Hi guys any chance to see pathfinder modules in fantazy grounds
I just played a game on fantazy ground and i think it would be awsome to load pathfinder modules and rules,maps....
i would definatly put a subscription ti this
and playing while using skype was to cool
hey thanks
Yes Fantazy ground is very versatile
i can change some of the rules and stats myself
upload monsters and maps...
but if Paizo and FGII would work together and offer a complete pathfinder FGII Pack i would be willing to spend a very big amount of money to get it
say 200 $ bucks for 1 DM licence and 4 player licences
+ the Pathfinder settings (rules, Monsters,basic maps)
I dont think the fact that were going to switch from tabletop to
FGII virtual tabletop is going to affect the voulme of stuff (pdf)
i buy from paizo nor the number of hard covers i buy at the corner store
Paizo could even sell modules downloads to FGIIn or other virtual tabletop systems
I have never been a fan of online games Like world of warcraft and diablo...but virtual tabletop is something else.
Now i get the chance to play with my friends that live far away every week with the DM interacting with the players
I use MapTools, it just as robust as Fantasy Grounds, but its FREE! They have great support and work at a high speed in creating updates. Recently there's been lots of Macro Support added in, very powerful, very versatile.
I'm not knocking FG, or Battle Grounds or any of the other VT apps, but MapTools just rocks!
GP
PS: I'm working on my own campaign setting, and my plan is to make it to work especially with MapTools, though I'll make several versions, different resolutions on the provided maps, so it could be used in other VT apps as well.
Maptool + Skype + Paizo PDFs = THE solution!!! Seriously, this is the way to go.
Maptool + Skype + Paizo PDFs = THE solution!!! Seriously, this is the way to go.
To add to Elorebaen's comment
I checked out Maptools about a year ago and never did much with it. I wasn't very taken with it.
But just a week or two ago I started investigating their new site, watching the video tutorials, and following along on the boards.
Let me tell ya, Maptools has made some serious strides forward in a years time. Plus it is very actively being developed. The Offical Team appears to be aggressively working daily to add functionality and enhance what it does already.
VTT's appear to fall into two groups.. One that does better at character management and those that work better at virtual battlemat management. Maptools falls into the latter catagory, but they're working pretty damn hard to expand in the other direction as well.
Maptools does appear to have an initial learning curve, but to me it seems to be worth the investment of time. Particularly since the cost of the actual product is nothing.
When I found out that I had wasted my money on Fantasy Grounds, I thought, "Well at least someone knows that there is money to be made in this".
Zux
I'm not sure what you're talking about, Fantasy Grounds is excellent software. I play in 2 games and DM another using FG2 and I have no complaints.
I'm not sure what you're talking about, Fantasy Grounds is excellent software. I play in 2 games and DM another using FG2 and I have no complaints.
Perhaps he was referring to the fact that his players refused to try it, citing that WoW was their game of choice now (a few posts up).
If no one will play with you, I suppose that would constitute a waste of money.
Zux, is that the case?
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Fantasy Grounds does look like a very nice program. I downloaded the demo some time ago and was really impressed by the visuals and overall polish. Unfortunately, I wasn't to confident that my players would be interested, so I decided it was not worth the chance.
...and then I found RPGTools...which includes MapTools...yes, another plug for MapTools. :)
I've followed the development for MapTools for about a year and I think it is just a great program for Online RPGplay. The community and developers are also very cool, and very active. There are several community groups creating 'engines' (called campaigns) for various games, including Pathfinder and they have made some really great stuff. With features like fog of war, map making, vision blocking, macros, and a lot more, it really is the best free VTT that I have come across.
Besides MapTools, RPGTool also has TokenTool (for making graphic pogs), CharacterTools (for interactive Character Sheets), InitTool (Stand alone Initiative Tracking), and DiceTool (a stand alone Dice Roller)
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Besides MapTools, RPGTool also has TokenTool (for making graphic pogs), CharacterTools (for interactive Character Sheets), InitTool (Stand alone Initiative Tracking), and DiceTool (a stand alone Dice Roller)
Disclaimer: I'm the moderator of the RPTools forum and I have contributed code to the open source MapTool project.
