Fantasy Grounds Unity

Fantasy Grounds Unity
N/A
Metacritic
83
Steam
76.204
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$39.99
Release date
5 November 2020
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
83 (581 votes)
Recent
92 (13 votes)

Prep Less. Play Better. Exciting upgrades await you in one of the most popular virtual tabletops. Fantasy Grounds Unity has amazing new features to take your gaming on to new adventures.

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Fantasy Grounds Unity system requirements

Minimum:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: 64-bit (x64) Windows 8x or 10x
  • Processor: 1.6 GHz or higher processor (SSE2 instruction set support)
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Graphics card with DX10 (Shader Model 4.0) capabilities and a minimum of 2 GB of graphics memory
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 200 MB available space
  • Sound Card: a sound card is required for voice communication using external programs like Google Hangouts, Skype or Discord.
  • Additional Notes: Requirements vary by the add-ons installed and the number of players connecting to your game.
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Taste My Bootheel
Taste My Bootheel

If you can buy it on sale, it's the most cost effective option for VTT.
The published campaigns are normally $15-20 less than Roll20.
The modules go on sale for even less during the steam seasonal sales.

One of the best things about Fantasy grounds unity is that it is backwards compatible with all the original fantasy grounds content which is a massive catalog. A lot of the modules are free and you can find a ton of self published modules on the fantasy grounds forge.
I would highly recommend the free modules that are popular as most of them are made to handle 5e mechanics that aren't programmed in the vanilla version.

Also you can use it offline. When running campaigns for my local hobby shop, I run two instances: one as GM, and a second as a player which I display on a widescreen TV with dry-erase Plexiglas over the top. It allows the players to enjoy using their miniatures, without me having to spend money on a bunch of miniatures.

MadLad99
MadLad99

I've been using Fantasy Grounds for the past few years to run multiple D&D campaigns. I've never run in person, but Fantasy Grounds has everything you need for a streamlined experience. The Ultimate license is a little pricey, but worth it if you plan on using it for a long time.

nightmaredaemon
nightmaredaemon

Having used this program for roughly 20h (ignore my steam time, Most was AFK on accident lmao) to try and see how Pathfinder 1E fairs on it I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I enjoy Fantasy Grounds. It feels very responsive but can be overwhelming for a new DM on the software. For the automation the price cannot be beat unless you buy Foundry VTT which I also have a license for. One thing that I can say did deter me for a while was the cost, Fantasy Grounds Unity for a standard license in canada will cost you CDN 45.49 without tax and ultimate will run you for CDN 125.38 without tax. However if you buy them together you're looking at 150+. This is an major investment a DM should not take lightly as from what I have seen it is the most expensive VTT on the market. I do recommend Fantasy Grounds but only if you and your party are all willing to use it and are willing to deal with the hiccups that can happen or the UI which can be very hard to deal with.

One complaint I do have with Pathfinder 1st Edition on Fantasy Grounds is not every book is on the store. Some good books for players are sadly not found on the store which means as a DM if your player wants to use a specific archetype i.e Court Fool Bard from Heroes of the High Court you will have to code it in. Speaking of coding in archetypes I do not like how they are not listed as a class in of themself but rather as a "Special Ability" that requires the DM/Player in question to have to manually change everything just for their class to work, It's frustrating and so I recommend the class and archetype module off of FG Forge to counter this problem.

8/10 I enjoy the VTT but see it's issues

Bobo D Lui
Bobo D Lui

First off, let me say that I purchased this so I & a group of friends (all of us very green to this virtual RPG thing) could play virtually,

After getting FGU we were excited about getting together virtually. Then the ball dropped. That's when we found out that w/ only one of us having FGU (also when we discovered that different tiers of FGU exist) FGU turned out be a stick in the mud for us.

Apparently I purchased a Standard version. The Standard version only allows you to play w/ others that have also purchased FGU. In order to play w/ my friends I would have to get the next tier of FGU, which will cost me an additional $100 plus. Seems like the classic bait & switch.

I know some will say "well your fiends could buy the standard version also". To them I say if that was an option they'd purchase it.

Also, up until we ran into the brick wall, I was enjoying the general functionality of FGU as I prepped for our first adventure (which unfortunately never happened).

SkullDude ☠
SkullDude ☠

Fantasy grounds has been (and still is) the go to software that I use to host and play ttrpg games online. Had the classic version and this version for a long time.

I cant recommend this anymore.

If you have been following FG's recent developments on youtube as well as the idea.app.informer website where people can vote for the features they want the most. It is obvious that the FG development team is entirely out of sync with their community.

I can understand that some features are faster and easier to implement, but at some point you have to wonder why adding a weird 3rd roleplay option or dice skins (that will probably have a bunch of dlc for slightly different skins) comes before proper dual/multi-screen support.

And yes you could solve some of your issues by using 3rd party extensions.

The primary advantage Fantasy Grounds had over other VTT's is its automation, but its quickly being surpassed by newer modern VTT's which offers more features, that is growing in a positive direction and costs less!

