Traveller on VTTs

[MattL]

I just downloaded Fantasy Grounds, but don't see any upgrade path or discount for all the books/PDFs I've bought on Mongoose Publishing, like Paizo offers. Even in a bundle, the set of "core" book modules (including High Guard, Companion, Vehicles, etc.) is $250. I've spent a good chunk of that already.

With a decent upgrade path, e.g. half off, I'd happily give Mongoose more money to use versions of the products/rules I've already bought integrated with a decent VTT (which I assume FG is, though I haven't used it before).

Seems like this should be (relatively) easy money for Mongoose, especially with FG announcing today its now free.

 

[CordwainerFish]

I just downloaded Fantasy Grounds, but don't see any upgrade path or discount for all the books/PDFs I've bought on Mongoose Publishing, like Paizo offers. Even in a bundle, the set of "core" book modules (including High Guard, Companion, Vehicles, etc.) is $250. I've spent a good chunk of that already.

With a decent upgrade path, e.g. half off, I'd happily give Mongoose more money to use versions of the products/rules I've already bought integrated with a decent VTT (which I assume FG is, though I haven't used it before).

Seems like this should be (relatively) easy money for Mongoose, especially with FG announcing today its now free.

I expect that what's now free is nothing more than use of the software itself and its basic functionality. Not only do I see no chance that all the relevant publishers would now be allowing the use of the modules using their IP, it would be extremely bad for us because we would go from being the consumers to being the product.

 

[mavikfelna]

I just downloaded Fantasy Grounds, but don't see any upgrade path or discount for all the books/PDFs I've bought on Mongoose Publishing, like Paizo offers. Even in a bundle, the set of "core" book modules (including High Guard, Companion, Vehicles, etc.) is $250. I've spent a good chunk of that already.

With a decent upgrade path, e.g. half off, I'd happily give Mongoose more money to use versions of the products/rules I've already bought integrated with a decent VTT (which I assume FG is, though I haven't used it before).

Seems like this should be (relatively) easy money for Mongoose, especially with FG announcing today its now free.

That is the issue. I admit, most of my Mongoose books have been purchased in big discount bundles and there is no way for me to afford to buy them again. Especially when just the core rulebooks is $60 by itself just for this one VTT. That's about 5x what I paid for the whole bundle for core books in PDF.

 

[Anstett]

@mavikfelna If you do own a license for FG then they are giving away a fairly large bundle of items for free to people who paid for one in the past.

The Deneb adventure is one of the giveaways for Traveller inclined. There are two dice packs that anyone can use with any system, plus two map packs from the Art Subscription. So 4 items worth ~$40 right there plus another dozen items.

@MattL Currently there is no Mongoose discount like Paizo does. FG is the best VTT for Traveller because of the longevity of having authorized modules available. Foundry and D20 both have things from Mongoose now also.

From the sunk cost perspective it is very much like moving from Cassette, to CD, to MP3, to Streaming repurchasing everything again and again.

If you do not have digital copies of the books then a purchase in FG will now give you almost all the functionality of a PDF plus all the automation of the VTT.

One thing to remember is that nothing in a VTT is just a copy of the PDF (if it is authorized). The VTT module contains all the text, images of the module. Then it also adds in all the background programing for automation. No wondering what the DM is for that weapon at which range, it is all built in.

 

[mavikfelna]

@mavikfelna If you do own a license for FG then they are giving away a fairly large bundle of items for free to people who paid for one in the past.

The Deneb adventure is one of the giveaways for Traveller inclined. There are two dice packs that anyone can use with any system, plus two map packs from the Art Subscription. So 4 items worth ~$40 right there plus another dozen items.

@MattL Currently there is no Mongoose discount like Paizo does. FG is the best VTT for Traveller because of the longevity of having authorized modules available. Foundry and D20 both have things from Mongoose now also.

From the sunk cost perspective it is very much like moving from Cassette, to CD, to MP3, to Streaming repurchasing everything again and again.

If you do not have digital copies of the books then a purchase in FG will now give you almost all the functionality of a PDF plus all the automation of the VTT.