Anyone interested in checking out the free applications should start at the Main Web Site and go from there. The Tools option in the menubar is the place to start for background information, including your choices for running the tools. Then you can run them from the Launch option (using Java WebStart) or the Download option (to download the ZIP and install it locally).
The big lack right now is documentation! The software is moving so rapidly that the contributors to the wiki can't keep up. It's an interesting problem to have! So if you decide to try it out, be sure to register on the forums where you'll find a huge group of people just waiting for questions to answer. :)
We are getting very close to finalizing v1.3 and starting on v1.4. Right now the push is to fix bugs and make any minor usability tweaks. In v1.4 we plan on a bunch of eye candy! Themes, CommunityTool, more advanced abilities to draw directly on your virtual battlemat, Javascript as the macro language, and much more.
Our biggest obstacle lately is that people see the name "MapTool" and think that all we do is maps!
Perhaps he was referring to the fact that his players refused to try it, citing that WoW was their game of choice now (a few posts up).
If no one will play with you, I suppose that would constitute a waste of money.
Zux, is that the case?
Yes, perhaps I misunderstood.
Overall, I think Fantasy Grounds is a better tool but it's also hard to argue with Maptool being free. And it sounds like with the improvements being made the two products may end up being equal in features, but not price.
Wow thanks everybody for the replys
i checked and downloaded maptoolscharacter tools...
but i dont kwno how to open them so im still working on that
I'm already playing FGII
I'm willing to test maptools if i can figure it out
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Anyone who tried all the major tools (map tools, FG, battlegrounds, others?) willing to elaborate on the relative strengths and weaknesses of each program?
I heard/ read quite a lot about each individual tool, but barely know anything about how they compare, their compatibility, their optimal area of use and of course how widespread they are used (e.g. by you Paizo board visitors).
I'd really like to get to know a bit more apart from the obvious: the price. ;-)
Thanks in advance!
Guenther
ok i managed to open map tools but its not very user friendly
i tried to create a character but didnt find out how
so i opened character tools and now i have a character sheet but cant figure out how to put it in map tools
the way i see it FGII is very user friendly compared to maptools
and feels more like a fantazy game
maptools is very elaborate but complicated also in maptool you feel like your playing with data not with characters but i havent tried to play yet so i will check more tutorials
but i can see computer wiz DMs would probably like maptools more
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Anyone who tried all the major tools (map tools, FG, battlegrounds, others?) willing to elaborate on the relative strengths and weaknesses of each program?
I heard/read quite a lot about each individual tool, but barely know anything about how they compare, their compatibility, their optimal area of use and of course how widespread they are used (e.g. by you Paizo board visitors).
I'd really like to get to know a bit more apart from the obvious: the price. ;-)
Thanks in advance!
Guenther
That's a great idea, but I don't know of such an individual! There is a thread somewhere on WotC's site that gives an overview, but the thread was just two pages long: a list of Pros/Cons/OtherNotes and not an in-depth review.
This thread on the RPTools forum was started in Jan 2009, so it's pretty recent. Many MapTool users who use OpenRPG (or used to use OpenRPG) gave their opinions on the differences between the two. Executive summary: OpenRPG's lobby feature is a huge strength; MapTool's rapid development of user-requested features is very strong when combined with an active community (RPTools does have an IRC node at freenode).
We at RPTools take such things to heart, of course! There are plans for a CommunityTool to happen RSN. (It's mentioned briefly in the above linked thread, but discussed in more detail elsewhere.)
Another poster said they were overwhelmed by the initial look of the tool. Unfortunately, MapTool tends to be like the PhotoShop of VTTs, so the initial user interface looks very complicated. However, we have many users on the forums who say that watching the tutorials gave them a HUGE leg up on how to use the tool. (Visit the main RPTools site and click on the Tutorials link in the menubar.)