[BAH] Numarcius
[BAH] Numarcius

This is a great TTRPG simulator that's has over 2,000 module contents and growing, almost always releasing something new every week, whether it be official content for D&D 5th Edition, Pathfinder, Call of Chthulhu, or even 3rd party content for these systems or completely new systems, Fantasy Grounds Unity is well worth the prices they ask for.

Not only that but they always have a sale every week, on top of original, free content and addons you can get from their website. So long as you have an account, you can just download content from there, run the launcher on Steam, update it, and viola! More bang for your buck!

The best part is you can have one friend buy a license to host games and all their players have to do is download the demo so they can join any games they host! It's that easy! And with any systems transcribed into FGU, making a character sheet can be done just as quickly and easily! Pick how you want to get your stat numbers allocated, pick your race, background, proficencies, and FGU will quickly and automatically tally up those points and give every item your character needs in their inventory!

The support is also amazing, especially for those who want to stream their games on Twitch. Just @ them on media sites like Twitter and their official accounts will support you by letting everyone know you're on! They're friendly and approachable and can give any help they can to ensure your games are fun and functional!

emphabro
emphabro

awesome VTT which reduces your DM preptime by alot

Anonymous
Anonymous

Well the following application is by far the most difficult computer app I have ever worked on. God, it absolutely ridiculous when it comes to homebrew, you cant do anything and with its 1980s style interface, it becomes unbearable. It took me and my friends days (mind you, days) to figure out the basics of the system and once we started our first homebrew session, it just gave us more problems to work around. I recommend dont buy this if you have homebrew campaign. this will only make you feel absolutely hate everything about Dnd

cory in the house
cory in the house

just get a white board or something, requires less autism.

Boromir, Certified Himbo
Boromir, Certi…

Touchscreen dice rolling simulator 👍

RoninSinister
RoninSinister

Only get this as a demo to try before you buy. I regret getting caught up in the hype of some other users and purchasing before I knew. I blew past the 2 hour Steam limit of playtime to give this program an honest attempt to get working for my group, but it's just too clunky and convoluted. My players are still having a hard time getting their characters loaded into the campaign and the colors (I picked dark) don't contrast enough to clearly see text in fields.

An all around bad experience from Steam (will not grant a refund since I went past 2 hours) and FG.

sandubogi
sandubogi

After having used Roll20 for years, I decided to branch out and finally dive into Fantasy Grounds Unity. Soo glad I did. It is my goto VTT. Partly because you can outright purchase a license for a one-time fee, no subscription needed. But mainly because I find the interface, ease of use, plug-ins, and graphical presentation better than what I've experienced in other VTTs. People seem to think it's complicated. It's not really, you just need to watch some videos, read their help pages and get used to the workflow. Running a 5e game now feels like I have some rubber baby buggy bumpers to help me along. They also actively work on FGUnity adding new features and stability. There is now a FG Forge that is a marketplace to download Free and Paid plug-ins that will sync with your FG account. Highly recommend!

Kaspar Valentino
Kaspar Valentino

I definitely like FG: Unity. I am using Ultimate, and my players don't need to pay a cent if they use the demo version to connect to the game. We use Discord for audio, also free.

That said, there's a relatively steep learning curve. This is harder to jump into than a Roll20 game, but so far, it's also more rewarding. There are tons of options and I'm still figuring out how to do things, but I'm very happy with the results I am getting. The character wizard is great and seamlessly integrates all of my books, which, for me, is currently all the core books plus Xanthar, Mordenkainen, Tasha, and the Eberron setting. Everything shows up as it needs to, and all the books are available to thumb through if you don't want to pull up the bits and pieces in a game. But the bits and pieces...like having spell descriptions as the ready...are also a nice feature.

I am still figuring out line-of-sight fog of war, but the basic fog of war is simple to use if you want it. Line-of-sight may be fairly easy as well, I just haven't put much time into that as yet. I love the effects I can add to a map...adding moving clouds to a desert battlemap makes it look like the wind is blowing sand around.

The game's framework doesn't allow for pop-out windows, which would be nice. However, if you use multiple monitors, you can just stretch the program out to give you more space. Particularly handy as a DM with many things open at once.

Overall, I love this. I feel like it offers plenty more depth if I want to keep diving, and the initial dive took a little bit of jumping in and thrashing about, but the payoff came fairly quickly. There are some great videos out there for users at all levels.

Mikalye
Mikalye

This is simply the best virtual tabletop that I can find. Note that this isn't a game, per se. You cannot play this directly. Rather it is a virtual table top that allows a Game Master to run an online Roleplaying game, be it Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, or something else. It also really requires a chunk of DLC to run, basically the detailed rulesets for whatever system you are running, but it is really, really good at what it does. I rate it well above Roll20, the largest beast in this forest, and I prefer it to Shard, Foundry and Astral, though each of those has some strengths.