One thing to remember is that nothing in a VTT is just a copy of the PDF (if it is authorized). The VTT module contains all the text, images of the module. Then it also adds in all the background programing for automation. No wondering what the DM is for that weapon at which range, it is all built in.

Where do I find that? I haven't seen anything about a give away.

 

[MattL]

I expect that what's now free is nothing more than use of the software itself and its basic functionality. Not only do I see no chance that all the relevant publishers would now be allowing the use of the modules using their IP, it would be extremely bad for us because we would go from being the consumers to being the product.

Yep, you're right.

And to be clear, I'm not suggesting that us consumers be turned into the product.

I'm just pointing out that Mongoose could earn more money, expand its customer base, and make its current customers happier by offering an upgrade path, e.g. a discount, for those that have bought products from them to upgrade those products to the VTT version. Paizo does this.

I know in business its always a cost/benefits analysis, weighing available resources against priorities. But looking at the thousands of views that MgT2E/FG tutorial videos are getting on YouTube, it appears there's a decent untapped market here.

 

[Anstett]

Where do I find that? I haven't seen anything about a give away.

https://fantasygrounds.com/claimrewards

When you log in that link should take you to the page where you can choose a bunch of things to add to your library.

 

[DigrizJB]

@mavikfelna If you do own a license for FG then they are giving away a fairly large bundle of items for free to people who paid for one in the past.

The Deneb adventure is one of the giveaways for Traveller inclined. There are two dice packs that anyone can use with any system, plus two map packs from the Art Subscription. So 4 items worth ~$40 right there plus another dozen items.

I would not describe that as "fairly large" give away when I have spent over 300 USD on the software and content. FGU, Core, CSC, HG, Companion, JTAS 5, Last Flight of the Amuar. And, as is my luck, I already bought the Deneb Adventure: aka the free gift.

In Medieval French Accent "Ah told heem we already got one (a Holy Grail)."

 

[Stargrove]

For those that don't know me, I have kind of become the main Community Developer for Mongoose Traveller content for Fantasy Grounds. I don't work on the ruleset, I just convert PDF books for use in Fantasy Grounds. I don't work for SmiteWorks, I volunteered (commission-based) to do this out of love for the game.

I have been playing RPGs for a long time and running my various RPG campaigns on VTTs for over 20 years. I started using Fantasy Grounds way back in 2006 before they had any officially licensed products. I am pretty sure it has, by a long stretch, more official content available (over 4000 books) than any other VTT available today. It is not hard to use. Out of curiosity, I recently tried Roll20 and Foundry. Roll20 was ok, but the content is just not there and I don't like the online-only aspect of it. Foundry is...well...I did not like it and could not even figure out how to get anything I might have created into the application. Sure, it has some flashy graphics and such, but I think that is generally just a distration.

From a Mongoose Traveller 2e perspective, by my count there are 116 books in print (may be off by a few), Fantasy Grounds has 70 MGT2e books available today, 20 of which I converted just this year alone. With that much content available, I can't image playing anywhere else when you are going to basically be on your own trying to get stuff into whatever other VTT you are using. I highly doubt the converted books for other VTTs will be free...if an when they ever get done. There are a few availble for Roll20, but those cost money too. I have taken about a month off from doing conversions, but am starting to get back into the swing of things today with work on the updated High Guard 2022 Update book.

I don't know what goes on between Mongoose and SmiteWorks (The FGU owners) with regards to how they price things or offer discounts. But, I have always felt, in whatever form you want to run RPGs, you have to spend money, just like any other hobby. As the GM for my groups, I accept that and will spend what I need to continue to play. If I need books, I buy them. If I also need them for a VTT, I buy them there as well. If I get a discount, great...if not, so be it. We do the hobbies we can afford. When I can no longer afford to buy content, then I guess its time to accept that or find a different hobby.

The new Fantasy Grounds Online Reader tool (still in Beta) for your library (read: purchased content) the was announced yesterday by the FGU team is a really helpful tool that allows you to read books you have bought right on the webpage without the need to fire up FGU. This is not the PDF, but a slightly reformatted version of the Reference Manual that GMs use in FGU. They don't have all the books readyyet, but more will come online soon.

