If you want rules automation now
Choose Fantasy Grounds if dedicated rulesets, prepared publisher content, automation, and a mature RPG workflow matter most.
Victory vs Fantasy Grounds
Fantasy Grounds is the choice for rules-aware RPG play.
Fantasy Grounds is a free, established VTT with dedicated rulesets, automation, cloud connectivity, and a large catalog of supported RPG content. Victory is also free to use, including commercial games within the current published terms, but it is an early project aimed at building particular games, rules, and play flows into the table.
Feature comparison
| Question | Victory | Fantasy Grounds |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Groups and game builders who want an early, browser-based workflow for authored worlds, preparation, and a particular game's play flow. | Groups who want a mature VTT with dedicated rulesets, rules-aware automation, and a broad library of supported RPG content. |
| Availability | Public Windows alpha installer; Linux deployment materials and alpha access are available through the public site. | Free full application for Windows, macOS, and Linux; the official site says Game Masters and players can download, host, and play without a software license or subscription. |
| Hosting model | The live application is separately deployed as a hosted product; the current public build is an alpha. | Desktop application with cloud connectivity and built-in networking; the GM hosts the campaign and players connect to it. |
| Core play | Live stage, maps, tokens, cues, drawings, and a dedicated audience-facing mode. | Maps, tokens, character and NPC sheets, chat, campaign records, 3D dice, lighting, vision, and rules-aware actions. |
| Rules and content | System-agnostic foundation intended to let a particular game's rules, content, and play flow become part of the VTT; current alpha coverage varies. | Dedicated rulesets, system-specific automation, official publisher content, and a community Forge for additional modules, extensions, and rulesets. |
| Authoring and prep | eWrite, Storyboards, Library, and production spaces are connected parts of the workflow for building the game before the session. | Campaign, story, encounter, NPC, item, quest, map, and module tools, with prepared official content available through the store. |
| Audience display | A dedicated audience-facing mode is part of the current stage model, alongside Cast and Director views. | The official site documents player-facing use, including directing a second instance to a player-facing screen; its primary model remains the GM-and-player tabletop. |
| Price | Free to use, including commercial games within the current published terms. Paid commercial terms begin after $2,600 in Victory-Related Revenue per License Year; see the published terms. | The core application is free. Official books, adventures, art subscriptions, and paid Forge content are optional purchases. |
| Confidence level | One alpha tester so far; product claims are intentionally limited. | Established product with a long-running ruleset, documentation, publisher, and community ecosystem. |
When to choose each
If you want to build the game into the table
Try Victory if you want the authored rules, content, and play flow of a particular game to become part of the VTT rather than a set of generic tools around it.
If you want to compare in practice
Keep Fantasy Grounds for a real campaign while testing Victory with a small alpha scenario. Compare actual preparation and play instead of unsupported feature parity.
Sources and caveats
- Fantasy Grounds VTT overview ↗ — current free-app model, supported platforms, rulesets, automation, content catalog, and FAQ.
- Fantasy Grounds features ↗ — current feature and free-to-play descriptions, including campaigns, rulesets, extensions, and optional content.
- Fantasy Grounds official homepage ↗ — current positioning and product overview.
- Fantasy Grounds features, catalogs, and commercial content change. Re-check the official pages before making a purchase or platform decision.