Fantasy Grounds vs RPG Stories

Fantasy Grounds is a virtual tabletop for creating and playing tabletop roleplaying-game campaigns online or in person. Its tools include dice rolling, character sheets, campaign notes, handouts, images, tokens, and maps. Rulesets automate gameplay tasks while keeping detailed rules information available in the background. The full application is free to download and includes Game Master and player functionality, cloud connectivity, free rulesets, and unlimited campaigns, with no recurring costs listed for the Free to Play plan. Automatic NAT traversal is intended to avoid networking hassles. Dynamic line of sight, lighting, and vision features include darkvision support. Users can export custom adventure modules and create extensions or rulesets with XML and Lua. The Fantasy Grounds Forge lets creators share content for free or sell it, while users can purchase or subscribe to content. A browser-based Online Reader provides access to purchased modules from any device. Fantasy Grounds is listed for Linux, macOS, web, and Windows. SmiteWorks says it does not store credit-card data; support excludes product training, phone support, and languages other than English.

RPG Stories is a desktop virtual tabletop for building 3D game worlds and hosting online sessions for a party. Its world builder provides 20 click-and-draw Auto-Build Profiles for dungeons, rooms, outdoor scenes, and cities, alongside more than 7,000 advertised 3D models. Settings listed include Medieval Fantasy, Modern, and Sci-Fi. Multiplayer tools cover fog of war, weather, a dice panel, chat, GM controls, pathfinding, HeroForge support, character-sheet uploads, and visual effects. UVTT exports are available for Foundry VTT, Roll20, Owlbear Rodeo, and Fantasy Grounds; Roll20 importing requires a Pro subscription. Steam Workshop supports sharing 3D models, 2D assets, and PDFs, while audio uploads are described as upcoming. The maker says exported maps and scenes can be sold. A free demo lets players join sessions with the player-seat DLC. The main version costs 23.99 GBP once, and the DLC costs 42.49 GBP once. Windows and macOS are supported, with 8 GB memory and 5 GB storage listed as minimums.