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Fantasy Grounds


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I have a simple question for those of you who use Fantasy Grounds.

 

I am looking for a program that will allow me to display information on a second display at the game table.  I have been experimenting with pictures, maps and sound at the table. 

 

I am not interested in remote gaming. 

 

I just want to know if I can show information on a second monitor utilizing "fog of war" reveal settings with Fantasy Grounds.

Roll20 can, but is very clunky.  Realm Works was supposed to do this, but they have pretty much become Pathfinder Works. 

 

So I am looking at Fantasy Grounds since they seem to actually support (as in FG content) other genres including modern, horror and supers.  They even have modules for RPG's I actually play. 

 

I am not interested in using it to actually run a game full on, but simply to display information in a face to face game.

 

I know that I keep beating the whole "no remote RPG but only as a Face to Face aid", but in the past when I have asked questions like this.  No one answered the Yes/No of the question, but instead regaled me with walls of text on why I should use it for remote gaming :ugly:

 

Thanks in advance for the on subject answers :winkgrin:

 

 

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Not sure about Fantasy Grounds, but MapTool allows you to manipulate Fog of War on a map. Depending on how in depth you want, you can set up barriers that block sight and do fog of war and simulate lighting. 

 

As far as handouts and other graphics, MapTool can do it but I doubt it will be less cumbersome than Roll20. Mote, a fork of MapTool, might be a little more helpful as ease of use seemed to be an important aspect of their design model. I haven't played extensively with Mote so I don't have more than the vaguest idea of its capabilities.

 

I'll now step back and leave actual Fantasy Grounds people to respond.

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Not so much. It is mostly fan-based stuff. The forums have a whole bunch of fan created Campaigns that contain rules for the individual game. Their best ones are for D&D and Shadowrun. I made one for Hero but it is not all encompassing nor is it properly calculating Stun from Killing Attacks at the moment and it has been so long since I coded it that I can't make heads nor tails of where I went wrong. I would have to teach myself all over again at this stage. Zane Marlow made a more basic, easy to use (and thus less likely to be screwed up) version that should handle local gameplay stuff just fine. I have been debating re-writing mine to eliminate a lot of the automation stuff that I used. All that aside and just to reiterate, there is no official game support. All it is at the basic level is a mapping program that you can move virtual miniatures around on and roll dice. It isn't even a particularly attractive interface, being Java-based.

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Battlegrounds (aka BRPG) is another VTT you might want to consider for non-remote gaming. Although it is inherently system-agnostic, BRPG should appeal to Hero System gamers in particular, as Battlegrounds has long supported the system's unique turn sequencing mechanics, Hero System dice, and dice-rolling mechanics such as rolling vs. target numbers, Stun/Body damage, die removal for explosion damage, etc.

 

Besides maps and tokens, the program also supports visual aids and audio (i.e., sound effects & music).

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  • 2 months later...

Yes, Heruca has done a lot of work to get BRPG to be compatible with Hero, and is a very nice VTT. The only con I can think of is that it isn't free, but it is very feature rich and Heruca always listens and tries to make it better for everyone--speaking from personal experience of helping him get the Hero System supported.

 

Note: I don't personally own Battlegrounds, so I haven't been able to playtest it with Hero. I'm looking at starting up a new campaign and as such I'm looking for VTTs again, and the reason I'm here. BRPG is definitely on my list.

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  • 9 months later...
  • 2 months later...

FG has two license paradigms.

 

1) everyone including GM pays $40 for a personal license, GM may buy adventures or rules, or not.

 

2) GM ONLY buys the Ultimate version ($175.00?) and any interesting adventures or rules. Players download FOR FREE the "Fantasy Grounds Demo" (search that exact phrase in Steam to get the free version, also available at fantasygrounds.com.

 

Sounds like you want option #2.

 

During Black Friday and Christmas (U.S.A.), there's usually a 25 pct discount on Steam, unsure about the FG website.

 

Other option is create a roll20.com account for free and (with internet access) display on a monitor of your choice.

Edited by A.T.R.A. Mark II
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