FANTASY GROUNDS Virtual Tabletop's D&D License!

Officially licensed D&D electronic tools! For real! Fantasy Grounds, one of the leading virtual tabletops, has just released a set of D&D 5th edition licensed data packages. These include the D&D Basic Rules, packs for each of the core classes, and a pile of monster packs. Each states specifically that "This product is licensed from Wizards of the Coast." This appears to be the first officially licensed and branded electronic product. (thanks to Matchstick for the scoop)

Check out their D&D wares here. They mention that "The DMG is still in the works, along with the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, The Rise of Tiamat and Princes of the Apocalypse." and that "The basic 5E ruleset will continue to be provided directly within Fantasy Grounds to all licenses. These purchasable options add a new graphics theme that is officially branded, along with the library module support, and whatever other enhancements we could squeeze in, like tokens or portraits or decals."

Here's the announcement:

We are proud to announce that we are officially licensed to sell D&D source material and content inside of Fantasy Grounds! This is the beginning of a great new partnership between SmiteWorks and Wizards of the Coast that will benefit gamers worldwide.

You can purchase the D&D Complete Core Class Pack with all the class, feats, spells and equipment or you can purchase individual classes only. You can also buy the monsters in packs or as the D&D Complete Core Monster Pack. These products have been converted to work really tightly with Fantasy Grounds to give you the best possible gaming experience - we know you're going to love them. They contain all the great artwork and content from the official products and all the smarts and integration to work with Fantasy Grounds. Not only will you get the same content that can be found in print, but you also get an exciting new Fifth Edition theme, adventures and content customized specifically for ease of play inside of Fantasy Grounds.

For Dungeon Masters and players on a budget, you might pick up a Player Customization Pack and one or two Class Packs of your choice. Dungeon Masters can often get by with just the Adventure of their choice and one or two Monster Packs.

Don't forget that players can gift purchases through Steam for Dungeon Masters who have linked their license on Steam.
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[Dire Bare]

It isn't about milking your customers, that wasn't my words. That was what I found condecending.

If you look at what I write, I write that it's common practice to sell as much as possible, to as high a price as possible. If you look at what they say themselves, they do say that they have occasional sales etc. Basically, selling first without rebates, and then having sales afterwards to drive sales of items that doesn't sell well. This way they generate publicity and probably sell more of those items afterwards.

I am a software developer myself, in a company with three employees and I know how expensive it is to create software, and much you need to take if the software doesn't sell to a wide audience.

We may be talking past one another, if so, sorry. Also not trying to put words in your mouth either . . . when I respond to your post, I'm certainly responding to things that you say (or at least, my interpretation of them), but I'm also using your post as a springboard to further discussion. In other words, it isn't all about you (and I don't mean that condescendingly, just trying to explain). You didn't use the term "milking" or even implied it, those are my words. I'm also furthering the conversation with the guy who used the term "fanbois", not that I can see his posts anymore.

My interp of your post was what I see happening with video games, both on services like Steam and GoG as well as on the retail shelves. New video games often retail for $60 or more (not counting "special limited" editions), and at some point thereafter, can drop to much, much lower prices. Not sales, but lower MSRPs. I'm not a software person, but my take on that is that the initial sales run on a video game is when the bulk of the sales happen and the profit is really made. When I purchase an older game on Steam for $10, the game developer is making minimal profit of my purchase, but if the price were higher, I'd probably go buy a new game from somebody else.

I don't think niche software follows that sales model (but again, not a software person). Sure, Smiteworks offers sales, but they haven't lowered the MSRP of Fantasy Grounds and probably won't. And the software plus its expansions will most likely remain expensive, but fairly so.

Is Smiteworks charging as much as they possibly can for the Fantasy Grounds software? I hope so! They deserve a fair return on all of their work and investment!

 

[Dire Bare]

It's not silly, because gamers have various needs and some people *really* want a program that is good at one or two things.

Yes, it is silly. Gamers don't have *needs*, they have *wants*. And not having all of those *wants* satisfied right away isn't really a problem, although it can be frustrating. All IMO, of course.

(not totally aimed at Selverin, but in general)

It's not on Smiteworks to develop a product based on what YOU want. They developed the product THEY wanted to build, and then later landed a license to add official D&D content to their existing product. If the product isn't what you want, don't buy it. To complain about it not being what it is not, that is ridiculous.

If Smiteworks hears lots of honest feedback and decides to develop a standalone, rules validating character builder, well that's gravy!