We would really like to hear your opinions of the tool and help you over the initial hump that every bleeding-edge application will have. Once you learn how some of the features work (light/vision, macros, infinite map sizes) you'll wonder how you got along with it!
Thanks a lot for the quick answers
I will try to convince one of my freinds and try it outon sunday
and give my impressions as soon as possible
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Check out TTop - it's made by Pygon, and is usually available in the chatroom for questions, suggestions, and feature ideas. :D
Looks like TTopRPG is Windows-only. :( That's a shame.
It also requires .NET 3.5 which the author admits is a 52MB (!) update that can take a half-hour to install and requires a reboot afterward! If you have other .NET applications, maybe this won't phase you. But since I'm using a Mac, TTopRPG doesn't hold much value for me. One of the reasons I stopped using DM Genie (although I love the product!) is the requirement for Windows. :(
Perhaps someone who uses it (GM or player) can give a summary of it's Pros and Cons?
I read through the list of features and it sounds like a very cool application! The feature list is very similar to MapTool with a few big differences. One thing I noticed is that TTopRPG doesn't seem programmable; there's no references to being able to create buttons that automatically perform some function for the user. It also doesn't mention being able to handle hex grids at all and it doesn't have a "gridless" mode for those who prefer to game that way. It does have "shadow or darkness" and it says an icon with darkvision shows the scene that way when moused over but there's no line-of-sight like there is in MapTool. In fact, in the last paragraph of the feature list is the following, "Similiar to MapTool's shape drawing functions, this allows you to make colored and textures maps either before or during play."
It does appear to be actively developed, but it's not open source. If the author suddenly disappears, users won't be able to pick up the flag and continue. (This is my major complaint about DM Genie over the last year or so.)
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Yes, thanks for all of your tips and replies!
I fear that there is no other way to get an impression of all the discussed tools, but to test them.
As far as I understood things, fantasy grounds' advantage is its easy to use interface and overall good integration of both the character and the mapping functions, whereas its free counterpart's biggest advantages are the price and the quick development of new functions.
Let's see... and I'll definitely have another look at that enworld thread.
Is just one question left: Which of these tools is the most frequently used by Paizo board members? Any favourite?
Kr,
Günther
Is just one question left: Which of these tools is the most frequently used by Paizo board members? Any favourite?
We tested few programs some time ago and decided to use MapTool. It really is full of win!
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We tested few programs some time ago and decided to use MapTool. It really is full of win!
Is just one question left: Which of these tools is the most frequently used by Paizo board members? Any favourite?
Heh-heh, thanks. :) It's not my program, but I'm a member of the community.
Would you have the chance some time to post a review of the programs you tried? Any information you could provide (here or on the MapTool forum) would be very valuable to us -- there just aren't enough people out there that have tried a bunch of different tools.
Thank you.
I'll chime in for MapTools here, too. We use it in every session. We play face-to-face with a projector/screen and find it simply awesome. We're moving to PF once we are done with this AP, so I am eagerly watching a project to build in some of the PF beta character management rules into the token macro system. It's a couple of builds behind right now, but as the final nails get put into MapTool 1.3 I think it will get polished off quickly.
It does take a bit of getting used to initially, but I recommend you taking the time to understand it. Once you learn the work-flow it's all pretty intuitive. You should definitely start by watching a few of the video tutorials, then play with it a bit, then watch the tutorials again.
I can't speak to FG. I played with the demo a bit and never gave it a full chance before I found MT. I did use Klooge quite a bit. It's nice, but I think MT has it beat (but that was several versions ago, so YMMV.)
I've been using Fantasy Grounds for several years. It's a great piece of software that does a fantastic job of simulating the tabletop RPG environment. It's beautifully put together, fairly easy to use, and supported by an extremely helpful community that includes the software developers. It's pretty inexpensive, and you get impovements and updates for free - I only paid once, years ago, and yet still got the major overhaul to version II without having to shell out another penny. I strongly recommend that you take a look at it - it's allowed me to game again after a hiatus of many years!
