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Aswaarg |
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So after reading a few recomendations for Foundr,y I have checked the web and tried the demo.
I like some of the things I saw there and some things I am sure I jsut have to get used to.
I am using right now Maptool plain, no Frameworks or macros other than a simple dice roller I made.
I am interested in Foundry because I want to get a better automatization (character sheets, atack and damage rolls,etc). The thing about automatization is, if it doesn´t work well, can be worst than not having it.
Before investing time and money, I would like to know "first hand" from someone who has been using Maptools and changed to Foundry how is it going for them, and if the PF2 system (module) is working well.
A bad point for Foundry (and is a modern thing now), is the lack of forums, because discord is amazing for quick chats, but if you are looking for knowleadge, forums are way better.
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thenobledrake |
Before investing time and money, I would like to know "first hand" from someone who has been using Maptools and changed to Foundry how is it going for them, and if the PF2 system (module) is working well.
Hi there, that'd be me.
The PF2 system on foundry works quite well. I had to get used to a couple of things that weren't immediately intuitive to me (examples: the character sheet section has a 'prototype token' spot where you set all the settings for your token and those will stay set every time you drag the character from the list to the map, while changing settings on the token itself weren't "sticking." And there is a button to make the sheet that opens from double-clicking the token sync with the sheet that opens if you select the character in the list which defaults to 'off' because that works best for NPCs (letting you drag out multiple copies and they each track their own HP and stuff, while otherwise sharing a character sheet) that I just hadn't realized I'd need to turn 'on' for PCs.
And it's got a wiki, with changelog and issue reporting, which helps the already solid system keep getting better.
I've had less difficulty getting it doing what I want than I ever had tweaking someone's framework with MapTool.
A bad point for Foundry (and is a modern thing now), is the lack of forums, because discord is amazing for quick chats, but if you are looking for knowleadge, forums are way better.
They don't have forums, but they do have a wiki that can serve as a knowledge base.
It can be found here if you want to check it out.
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Captain Morgan |
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Aswaarg wrote:Before investing time and money, I would like to know "first hand" from someone who has been using Maptools and changed to Foundry how is it going for them, and if the PF2 system (module) is working well.Hi there, that'd be me.
The PF2 system on foundry works quite well. I had to get used to a couple of things that weren't immediately intuitive to me (examples: the character sheet section has a 'prototype token' spot where you set all the settings for your token and those will stay set every time you drag the character from the list to the map, while changing settings on the token itself weren't "sticking." And there is a button to make the sheet that opens from double-clicking the token sync with the sheet that opens if you select the character in the list which defaults to 'off' because that works best for NPCs (letting you drag out multiple copies and they each track their own HP and stuff, while otherwise sharing a character sheet) that I just hadn't realized I'd need to turn 'on' for PCs.
And it's got a wiki, with changelog and issue reporting, which helps the already solid system keep getting better.
I've had less difficulty getting it doing what I want than I ever had tweaking someone's framework with MapTool.
Aswaarg wrote:
A bad point for Foundry (and is a modern thing now), is the lack of forums, because discord is amazing for quick chats, but if you are looking for knowleadge, forums are way better.They don't have forums, but they do have a wiki that can serve as a knowledge base.
It can be found here if you want to check it out.
This experience mirrors my own, down to the same stumbling blocks.
I'll also say if you are good at quick addition rolling stuff by hand may be quicker at times, though rolling high level damage Foundry generally wins out.
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Qualidar |
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I know we're in the PF forums, but does anyone have an opinion of how Foundry supports Starfinder? That's currently what I'm using FGU for, and I'd like to move on once I finish out the current adventure I've bought.
Also, more on topic for here, any opinion on Foundry and PF1? I'm 1/2 way through Rise of the Runelords in PF1, and the Roll20 package looks pretty sweet. I enjoy roll20 well enough, and I was planning on moving that game there. I might still do that, even if the Starfinder and 2e games move over to Foundry.
Honestly, what I really wish Foundry had was like a 1-week test download so I could try it out. $50 is a big ask for a system I have to jump into comparatively sight unseen. I did that with FGU and Starfinder and felt a bit burned by it.
