So you want to join my campaign? That’s fabulous! Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be your DM (or GM if you prefer). Assuming you’ve been approved, here is what you’ll need to get started. All of this is free and I’ll even provide a few screenshots and links for you to make it easier.
- Discord
- Fantasy Grounds (Unity)
Installing Discord
First go to this website (Discord.com) to install Discord. If you are not familiar with it, Discord is a popular gaming chat software that many gamers use and is totally free. It can be a little persnikitty at times to configure the sound if you have multiple audio devices but I’m happy to help you figure all that out once you have it installed.
Personally I recommend clicking on the “Download for Windows” link to download the official client but you do have the option of running it in a browser with no download. This may be your only option on a mac, I’m not sure.
Once Discord is installed, you’ll need to be sure your audio is configured correctly and you’ll need to add me to your friends list and get the discord server information that will be private to our campaign members only. Again, once you’ve downloaded Discord let me know and I’ll help you get me added as a friend and get you the server invite.
Installing Fantasy Grounds (Unity)
Fantasy Grounds is a virtual table top platform for running RPG’s like Dungeons and Dragons. It can also run many other RPG’s like GURPS, White Wolf, Pathfinder, and more. Another popular virtual tabletop platform is Roll20 but I chose Fantasy Grounds after doing a lot of reviews of both and deciding I liked the features here better in the long run. I realize that many people are unfamiliar with Fantasy Grounds and may prefer Roll20. For that I apologize. Unfortunately, I’m a little too far invested to change now even if I wanted. The great news is, it’s totally free to you.
First you’ll need to go to fantasygrounds.com to start the download process.
You are going to want only the “Free Demo” version on the far left side of options. You can click on the download button for Windows, Mac or Linux. Note Fantasy Grounds Unity (FGU) does have subscription or license pricing but to play in a game you do not need to pay anything. You’ll need to download the free client and create a free account and that’s it. Also, Fantasy Grounds still supports two versions. One is called Fantasy Grounds Classic and the other Fantasy Grounds Unity. It looks like they removed the link to download Classic as they are moving to Unity as the new preferred client but if you see anything on their site about classic vs unity you’ll have an idea what they are talking about.
Once you install Fantasy Grounds you may be asked to create an account. Again, this is free and there is no need for you to subscribe to anything. Unfortunately I don’t have screen shots of the initial loading of the client as I already have it installed and don’t want to mess with uninstalling and re-installing if I can help it.
When you first launch you may be presented with a screen like this:
Notice in the lower left corner there is a button for “Check for Updates”. Sometimes, like right now, it will have a red border around it indicating there are updates to the client available. Click that and the client will flash for a moment, bring up a pop up window, and start downloading updates like seen below:
Note, this is a update utility only and you’re not actually IN Fantasy Grounds yet. This just makes sure your client is up to date. If your client is out of sync with mine (i.e. you’re a version behind), we won’t see each other. We all have to be on the same version to connect to the same session.
Every time you launch Fantasy grounds you should “check for updates” as they are updating frequently. And, the more modules or “stuff” you have the more things may need updated. Updates usually take about 5-10 minutes to complete so it’s a good idea to load Fantasy Grounds and update 20 or so minutes before any scheduled play session. If you haven’t, just jump in discord and tell us you’re waiting for your client to update.
Once you get into Fantasy Grounds you’ll need to “Join a Campaign”. Note that our campaign will only be available when I’m online and running it. You will NOT find it unless I’ve got the server running. I’ll explain more later on how to find our particular campaign and connect to it the first time.
Optional Reading
You’re getting close to being ready to play in my campaign! While we are waiting to begin, if you’d like to get to know a little bit more about me and my gaming philosophy or style, check out my website at leecifer.psychedelicbuddha.net and read through the articles on the home page. They are in reverse chronological order so you may need to jump to the end and work backwards to the current date. This is TOTALLY optional reading and I warn you, I’m long winded. Do not get discouraged and view this as a reading assignment. If you don’t read any of it, I’ll cover most if not all of it when we first get together. If you do read it however, please let me know so I don’t cover all the info again if everyone’s caught up.