Fantasy Grounds import

What imports

The Fantasy Grounds import creates four kinds of creation, plus images:

The preview scan also counts other record types it finds in your campaign - party, quests, spells, parcels, tables, and more. Those counts help you see what’s in the campaign, but the import itself only creates NPCs, locations, encounters, items, and images. Everything else stays in Fantasy Grounds.

Re-importing the same Fantasy Grounds campaign doesn’t pile up duplicates: the Master Library recognizes the source and only adds creations it hasn’t seen before. And because Assign to Campaign is idempotent, assigning the same creation to a campaign twice returns the existing copy instead of a second one - so nothing is overwritten by accident.

What doesn’t import

• Maps (Campaign Familiar doesn’t have a map viewer)
• Character sheets with full mechanics
• Combat tracker state
• Module content you don’t own
• FG-specific automation

Before you start

Locate your campaign folder

Fantasy Grounds stores campaigns in:

Windows:

%APPDATA%\SmiteWorks\Fantasy Grounds\campaigns\[campaign_name]\

Typically: C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\SmiteWorks\Fantasy Grounds\campaigns\

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/SmiteWorks/Fantasy Grounds/campaigns/[campaign_name]/

Fantasy Grounds Unity may use a different location. Check FG’s data folder setting in the application.

Identify your campaign

Inside the campaigns folder, you’ll see folders named after your campaigns. Each contains:

• campaign.xml or db.xml - Main campaign data
• Various subfolders for images, tokens, etc.

Import steps

Step 1: open import wizard

1. Launch Campaign Familiar
2. Open the Library from the sidebar and click Import to Library
3. Choose Fantasy Grounds as the source

Step 2: select campaign

1. Navigate to your Fantasy Grounds campaigns folder (paths above)
2. Select the campaign folder you want to import
3. Click Select or Open

Step 3: preview import

Campaign Familiar analyzes the campaign and shows:

• Number of NPCs to import
• Number of locations to import
• Number of encounters to import
• Number of items to import
• Any warnings or issues detected

Review this summary before proceeding.

Step 4: configure options

Choose which content types to bring in:

Uncheck any type you don’t want. The import lands everything in your campaign-neutral Master Library - you decide which campaign to use each creation in afterward, with Assign to Campaign (see Step 6).

Step 5: import

1. Click Import
2. Wait for processing (may take 1-2 minutes for large campaigns)
3. Review the completion summary

Step 6: assign to a campaign

The import lands everything in your campaign-neutral Master Library, not in a specific campaign. To use a creation at your table, open it in the Library and click Assign to Campaign - that drops an editable copy into the campaign you pick while the Library master stays the original. Assign the same creation to as many campaigns as you like; assigning it to the same campaign twice returns the existing copy rather than duplicating it.

Post-import tasks

Review imported content

Browse each creation type and check:

• Did important NPCs import correctly?
• Are descriptions complete?
• Did stats come through (if applicable)?

Clean up

Fantasy Grounds data often needs tidying:

Common issues:

• NPC names in ALL CAPS - Edit to proper case
• Duplicate entries - Merge or delete extras
• Missing descriptions - Add or generate with AI
• Generic names - Rename for clarity

Add relationships

FG doesn’t export relationship data. Build your web:

1. Open a key NPC
2. Add relationships:
   • Works at -> Location
   • Ally/Enemy -> Other NPCs
   • Member of -> Faction (create if needed)
3. Repeat for important creations

Organize with tags

Tag imported content for easy management:

Suggested tags:

• imported-fg - Identify Fantasy Grounds imports
• needs-review - Mark for later cleanup
• Story arc tags - Group by plot line
• Status tags - cleaned, enhanced

Enhance with AI

On Companion/Power tiers:

• Generate missing descriptions
• Flesh out sparse NPCs
• Create relationships using AI suggestions

Troubleshooting

Can’t find campaign folder

1. Open Fantasy Grounds
2. Go to settings/preferences
3. Look for “Data folder” or “Campaign location”
4. Navigate to that location

For FG Unity, the default may differ from FG Classic.

Import fails

“Invalid campaign data”

• Wrong folder selected (need the campaign folder, not the parent)
• Corrupted campaign file - try loading in FG first
• Unsupported FG version - contact support

“No content found”

• Campaign may be empty
• Content may be in modules rather than the campaign itself

Missing content

NPCs missing:

• Check if they’re in a module vs. the campaign
• Module content may not import unless you own it

Items missing:

• Same module issue
• Some item types may not map to Campaign Familiar

Images missing:

• Check if images are linked or embedded
• Some image formats may not import

Garbled text

• Character encoding issues in FG data
• Special characters (accents, symbols) may not convert
• Edit affected entries manually

Duplicates after import

• Import creates new entries by default
• Use search to find duplicates
• Manually merge or delete extras
• Consider tagging imports to identify them later

Advanced: selective import

If you only want specific content:

Method 1: use import options

Uncheck content types you don’t want in the import wizard.

Method 2: import and delete

1. Import everything
2. Filter by imported-fg tag
3. Delete unwanted content
4. Remove the tag from keepers

Method 3: assign only what you need

Because imports land in the Master Library first, you never have to bring a whole campaign into the campaign you run at the table:

1. Import the whole Fantasy Grounds campaign into the Master Library
2. Browse the imported creations in the Library
3. Use Assign to Campaign on only the creations you want in your main campaign

Example flow

Scenario: You’re moving a 20-session campaign from Fantasy Grounds to Campaign Familiar.

Day 1: import

1. Run the import wizard
2. Select all content types
3. Import into your Master Library, then assign the creations to a new campaign
4. Quick review - major content present?

Day 2: clean up

1. Fix ALL CAPS names
2. Delete obvious duplicates
3. Tag everything with imported-fg

Day 3: organize

1. Create missing factions
2. Add key relationships:
   • BBEG connections
   • Party allies
   • Location inhabitants
3. Tag by story arc

Day 4: enhance

1. Generate missing descriptions (AI)
2. Add personality to sparse NPCs
3. Review Connection Map - find gaps

Session prep

1. Create session in Campaign Familiar
2. Link imported content
3. Generate new content as needed
4. Run session with VTT or theater of mind

Related

• VTT import overview - General import information
• Fantasy Grounds export - Export a campaign to a Fantasy Grounds module
• Export formats - Getting data out of Campaign Familiar
• Creations overview - Working with imported content
• Quick Start: Fantasy Grounds import - Quick walkthrough