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H2Osw |
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I used to use Maptools, actually. It was a more robust system, and it was free. But the interface is awful and it complicated to learn. What's worse is that your players need to learn it too, or at least install the specific version you have and then learn how to join your server.Foundry is only 50 USA Bucks for everything. You pay once and never have to pay again for subscriptions or new content. It has a great interface, and installing a premade game system or community made module is really easy. Most importantly, players don't need to pay for anything, install anything, or even make an account. You just send them a link and they click it. It is pretty idiot proof. The only pain in the butt is setting up port forwarding on your internet router so you can host your own server. But you have to do that with maptools as well, and maybe Fantasy Grounds. And once you do it you aren't dependent on a server everyone in the world is using right now like roll20.
Setting up macros is pretty simple too. You can drag and drop weapons into the bottom of the screen to quick select their attack rolls, for example. It can compare attacks to AC rolls to AC. It can track most condition effects with the exception of status penalties on attack rolls and buffs. It can apply damage to creatures with a click, and quickly roll reflex saves for a group and tell you who got what tier of success based on the spell DC.
And the PF2 system is constantly improving with nearly daily upgrades. The most glaring thing it still needs is better multi property rune support. But I have no doubt that is coming. Probably when one of the community developers reaches the level where they can have multiple property runes.
Oh, did I mention it has the stats of every monster in the game built in already? Well, not Bestiary 2 last I checked, but give that one a little time. It doesn't have the art due to copy right issues, but you can pretty easily add that yourself. I use a free program called GIMP to make tokens using existing...
What is the name of the module for bulk loading the pdf?
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Grankless |
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I know we're in the PF forums, but does anyone have an opinion of how Foundry supports Starfinder? That's currently what I'm using FGU for, and I'd like to move on once I finish out the current adventure I've bought.
Also, more on topic for here, any opinion on Foundry and PF1? I'm 1/2 way through Rise of the Runelords in PF1, and the Roll20 package looks pretty sweet. I enjoy roll20 well enough, and I was planning on moving that game there. I might still do that, even if the Starfinder and 2e games move over to Foundry.
Honestly, what I really wish Foundry had was like a 1-week test download so I could try it out. $50 is a big ask for a system I have to jump into comparatively sight unseen. I did that with FGU and Starfinder and felt a bit burned by it.
The Starfinder development is coming along fairly well. I know they just had a big crunch to get the spells in, I think? I would recommend joining the Foundry discord and asking someone if they can open up a test world that you can poke at. (Hell, it may even end up being me depending on when.)
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Qualidar |
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I would recommend joining the Foundry discord and asking someone if they can open up a test world that you can poke at. (Hell, it may even end up being me depending on when.)
You were too late: my impulse-buy meter eclipsed my prudent meter. I'm now part of the club. :)
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Danbala |
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Foundry is only 50 USA Bucks for everything. You pay once and never have to pay again for subscriptions or new content. It has a great interface, and installing a premade game system or community made module is really easy. Most importantly, players don't need to pay for anything, install anything, or even make an account. You just send them a link and they click it. It is pretty idiot proof. The only pain in the butt is setting up port forwarding on your internet router so you can host your own server. But you have to do that with maptools as well, and maybe Fantasy Grounds. And once you do it you aren't dependent on a server everyone in the world is using right now like roll20.
A quick question about Foundary. I use FG mainly because of the automation and the fact that you can buy the APs pre made. You mentioned that PDFs could be easily imported. I assume that they are not available for sale. Is that correct? If so, how easy are they to import? Is there some kind of parser?
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Captain Morgan |
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Yeah I think there was a parser that made it really easy (and was probably what I used before) but the creator took it down due to copy right concerns. I think their platform is evolving so quickly they realized they had overstepped the SRD at a couple points and had to throttle back.
So now you're basically getting your maps and tokens the old fashioned way. I will say that with the grid zoom module it is still easier to get a map aligned than other VTTs.
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Malk_Content |
So after this thread I took a dive on Foundry. Planning the game for after the APG drops so haven't used it in play yet. I did however get one of my players to jump into a test server (mostly to check I got the port forwarding right) and they pretty much instantly said 'this is a game changer' when moving their token around. We then looked at some other features and their opinion only got better.
