Introduction
Worlds in Foundry VTT, also known as “worlds” or “games” are self-contained instances full of data, where gameplay takes place. In other words, they are the places where a traditional RPG campaign would be created in, takes place, and otherwise runs within Foundry Virtual Tabletop. If you are gaming within Foundry Virtual Tabletop, you are gaming within a world.
Foundry VTT does a great job of making it easy to create a world. We like to think that we make it even easier through our Game Manager feature. We explain how to create a Foundry VTT world below, whether from scratch, importing an existing world, or installing a premade one.
Installing a System
Before creating a world, users without Game manager enabled will have to install a system. For users with Game Manager, we’ll automatically install a system for them while they are creating/installing their worlds.
Users without Game Manager can install a system within the Foundry VTT setup menu, or from our Bazaar Interface. From there, users without Game Manager will be able to create a world.
Creating a new world on The Forge
There are a lot of methods for creating a new world on The Forge! There is no right way to install a world (unless you do not have access to that feature at your subscription level). Whatever method you use to install a world should work functionally the same. We offer several choices to world creation to make things seamless, not complicated!
Creating a new world through Game Manager
Please note that this method will only work for users with Game Manager enabled.
The Game Manager packs all the features of the default Foundry VTT setup menu, and more into a convenient and easy user interface- helping bring your game management into an even better cloud experience. Here, we explain how to create a world using the Game Manager tool.
- Navigate to your My Foundry page.
- On the left side of the page, click the button with the “+” symbol. If you hover over it, it will read “Create a New Game”.
- Select the “Blank new Game” button.
- Select the system you wish to use for the world. Please keep in mind that once the world has been created, the game system cannot be changed.
- The Forge will prompt you to create a game title, and (optionally) choose a folder name for the world. Please keep in mind that while the game title can be changed after the world has been created, the folder name cannot.
- Once you are done choosing a game title and folder name, select the blue “Create Game” button. You have now created your fresh new world, ready to setup and play on The Forge!
Creating a new world through the Foundry VTT setup menu
This method is for users without Game Manager, and will not work when the feature is enabled.
Through Foundry’s default setup menu, you are able to create a fresh new world, entirely from scratch. The above video details how to create a world. We also explain below:
- Login to The Forge, if you are not already logged in.
- Launch your Foundry instance on The Forge.
- If you are logged into a world, return to the Foundry VTT setup menu.
- Select the “Create World” button.
- Specify a world title, folder name, game system, and then any extra details you wish to provide upon creation (you can edit this later).
- Select the “Create World” button. You have now created a world within Foundry VTT’s setup menu, on The Forge!
How to install existing worlds
Many users signing up for The Forge have pre-existing worlds they wish to use on The Forge. We offer convenient importing and installation for pre-existing worlds via our Summon Import Wizard, available for all subscribers to use. We have an existing guide to using it here.
How to install pre-made worlds
Foundry VTT supports pre-made worlds/campaigns, completely written and read to run. This usually includes characters, maps, and journals needed to run an adventure for your players all fully prepared within the world.
We explain the various ways to install a pre-made world on The Forge below.
Installing a pre-made world through The Bazaar
The Bazaar is not only a marketplace to purchase Foundry VTT content- it is a tightly integrated feature of The Forge. Through it, you can install worlds that you have purchased, or available for free! Just follow the steps below:
- Navigate to the Worlds section of The Bazaar.
- Navigate to a world that you own, or is available for free. If you are interested in purchasing content on The Bazaar, we have a guide to doing so here.
- Select the green “Install” button on the world’s product card.
- Choose the folder name (optional), and customize the game’s title, if you want the world to have a different title than the default title.
- Select the green “Install World” button. If you do not have Game Manager, you may need to restart your Foundry instance to make the world show up.
- You have now installed your pre-made world, ready to play on The Forge!
How to install a pre-made world with Game Manager
(Please note that this method will only work for subscribers with Game Manager accessible and enabled.)
You can also select from pre-made worlds that you own/are free through our Game Manager feature. Doing so is very simple:
- Navigate to your My Foundry page on The Forge.
- On the left side of the page, click the button with the “+” symbol. If you hover over it, it will read “Create a New Game”.
- Select the “From the Bazaar” tab on the top of the menu.
- Select the world that you wish to install.
- You will be prompted for the world’s name and folder. You can edit these, or leave them as default (please note that you cannot have two worlds with the same folder name).
- Once you are ready to proceed, select the blue “Create Game” button in this menu. The world should be installed. You are now ready to begin using your pre-made world, ready to play on The Forge!
How to install a pre-made world via Manifest URL
Most pre-made worlds available for Foundry VTT are available for sale via The Bazaar. In some rare cases though, there are worlds only available outside of The Bazaar. And in some cases, a world may be obtained/purchased via an alternative service, such as Patreon.
Fortunately, The Forge supports manifest URL installation, or the process of copying and pasting a manifest URL to install a world on our service. During installation, we will also prepare it for The Forge, automatically dividing world data and assets, and placing them within the correct user quotas. Though storage for these worlds are not free (unlike worlds purchased on The Bazaar), it is still a convenient and turn-key process!
We detail two methods for installing worlds via manifest URL below- via The Bazaar’s interface, and via the Foundry VTT setup menu.
Installing a world via manifest URL on The Bazaar
- Copy the manifest URL for the pre-made world that you wish to install.
- Navigate to the Custom Worlds category on The Bazaar.
- Select the blue, hyperlinked text at the top, stating “its Manifest URL”.
- In the popup menu that appears, paste the manifest URL into the text box.
- (Optional) If you wish to avoid installing from The Bazaar if the option is available, de-select the “Install from Bazaar” option, located below the text box.
- Once you are done, select the green “Install World” button.
- The installation process will begin. This may take a few minutes.
- The world installation will be complete when the world shows up as an item on that page. The world is now installed, and ready to go!
Installing a world via manifest URL via the Foundry VTT setup menu
Please note that this method will not work for users with Game Manager enabled, as the Game Manager replaces most of the Foundry VTT setup menu functionality.
- Copy the manifest URL for the pre-made world that you wish to install.
- Navigate to your personal Foundry VTT instance on The Forge. If you are currently in a world, press the Escape key, and select the “Return to Setup” option.
- Under the “Game Worlds” menu, select the “Install World” button.
- In the manifest URL text box, paste the manifest URL.
- Select the “Install World” button to the right of the text box.
- Wait for the world to install. This may take a few minutes.
- Once installation is complete, the world should show up in your setup menu. You are now ready to launch the pre-made world!
Related Articles
Have more questions about managing Foundry worlds on The Forge? We have a few useful links below: