VTT Recommendations?

[jdrakeh]

I think I'm going to start playing/running RPGs primarily online. In the past I've used Discord + Owl Bear Rodeo for this. But I want to look into a more dedicated VTT - and not Roll20 (for a number of reasons).* Do you have recommendations?

*Since somebody elsewhere asked, not Roll20 because, last I checked, its pricing structure was crap, it had a pretty high learning curve (that when weighted against its utility wasn't good), and it was pretty clunky/unintuitive.

 

[payn]

I like Foundry a lot. Its a one time purchase and there are a myriad of game systems and untold amounts of modules to raise your game level. If you dont like even the simplest of PC work like downloading modules and learning how to use them, it might not be for you.

 

[jdrakeh]

I like Foundry a lot. Its a one time purchase and there are a myriad of game systems and untold amounts of modules to raise your game level. If you dont like even the simplest of PC work like downloading modules and learning how to use them, it might not be for you.

I'm fine with downloading modules and such. I use Manjaro on one of my laptops. And Foundry caught my eye because of the way its license works and because of how it handles servers (I host, I believe).

 

[payn]

I'm fine with downloading modules and such. I use Manjaro on one of my laptops. And Foundry caught my eye because of the way its license works and because of how it handles servers (I host, I believe).

Best 50 bucks I ever spent. 100s of hours of good times so far. I've run Pathfinder Classic and Mongoose Traveller mostly. Sounds like you could handle it.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I still like FantasyGrounds and it has been improving a lot over the last years. Still has a steep learning curve, but the documentation and how to video support has improved a lot.

 

[LordEntrails]

So there are three "top tier" VTTs, Roll20, Foundry and Fantasy Grounds.

I agree with you on Roll20. The pricing is horrible and if you stay free then their are better options. So that leaves you with two. And it depends what you want and what type of techie are you.

Foundry is a web based interface, the GM installs and host it as their own web server (which means you might have to be able to Port Forward). Or pay extra to have a hosting service do it for you. It is very capable of being customized by writing your own code or community modules and with such optimizations can be very powerful. But, it requires technical competency and time. And keeping numerous community modules all working together can be frustrating. With community modules you can leverage the content you own on D&D Beyond. There are also numerous game systems you can play and are not limited to D&D. The permanent GM license costs $50.

Fantasy Grounds has been around the longest (by far, 20+ years, but is very actively developed and improved) and is a client-server application so everyone has to install the program. But it has a cloud hosted connection brokering so you don't have to worry about port forwarding. FG has by far the most official content from not only WotC, but many 3rd party publishers for D&D as well as numerous other game systems like Traveler, Pathfinder, 13th Age, Fallout, Cyberpunk Red, and many others. It also has the most automation and features without using optional community modules/extensions. But it also has a very robust developer community that increases the automation and capabilities if you want that as well. The permanent GM license costs $50.

Here's my take:

Use Foundry if you want complete control, like to do things yourself, and enjoy graphically flashy automation. If you are a techy or programmer you will probably love this VTT.

Use Fantasy Grounds if you want automation, long term investment, and out of the box power & capabilities. Though extremely powerful and with a potentially challenging interface, the community resources offset this and is the choice for non-techy users who want powerful features out of the box and a stable and long term solution.

 

[jdrakeh]

So there are three "top tier" VTTs, Roll20, Foundry and Fantasy Grounds.

I agree with you on Roll20. The pricing is horrible and if you stay free then their are better options. So that leaves you with two. And it depends what you want and what type of techie are you.

Foundry is a web based interface, the GM installs and host it as their own web server (which means you might have to be able to Port Forward). Or pay extra to have a hosting service do it for you. It is very capable of being customized by writing your own code or community modules and with such optimizations can be very powerful. But, it requires technical competency and time. And keeping numerous community modules all working together can be frustrating. With community modules you can leverage the content you own on D&D Beyond. There are also numerous game systems you can play and are not limited to D&D. The permanent GM license costs $50.

Fantasy Grounds has been around the longest (by far, 20+ years, but is very actively developed and improved) and is a client-server application so everyone has to install the program. But it has a cloud hosted connection brokering so you don't have to worry about port forwarding. FG has by far the most official content from not only WotC, but many 3rd party publishers for D&D as well as numerous other game systems like Traveler, Pathfinder, 13th Age, Fallout, Cyberpunk Red, and many others. It also has the most automation and features without using optional community modules/extensions. But it also has a very robust developer community that increases the automation and capabilities if you want that as well. The permanent GM license costs $50.

Here's my take:

Use Foundry if you want complete control, like to do things yourself, and enjoy graphically flashy automation. If you are a techy or programmer you will probably love this VTT.

Use Fantasy Grounds if you want automation, long term investment, and out of the box power & capabilities. Though extremely powerful and with a potentially challenging interface, the community resources offset this and is the choice for non-techy users who want powerful features out of the box and a stable and long term solution.

Wow! Thanks for the detailed answer!

 

[payn]

So there are three "top tier" VTTs, Roll20, Foundry and Fantasy Grounds.

I agree with you on Roll20. The pricing is horrible and if you stay free then their are better options. So that leaves you with two. And it depends what you want and what type of techie are you.

Foundry is a web based interface, the GM installs and host it as their own web server (which means you might have to be able to Port Forward). Or pay extra to have a hosting service do it for you. It is very capable of being customized by writing your own code or community modules and with such optimizations can be very powerful. But, it requires technical competency and time. And keeping numerous community modules all working together can be frustrating. With community modules you can leverage the content you own on D&D Beyond. There are also numerous game systems you can play and are not limited to D&D. The permanent GM license costs $50.

Fantasy Grounds has been around the longest (by far, 20+ years, but is very actively developed and improved) and is a client-server application so everyone has to install the program. But it has a cloud hosted connection brokering so you don't have to worry about port forwarding. FG has by far the most official content from not only WotC, but many 3rd party publishers for D&D as well as numerous other game systems like Traveler, Pathfinder, 13th Age, Fallout, Cyberpunk Red, and many others. It also has the most automation and features without using optional community modules/extensions. But it also has a very robust developer community that increases the automation and capabilities if you want that as well. The permanent GM license costs $50.

Here's my take:

Use Foundry if you want complete control, like to do things yourself, and enjoy graphically flashy automation. If you are a techy or programmer you will probably love this VTT.

Use Fantasy Grounds if you want automation, long term investment, and out of the box power & capabilities. Though extremely powerful and with a potentially challenging interface, the community resources offset this and is the choice for non-techy users who want powerful features out of the box and a stable and long term solution.

I’d agree with much of this but pathfinder on Foundry can’t be beat.

 

[LordEntrails]

I’d agree with much of this but pathfinder on Foundry can’t be beat.

And FrontierSpace on Fantasy Grounds can't be beat
But not sure individual game systems matter unless jd has specific rulesets he's interested in.

 

[jdrakeh]

And FrontierSpace on Fantasy Grounds can't be beat
But not sure individual game systems matter unless jd has specific rulesets he's interested in.

Haha. Yes. HarnMaster probably. Maybe Blood & Bone. Possibly Champions and/or Fantasy Hero. The only thing I really plan on playing in person in the foreseeable future is Star Frontiers, and that's because I invested in a Megamat and a bunch of starship minis for space combat (via Knight Hawks).