How do I import from Fantasy Grounds?

This guide walks you through importing campaign data from Fantasy Grounds into SwiftPrep. Bring your NPCs, items, encounters, and story entries into SwiftPrep's campaign management system.

What Imports from Fantasy Grounds

What Does Not Import

• Maps (SwiftPrep does not have a map viewer)
• Character sheets with full mechanics
• Combat tracker state
• Module content you do not own
• FG-specific automation

Before You Start

Locate Your Campaign Folder

Fantasy Grounds stores campaigns in the SmiteWorks directory.

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]/

[!INFO] Fantasy Grounds Unity may use a different location. Check FG's data folder setting in the application preferences if you cannot find your campaigns.

Identify Your Campaign

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

• campaign.xml or db.xml - Main campaign data
• Various subfolders for images, tokens, and other assets

Import Steps

Step 1: Open the Import Wizard

1. Launch SwiftPrep
2. Go to Settings > Import
3. Click Fantasy Grounds

Step 2: Select Your 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 the Import

SwiftPrep analyzes the campaign and shows:

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

Review this summary before proceeding.

Step 4: Configure Import Options

Choose what content types to include:

Step 5: Run the Import

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

Post-Import Tasks

Review Imported Content

Browse each entity type and check:

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

Clean Up Common Issues

Fantasy Grounds data often needs tidying:

NPC names in ALL CAPS Edit to proper case for readability.

Duplicate entries Merge or delete extras using search to find them.

Missing descriptions Add manually or generate with AI on Companion/Power tiers.

Generic names Rename for clarity (for example, "Guard #1" to "Guard Captain Thorne").

Add Relationships

Fantasy Grounds does not export relationship data. Build your relationship 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 entities

Organize with Tags

Tag imported content for easy management:

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

[!TIP] After import, filter by the imported-fg tag to see all content that came from Fantasy Grounds. This makes bulk cleanup much easier.

Enhance with AI

On Companion and Power tiers:

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

Troubleshooting

Cannot Find Campaign Folder

1. Open Fantasy Grounds
2. Go to settings or 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 are 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 SwiftPrep

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 in SwiftPrep

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 do not 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: Staging Campaign

1. Create a "staging" campaign in SwiftPrep
2. Import everything there
3. Export selected entities
4. Import into your main campaign

Example Workflow

Scenario: Moving a 20-session campaign from Fantasy Grounds to SwiftPrep.

Day 1: Import

1. Run the import wizard
2. Select all content types
3. Import into a new SwiftPrep campaign
4. Quick review - is 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 using AI
2. Add personality to sparse NPCs
3. Review graph view to find gaps

Ongoing Session Prep

1. Create session plans in SwiftPrep
2. Link imported content
3. Generate new content as needed
4. Run session with your preferred VTT

Related Articles

• How do I import content from virtual tabletops?
• What export formats does SwiftPrep support?
• What are entities and how do they work in SwiftPrep?
• How do I import my content from Fantasy Grounds?