The only free content that concerns me is official rulesets. I'm not interested in fancruft, and I'm not interested in having to manually import readily available open source content into a system I am paying for.
https://roll20.net/compendium/
So following that link I see the following official source content available on Roll20:
- D&D 5E
- Pathfinder
- StarFinder
- Dungeon World
- Drama World
FG has the following official sources/content:
- D&D 5E
- Pathfinder
- StarFinder
- Call of Cthulu (6E & 7E)
- Savage Worlds
- Mutants & Masterminds
- Castles & Crusades (this one might be $10 for everything, not sure)
- FATECore
- Rolemaster
- Traveller
- Symborium
- 13th Age
- WOIN
- Dead Lands
If we're talking about average use cases, which you appear to be keen on, the average user is never going to hit these limits.
Says who? I use Roll20, rarely, and I have hit these limits. But, regardless, they are serious limits (only able to share what you purchase to 1, 3, or 5 campaigns? Restrictions on moving characters or other content between campaigns?) and each individual should be aware of them and take them into consideration. Its not up to us to say they should be ignored.
Your argument seems to be that you get less for the money you opt to spend on Roll20 than you do for the money you opt to spend on FG. This is only logical -- FG has an upfront buy-in comparable to an enterprise application, while Roll20 does not.
Including the upfront cost (i.e. a license), in most cases you get more for your money with FG, after a reasonable amount of time. You can buy the PHB, MM, DMG, and one-time standard license on FG for $129, and that is good forever.
On Roll 20 you can buy the PHB and MM for $80. But you can't buy the DMG at all. And then if you want to use those books in more than one campaign, you have to pay $5/month. So in 10 months, you have broken even with Roll20, plus you still don't have the DMG in your VTT.
So, just so we're clear, the actual cost of a Standard license is $20/month or $156, spread across a group of five.
If you buy the most expensive set of licenses for that use case. Why would you not just go with an Ultimate? Then it would be $10/month or $149. Or if you insisted on Standard licenses, then buy the 4 pack from Steam?
I'm cutting all this filler about licensed paid content, and you should thank me, because the real message here is that it's shocking FG charges as much as Roll20 does for licensed content on top of their base cost.
That is just flat out wrong, again. Is that why you cut out and ignored all the quoted prices? For most official content, FG is about 60% of price of the same official content as Roll20. In general 5E stuff is $30 on FG and $50 on Roll 20.
Honest question: does it speed up your game prep? Do you spend less time preparing per session using FG than you would running live?
Honest answer, it depends.
So if I run live using nothing but a dry erase map and generic mini's and fly by the seat of my pants (i.e. nothing more than a plot and encounter outlines), then "live" prep is less time.
But that's because in FG (and to some extent in Roll20) I have full color maps, I have custom images for creatures, and they are pre-placed on the maps. I have treasure parcels ready to be distribute and XP is automatically calculated and can be assigned and distributed with a couple mouse clicks.
And that makes my combats, whether I am playing online or using FG on my TV for a face to face game, take 1/2 to 1/3 the time it takes in person. As others have said, combat in FG is
fast.
So I can prep fast for a live session, but then it is all theater of the mind or maps outlined on the fly or I pull one of the many laminated maps from my stash. I may be using gnoll mini's for my army of elven bandits, or fire elemental for a hill giant. And, combat takes forever because I have to track hitpoints, look up ACs, attack bonuses and weapon damages. Calculate spell DCs, etc.
