Fantasy Grounds II as 4e campaign tool?

[catsclaw227]

Hey gang --

Anyone using Fantasy Grounds II for their 4e campaigns? I am really looking for something that will give me the same kind of functionality that DM Genie gave me for 3.5.

I want to be able to set and track initiative (including ready/delay), condition and status, damage/healing/tempHP, power usage (not necessarily the math to perform calculations, just that PC1 used Power1 this encounter), item usage, etc.

I don't need it to roll dice or perform the main functions of the game.

I want it more as a tracker, a place to put my encounters and descriptions, maps, etc.

I would use it at the tabletop, not as a VT, mostly for my own use as a DM. (Note, if I could use another monitor to show players maps and maybe token placement, that would be fine, but not necessary.)

Will this do the trick? If not, what will?

 

[Hawke]

I highly suggest you check out MapTool (see sig). It's got a bunch of features out of the box that will let you run it the way you'd like, it works great with a projector in-person game (we used an LCD TV, too). There's also tons of 4E specific settings / macros / power managers / whatever else you can pick up from the community depending on how much management you went. Tons of options on their forums. The community is very friendly, too.

 

[kmdietri]

I joined a FG II RPGA group and played some 4E games online, I was so amazed at how well FG II worked I bought 4 new laptops and adopted it as my in house system.

We use a battle-mat and minis, but everything else is electronic through FG, no dice, no paper, no pencils.

I have never had games run smoother, and I swear I have no vested interest in FG.

There is an awesome 4th edition rules set you can download from fouruglymonsters.com

 

[Zulithe]

Well, I wanted to pimp Fantasy Grounds II and its wonderful 4e ruleset, because I love it. But I think you could get the same mileage out of the free tools at rptools considering your needs.

I'm not sure if I would suggest you pay $40 for the GM client of FGII only to use 1/3 of its total features. MapTool has pretty much everything you described.

 

[catsclaw227]

I highly suggest you check out MapTool (see sig). It's got a bunch of features out of the box that will let you run it the way you'd like, it works great with a projector in-person game (we used an LCD TV, too). There's also tons of 4E specific settings / macros / power managers / whatever else you can pick up from the community depending on how much management you went. Tons of options on their forums. The community is very friendly, too.

I just visited and downloaded the tools, but it looks like there are still some issues with the datafiles for 4e. I know nothing will have the level of updates that DDI's CB has, but I just need something that will let me run initiative, set conditions, manage HP and stuff.

I'll look at RP Tools and FG tonight and make a decision. Right now FG full license is discounted.

 

[tenkar]

You will need at least one full copy of FG2 to accomplish what you want, and a lite license if you want the second monitor to display just what your players can see.

I've played online using both the Warhammer 40k and C&C rulesets and its been a blast... I can't give it higher praise then that.

 

[Festivus]

My group used to use Fantasy Grounds 2 but found Maptool to be much easier to customize for 4E use... plus it's FREE. So another vote for Maptools. I haven't looked at FG2 recently to see if they have made advancements, perhaps I'll have to attend iCon this year.