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There are a lot of things someone can give their money to. There are charities doing good works to cure diseases like cancer, diabetes, any number of things. But, this post is not about those
particular subjects. This is a website devoted to teaching people how to play D&D and RPGs, using Fantasy Grounds as the means to do so online. So, in this post, I will discuss why I support Fantasy Grounds College.
I am a gamer. There, I said it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I enjoy playing D&D, and I didn’t even know anything about the game prior to being asked to join my boss’ D&D game, along with a few other co-workers in May 2018. This wasn’t a live D&D game, but one in which we all downloaded a demo version of Fantasy Grounds, and we took off from there.
Currently, the game with my co-workers is on hold due to scheduling and other real life issues that are affecting the players. But, that doesn’t mean that my gaming hobby is on hold, as I have a huge group of friends, all fellow gamers, to converse with, and occasionally we jump into Fantasy Grounds and have a little fun role-playing together.
How did I find Fantasy Grounds College?
I found out about Fantasy Grounds College by searching for help in learning how to roleplay better. Google directed me to the website, which mentioned classes I could take to learn different things that would make me a better player. Not only would I learn these things, but I would learn them while using Fantasy Grounds to do so. So, I would get double the knowledge from taking the class. I would receive knowledge about playing D&D, and I would learn how to do these things using the Fantasy Grounds software. Woo hoo! Sign me up.
I clicked on the “Join our Discord” button, and was whisked into #college-chat, where I was greeted by a helpful staff member who told me about the classes that were offered.
This was during the summer of 2018, when I was laid off from my seasonal job, so I had loads of time, so I dove deep, taking class after class. Sometimes I would take the same class given by a different teacher. Other times I would take classes from someone I had previously taken the class from. And, I have to say, besides learning something from every class, I found that even taking a class from the same teacher, I always learned new things. No one ever made me feel dumb for not knowing something, and I never felt like I shouldn’t ask a question if I didn’t understand how something worked.
A one shot is starting soon? Sign me up!
Soon, I added games to my learning experience, and I played with other players, most of whom were also new players. We all learned together, and had a great time doing so. Even though I had experience playing with my co-workers, it was beneficial to play with others and see the way other people play their characters. Every experience was a learning one, and I soon got better at my role-playing, just from watching how other people embraced their characters. I never copied anyone, but instead saw how their methods could be applied to my own character.
A greeting from the Founder
I think the thing I remember most, was the first time I joined the FGC Discord, I got a private message from “[Founder] Laerun,” who asked me questions about what I was looking to learn from the college. He asked about my D&D knowledge, and we even discussed our love of playing clerics.
He, like myself, liked to help people. And this planted a seed into my head that one day I hoped to be able to join the FGC staff and help others learn new things as well.
What I found most impressive was that the founder of the college cared enough about me as a new member to ask me what I wanted to learn, find out a little about me, and point me in the right direction.
Laerun cares about all the members of FGC
Knowing Laerun as I do now, I realize that this isn’t just something he did with me. Even though it may have felt that way at the time. This is something he does with nearly everyone. Whether it’s talking to new members in private messages or pulling them into the chat room so that he can explain things more clearly. He cares. And that is probably the biggest reason I knew that I had found a home at Fantasy Grounds College.
Eventually, I did reach my goal of becoming a staff member, and I hope that I follow Laerun’s example of making new members feel welcome to our community. Besides being one of the faculty members that greets new members, helping them find classes, I also assist Laerun in a variety of things and I write articles about Fantasy Grounds-related topics right here. In Laerun, I have found someone who is not only my boss, but also someone I count as my friend.
So that, in a nutshell is the reason why I am a supporter of Fantasy Grounds College.
In a world that can contain so much negativity, to find this haven of caring people volunteering their time to help others enjoy our RPG hobby, it is truly a blessing, and one that I will always support in every way that I can.
We at Fantasy Grounds College are fans of the Fantasy Grounds program, and advocate its use in playing D&D and other RPGs online. We are not affiliated or officially endorsed by SmiteWorks USA LLC or Fantasy Grounds.
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