I have a buddy who bought FG two months ago, and hates it. This last week I talked him into checking out MT (since he didn't have to fork over $, he gave it a shot), and as a MT user would expect, he's won over.
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But since I'm using a Mac, TTopRPG doesn't hold much value for me.
Perhaps someone who uses it (GM or player) can give a summary of it's Pros and Cons?
One thing I noticed is that TTopRPG doesn't seem programmable; there's no references to being able to create buttons that automatically perform some function for the user. It also doesn't mention being able to handle hex grids at all and it doesn't have a "gridless" mode for those who prefer to game that way. It does have "shadow or darkness" and it says an icon with darkvision shows the scene that way when moused over but there's no line-of-sight like there is in MapTool. In fact, in the last paragraph of the feature list is the following, "Similiar to MapTool's shape drawing functions, this allows you to make colored and textures maps either before or during play."
It does appear to be actively developed, but it's not open source. If the author suddenly disappears, users won't be able to pick up the flag and continue.
Hi azhrei_fje. I'm TTop's developer.
I was doing a google search on TTopRPG just to see what was being said about it, and a reference to your post came up, but I couldn't find it! And here it is!
I'll address your points.
* Windows only. Correct, .NET is a Windows thing, but if you have a Mac that can run Parallels, I hear TTop runs just fine there.
* For Pro's and Con's, I can only compare to MapTool:
Pros: typing indicator so you can tell when someone is typing, tabbed macro lists so you aren't staring at 100 buttons, better stability when used for a few hours (new maps have frozen in MapTool sometimes for us), and it's friendlier to slower connections (you can tell how much download is left and when the pipelines to clients freeze up)
Cons: Macros are single line only, so far. You are correct, they are not programmable. I personally haven't seen a need for it yet, but I'm open to feedback. And no line of sight - I only recently discovered that in MapTool, and I'm not sure how needed it is. I personally haven't needed it - in fact I use lighting for that purpose.
* Hex grids - TTop does not support Hex grids yet, but it has been asked for. There are naturally some challenges in getting that working, but it isn't a priority right now.
* Gridless play - You CAN play gridless. You can turn off the "Count Squares" feature so that distances are true, but to set up proper scaling on your map, you will have to establish the correct size using the grid adjustments. After that, you can keep the grid turned off.
* Open source - not yet. If it seems that I'll be disappearing, I'll likely put up the source. But it's a big mess, granted. And if I do leave and return, I imagine I'll continue working from my own copy of the source. It depends on how important it is for others to want to carry on with it. In the meantime, though, TTop was mainly developed for my own use, but I'm happy to add more things to make it more useful for others. The big thing about it for me is design philosophy, and I use MapTool as an example. To me, MapTool is clunky, even though it does a lot. I don't know how much better or worse TTop really is for others, but it suits my needs much better. As I actually use it for map prep, I come up with more things to tweak. Mostly, what is easier for me translates well to others. I do keep my ears open, though.
Thanks for your interest!
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I've been using Fantasy Grounds for several years. It's a great piece of software that does a fantastic job of simulating the tabletop RPG environment. It's beautifully put together, fairly easy to use, and supported by an extremely helpful community that includes the software developers. It's pretty inexpensive, and you get impovements and updates for free - I only paid once, years ago, and yet still got the major overhaul to version II without having to shell out another penny. I strongly recommend that you take a look at it - it's allowed me to game again after a hiatus of many years!
This has been our experience too--we started with FGI about 3ish years ago, and use it to this day for D&D 3.5, current Pathfinder, Eberron, Star Wars, and d20 Modern/Future games ... love the FG! But is anyone planning/discussing converting the Pathfinder RPG ruleset to work in the tool?
Throwing in my support for Fantasy Grounds.
I'm eagerly awaiting the hopefully official Pathfinder ruleset, and modules for feats/spells/bestiary would be awesome!