It's a bit more reasonable to be frustrated with WotC for not licensing a character builder first, but still, folks need to chill. WotC did try to deliver a character builder first with the DungeonScape licensed program, but that fell through. Boo-hoo. Smiteworks was ready to go with an existing virtual tabletop . . . should WotC have WAITED until they could get somebody else to develop a character builder before licensing with Smiteworks? I'm glad they didn't!

In a perfect world, the character builder would have come first, followed by a virtual tabletop. But, you know, sometimes life just doesn't work out the way you'd like, and it isn't really anybody's "fault" and complaining serves no purpose other than to raise your blood pressure and annoy others around you.

 

[Selvarin]

Are you.....kidding?

Holy...you have it bass ackwards.

Actually, YES, as a customer, it is. If I have a need (or 'want'), it's something I'm willing to pay for if *I* see it is being provided. The main quibble I have is in the 'flow' to get from point A to point B and finally point C. It is a choice of design which I dislike--and yes, it is legitimate.

The best designs are the ones which flow with the user's actions. It is the difference between Windows 7 and Window 8/8.1, if you will. Both will generally do the same thing but Windows 8's interface gets in the way of what I want to do. So I will prefer to use Windows 7 or its successor, Windows 10. It's kind of like Common Core Math vs. the Real World. Why take 2 minutes to write out a calculation for 9x6 when there are simpler, shorter methods to get to the same answer?

That is as simple as it gets.

Company A or B has every right to build a widget which does things a certain way that works. And no doubt a lot of people like or don't mind how it's done. But--to me--the interface and the method of getting to where I want doesn't work.

When it comes to design, the best ones are where the engineer builds something, they step back and ask themselves, "OK, it works. Now how does it best work for the customer?" A lot of software over the years has failed in that respect, because it work quite like the customer needs it to. The ideal is for the program to enhance/improve what a user wishes to do. In A, B, and C it does just fine. In D it doesn't, and it's based upon design choices and not bugs or kludges.

I don't think anyone is asking for it to fly and do cartwheels. Some of us are just saying it doesn't handle certain things more fluidly. It's not impossible, it was just designed differently.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

 

[Dire Bare]

Are you.....kidding? Holy...you have it bass ackwards.

I'm assuming you are politely responding to me. Calm down tiger, it's okay!

Actually, YES, as a customer, it is. If I have a need (or 'want'), it's something I'm willing to pay for if *I* see it is being provided. The main quibble I have is in the 'flow' to get from point A to point B and finally point C. It is a choice of design which I dislike--and yes, it is legitimate.

Didn't quite follow your entire "flow" post, but I still disagree (obviously, I suppose).

If a company, lets say Smiteworks, sees a customer desire for a virtual tabletop, and builds one, they most certainly are responding to consumer wants. However, they are choosing WHICH consumer wants match up to their own desires on what to make, and we get Fantasy Grounds. Which is a virtual tabletop, not a character builder.

If you aren't in the market for a virtual tabletop, and you want a character builder, then you are being foolish for criticizing Smiteworks for not being a character builder. You may want a character builder, you may be disappointment that nobody's built you one yet, but your complaints are foolish. Note, your desire to have an official D&D character builder is NOT foolish, just complaining that Fantasy Grounds isn't that thing is the foolish part.

If you want a fully integrated virtual tabletop AND character builder in one product (I'd love that!), then after learning that still, Fantasy Grounds is not that, you are still foolish for complaining, IMO. You are fully justified in being bummed, disappointed, and frustrated that this product is not for you. You are fine stating that, until you see such a product, your money stays in your wallet. You are fine letting WotC know what you want them to make or license that will meet your needs. But becoming upset and complaining to folks who make software that they didn't build the product YOU want . . . that's the fan sense of entitlement that gets me so irritated in our hobby.

I personally would love a 3D virtual tabletop with a fully integrated, rules-validating, character builder. I want a full suite of integrated player and DM tools that will knock my socks off! Fully 3D virtual miniatures on fully 3D tiles/maps . . . it would even be cool if they made neat sounds when you "moved" the miniatures on the battlemap (RAWRRRR!). I want what WotC teased with their plans for 3E and 4E digital tools, but sadly never came to pass. Fantasy Grounds is not that product. Does that make FG a poor product, or give me the right to bitch they aren't meeting all of MY needs? Not IMO. It's a good piece of software that does a LOT of what I want, but not ALL of what I want. But I don't see a competing product that does, so I'm playing around with FG. Happily, without complaint. And making suggestions to Smiteworks, not complaints, whenever I can think of an idea that I would love for them to work on to improve FG.

