I’m not on the hook for any TTRPG sessions at the moment, but that’s not really stopping me from having it on the brain, as my recent posts have hopefully proved to you. This is not another Obsidian-laced post, but rather a virtual tabletop post, because VTTs are getting as bad as digital storefronts for video games, music, or even your choice of cell phone. Since VTTs are coded in different ways, the content you can purchase or create in one will not port to another. They also don’t really behave the same way, even though several of them have adopted a pretty similar style of UI presentation and kind of look alike. What I’m getting at here is that I’m contemplating my “VTT loyalty” right now, just because I don’t have enough to bother myself with.

The Contenders

There’s really only two, and neither is Roll 20, the “macaroni art of the VTT world”. Looking at their UI makes me convulse, and that’s saying something coming from someone who can’t design a UI to save his own life. I just hate it with magnificent levels of irrationality.

The first contender is Fantasy Grounds.

I have owned an “ultimate” license for about 20 years now (I’m guessing based on paper trails in my account stretching back to the early 2000s) and over the years I have purchased several game systems for FG including Alien: The RPG, Starfinder, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Star Trek Adventures, Cyberpunk Red, Savage Worlds, and, of course, D&D 5E. I also own dozens of modules spanning these rule systems, most of which have never been used but were purchased in the hope that they would be, some day. Back when I was GMing some D&D games, we had used Fantasy Grounds because at the time it was pretty much this or Roll20.

I like Fantasy Grounds because it excels at automation. Ruleset and module designers have put a lot of work into adding the means whereby players and GMs can press a button to have calculations done. Items can be added to character sheets using a convention that allows players to simply click on a roll, then a damage, and have it applied to their targets. Considering I no longer have the mental capacity to memorize RPG rulebooks — nor am I a “rules lawyer” like some people — not having to remember every single task and application allows me and my players to focus on the game and the story, not argue about minutiae.

The problem with Fantasy Grounds is that it’s older than dirt, which means that its file structure is based on outdated XML, and that each player needs to download and install a free “demo” client which has limited functionality except when connecting to a remote “ultimate” license holder. The good news is that only the GM needs to have the ultimate license and all players get to play for free, but the bad news is that unless you are the GM, having Fantasy Grounds installed is a very specific and limited use application, meaning it’s not an entirely worthwhile proposition unless a player wants to pony up the $50 for their own Ultimate license.

The second contender is Foundry

Foundry is the very picture of a modern VTT. It’s an installable application that runs on NodeJS. The app is written in JavaScript, as are the source rules and modules. For most everyone that info is just errata but for me it means that if I were to put in the time and effort, I could create a ruleset. I don’t say that as a covert way of implying that I’m actually doing it, but rather as a preface to the fact that most rulesets available for Foundry are community efforts.

More importantly, though, is that Foundry’s clients are web-based. That means that while the GM is running the game through a client, players can hit up the direct connect URL through a web browser to connect to the game. For GMs who want a more persistent setup so players can connect and manage their character and manage and review their notes at any time, the game can be hosted on In The Cloud so no one has to run a client.

There are 314 game systems listed in Foundry’s integrated search-and-download section and they cover everything from the stalwarts like D&D in various editions, Pathfinder/Starfinder, Cyberpunk, Traveler, and even Ghostbusters, one of my all time favorite TTRPGs, to systems that I had never heard of before. Foundry is a great option for fans of niche TTRPGs because JavaScript is an accessible and widely used language, and that provides opportunities for those fans of niche TTRPG and VTTs to come together.

But like a lot of open source software, your enjoyment is only good for the duration during which the maintainers have interest in the project. If your favorite corner-case TTRPG gets a community-built ruleset for Foundry, and the maintainers decide they want to do something else with their lives, it’ll be up to another group to take over the effort or else the whole thing goes into the toilet. Add to that the fact that if anyone can make a ruleset package, then anyone can make a ruleset package and you might find two or more competing rulesets for the same game system. As each would probably be designed differently, building a module for one doesn’t mean it’s compatible with any other.

Considerations

Seeing as how I’ve historically been in Camp Fantasy Grounds, it’s very difficult for me to pull away considering the amount of investment I have there. I’m not talking entirely about financial, but in core rulesets and modules as well as mindshare. Since Fantasy Grounds also sells through Steam, I’ve taken advantage of a lot of Steam Sales to buy Fantasy Grounds stuff, and it’s still my go-to thought whenever Steam has another sale. However, the “download another app” part does weigh heavily on me, especially when I could picture players thinking (or outright saying) “why, when we could use a web-based system instead?” I’m not unsympathetic to the convenience of players, but if I’m expected to do the heavy lifting of providing the content, and if I own a crapload of content in one place and not another, then Fantasy Grounds is gonna be it.

On the other hand, Foundry is newer and has the benefit of learning from Those Which Came Before It. Being internet-native is a massive plus, and the fact that many of it’s rulesets are community-created is both a blessing and a curse because some can be downloaded for free, but as with anything free you can’t really complain about what you get, even if it’s half-assed or half-finished. I could round out my library fairly easily through the Foundry Marketplace, but the module situation would be quite a bit more costly. Also, because of the way my ISP works I have a situation whereby I can’t access loopback connections, meaning I can’t test and validate connection to my own machine so I don’t even know if I can host a Foundry session on my network for Friends in Distant Lands. Of course, having an always-on host In The Cloud is a tempting prospect (and the prices aren’t very prohibitive were I to have an ongoing game).

Decisions Are Pending

I had originally started this post firmly in Camp Switching To Foundry, but as I looked through what Foundry offered, all of it’s wins were in the technical column. Because all I really need to have in order to play a TTRPG online is Discord with screen sharing turned on, the technical aspects are really minor considerations at the end of the day.

Instead, I’m going to have to stick with Team Fantasy Grounds — for now. The amount of content I could bring to bear is not insignificant, and the fact that I can buy licensed content from WOTC, Paizo, Chaosium, and more through Steam is a massive boon. Fantasy Grounds has dropped the cost of the Ultimate license over the years; I believe I paid something like $150 back in 2008, but it’s on sale right now for $35USD.