This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Fantasy Grounds: Worth the cost?

Started by StormBringer, August 22, 2008, 05:33:20 PM

Previous topic - Next topic
Print
Go Down Pages1
User actions

StormBringer

August 22, 2008, 05:33:20 PM
It looks pretty slick, and the ability to add rulesets is nice.  $40 isn't really too expensive, but I don't know where the 'market penetration' sits.  If it was fairly ubiquitous, the cost would be easily justified, but if there is only 10% (for example) of the people out there using it, I would have a harder time buying it.

Screen Monkey looks OK, but it seems like a rudimentary whiteboard bolted onto an IRC-like chat program.  RPTools seems OK, too, with options to use the modules individually, and a drop in image routine for external maps.

So, what say you?
If you read the above post, you owe me $20 for tutoring fees

\'Let them call me rebel, and welcome, I have no concern for it, but I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul.\'
- Thomas Paine
\'Everything doesn\'t need

Zachary The First

#1
August 22, 2008, 11:07:10 PM
I haven't used Fantasy Grounds yet, but it sure looked sexy at Gen Con.  I'd be interested in giving it a whirl.

Here's a good rundown of the different products available.
RPG Blog 2

Currently Prepping: Castles & Crusades
Currently Reading/Brainstorming: Mythras
Currently Revisiting: Napoleonic/Age of Sail in Space

StormBringer

#2
August 23, 2008, 01:23:09 AM
Quote from: Zachary The First;239026I haven't used Fantasy Grounds yet, but it sure looked sexy at Gen Con.  I'd be interested in giving it a whirl.

Here's a good rundown of the different products available.
I hit that site before, but I only skimmed it, and with the RPTools graphic near the top, I guess I figured it was the blog for RPTools.

Thanks, I will see what they have to say.
If you read the above post, you owe me $20 for tutoring fees

\'Let them call me rebel, and welcome, I have no concern for it, but I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul.\'
- Thomas Paine
\'Everything doesn\'t need

estar

#3
August 25, 2008, 02:47:06 PM
FG 2.0 is stable and works well coupled with a voicechat system like Skype or Teamspeak. The real benifit is having a ruleset for your RPG. Can automate some of the routine tasks depending on the design of the ruleset.

It lack support for hexes and everyone has have at least a player's license are the two disadvantages. But you can buy licenses in bulk for cheaper. Fantasy Grounds is the most feature complete of all the virtual tabletop software. Its closest competitor is Battlegrounds: RPG. It is not quite as user friendly but has a floating license scheme that more flexible  and hex support.

Go with one of those two.

StormBringer

#4
August 25, 2008, 03:08:27 PM
Quote from: estar;239734FG 2.0 is stable and works well coupled with a voicechat system like Skype or Teamspeak. The real benifit is having a ruleset for your RPG. Can automate some of the routine tasks depending on the design of the ruleset.

It lack support for hexes and everyone has have at least a player's license are the two disadvantages. But you can buy licenses in bulk for cheaper. Fantasy Grounds is the most feature complete of all the virtual tabletop software. Its closest competitor is Battlegrounds: RPG. It is not quite as user friendly but has a floating license scheme that more flexible  and hex support.

Go with one of those two.
Excellent, I will check out Battlegrounds and...  get...

WTF??

No Linux support??  None!?!  AAAAAAGH!

;)
If you read the above post, you owe me $20 for tutoring fees

\'Let them call me rebel, and welcome, I have no concern for it, but I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul.\'
- Thomas Paine
\'Everything doesn\'t need

Adammar

#5
August 28, 2008, 10:48:06 PM
Another one to look at would be Kloogewerks. It also has a great feature set. (including Hexes and Floating Licenses - which make finding players easier) The biggest advantage to FGII is that they have 3rd party support putting together rulesets for different games while the others rely on fans.
 

madbrewlabs

#6
October 17, 2008, 09:11:00 PM
The virtual table top article Zachary refers to has moved to a new domain:

http://www.madbrewlabs.com/index.php/2008/08/06/virtual-table-tops-for-rpgs/
Read about the development of my custom rank-based d20 rules and original setting at my blog:

Mad Brew Labs
Print
Go Up Pages1
User actions