Administration

Foundry Virtual Tabletop Cloud Hosting and Usage

date
May 12, 2022
slug
foundry
author
status
Public
tags
Cloud
Oracle
Dungeons and Dragons
Docs
summary
Learn about the best VTT on the market and how to host it
type
Post
thumbnail
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a23acd_602bf6e65cf041ce9de632adc9ea7fea~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_560,h_268,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Foundry-VTT-Logo.png
category
Administration
updatedAt
Mar 24, 2023 12:25 AM

Foundry Virtual Tabletop

I have always been loved by the world of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and have been playing for the last several years. But with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to stay indoors, I had found myself missing the experience of playing tabletop RPGs with my friends. That's when I discovered Foundry VTT, a virtual tabletop platform that has transformed the way I play D&D (and other tabletop games)
Home | Foundry Virtual Tabletop
The official website and community for Foundry Virtual Tabletop.
Home | Foundry Virtual Tabletop
https://foundryvtt.com/
Foundry offers a great wat to automate and have fun for various tabletop games. I personally use it for Pathfinder2e and Dungeons and Dragons.
Pros:
  • It's a one-time purchase. You pay once and can use it forever. No subscriptions that just keep bleeding you money.
  • It's very flexible and can do a lot of things, either with the right modules or coding if you got the know-how.
  • There's a module that let you import character sheets for basically any system
Cons:
  • The learning curve is rather steep, and you'll have to search for tutorials.
  • You have to host the game yourself. So everything will rely on your internet connection or you will have to find a way to set up or rent a server to use.
  • Knowing which modules to use and that are right for you will require time and effort.
That being said, I love my experience with Foundry. I love springing a visual of a boss fight for my players.

Technical Concept

I can describe Foundry VTT as a web-based application that allows users to create and join virtual game sessions online. It runs on a web server and can be accessed by users through a web browser. The application uses a client-server architecture, where the server manages game data, such as character sheets, maps, and game rules, and the clients connect to the server to interact with this data and each other.
Foundry VTT uses a range of network protocols, such as WebSockets, to enable real-time communication between the server and clients. The application also supports secure connections using SSL/TLS, which can help protect sensitive data, such as login credentials and game data, from unauthorized access.
As a system administrator, it's important to ensure that the server running Foundry VTT has the necessary hardware and software resources to support the application's requirements. This may include allocating sufficient memory, storage, and processing power, as well as configuring firewall rules and network settings to ensure that the application is accessible and secure.

Cloud Support

Initially, I encountered an issue with Foundry VTT's self-hosted setup, which restricted my players from accessing the server unless they were on LAN or I set up port forwarding through Nginx. This approach had its limitations, especially when players required access to their notes or when I was working remotely from my system.
To resolve this issue, I explored alternative hosting options and decided to migrate my Foundry VTT instance to the cloud. By doing so, my server is now always available to my players, and they can access it seamlessly, without the need for port forwarding. This approach has significantly improved our gaming experience, allowing for more seamless gameplay and greater flexibility.

Enter Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

I conducted extensive research to identify a suitable, cost-effective cloud hosting solution for my Foundry VTT instance. And by cost-effective I mean I was it needed to be relatively free or cheap since I am a broke university student. After evaluating several options, I came across Oracle Cloud, which offered a free tier package that met my needs.
With the free Oracle Cloud package, I was able to obtain:
  • 6GB of memory
  • up to 200GB of storage
  • unlimited outbound data transfer of up to 10TB per month.
  • The server was located in Ontario, which was an ideal location for my players and me.
Given the volume of assets and image data that Foundry VTT utilizes, the 200GB storage option and 6GB of memory ensured optimal performance without any slowdowns or errors.
I was surprised that more people were not aware of this free cloud option, considering that it outperformed its competitors' free tier offerings, but then again, Oracle is not known for cloud.
Once I set up my virtual instance on Oracle Cloud, I proceeded to install and configure the Foundry VTT server, which runs on NodeJS. I also ensured that the server was linked to my domain name and added an SSL certificate using Let's Encrypt to enhance security.

Hosting

Although I am capable of providing a detailed account of how to set up Foundry on the Oracle Cloud, there is an excellent, comprehensive guide available on the official Foundry VTT Community Wiki. The "Always Free Oracle Cloud Hosting Guide for Foundry" is an exceptional resource that provides a thorough walkthrough of the process, which is better explained than I could ever do. I highly recommend this guide to anyone looking to set up Foundry VTT on the Oracle Cloud, as it offers detailed explanations and step-by-step instructions.
 

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