Perhaps that where we don't see eye-to-eye is semantics. Are we stuck on using the positive word "suggestion" vs the negative word "complain"? I dunno, but I am a glass-half-full kinda guy, who is tired of glass-half-empty folks raining on my parade (wow, mixed metaphors, sorry).

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Played today in a FG-Con 5e game. It went surprisingly well. A little awkward as several of us either hadn't used FG or hadn't used it since 2004 (me! ME! I'm OOOOOOOLD!) With Teamspeak it wasn't too bad. Not F2F for sure, but darn close.

The level of automation and ease of use baked into FG made it quite fun. I liked it better than my few sessions on roll20, but not well enough to leave roll20 behind. Now I have TWO VTT to choose from and that ain't a bad thing.

In short: It was worth the 39.95 I spent on it 11 years ago! Hahahahaaaa... aaaah.

 

[Nylanfs]

Update on FG-Con that wrapped up LATE last night

Highlights:

• 56 sessions. Compared with 48 events at FG Con V, 39 events at FG Con IV and 23 events in FG Con III. That's a 16% increase from V to VI - which is great and makes for sustained growth at future conventions At one point we actually had nearly 60 events registered, but some of those didn't go ahead due to low player booking or other not-to-be-forseen issues. My main goal for this convention was to top 50 session, so I'm really pleased we did that.
• For the first time, we have some organised play events other than Pathfinder Society - Dungeons and Dragons 5E Adventurers Leagues - a very welcome addition to the events at FG Con.
• 320 (approx) player sessions booked. Compared with 281 at FG Con IV and 120 at FG Con III. A 14% increase from FG Con V to VI.
• Over 22,300 site visits, a 10% increase from FG Con V.

A few GM details:

• First event - Blackfoot (FG Con veteran) and FG Con newbie HoloGnome - both running Pathfinder Society games.
• Last event - Blackfoot's Champions Playtest and HoloGnome's PFS Valley of the Veiled Flame. (Notice some Symetry here?)
• Most events - HoloGnome - 4.
• Joint second (3 sessions): Draca, ShotGunJolly, Gadreun, Trenloe (I don't know why people play his games - he's a NUT!)
• Joint seventh (2 sessions): Blackfoot, cmdisc, Damned, LordKavos ,Mask_Of_Winter, RobG, Skellan, Stollesson, Sunspoticus, Valarian, Xazil.
• 17 other GMs.

 

[Lwaxy]

And I played in 2 of the 5e events and must say that the product looks amazing! So it might be expensive, but if you like FG2 in general and want to run a 5e campaign sometime soon, you and your players may want to invest in it. I just don't have the money to do so.

 

[YourSwordIsMine]

I was only able to play in one of the 4 I signed up for sadly. Other things got in the way last minute.

I was impressed with the ease of use FG has. Whenever I am able, I'll be buying a copy for myself. It should give me another outlet for gaming since I am unable to get out as much as I would like. I look forward to the next FG-Con.

 

[Werebat]

I'm assuming you are politely responding to me. Calm down tiger, it's okay!

Heh... It's been amusing reading this exchange. Dire Bare, I know you can't read this, but thanks a lot for showing me the light on how to be more polite in posting to this forum. Ha!

Speaking of what players WANT, as opposed to what's available, what I'd like is a 5E rules concordance that I can use to search for keywords in the core books (and any books that come out afterwards) and then read the source material on. I have a great program for Pathfinder that does this on my iPad. It's called "PFRPG rd" and has the silhouette of a dragon on the little square doohickey you press to make it open. Has all the PF books on it and cost me maybe $20 when I bought it -- probably less than that.

I want this for the concordance as well as the fact that my eyes aren't what they used to be. I'm getting older and often have to remove my glasses when I want to read. The 5th Edition books were not printed in a manner that was very friendly to middle-aged eyes. The text is abnormally faint, for example.

I thought the product being discussed here was something like that, but it seems like it's really some kind of online gaming platform virtual tabletop thing.

Anyone know if what I'm looking for exists out there somewhere?

 

[Ghost Matter]

Played during FG Con. While I enjoyed Fantasy Grounds, the automation is not enough for me to switch from Roll20. The only advantage, right now, that Fantasy Grounds has are the integrated rules. Still, I have a more favorable opinion of it now.