FGU simply does it all, all of the mechanics are simply built in. You no-longer need to remember to, for example, apply advantage for poison saves for dwarves in D&D 5e, because of dwarven resilience. FGU knows that the character is a dwarf, knows that they have advantage on poison saves, and automatically applies the advantage and then tells you that advantage was applied as a result. It means that as a GM, I can focus more on how I assist the players in telling the story and less on the bookkeeping. Just great.

BassJam9000
BassJam9000

Good but expensive way to go digital for Dungeon and Dragon and other tabletop games.

kyo
kyo

Definitely recommended. We used Roll20 for a long time but eventually decided we wanted to buy a system outright instead of a subscription fee. It’s also a lot easier to gift dlcs through steam.
After just over 1300 hours as a player and DM I find the interface easy enough, the tracking (Hallelujah) a great useful feature as well as a lot of automated functions such as the ‘Character Wizard’. My own DM has lighting and FOW sorted but i’m still learning.
When i’m DM my only tiny gripe is the ‘Story’ edit options… it would be helpful to have the ability to copy and paste text and keep the formatting (even if it’s an internal copy and paste from one story to another). And the same goes for table formatting within a ‘Story’ page. It would be great if one day inline formatting of text and tables might be possible.
That said this is one awesome product that has regular meaningful updates with new features, tweaking of existing features and like every other game reducing the bugs (not that i’ve encountered any). Oh and one more thing… there’s a host of mods out there to enhance the already great system.
I must say Fantasy Grounds Unity is highly recommended !

drsybaris
drsybaris

Excellent engine, though having to update files for games you don't is annoying. A filter to select desired updates only would be nice.

JAKLE
JAKLE

Takes a little while to get the hang of and learn the ins and outs, but there are tons of videos and content online for tutorials, and the more you tinker the more you can do. Love being able to edit Maps for DnD with LOS, Shadows and lights, How simple it is to customize almost anything. Best online Experience ive had for DnD yet! Plus Ultimate allows me to talk more people into playing for free using the demo version, So new players can try it out without paying a dime!

RANT
The Only Frustration I have, (Using DnD 5e) Alot of abilities are not coded in, Having to pay for an extension or do it yourself is a bit frustrating on an already expensive endeavor, I paid around $300 yet the paladin Smite ability is not built into the Class? Why are you making me pay for the classes/subclasses if your not going to code in the BASE abilities of the class!? Some abilities i understand, its just not possible, but Divine Smite is So Simple. Means even more work for me as a DM, trying to help new players see the abilities they can actually use, and then taking 10 minutes to figure out if the system rolls the correct amount of dice. Let alone Sneak Attack for rogues. YOU CAN DO ALOT with this system, but overlooking (or even worse intentionally) not putting in the core abilities of the classes is extremely frustrating, It is a money grab for sure, as any outlet for DnD (D&D for the OCD) typically is, making you re-buy every book and module for each and every system you want to use. I look forward to the day they Work together, and i can go From Fantasy Grounds, to Roll20, To DnD Beyond, To whatever else, and not have to pay for EACH AND EVERY BOOK 5 TIMES OVER!!!

Rant over.

Kobold Kommando
Kobold Kommando

The Good:
Nice Automation of tools suitable for running D&D, customisation options for things possible.
The Combat Tracker a must use for fights! Makes DMing large scale fights in D&D easy either on grid or theatre of the mind!
Fog of war options to stop players seeing all the map!
Easy to load in maps and place a combat grid and counters over!
Plenty of modules and source books for sale for a lot of systems not just D&D 5th edition, e.g. Vampire, Traveller, Deadlands!
Active Discord Communities dedicated to helping with problems and also finding games and running events!

The Bad:
A bit of a clunky U.I.
Ultimate licence to share DLC owned by the GM to the players a must but kind of pricey (won't hurt to ask them to chip in)

The Ugly:
I wish I could rejig the text fonts, they're not the best.

Despite not being the smoothest to use, I have used it to run games of D&D online successfully during the pandemic both one shots and full on campaigns.

Mygë
Mygë

Been DMing a DnD5e game for a year now in FGU. After switching from R20, it was expensive, but has been a great investment! Been running 5e campaign modules so its been really easy from a DM perspective. It also allowed my new players to learn the rules easily and focus on RP.

The Guy
The Guy

Great platform for D&D. Modules are easy to load and use.

Koukou
Koukou

Very nice to transit from Pen and Paper to online with your friends.

garfield's #3 onlyfans sub
garfield's #3 …

Ultimately this is a tool hampered by its age - even though it was remade for the modern age with Unity.

» With respect to PF2,
The player guide is nigh non-existent with the only page I could find (Item guide) not functioning with regard to property runes and not having been updated since 2019. I can't find guides on how to learn the tool, how to understand the automation, activate critical hits, or more. The amount of study you have to do to learn this tool is worth neither the time or the money. Use another VTT.

» With respect to Savage Worlds,
I couldn't find resources on how to manage how powers/modifiers worked, but otherwise it was functional if somewhat janky at points.

Sn4k3z34
Sn4k3z34

the only way i will play D&D once i get a computer into my table for in person games.

