» From the “whittling away at RPGers’ mule-like resistance to online play” desk
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
From the “whittling away at RPGers’ mule-like resistance to online play” desk
So, another tool for tabletop roleplaying via the Internet. This one looks fairly comprehensive and really gorgeous - I like the attention to details like GM control of screen tinting for ambience (sweeeet), and support for pressure-sensitive tablets, which a GM with a real yen for paper’s flexibility will want to invest in.
Whiiiiich brings up that, like GRiP before it, Fantasy Grounds is a monetary investment. Gamers have thus far seemed unwilling to spend twenty to forty bucks on anything that’s pure infrastructure and no content… at least, not if they can’t fondle it. There’s also the lack of a Mac version, which gamers always make disproportionate noise about (the tendency of Mac users to be disproportionately noisy being multiplied in this case by the larger-than-normal percentage of Mac users among gamers).
I don’t think we’re quite at the tipping point yet where doing tabletop-style RPGs online just seems like the obvious thing to do, but I think it’s coming. Maybe by the time it does, we’ll have free tools that cut the mustard. What do you think?
(P.S. First guy who starts a Mac-vs.-PC flame war in the comments gets some alone time in our holding cell with Bjorn the half-minotaur)
Back to the 
Tim L. Says: December 7th, 2004 at 3:42 pm
A free utility would be nice, but this Fantasy Grounds package seems worth the cost. Considering my group has thus far been getting by on AIM Chatrooms, emails, and ecxel maps, I’d say that $20 each is a small price to pay, considering the tech support, upgrades, patches, and the like.
Torquemada Says: December 7th, 2004 at 5:16 pm
Hi.
How it compares against NBOS’ Screen Monkey? I liked the trial version, but haven’t convinced some of my players to give it a try.
Thanks.
misuba Says: December 7th, 2004 at 6:06 pm
Screen Monkey’s a new one on me - looks like its cross-platform story is a little better but its native D20-ness and aesthetics suffer a bit. But I haven’t tried any of ‘em so what do I know.
Torquemada Says: December 7th, 2004 at 8:59 pm
Well, I went to Fantasy Grounds’ site and the screenshots look good but I think Screen Monkey is the way to go for me because…
(Must start saving for another one… Oh, joy! New campaign books!).
1) I don’t GM d20. (Savage Worlds is The One! :P)
2) I couldn’t find a downloadable demo. NBOS, OTOH, has a feature-limited version of Screen Monkey free of charge if you’re feeling Scrooge-like.
3) It requires two licenses to be used: GM ($40) and player ($20 each). Screen Monkey is $35 (GM) and the players use their standard browser to enjoy the game.
4) It won’t run in my humble PC.
Ces’t la vie.
Torquemada Says: December 7th, 2004 at 9:44 pm
My bad…
The price of Fantasy Grounds’ GM license is $35, not $40.
ps: Check http://www.screenmonkeyplanet.com for some SM extras.
Gary Says: December 8th, 2004 at 9:39 am
The price is not much when you think of all you get. Many people pay 30 - 50 dollars for source books that sit on shelves, adding little to their d20 play. Have a whole environmental playground which you can roleplay in online is pretty cheap. And the GM and players are the ones who add the content anyway.
Giddoen Says: December 8th, 2004 at 10:14 pm
yeah but if you check the forums for fantasy grounds they say a demo version was to be up in Aug???? Hmmm seems to have come and gone just like GRiP (which I shelled out the bones for to watch it collect dust!!!!
I’ll sticl with DM Genie and some free ones off the net!
It is pretty though!
Giddoen
alfblack Says: December 9th, 2004 at 7:55 pm
Yeh.. same reaction. Not another one.
There are at least 2 free ones. openrpg and webrpg.
Of the commercial ones (klooge, screenmonkey, grip). screenmonkey is the one looking the best.
1 GM license, no player license required.. still active. support. cross platform for clients.
Torquemada Says: December 10th, 2004 at 12:51 pm
As I said before, I think the software looks good. But if the Fantasy Grounds people is trying to get both, GMs and players, to pay for it, a demo should be out there — maybe time, games or feature limited.
If they’re convinced their interface is that good, they should give users the chance to try it and to not-want-to-let-go after they do.
Allen Varney Says: December 11th, 2004 at 8:54 am
If you like PARANOIA in particular, JParanoia is free and does a pretty good job. It’s available at http://www.paranoia-live.net.
Kashkadir Says: December 13th, 2004 at 9:43 am
There is a downloadable demo at
http://www.fantasygrounds.com/downloads