Fantasy Grounds

[leozelig]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

Expensive for gamers on a budget, but worth every penny once you learn the ropes. Community is very friendly and always willing to help you get the most out of Fantasy Grounds. Not perfect but definitely the best. For a preview, check out the video tutorials on YouTube.

 

[Griogre]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

I'm giving this 5 of 5 stars primarily from a GM's perspective. As a GM there are several things I really like about about Fantasy Grounds: 1) Buy once, no monthly fee. Plus you are not dependant on anyone's servers, and your game data and scenarios are on your computer. You player's can use Smitework's servers to connect using a four word alias but they can direct connect in an IP address. 2) Prep time. For the GM it takes no longer to prep a game than in a face to face game and it may be faster than for some RPG's. I have tried other virtual tabletops and most take *more* time to prep than a face to face game. 3) Licensed products. License products cost money but are massive time savers when it comes to data input, if you do have the time then you can input everything manually and you can alter the licensed information to suit your game if you wish. If you play 5E and can afford the licensed products they are awesome time savers. 4) Face to face feel. It kind of hard to explain but many virtual table tops feel like you are playing your game on a thinly disguised spreadsheet or database program. FG for some reason feels much more like a face to face game to me. Maybe its partly the 3D dice or the non-OS standard interface, mostly I think it's because the character sheet is the focus of this virtual tabletop. Most VTT have a strength and FG's is character sheets. If you can understand the character sheet of the game you make rolls right off the character sheet in most rulesets. 5) The downside is FG costs money. This is not a huge deal for me but for some it is a deal breaker.

 

[Sedgemund]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

Due to not being able to meet up in person our games stopped. Now we have Fantasy Grounds and can keep playing. Most Excellent! It's a great system, tricky to learn but once you do the games run well.

 

[Brian Mccray]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

easy and love the maps and images of monsters

 

[Honken]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

All i need from VTT is a dice roller and digital character sheet. Fantasy Grounds have that. I am an old user, I have used it since right before it's 2.0 iteration. The only way i would change to something else would be if SmiteWorks. Some of the D&D 3/4/5 automation are cool and helpful, but i don't want to play a computer game, i want to play a TTRPG./H

 

[Szabtom]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

I have not played or DM-ed for over a decade due to work and distance from friends. With Fantasy Grounds I finally got back into the hobby again a few months ago. The D&D 5e integration is superb and the pre-made content saves me a lot of time. Monsters, tokens, complete modules (with maps and text content) ready at my fingertips. It is also easy to add my own content (pictures, battlemaps, characters, story). Rolling dice in 3D is just icing on the cake. There is a bit of a learning curve but the community is super helpful. They even create their own rulesets for games not supported officially and share them for free. You can find Shadowrun, The One Ring and many others available just a few clicks and a download away.

 

[warderbrad]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

Fantasy grounds is a great product. Like any software it is always improving and making additions. The one thing that really makes this stand out is that the developers listen to the users and try their best to incorporate the suggestions.

 

[Mithreinmaethor]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

Have found the basic usage of Fantasy Grounds for online play of 5e to be great and has afforded me opportunities to play I do not otherwise have.

 

[snotling]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

Disclaimer: This review is on creating modules/encounters in Fantasy Grounds. Easy. I was able to convert one of Goodman Games modules (Glitterdoom) over to fantasy grounds in about 5 hours. This may seem a little long, but for my first conversion I think it was rather smooth. At first look it seems daunting and overwhelming, but once you dig into it (and watch a few tutorials) it is really not all that hard. Jason Hibdon (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmlMwM9IZb5e85ziAqIITEQ) has a three part series that to totally recommend watching when you go to build your module. Follow his layout and you will find it is just as easy as the video suggests.The Library section will come in handy has I add more and more things to it. I will be able to create my own custom libraries of items, npcs, monsters, etc. This is a big plus for the program. My group has tried a few things in playing long distance, most of them never worked, took too long, or just did not have the components that we needed. This tool looks like it fills in all the gaps. Combine this with google hangouts or skype and it will be a huge win for the remote player.So far the only down fall is the price, but that can not be avoided. The engine itself is cheap and at a one time cost it is worth it. You can get the Ultimate edition that costs more, but it is only needed if you plan on having other players attach to you, without buying the basic version. This can be cost effective if all the folks in the party chip in for the DM to get it. All the addons can get a bit expensive, but they are not needed to run the program as a dm or as a player. They are only needed if you want to get more out of the tool without putting much effort into it. For example, the dnd 5th ed starter box adventure is an additional $20.00. I already have the box set, but have not decided if I should import it (type it up) or just spend the money and save myself some time. They do have token sets and maps and more. Many of these can be created if you have the time.Overall, I am really (really) happy that I purchased it. It has opened up the ability to play with some of my gamer friends that moved away long ago. I look forward to role-playing with them again. Thanks Fantasy Grounds

 

[dshuppert]

5 out of 5 rating for Fantasy Grounds

Fantasy Grounds helped me get two of my old rpg groups back together! Have haven't been able to play for years due to location. We use it for DnD 5E and it is incredible! I can't say enough good things about it