ECO
ECO

if you want vtt for playing licensed titles, this program is worth every cent.

G-Rex
G-Rex

Hands down my favorite VTT.

-The software is hosted locally on my computer
-I own the content I buy and have access to it offline
-I can create content offline
-Robust community and support network
-Automation tools. I'll play as a player on other VTT's but I won't GM on them. Fantasy Grounds' automation really puts it over the top compared to its competitors.

Lord Oribron
Lord Oribron

I can't recommend this for the average player who wants to try DMing. It is far too complicated. It's the difference between using Adobe Photoshop vs. Windows Paint. Some might find that appealing, and like to take all the time, investigation, reading and learning necessary to use such a powerful tool. But for the average person who wants to DM, this is way out there. I've found the text documents online to be somewhat vague, as they appear to cater to the previously experienced user. Over the course of 1 year, I've received zero response from Fantasy Grounds to any of my inquiries, comments and questions. Again, this is a powerful tool if you're willing to basically get a college education to use it, otherwise I'd highly recommend a more basic tabletop simulator.

FRS flipjj
FRS flipjj

Having tried a few options to play online and Fantasy Grounds is BY FAR the best. Just the way you can customise everything, create your own modules, insert all your custom stuff, FG is simply the perfect tool for playing RPGs online. My main group is spread around 3 different countries and we have NEVER had an issue playing, especially once we updated to Unity.
Just perfect. Get it and you will not regret.

Beor son of Braylor
Beor son of Braylor

great place to play online with friends. It take a little work to understand the UI but once you get it effects and party manager are AMAZING!

ThreeHamKablaam
ThreeHamKablaam

O wow this is a crazy cool system!! a bit of work upfront, but wowza!

Soylent Green
Soylent Green

I found this software overly complicated and impossible to use without lots of research outside of the software itself. Be very careful about purchasing this product. Make sure you do all your research in advance because if you have the software open for more than 2 hours - using it or not - you will not be able to get a refund. This is a sign of a company that knows its product is bad. Since they are so strict on the refund policy one can only assume there must be many many requests for refunds.

rtarelli
rtarelli

The best virtual table top software out there!!!
Not only does it harness all of the game mechanics, but you can create your own battlemaps inside it (its included in the software package... with map animations and everything you might need). There is a learning curve to master the finer details, but learning the basiscs is super quick.
If on top of this you add the DLC for adventures your prep time is drastically dimished. Specially if you mix and match homebrew content with official stuff.

¡El mejor software de mesa virtual que existe!
No solo aprovecha todas las mecánicas del juego, sino que también puedes crear tus propios mapas de batalla dentro de él (está incluido en el paquete de software ... con animaciones de mapas y todo lo que puedas necesitar). Hay una curva de aprendizaje para dominar los detalles más finos, pero aprender las bases es muy rápido.
Si además de esto agrega el DLC para aventuras, tu tiempo de preparación se reduce drásticamente. Especialmente si mezclas y combinas contenido casero con material oficial.

Aelyen
Aelyen

Great tool, especially if you DM a lot! It has a bit of a learning curve but it's definitely my favourite DM tool. Lots of cool and useful features!

Jodem
Jodem

$ friends and I bought FG Unity. We had played Classic for years and it worked well. Once loading up Unity, half our players could not load up the books anymore. We tried everything and went through the help... nada. Hours spent trying to get it to load our books. Not worth the hours lost to no avail.

Dozenbeer
Dozenbeer

I use it and I dont think its horrible, but my god is this software user unfriendly, its unreal.

Cant recommend something that gives me so much trouble, work and agony. I love to play Pen and Paper RPGs. FGU is a good solution to buy something once and gather around strangers or friends to play.

As an Ultimate license GM I cant recommend it though. Everything needs to be coded.....even such simple things like themes are a hassle. There is no easy or quick solution to implement the stuff you absolutely need. A background image for a thematic evening is going to make you tear your hair out.

- You have a PDF rulebook and want to use it in FGU? Nope, unless you screenshot every single page and clutter together some Frankenstein Image folder. Trying to copy the text and paste it in blocks to FGU? All the text is now misaligned and unreadable. Even the in-app bought rulesets have unreadable text and weird glitches.

- Easily implement rules or easy dice strings like - sixes are successes? Nope. Hope there is a mod that includes your favourite ruleset or otherwise its almost impossible or waaaaaay too much work to create one (its coding, like I am coding my own game!!!) Fuck, look at Sophies Dice here on Steam, you can easily set up specific dice rulesets and use them quickly. That is Unity too!!!!

- Special dice are almost impossible to implement, want to play Shiver RPG? Cant do, because of the special dice and unique faces. Its easier to set this up in 10min in Tabletop Simulator, where you can import the rulebook PDF as well!

- The rulesets you can buy here are so broken, never patched and lackluster. The great artwork that is in these rulebooks is completely butchered here and lost. Plain text only with single img files inbetween....lifeless and an insult to the creators of those books. Often times the FGU version costs more than the rulebook itself.....some systems although present, are in such a low quality its baffling, like in the ALIEN RPG, the map is so low res....it cant be played.

