The Forge offers what we believe is the best hosting experience for Foundry Virtual Tabletop. We save you the hassle of setting up your own server, and help you get started on what really matters- having fun!
But server time and labor doesn’t grow on trees- as a result, we charge a subscription to host your Foundry games. Here, we explain how to add a subscription to your account, as well as how to edit your ongoing subscription. And for users that require it, we explain how to cancel a subscription.
Adding a Subscription
Adding a subscription to your account is easy! First, you will need to log into your Forge Account. Then, navigate to your My Account page. Scroll down. Under “Membership Information”, select the blue “Manage Subscriptions” button.
If you have not added a Foundry license key to your account, or you have removed your Foundry license key, you will receive a pop up warning about this.
The Forge only hosts for Foundry Virtual Tabletop- we do not own the software. You can click on “Foundry VTT License” to add one, assuming you already possess a license. If you do not, you can purchase one from the Foundry VTT website here.
Once adding a license, or if you already have one added to your account, you can proceed with adding a subscription.
Manage your Subscriptions
If you have a Foundry license added to your account, the Manage Subscriptions menu should look like this:
Make sure to review the Plans and Pricing page to find a plan that is the best fit for your needs. Also, make sure to read through our Sales Policy - we do not offer refunds. Users are expected to try out The Forge during their automatic 14-day free trial, and cancel before they are charged.
Once you are done reviewing these pages, select your preferred plan. Each plan has a monthly, and annual subscription option. Annual subscription plans are cheaper per-month than our monthly plans, due to associated transaction fees being far cheaper. With that said, as their names suggest, annual subscriptions must be purchased for the entire year. Monthly subscriptions can be paid month-to-month.
Not sure which plan is the proper fit for you? For your first subscription, you will get an automatic 14-day free trial to test out The Forge and your subscription tier. During this time, you can freely change between subscription tiers, and additional data without getting charged. Once the two-week free trial ends, you will be charged for your final choice (or not, if you choose to cancel).
While on this menu, you can also choose to input a coupon code, if available. Simply copy the coupon code, and paste it into the coupon code text box. Coupons will only apply if the subscription is paid for at this time- meaning only when a subscription is created, or upgraded. Downgrading a subscription cannot be used in tandem with a coupon, due to how our billing system works.
In our example here, we will be purchasing the Story Teller subscription, annually. We will also add additional upload limits, so that we can upload bigger files (this is especially useful for content like animated battlemaps). Once you have made your selections, click the blue “Next” button.
Billing Information
From here, you will be prompted to enter your billing information, if you have not already done so.
Make sure that your name and billing address is accurate- you may have issues paying for your subscription on The Forge if they are not.
Once you are done filling out your billing information, select the blue “Next” button and proceed to Payment Details.
Payment Details
Here, you can input your payment details and pay via Stripe, or PayPal. We recommend Stripe over Paypal, but both will work on The Forge.
Once you are done inputting your payment details, select the blue “Next” button.
Confirmation
After you have finished each previous step, you will be brought to a confirmation page.
Here, you can view the final price of your subscription, including any tax, coupon discounts, and how much each line item will cost. Once you are , select “Confirm changes”. Please note: Once you select this button, the subscription will be finalized, and you will begin your free trial. If you have already subscribed before, you will be charged immediately.
If you wish to go back and edit your information or chosen plan at this time, simply select the appropriate category at the top. If you have changed your mind about purchasing a subscription, you can select the “x” symbol in the window, or close the browser window/tab entirely.
Once you confirm your changes, it will process your order. After a few seconds, you should see a confirmation message:
Once you receive your confirmation, you will be finished! You can now use The Forge, and begin your convenient, and powerful VTT experience!
Upgrading a Subscription
Upgrading your subscription on The Forge is the same process as initially subscribing- simply follow the instructions noted above.
Prorated Upgrades
At the confirmation window, the price may be different than the listed price of the upgrade- this is because if you are purchasing an upgrade to your current subscription, it will upgrade immediately- and prorate the price appropriately.
Changing Subscription Periods
When upgrading a subscription, it is only possible to upgrade from a monthly subscription into an annual subscription, or from an annual subscription to another annual subscription. This is due to the backend complexity associated with managing a transition from a monthly subscription to another monthly subscription, or an annual subscription to a monthly subscription.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you wish to upgrade your subscription to a higher, but monthly tier, you will need to cancel your subscription, and then re-subscribe at a higher tier at the end of your billing cycle. Make sure to set a reminder to yourself when doing so, to avoid potential disruption to your games on The Forge!
Downgrading a Subscription
Much like upgrading your subscription, downgrading your subscription period follows the same process for creating one. However, downgrades will only take effect at the end of the subscription’s billing period (the period at which it is/was due to be billed).
Game Manager and User Manager
If you are subscribed to The Forge at the Story Teller or World Builder tier and downgrade your subscription to Game Master, you will lose access to the Game Manager, and User Manager features. This may result in some minor disruption to your games. We address how to minimize those disruptions below.
Game Manager
Upon Game Manager being disabled, Foundry VTT’s world selection will return to its default setup menu. This means that more than one world cannot be launched simultaneously, and that your Foundry instance will have the same game link regardless of the world that is open. To avoid disruption, make sure to send your players the new game link for your Foundry VTT table.
User Manager
When User Manager is disabled for a world, users will have to manually log into a world via the default Foundry VTT login menu. If you wish to avoid players accidentally (or on purpose) logging in as a player/user they should not have access to in that world, make sure to set passwords for the appropriate users.
Cancelling a Subscription
Note: We treasure every Forge user! If you are unsure about cancelling your subscription, please reach out and contact us- we’ll see what we can do to help retain you as a user.
To cancel a subscription, navigate to your My Account page. Once there, select the blue “Manage Subscriptions” button, just like when creating or changing a subscription.
In the popup menu, select the “Cancel Subscription” button, highlighted in green below:
From there, select “Next”.
You should be brought immediately to the “Confirm” menu, which will explain the details of your cancellation. If you are still on the free trial, it will also confirm that you have not been charged, and will not be charged once you cancel.
Once you are certain that you wish to cancel, select the blue “Confirm Changes” button. Your subscription is now cancelled, and will not renew.
When It Ends
If you are still on the free trial when you cancel your subscription, the subscription will end immediately. If you have a currently active subscription, the subscription will end at the end of your billing cycle (when you would have been charged for renewal).
Exporting your Content
Upon cancelling your subscription, make sure to export all assets and world data off of The Forge. We have a guide to doing so here.