So that combined with the fact that, unlike roll20 which we were using, if the company goes bust I still have a completely usuable standalone client makes it a winner.
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Captain Morgan |
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You know how people keep wondering about a PF2 video game? It is feasible for Foundry to basically become that eventually, except you still play it with your friends and a GM.
Currently, with the quick rolls module installed, my players can hit a button in their spell sheet to display all the information from fireball to the group and drop a 20 foot burst. I can then drag my cursor over monsters in the area and roll all their reflex saves by clicking the fireball prompt, and it will tell me which ones succeeded and which ones failed. Another click rolls the damage and a few more applies it to each monster.
They are currently working on effects which tick down by the round weaknesses and resistances being automatically applied to damage. It isn't hard to imagine it reaching a point where I can just select a spell and it's area/targets and it everything else just happens.
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HumbleGamer |
Just a quick info.
I admit I am torn between Foundry and Astral ( foundry would be the best choice, since I'll have to pay just once per ).
Features apart, what I really need is that the VTT would be able to automatically deal with anything for what concerns combat ( roll20 can do this through a script )
Ex:
A player targets an enemy and click on his attack.
The game has to be able to do:
1) a check if the roll is enough to surpass the AC, eventually if it's a critical hit
2) if an hit occours, automatically adjust the enemy's HP
Same goes for
- healing stuff
- aoe stuff ( given an area of effect, any creature within it would be subject to the check )
- skills check ( the possibility to customize a skill check against an enemy DC. Like to replicate athletics checks against REF or FORT ).
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Malk_Content |
Just a quick info.
I admit I am torn between Foundry and Astral ( foundry would be the best choice, since I'll have to pay just once per ).
Features apart, what I really need is that the VTT would be able to automatically deal with anything for what concerns combat ( roll20 can do this through a script )
Ex:
Quote:A player targets an enemy and click on his attack.The game has to be able to do:
1) a check if the roll is enough to surpass the AC, eventually if it's a critical hit
2) if an hit occours, automatically adjust the enemy's HP
Same goes for
- healing stuff
- aoe stuff ( given an area of effect, any creature within it would be subject to the check )
- skills check ( the possibility to customize a skill check against an enemy DC. Like to replicate athletics checks against REF or FORT ).
I haven't actually played a game with it yet, but thepf2 module seems to be able to do all that.
At the very least the fact that npc tokens are individual instances with their own hp and initiative is already beyond r20. And starting an encounter is as easy as box selecting the participants, clicking the combat toggle and then "roll all." Initiative alone in r20 used to take us longer that in person would.
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Tikael |
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Darkvision isn't implemented yet, I kind of remember seeing the developer of Foundry say some things about it being on his to do list. I don't know of any modules that do this, and don't see any in the Foundry list (but this list is not exhaustive). Might be a good idea to ask in the Foundry Discord channel.
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Henro |
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The way I run darkness in Foundry is;
-Normal vision characters gets 5 feet of dim vision in dark conditions
-Low-light vision characters gets 20 feet of dim vision in dark conditions
-Darkvision characters gets 40 feet of dim vision in dark conditions
This isn't the way the 2E rules work, but it's a lot easier to run in Foundry and imo gives a better gradient for different types of vision.
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Grankless |
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You'd have to get the maps hooked up, presumably with a PDF extractor.
All the monsters and bosses (well, up to book 4 I think, it's still a WIP but it's moving *fast*) are in a drag-and-droppable Bestiary. Art is not included, but again - PDF extractor, or just find a token you like. So prep is pretty low if you either can rip the PDFs or just get a *really* good screenshot. (Rob Lazzaretti maps are usually fine to use without extraction, they're pretty clear.)
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Prep for online games is always going to be significantly more than prep for an in person game.
In part this is because normally you would set things up as you go. In a tabletop game, you probably draw the map on the mat as you are playing and set up the miniatures when combat starts. It's all considered part of the game and nobody will complain that you aren't prepared because you didn't come with a beautiful predrawn map with all the miniatures already in place, and extras like lighting on top.
Online, it's expected that you did all this before the game started.