- charactersheets are so friggin hard coded its almost impossible to create something workable for anything else besides DnD. MoreCore mod helps, but is also not a great solution, why is it so complicated to include an easy "Create-a-sheet" mode? Why is it not as easy as dropping an img file onto a dice to make a custom dice?

- made a complicated map with line of sight and lighting options in a ruleset and tried to export it to another rulesystem....nope! Cant do that, cant export to another dice system!

- if the ruleset you wanna use uses cards, like poker cards.....forget it! Only the bought Savage Worlds has a card system, that absolutely sucks and makes no fun. You cant implement your own cards.

FGU is almost exclusively designed for DnD. After years of trying to adept and to create stuff for it, I give up. I give up and returned back to Tabletop Simulator.....and oh my god is it so much better! If you plan on to play anything else other than DnD or Pathfinder, forget it!

Draccoburn
Draccoburn

One of the best VTT I've used. Take time to watch the tutorials on how to use everything and then have wonderous adventures at your players expense.

LibraFantasy
LibraFantasy

it so funz
i lerves bein Dorf Fytr
Plzs some1 be my DnDee Daddy uWu

Mebs
Mebs

Fantasy Grounds Unity improves upon Fantasy Grounds classic by a lot. It is a bit pricey, especially considering you will have to buy the rule books also (or buy them again, if you already own hard copies). But if money is no barrier, then FGU is simply the best way to play pen-and-paper RPGs remotely.

rostislav4
rostislav4

Wow, do NOT buy this if you are looking for an intuitive interface or a quick VTT for your game. I figured hey, I want some lighting for my games...maybe something fancy...and this is cheaper than a yearly subscription to roll20 (standard).

Could not figure out anything after an hour + youtube tutorials. The GUI is a mess. Even the SCALING is off- I had to use a slash command just to get the size of the letters bigger.

I literally got mad at how bad this is built. It's probably great for making your own world once you learn it all...but man I'm a DM...I'm prepping for my ACTUAL GAME.

zsk
zsk

Great VTT for Dungeons and Dragons players. The automation and combat tracker speed combat up considerably! The only downside is that you're going to have to pay again for books you already own which gets expensive fast. You can choose to input stuff from your source books manually instead but that requires a large time investment.

AngelM
AngelM

A great way to play D&D with friends from anywhere

EbolaBear
EbolaBear

Went from roll20 on browser to FG, noticeably better.

Derp Party
Derp Party

DRM Nightmare. Like you have to sign up in multiple places.

So the a * * hole design goes.

(1) Purchase Fantasy Ground from Steam.
(2) Sign up for a Compulsory account through FantasyGrounds.com
(3) Get a Key from Steam to put into the FantasyGround launcher
(4) THEN you have to link the your steam account through FantasyGround.

Enjoy the suckage because you cant access the content you paid for.

Seriously, I can't access 30 modules.

Some person told me how to "access my" paid for content. You can't not with out a monthly subscription. So I have to pay a monthly subscription to access the stuff I bought and paid for.

Just going to call a turd what a turd is.

FundPirate
FundPirate

Steep learning curve but once you get it, you will use it always, even for offline games

Bobfinfur
Bobfinfur

Hands down one of the worst purchases I've ever made. To start off with I thought this would be a tool to have the computer DM for me and let me just play some pathfinder/DND. Nope... Or at least if that's possible I couldn't figure it out in the horrible UI. So much for 'their ability to emulate various parts of an RPG session in digital form' mentioned in the store page. Maybe if I spent days learning the UI I might consider hosting some matches for my friends irl.

Probably the worst part is that drunken me spent waaay to much on the rule books $800-1000 for something that I'll never use more than 3 and a half hours. Turns out I can download the rule books for free on my phone and use that for pnp matches rather than haul around a laptop every Friday. I would've looked into a refund but since I got all of the rule books through their website, that doesn't even offer a refund system, I'd at best get $40 out of a $1000 back. So for now I'll hold onto this game in the off chance I find a group of friends willing to play it with me... Though I'll likely have to shell out the cash for the Ultimate upgrade on that day since there's no way I'd make them pay what I already have.

Would I recommend this? NO, I recommend downloading the free rule books on your phone and enjoy a match with some nerdy friends irl or over discord rather than buy this overpriced crap.

ipKench
ipKench

It has some learning curve, but so do all VTTs. It automizes dice and basic game mechanics with no problem and, if you are a DM, there are official tutorials on how to code every variation you might need.
It is slow in adding new features but I have never had stability issues.

