Welcome to Foundry VTT

What is Foundry VTT?

Imagine transforming your dining room table into a portal that connects friends from around the world. Foundry Virtual Tabletop (VTT) is a game table that never runs out of space, never loses dice under the couch, and can become any world you can imagine.

Foundry is made by Foundry Gaming LLC. It is a program you run yourself: one computer (usually the Game Master's) acts as the game server, and everyone else joins it from an ordinary web browser. Just as a theater stage can become a castle, a spaceship, or a dragon's lair with the right props and lighting, Foundry turns that shared browser window into maps, character sheets, dice, chat, music and lighting for your game.

The Short Version

• One-time license: about $50 USD, paid once, with access to future updates. No subscription.
• Only the host buys it: one license runs one game server, and your players join for free from a web browser. They never install anything.
• Self-hosted: the server runs on your own computer, on a server you rent, or with one of Foundry's official hosting partners. Your worlds are files you own.
• Any game: rules come from game systems (D&D 5e, Pathfinder 2e and many more), and extra features come from add-on modules.
• Current version: this guide is written for Version 14, the current stable release (first stable build 14.359 in April 2026; latest 14.368 in September 2026).

Worlds, Systems and Modules

Everything you install in Foundry is a package, and there are three kinds. Learn these three words and the rest of Foundry makes sense:

• Game Worlds are your campaigns. A world holds all of its documents: Scenes (maps), Actors (characters and monsters), Items, Journal Entries, Roll Tables, Cards, Playlists, Macros and Compendium Packs, organized in folders.
• Game Systems supply the rules: what a character sheet looks like, what an "attack" means, how initiative is rolled. Every world is built on exactly one system.
• Add-on Modules add tools or content on top. You install them once on the server and switch them on per world. Official premium content, such as Wizards of the Coast's D&D modules or Paizo's Pathfinder adventures, also arrives as modules.

Real World Analogy: The Digital Game Room

Let's compare traditional tabletop gaming to Foundry VTT:

Core Components Explained

The Game Master's Throne

If you're the Game Master (GM), think of Foundry as your command center. Like a movie director who has access to all the cameras, special effects, and scene controls, you control the game world: you build the maps, place the monsters, reveal the hidden doors, and decide what each player can see.

The Player's Portal

Players connect to your Foundry server like guests entering your virtual home. Each player logs in as a user with a role (Player, Trusted Player, Assistant GM or Game Master), and each document has an ownership level for each user (None, Limited, Observer or Owner). In practice that means players see only what you allow: their own character sheets, the current scene through their token's eyes, and the handouts you share.

The Living World

Scenes in Foundry are like movie sets. You can have a tavern scene, a dungeon scene, and a dragon's lair scene all prepared and ready, then switch the party between them with a click. Scenes can carry walls that block sight, dynamic lights, ambient sounds, and (new in V14) several stacked floors, called Scene Levels, in a single map.

Why Choose Foundry?

That last point is real: after the license is validated, Foundry does not normally need an internet connection, so you can even run an in-person game on a home network.

Things to Know Before You Buy

• Somebody has to host. If you run Foundry on your own computer, it must be on (with the world launched) for players to connect, and friends outside your home need a network port opened. The Installation & Setup part covers this, plus paid hosting partners that do it for you.
• Browser support. Players need Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Opera with hardware acceleration. Safari is not supported.
• Major versions break things. Each new generation (V12, V13, V14…) can break game systems and modules until their authors update them. Only the Stable release channel is recommended for live games, and you should take a backup before any big update.

Real World Success Stories

The Scattered Party

Sarah's D&D group was split across three continents when jobs and life took them different directions. Traditional gaming seemed impossible until they discovered Foundry. Now they meet every week, with Sarah in London, Marcus in Tokyo, Elena in New York, and Raj in Mumbai. The time zones are tricky, but the dragon doesn't care what time it is!

The Accessibility Champion

Tom has mobility challenges that make reaching across a physical game table difficult. In Foundry, he can move his token, roll dice, and interact with the world using just his mouse or keyboard shortcuts, and he can rebind those shortcuts to suit him. The digital table adapts to him, not the other way around.

The Creative GM

Lisa loves creating immersive experiences. With Foundry, she adds ambient sounds (crackling fireplaces, howling winds), dynamic lighting (torches that flicker, magical auras that pulse), and weather effects. Her players say it's like being inside a video game, but with the freedom of tabletop RPGs.

Try It at the Table

Common Misconceptions

"It's Too Complicated!"

Think of Foundry like learning to drive. At first, all the buttons and controls seem overwhelming. But you don't need to know how the engine works to drive to the store. Similarly, you can run great games in Foundry without learning every feature. Start simple, add complexity as you grow comfortable.

"It Will Replace the Social Aspect!"

Foundry enhances, not replaces, social interaction. Video chat, voice communication, and text chat keep the human connection strong. Many groups find they can play more often online than they could ever meet in person.

"I Need to Be a Computer Expert!"

If you can use a web browser and install a program, you can use Foundry. The official Knowledge Base and the community offer plenty of guides and videos, and your players only need a browser and a link. It's like learning a new board game - complex at first glance, but logical once you start playing.

What's Next?

The next part, Installation & Setup, walks through installing Foundry VTT step by step, getting your players connected, and creating your first world. We'll have you up and running faster than a monk with boots of speed!

Remember: every grand campaign started with someone saying, "I wonder how this works?" Your journey into digital tabletop gaming starts here, and what an adventure it will be!