Learn more about Fantasy Grounds, Virtual Table Tops, and how to make the most of them for your D&D adventure with your friends.
Fantasy Grounds is one of the oldest virtual tabletops around, a stalwart favorite for the many players that use it for its customizability to this day.
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Released in 2004, Fantasy Grounds has had a long time to establish itself as a stable environment to play tabletop roleplaying games online. Users can pay monthly or buy the software license outright. After that, players connect to each other directly or rely on the cloud to host the game. Fantasy Grounds gives Game Masters a space to display maps needed for combat in TTRPGs, as well as a way to set up functions like tracking initiative or making accurate attack rolls. The software supports a vast amount of game systems and modules.
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At its base, Fantasy Grounds offers many of the same functions most VTTs have. The GM hosts a session which the other players connect to. The GM can then put whatever they want on the main screen to show to players. GMs can upload and organize their content to call it up as they need it, be it monster art, handouts that deepen lore, or even the framework of a whole combat encounter. When it does come to blows, GMs can call up a grid map and detailed initiative tracker. Outside of combat, GMs can put dynamic lighting on their maps to evoke the feel of exploring dungeons.
With enough know-how, a GM can automate Fantasy Grounds. They can trigger calculations for certain spells and even pre-set a battle map with variations for difficulty levels. This creates a smooth experience for players where you’re rarely waiting for the next scene.Â
As the GM is making the magic happen, players can also make use of several menus on their end. Fantasy Grounds supports character sheets in the software. These sheets can link up to dice rolls to add bonuses based on character stats. Players also have tabs for taking notes, logging their inventory, and chatting with one another.Â
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The biggest strength of Fantasy Grounds is its enormous library of content. Since the platform has been around for so long, the Fantasy Grounds team has acquired licenses for a lot of different game systems. There’s rulebooks, magic item collections, soundtracks, and even whole campaigns one can buy to plug into their Fantasy Grounds software. What this means for players is that you can more easily try new games and expand your current ones if you use Fantasy Grounds. On top of that, there’s an active community that creates and shares their own add-ons.
Check out this video, which is a great introduction to getting started with Fantasy Grounds:
StartPlaying allows you to easily find and book sessions with professional Dungeon Masters and Game Masters that work for your schedule. You can focus on enjoying the game without worrying about the logistics of organizing sessions. Playing online provides flexibility, as you can join games from anywhere with an internet connection.
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Player reviews on StartPlaying make it easy to find a Dungeon Master whose style aligns with your preferences. With reviews from other players, you can gauge whether a DM is the right fit for how you want to play,  whether it’s combat, role-playing, storytelling, or a specific genre.
Player reviews on StartPlaying make it easy to find a Dungeon Master whose style aligns with your preferences. With reviews from other players, you can gauge whether a DM is the right fit for how you want to play,  whether it’s combat, role-playing, storytelling, or a specific genre.