Grim DeGrim
Grim DeGrim

Overall - I recommend. I enjoy D&D and the platform provides a means to do so at long distances. I won't gloss over some of the learning curve - it can be challenging. That said, there are tons of youtube videos online for specific need cases, and alot of support on the fantasy grounds forums. I purchased the Ultimate license and some content. Additional content is available from the Fantasy Grounds forms / Store / and Forge (part of the FG website, where player made content is sold or free). If you're into role play games (D&D, Pathfinder, AD&D, etc), the cost of modules and resource material will come as no surprise. For those new to the genres, the license gives the bare bones for a platform to use plus the SRDs for basic gameplay. All else is additional add on. If you're looking to try it out to see if you like it, the free license version and finding a game via the forums is a decent idea. If you fall in love with it, check our Syrinscape Online as another add-on for music.

Dan
Dan

My favorite way of playing dungeons and dragons!

Brolin of Vandar
Brolin of Vandar

Couldn't really form an opinion, as I could never actually get into the product. Stalled on login every time. Even with customer support involved. I'd enter the username and password set up externally on the game website, the message at the bottom says, "Logging in." And, that's it. I could login to the website, sync with Steam, etc. But could never get the product itself to login. The entirety of the "85 minutes" Steam says I played, was all waiting for logins to complete. None ever did.

Traitor_Joe's
Traitor_Joe's

Ummmm, tried to check it out after purchase. Complete disaster of a registration process. I simple hit play and got ask to register and holy hell what an incoherent mess of a website. needless to say refunded with eleven minutes of play time and never seeing dic, except the register screen...

Septdeez
Septdeez

It has everything you need for a great DnD Campaign

Mr. Rogers Ghost
Mr. Rogers Ghost

Great Program for D&D and other games, player wise its easy, DMing there is a learning curve but its not to bad. If you love D&D or other rpg games do yourself a favor and get Fantasy Grounds.

SurrealWino
SurrealWino

FGU is my first VTT so I'm no expert, but I am not looking at getting anything to replace it. Despite a rather steep initial learning curve and a somewhat dated appearance, FGU is a rock-solid platform for my online TTRPG needs. I mainly play 5E Dungeons and Dragons, and the integration of the rule set helps organize and streamline play immeasurably. I don't know that I will ever be able to go back to sitting around a physical table again.

Some of the newer VTTs promise 3D graphics and the like, but until I find one that can match FGUs complexity under the hood, I am sticking with the tried and true.

MulcheArcade
MulcheArcade

Had issues with install but were fixed with tech support.

Loggmeister
Loggmeister

This is a great tool. My friends and I have been having a great time using this. It's easy to look up tons of information. Spells and abilities are easy to share. Not having to draw the maps by hand and using the fog of war to show where they've been is amazing.

Vagabond
Vagabond

Great platform for DMing and D&D in general.

SNAFUBR
SNAFUBR

Great way to play DnD. If anyone has issues with the system there are two Discord servers (one official and one semi-official that teaches how to use various aspects of the game) that you can reference. Personally I would visit the Fantasy Grounds Academy as the volunteer teachers there do a really good job of explaining things.

Mattkilt
Mattkilt

When I looked at VTT options I wanted something that was robust and would really do LOS and lighting well. i really felt that dnd would be best when exploring a dungeon you turn a corner and really were discovering what was there right down to the shape of the room. FGU has a steep learning curve to get over, but all in all I am very happy with the system.

Marc
Marc

I've come to love FG (note I launch FG from my desktop not Steam so Steam doesn't have my hours). I moved to FG because roll20 was not staying on top of PF2E content, not because I didn't like roll20. At first blush it was very daunting. The initial user experience is not great (hard to find things, limited utility from mouse-over help) but there is plenty on the FG site and web. Once I got the hang of it, I've come to love it. I still use roll20 for another game where I co-ref but if FG added a guest ref feature, I would be 100% FG.

I play PF2E

Pros:
* Far more tools for the GM and easier access to rule and module content since bestiary, module, etc is all in its own windows
* Combat automation is awesome, especially on calculating resistances, weakness, ongoing effects, e.g., persistent damage is automatically applied as is the check to see if it stops each round
* combat modifiers are easy to apply. Some are automatic with conditions but easy to add per roll modifier, as well as cover and concealment, the later will also do the flat checks for you
* FG has been ahead of PF2E content compared to roll20. Roll20 seems be trying to do better more recently but I think FG still has more overall PF2E content, as far as APs and the like. Rules and Lost omens books should be about the same though
* Notes are awesome: every room in an AP has its own map pin with notes. GM can make public pins (for instance we use them when we pause mid-combat to record where we left off), you can the same notes or new ones to the calendar. The calender itself if extremely nice. GM can put in notes for when things are supposed to happen in the future or record past events. Players can add whatever they want to the calendar and/or create their own notes
* Players see only what they token can see. So if half the party is out of sight around a corner, the player is not really sure where they are. This is awesome and makes for much more fun encounters. "Where did the fighter go?" makes for a much more entertaining session than knowing he is 15 feet away fighting an Umber Hulk
* The party loot and XP management is great. You can grab treasure bundles from the room pin to the character sheet. PCs can claim it or there is a button sell it all and distribute the money