One other amazing recent development for FGU is another dev recently release an Extension for FGU called 'Traveller-Extended' which is a huge QoL improvement to the ruleset when it comes to Vehicles and Weapons in the Combat Tracker and Spacecraft combat. Not having the ability to effectively use Vehicles in combat has been a huge missing feature for quite a while now, so this capability is very nice.

 

[Anstett]

Stargrove has done a GREAT job of converting all sorts of content to FG.

I can say that one of the FG developers has done a very helpful job of keeping the ruleset working and updating also. He has made the tweaks to fix any errors found right away, and updates occasionally.

I am heavily invested in FG for my VTT because of the history of the company and how all the other platforms make available the content I want for my games. I do want several VTT platforms out there so that everyone has a choice that fits their style of play.

 

[Stargrove]

I am heavily invested in FG for my VTT because of the history of the company and how all the other platforms make available the content I want for my games. I do want several VTT platforms out there so that everyone has a choice that fits their style of play.

I wholeheartedly agree. More options are great. Play where you feel the most comfortable for you and your group.

 

[ColinD]

For those that don't know me, I have kind of become the main Community Developer for Mongoose Traveller content for Fantasy Grounds. I don't work on the ruleset, I just convert PDF books for use in Fantasy Grounds. I don't work for SmiteWorks, I volunteered (commission-based) to do this out of love for the game.

I have been playing RPGs for a long time and running my various RPG campaigns on VTTs for over 20 years. I started using Fantasy Grounds way back in 2006 before they had any officially licensed products. I am pretty sure it has, by a long stretch, more official content available (over 4000 books) than any other VTT available today. It is not hard to use. Out of curiosity, I recently tried Roll20 and Foundry. Roll20 was ok, but the content is just not there and I don't like the online-only aspect of it. Foundry is...well...I did not like it and could not even figure out how to get anything I might have created into the application. Sure, it has some flashy graphics and such, but I think that is generally just a distration.

From a Mongoose Traveller 2e perspective, by my count there are 116 books in print (may be off by a few), Fantasy Grounds has 70 MGT2e books available today, 20 of which I converted just this year alone. With that much content available, I can't image playing anywhere else when you are going to basically be on your own trying to get stuff into whatever other VTT you are using. I highly doubt the converted books for other VTTs will be free...if an when they ever get done. There are a few availble for Roll20, but those cost money too. I have taken about a month off from doing conversions, but am starting to get back into the swing of things today with work on the updated High Guard 2022 Update book.

I don't know what goes on between Mongoose and SmiteWorks (The FGU owners) with regards to how they price things or offer discounts. But, I have always felt, in whatever form you want to run RPGs, you have to spend money, just like any other hobby. As the GM for my groups, I accept that and will spend what I need to continue to play. If I need books, I buy them. If I also need them for a VTT, I buy them there as well. If I get a discount, great...if not, so be it. We do the hobbies we can afford. When I can no longer afford to buy content, then I guess its time to accept that or find a different hobby.

The new Fantasy Grounds Online Reader tool (still in Beta) for your library (read: purchased content) the was announced yesterday by the FGU team is a really helpful tool that allows you to read books you have bought right on the webpage without the need to fire up FGU. This is not the PDF, but a slightly reformatted version of the Reference Manual that GMs use in FGU. They don't have all the books readyyet, but more will come online soon.

One other amazing recent development for FGU is another dev recently release an Extension for FGU called 'Traveller-Extended' which is a huge QoL improvement to the ruleset when it comes to Vehicles and Weapons in the Combat Tracker and Spacecraft combat. Not having the ability to effectively use Vehicles in combat has been a huge missing feature for quite a while now, so this capability is very nice.

Thanks for doing all that work!

 

[MattL]

One other amazing recent development for FGU is another dev recently release an Extension for FGU called 'Traveller-Extended' which is a huge QoL improvement to the ruleset when it comes to Vehicles and Weapons in the Combat Tracker and Spacecraft combat. Not having the ability to effectively use Vehicles in combat has been a huge missing feature for quite a while now, so this capability is very nice.

Thanks a bunch for calling this out...I'll have to check it out!