliable in my experience, and the roll20 devs are constantly improving their service. They are both good, however.

 

[Shiroiken]

I've heard good things about FG. I even played around with it a bit with a demo copy. That said, Roll20 is almost as good (if not better), and it's FREE. That makes it an easy decision for me.

 

[Blue]

Fantasy Ground is a solid 7 out of 10 and improving. It's still maturing - it can handle 90% of the rules, but that means you need to manually handle it, and sometimes undo an automatic thing. (Like when a save "fails" and it applies full damage and a condition, but it would really save due to the paladin aura it doesn't track which would be just half damage and no condition.) It's got a decent language to script, so it could handle houserules. Occasional bugs with connecting or stability. Easy for the DM to use. FG is considerably more expensive.

 

[epithet]

I use Fantasy Grounds, and I would be unhappy to give up its ease and automation. It does have a steep learning curve, but once you become familiar with the program and its quirks it spoils you rotten. As people have said, the application and its digital tools are constantly being tweaked and upgraded to improve the user's experience.

Either platform will let you start for almost nothing. Roll20 starts free for the most basic functionality, while subscribers get "bells and whistles." The free version of Fantasy Grounds will let you become familiar with the software and connect to a host with an "ultimate" license, and comes with the 5e SRD and basic rules packages included.

Where Fantasy Grounds really begins to shine for the user who has the ability (or willingness) to buy the full 5e set of materials. These typically cost about as much as the physical product's MSRP, but often have a lot of functionality built in to support the automation Fantasy Grounds is capable of. For example, dragging a monster from the FG version of the Monster Manual onto the combat tracker (where initiative and hit points, etc. are tracked) will give the DM clickable abilities and a fully populated list of clickable spells or spell-like abilities, meaning you just need to target a PC and click to attack and again to apply damage. To achieve that level of ease-of-use from Roll20 requires a lot more set-up ahead of time.

That said, if you use a lot of home-brew material (classes, monsters, whatever) in your campaign, Fantasy Grounds absolutely gives you the complete freedom to set those things up yourself, and use them along side the "official" published materials.

Ultimately, either Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds will be a useful tool for your campaign. From what I've heard, Roll20 is probably a better choice for a digital tool to enhance your traditional coffee table game night, where your players want to roll physical dice and look at a paper character sheet. Both products are being constantly upgraded and driven by competition with each other, which benefits users of either.

One important thing to keep in mind is that neither of these platforms will transform your campaign into a video game. They're both virtual gaming tables, designed to facilitate and enhance the traditional tabletop gaming experience.

 

[Ath-kethin]

I use Roll20, because it is free and because I don't want/need a computer to play the game for me. My friends and I use Skype to videoconference (yes, I know Roll20 can do that too but we don't use that part) and Roll20 for maps and references. We still roll dice on the table(s) and use character sheets.

Basically, all I needed was a way to communicate diagrams to my players, and Roll20 does it very well and for free.

Edit: not an AL game in any way shape or form.

 

[ehenning]

One more comment: if you use Roll20 as a free, ad-supported service and are happy with those features, it's probably the best option. However, if you want to compare FG to Roll20, you really need to compare the Roll20 Pro account, and realize you don't have the full 5e core rules (although you do have the SRD). FG is a one time payment of $149 while Roll20 is $99/year. So, if you are playing for more than a year and a half, FG ends up being a better 'deal' price-wise.

Of course, a lot can change in 18 months, but that's the way it looks here. Also, you can get both for the same price, $9.99/month.

 

[Thateous]

Does 149 for fg include the full set of core material?

Also, i played a game on roll20 and the dm had auto-rolling initiative and a turn indicator that pm'd you when it was your turn. Is that all readily accessible or does it require some coding/ macro downloads?

 

[ehenning]

Does 149 for fg include the full set of core material?

Also, i played a game on roll20 and the dm had auto-rolling initiative and a turn indicator that pm'd you when it was your turn. Is that all readily accessible or does it require some coding/ macro downloads?

I honestly am not sure. Can anyone clarify? The FG site says you get full 5e core material, but there are still separate items to buy for the DMG, PH and MM. If you get Ultimate, does that include all the core 5e material?