Cons:
* Very step learning curve for GM and players. They are trying to address but it is a complicated tool and it was not built from the ground up with UI experience in mind. May always be a bit challenging
* Setting up your actions to take full affect of automation can be a bit of a challenge but on the otherhand, not every effect needs to be fully automated. You can just followup manually as needed, which is basically what you do in roll20 all the time
* There is no map ping, like roll20. There is a nice arrow/cone/sphere feature but it would be even better with a map ping as well
* There is no provision for co-refs. This is a big deal for me and what may in the end move me back to roll20 despite the fact I love FG overall
* The GM has to have the game open for the players to be able to edit their characters

Nephilims Hammer
Nephilims Hammer

This steam will fuck over your subscriptions its a nightmare to setup and use. Just use Roll 20 for free this companies a scam

McStabStab
McStabStab

A bit janky at the start, it takes a while to figure out the ins and outs of the program, but once you do, it is absolutely magical. As a DM for 5e, the automation of so many rolls and checks makes my life so much easier and allows me to keep the focus on the story and not get bogged down by checking stuff. Yeah it's not as pretty as some other VTTs, yeah it doesn't quite capture the magic of an IRL game like something like TaleSpire or Tabletop Simulator, but this is definitely my go to. Great job Smiteworks

PS: Add DnDBeyond support please!

Shosuro
Shosuro

A steep learning curve, but once you get it worked out it works great, and it has a robust community very willing to help with anything you need.

illahad
illahad

The ultimate licence is a really good way to host games for people without extra expenses from their side. All D&D and Pathfinder materials are way cheaper here than on Roll20. You don't need to write macros or anything and get a lot of automation out of the box.

At the same time the UI is really clunky and feels like an app from 90-s. Map editor is way more convenient on Roll20.

All in all for me it was the cheapest way to play RPGs with my friends online especially with regional prices.

La Oraclum
La Oraclum

This software has made running virtual games viable for me. The features, and the ability to tweak anything you like, write your own extensions, etc. make it the most versatile VTT I've ever used. I love to make detailed maps, and have surprises for my players, and this software makes it easy enough to set things up in a short enough period of time to make a weekly session possible. Plus, the built in support for several popular systems is incredible. Can't recommend it enough.

Warlord_Fenrir
Warlord_Fenrir

This is a really good tool to bring all of your fantasy gaming into an online version. It’s really nice what smiteworks has been able to do.
Maybe it’s already ready in works but the only complaint I get from my players is about the character sheet. Maybe it could be made to more closely resemble the actual character sheet. They are creatures of habit I guess.

alpha_eta_rho
alpha_eta_rho

OMG game changer for making RPG gaming easier for some famous brands. I play D&D, Traveler and have played Rolemaster when it was ICE for Lord of the Rings. You can use stock info or even provide old school data to develop modules yourself. Use stock tokens or make your own, Use new rules or amend them with historical info. Ease for new players who can't sit in a garage or house, but still want to play. I play with my high school buddies more to keep in touch as we live all over the world. Get it and use it.

smokydragon7
smokydragon7

I think I made a mistake buying it through Steam. DLCs say they are installed but they don't show up in Fantasy Grounds. Still checking it out maybe my fault. But still you should just be able to buy install, and go.

Dante Volingrad
Dante Volingrad

Easy to use and great for playing Pen and Paper games with friends. I honestly struggle to determine which way is better, and almost am willing to say that I would rather play this way than in person from now on...almost.

Sussy Imposter
Sussy Imposter

i have no idea what im doing but im having a lil bit of fun
will update this once i figure out what im doing

Oltex
Oltex

The UI is a bit clunky and unintuitive in places, the learning curve fairly steep, and i can see 1000 places for improvements but, overall, its worth putting in the effort to learn the system. With support for built in modules (we play D&D 5e), its nearly as good as having my friends over to play (which is impossible since they live in 4 different US states). This has reinvigorated my love to P&P games and allowed me to reconnect with old friends i used to see only once/year.

Adam Silver-mane
Adam Silver-mane

a good interface with plenty of content, plus somewhat flexible homebrew ability.

Gurky Gurk
Gurky Gurk

intuitive medium for dnd players, both experienced and new.

Otep
Otep

If you buy this buy it through their website not here.. I spent quite a bit of money on this and the automation was not quite as fleshed out as one would hope. So many things that you have to code yourself or purchase extensions to do it for you. It is nice once you get the hang of it but it is by no means effortless. I have spent 28 hours in this program so far and at around hour 13 i wanted a refund. Steam wont refund this so im married to it. I dedicated more time and i feel like im getting a grasp on everything that i need to run a campaign with i hope to be minimal hiccups and pauses to fix stuff. I am still not all that happy with it but the program itself is rather nice but you have to get a masters degree from fantasy grounds academy to actually run a successful game. Features like lighting and line of site are really nice and what it does automate it does it well. You should only buy this if you have hours upon hours to dedicate to learning the system and how to use it with your chosen tabletop game and also have players that are willing learn as well. It is way to easy for a player to destroy their character on accident to the point where they have to make a new one because you cant fix it lol. Hope this helps.

rcain
rcain

SO 95 HOURS IN AN NOT ONE REGRET BEST ONLINE OLD SCHOOL OR NEW SCHOOL D&D THIS IS IT.