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Ediwir |
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For the foundry folks, how do you go about representing darkvision? I guess there is a module that grants a 3rd vision range?
I just give Darkvision characters 200ft of dim light vision. This lets them see for 200ft (functionally the whole map) in black and white, revealing tokens and terrain, and still allows them to distinguish light.
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Prep for online games is always going to be significantly more than prep for an in person game.
In part this is because normally you would set things up as you go. In a tabletop game, you probably draw the map on the mat as you are playing and set up the miniatures when combat starts. It's all considered part of the game and nobody will complain that you aren't prepared because you didn't come with a beautiful predrawn map with all the miniatures already in place, and extras like lighting on top.
Online, it's expected that you did all this before the game started.
Eeeeh I disagree, its much faster to set up map in roll20 from published adventure than drawing it on flip mat.
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At the very least the fact that npc tokens are individual instances with their own hp and initiative is already beyond r20. And starting an encounter is as easy as box selecting the participants, clicking the combat toggle and then "roll all." Initiative alone in r20 used to take us longer that in person would.
I only know Roll20, but this comment confused me. My tokens are individual instances with their own HP and their own initiative value though they all spring from a common stat block. And I have a relatively simply macro that allows me to roll all the initiatives for all my tokens with a simple click.
Maybe the difference is Foundry does it without a macro. I dunno. I hear a lot of people saying things that Roll20 cannot do and much of the time, its able to do it, you just need to write the appropriate macro.
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Eeeeh I disagree, its much faster to set up map in roll20 from published adventure than drawing it on flip mat.
I finally found a place where I really like the newer MapTiles...Roll20. I can easily grab an image from my PDF library and drop it in the Roll20 environment. Since it is already a perfect 6x6 square, I don't even need to use the IS drawing or Align to grid procedure. I can just drag the corner to match the VTT grid. Grab all the map tiles you want and just drop them next to each other. Works perfectly. Much better than trying to fiddle with custom maps or FlipMats, the latter of which almost always have either inconsistent square sizes or the height and width are not the same. It can take numerous trials to get a map to fit reasonably well and most of the time there will be misalignment the further you get from your alignment point.
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I also find it absurd the idea that initiative roll would take longer in roll20 than in person.
Like "Click token, click initiative button from sheet" doesn't take as long as "roll d20 for every individual creature, add modifier and mark down the results"
In general its really common for people to claim something takes longer in online games that has always in my experienced taken longer time in real time.
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Captain Morgan |
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Malk_Content wrote:At the very least the fact that npc tokens are individual instances with their own hp and initiative is already beyond r20. And starting an encounter is as easy as box selecting the participants, clicking the combat toggle and then "roll all." Initiative alone in r20 used to take us longer that in person would.I only know Roll20, but this comment confused me. My tokens are individual instances with their own HP and their own initiative value though they all spring from a common stat block. And I have a relatively simply macro that allows me to roll all the initiatives for all my tokens with a simple click.
Maybe the difference is Foundry does it without a macro. I dunno. I hear a lot of people saying things that Roll20 cannot do and much of the time, its able to do it, you just need to write the appropriate macro.
Macros require a level of technical understanding that a lot of gamers don't have and don't really want to learn. Myself included.
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Just to note, I've never used macros in any of my games for three years and I still feel that both prepping, running and playing games is faster online than in live games. But I've met players/gms who feel opposite, so I think its one of those "subjective experience" things depending on gming style, whether players are used playing online and such.(I've noticed that some players have long pauses whenever they roll things, which makes me wonder if they have sheets closed or just don't use
quick buttons in them)
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Macros require a level of technical understanding that a lot of gamers don't have and don't really want to learn. Myself included.
Gotcha. I cannot speak for the other VTTS, but the few people I know that use them (Fantasy Grounds, Foundry) for their GMing have indicated to me that their is a level of technical acumen needed for them as well which is on par with, though different, than Roll20. And to be fair, I am far from a tech-guy. All the macros I use were given to me by other people so I haven't found Roll20 to be all that technical. YMMV
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Malk_Content |
Perhaps I've just been doing things wrong in r20. I do setup macros for things, but I also only was ever a free client user so mu access was limited. It I'd ungair perhaps to compare a free service to a bought one, but as someone strictly anti-subscription I'll never be able to tell.