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The PDFs don't lock the images... so if you were to get the PDFs.. or just the PDF of the map folios, putting them into Fantasy Grounds yourself would be super easy.
I personally like Fantasy Grounds (FGII) over other tools I've tested out, including the RPTools suite. For me it was the FGII interface and how it captured the feel of playing a paper-based game - not to mention the dice roller is second to none. I honestly don't get the $ argument because we all know how much we spend on gaming products and supplies in a year.So $20 doesn't sound like too much for a product that looks and plays that good? That said, everyone is different and gravitates to what they feel is worth it to them. To me, FGII is worth every penny spent.
In the end, I think that Paizo could make something work for both SmiteWorks, maker of FG, and RPTools in 2010.
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I'm working with the new owner and we'll more than likely get something worked out. I have just been swamped lately and the poor guy has been waiting for me to get back to him. Sometimes I wish I had clones.
-Lisa
Any news on this front Lisa. If not, can I bribe you with a Dark Beer for news on this front.
CEO
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Any news on this front Lisa. If not, can I bribe you with a Dark Beer for news on this front.I'm working with the new owner and we'll more than likely get something worked out. I have just been swamped lately and the poor guy has been waiting for me to get back to him. Sometimes I wish I had clones.
-Lisa
Nothing to talk about yet. But, mmmmmm, dark beer, mmmmmmm..... :)
-Lisa
Sometimes I wish I had clones.
-Lisa
You know, the other Lisa told me that just the other day. That's funny.
You will have it my Dark Lady. Everything and more!. But, mmmmmm, dark beer, mmmmmmm..... :)
-Lisa
Excellent! My plan comes to fruition. My dark, frothy, sumptuous plan!
-Lisa
We would be happy to have some hand delivered to your office. Of course, seeing double isn't exactly the same thing as having a double. ;)
-Doug
SmiteWorks
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You will have it my Dark Lady. Everything and more!. But, mmmmmm, dark beer, mmmmmmm..... :)
-Lisa
Excellent! My plan comes to fruition. My dark, frothy, sumptuous plan!
-Lisa
We would be happy to have some hand delivered to your office. Of course, seeing double isn't exactly the same thing as having a double. ;)
-Doug
SmiteWorks
Excellent to see you here. I have enjoyed FantasyGrounds for years now and love how easy it is to use. I hope you stick around a bit and get involved with the Paizo boards.
Thank you for a great product.
Thanks for the welcome. I like what Paizo is doing and I would like to see them support not just Fantasy Grounds, but all the major virtual tabletops out there. While we are competitors I view the competition as a good thing. Each program appeals to a slightly different customer and as long as the royalties flow back to Paizo, I see this as a win for all parties involved, especially the customer.
Thanks for the welcome. I like what Paizo is doing and I would like to see them support not just Fantasy Grounds, but all the major virtual tabletops out there.
Passive support for the entire industry is the best move for Paizo. This means designing their products to be easy to implement in all the various VTTs — since they all share basic needs.
Paizo already leads the pack in RPGs, because they make modules with lots of color illustrations and maps in PDF form. Nobody else does that, that I'm aware of. It would be nice to see them make an effort going forward to stay VTT friendly and enhance that position. Here's hoping!
I have to move into VTT too because I go away from my home city; I tried with FGII and it seems a very good product....
We need paizo support!!! Please, for all the people who had to left their own home to be exiled away, far from their families, their friends... and their loved rpg table!
a nice ruleset for Pathfinder RPG, with FG versions of PF modules and AP!
that's all we ask
thank you to all
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Add me to the group clamoring (not so) patiently for a Pathfinder ruleset for Fantasy Grounds. I've got two VTT groups that I DM through FGII and I want to change at least one of them over to PF as soon as possible. The other group has 3 Savage Species-type characters, so it would be much harder to convert.
I am definitely jazzed about converting the one group over to PF though!
PS I'm sure that the other VTT platforms are fine, but I've put too much work into my FG campaigns to start thinking about changing now!