Anonymous
Anonymous

My Favorite tool for multiple TTRPG's. Mostly playing D&D during Covid times but this has been a great tool overall. Having it in Steam makes it easier to grab your add ons on sale and keep yourself organized.

LeViper
LeViper

Unkompliziertes und Umfangreiches Programm um Online endlose Pen and Paper Systeme zu spielen.
Unsere Gruppe benutzt es sein 3 Jahren hauptsächlich über Corona und es ist Super, auch wenn die Entwickler ein wenig Zeit brauchen um neue Regelwerke und Erweiterungen zu Implementieren.

Nichts desto trotz TOP

The Righteous Bison
The Righteous Bison

Very over complicated for no reason at all

MrHofer
MrHofer

It takes time and effort to learn how to use this VTT but gives a lot of automation, fog of war, dynamic lightning and much more in return. By no means it is easy to code effects and everything else, but when everything works it is rewarding to play and GM. And most of the time everything just works after you figure stuff 1 time out.
You can find nice sales on steam for the licenses, books and modules, so that's a nice thing to have.
The stability and processing of bigger maps and images needs some work, it is certainly lagging from time to time when you are having a big map open with many tokens on it.
All in all it is a solid and well-rounded VTT, if you are looking to buy modules and books - it is definitely a nice option because of the steam regional pricing and possible sales.

CalJ
CalJ

Takes ALOT of effort to learn how to use, but is the best program for DND once you've got it all figured out.

BladedNinja
BladedNinja

it's expansive but a gooda programm

Nick Frost
Nick Frost

At the time of this comment, it has the best rules implementation for D&D5e and SWADE.

Gonks
Gonks

Very good VTT, not perfect. You can do a ton and even develop your own stuff and RPGs, but because of that you have a big learning curve and I felt lost for a very long time. This said, there is a ton of help out there and they do a lot of online how-how tos on Twitch and YouTube. It's expensive, but the costs are one time only; if you buy something, you own it. Only the DM/GM needs the full license, everyone else can use the free version to play.

gramic3
gramic3

if you play online dnd this is a must have.

Demzers
Demzers

The cost of DLC for this is too much for what money I have, I can hardly run a campaign with a few friends with what this gives me without "homebrewing" the rest of the other classes and races needed. I'll have a better time working with pixel art maps and using free online sources for the books. The homebrew support just also feels really clunky and unnatural to me.

Rather use text files and PNGs for this as its much easier to manage.

fogartyallen
fogartyallen

FGU is better then roll20, but still not everything I wish it could be. Some of the controls and features I would never have figured out with out help from a friend. I hate that despite having to pay for the books there is no good way to read them like a PDF.
FGU is working and helping me tell story. It automates a lot of the combat book keeping quite well. Overall 8 out of 10 .

Verenti
Verenti

Fantasy Grounds is the best VTT. The only problem is the price. And having to learn to use it.
I use Fantasy Grounds for games even when the other players are sitting in the same room at me.

GhostOfKritfayle
GhostOfKritfayle

Clunky and lacks good user experience. Abilities for classes in D&D are at times having to be manually added to a character and in some cases its amazingly difficult if not impossible to do. A big reason to use a virtual tabletop is to facilitate the running of the game. To handle the maths and to make things streamlined. This does not do so. Its not a cheap program and after all these years and Unity is there second go at it. I am finding this a very frustrating experience in the day to day usage and that is not what you want in a VTT.

Asinine
Asinine

My PC keeps blue-screening while running this application, often times rolling back a ton of playtime, not to mention the effects that has on every other application running on my pc at the time it crashes. I suspect it's a memory leak but I haven't been able to tell so far.

Planewalker
Planewalker

Great tool with excellent timesavers, tight integrations with rulesets, and support for custom content. If you get past the tough learning curve (which has been improved in this Unity version), you will be ready to go for many game sessions.

I pay your mom's rent
I pay your mom…

"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy (grounds)?"
-- Freddie Mercury, level 20 bard

ottokrone
ottokrone

I got this since I travel a lot. It gives me another way to play games with my son while I travel. The Rick and Morty game is pretty fun and a good starting point for me to DM.

Schelz
Schelz

It's a very good platform, I feel that if I had an option to use videos in the grids and not just images, it would enrich my tables more

Alonelyguy
Alonelyguy

Takes a real long time to get used to the automation and getting everything to work, but once you're past that, its a real great piece of software that takes most of the boring stuff out of running a game. licence is quite expensive but if you cant afford it you can get it for a monthly fee

E$$ence
E$$ence

Amazingly adaptable to whatever system, module, or campaign youd like to run. Learning curve is as simple or complex as you want it, allowing you to automate tons of features, or just rule on it outside of the platform, whatever you find easier. Could not recommend this enough.