On initiative and health tracking, I must have been doing it wrong because for me and mine it was always a pain in the bottom. All I can say on that front is that Foundry was more intuitive to me, as I got it right the first time.
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RH |
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I have just started tinkering with Foundry. It seems it will do a lot of things, I just need to learn it! We have been using Arkenforge for a while, and just sharing the screen, but their remote player support is nonexistent and it can't currently do the automation that other VTTs can.
For those on Foundry, for hosting do you usually host locally or via their cloud? For the cloud-based hosting, players can use a browser to log in right? What about if you local host (with port forwarding etc), does each player need to install Foundry? How does the client side of that work?
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Grankless |
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I wasn't even aware there were macros that could connect health to tokens. Every attempt I made in R20 just tied everything with the same source to the same HP pool, which is the opposite of ideal.
Also, 2E's spellbook on R20 is absolutely godawful. I should be able to see more than the like, 5 visible spells at a time - everything takes up so much damn space. Plus there's too many things on the first page of the sheet, which means a lot of scrolling up and down depending on what you want to be doing - Foundry you can just click on clearly labeled tabs, and your saves and whatnot are always visible on the sidebar.
You should not be required to figure out macro scripting in order to have a good baseline experience.
EDIT:
RH, players can connect via browser regardless of its locally hosted or not. I personally prefer to pay for The Forge (not actually affiliated with Foundry, it's just a very good service hoster) so that people can get on without me having to open the server on my machine and for the clean asset manager. It's certainly not necessary, and if you know how to host a server or have cheaper alternatives, they will function just as well.
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Henro |
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For those on Foundry, for hosting do you usually host locally or via their cloud? For the cloud-based hosting, players can use a browser to log in right? What about if you local host (with port forwarding etc), does each player need to install Foundry? How does the client side of that work?
If you host locally, players are still able to connect via a browser. It was very simple for me to set up after I realized I could use UPnP but may be more complicated I've heard it can be a lot more complicated if your ISP or router doesn't support that.
The Foundry discord people are also very helpful and were gracious enough to guide me through the setup process.
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Malk_Content |
I have just started tinkering with Foundry. It seems it will do a lot of things, I just need to learn it! We have been using Arkenforge for a while, and just sharing the screen, but their remote player support is nonexistent and it can't currently do the automation that other VTTs can.
For those on Foundry, for hosting do you usually host locally or via their cloud? For the cloud-based hosting, players can use a browser to log in right? What about if you local host (with port forwarding etc), does each player need to install Foundry? How does the client side of that work?
I set it up the other day. Set up port 30000 to forward to Foundry. Then from any browser a play can connect by putting in [your IP address]:30000
You have to setup players and assign them access keys in advance but if they have that info they can login.
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Megistone |
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I finally found the time to read more about Foundry, to watch some videos and to log into the demo game for a bit.
There is a question I couldn't find the answer for: is a browser strictly necessary? I must say that the UI is accurate and everything seemes to be quite smooth, but running a game in a browser is somewhat like using a virtual machine. I can never fully trust it.
So, if I buy Foundry and open a game for my friends who connect to me via browser, do I have to use a browser too or can I GM from the application itself?
And another thing: I have read somewhere that there is an option for a non-GM to open the server; do they need the full game (and thus the license) for that? When I connect to their server, can I do that via the Foundry application or do I have to use a browser?
Thank you!
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Malk_Content |
As the gm you can run from your app. Only players connect from their browser. They dont need an account or anything, you just setup the player for that game and they select it from a drop down once connected.
If you've got the server up people can connect, so you can have a dedicated server if you want. You can even pause the game so people can connect and edit characters but not look around the map etc.
You can give people whatever permissions you like, so you could have a connecting player with full gm permissions.
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Megistone |
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Thank you. I guess the application is required to open the (local) server, unless you set up a dedicated one. But can you connect to a server via application, instead of browser?
Edit: I need this information badly, because I'm the most interested in my group in switching to Foundry and the most likely to make the purchase; but my ISP causes some problems when I try to host.