Combining Elements from New Compendium into Current Game?

Hey there Roll20!! I hope I'm in the right section!  Never posted here before, I've been using Roll20 for some fairly straightforward games for many years, but I'm now starting to bump my head against some technical issues that are taking me to the end of my knowledge of how the platform works -- and part of it is just learning the meanings of some of the language so I know how to even ask the right questions! I started DM'ing a very simple campaign using assets from the D&D ESSENTIALS KIT, running DRAGONS OF ICESPIRE PEAK. This is described as a "MODULE" in my Marketplace Items, I was able to start a game and load in all the materials for Icespire Peak, and we've been playing smoothly for 6 months or so.  As the campaign is developing, I'm hoping to add some additional elements to the campaign using some of the other material included in the ESSENTIALS KIT, which includes "ADVENTURES" like STORM LORD'S WRATH, DIVINE CONTENTION, etc. Additionally, I recently played LOST MINE OF PHANDELVER with some friends, it was super fun and takes place in the same kinda timeline as ICESPIRE PEAK, so I bought the "COMPENDIUM" in the Marketplace hoping to add some elements and maps to my current campaign. I have been unable to figure out how to access any of these "Adventures" or the PHANDELVER "Compendium" in my current game, or if that's even possible -- SO, here are my questions: 1. What is the difference between a "Compendium", "Adventure" and "Module"?  Are any of these terms interchangeable, and how do they relate to each other?  Is each type handled differently and can any of them connect to each other? 2. Is there a way to share assets between these types of items from the Marketplace, or do I need to start a new game for each of these collections?  I've put a ton of work into the ICESPIRE PEAK game with lots of custom assets, the players have their characters all set up, etc etc and it would be a major bummer to have to build it all again to continue on with the same characters into different adventures? I'm sure part of this is needing to understand how Marketplace media works on the platform and learning the language so I know how to ask the right questions, but maybe someone can help me sort this out? Thank you so much for your time and expertise!  I'm eager to give my players some new material to play with!! Josh Logan

I'll take a shot :) When you create a new game on Roll20, you're asked what character sheet to use (if any) and also if you want to use any of the modules/adventures that you currently own or if you want to buy one from the Marketplace. If you choose not to use a module, your game will be created "blank" and you can add any custom material that you like. (You can also add custom material to games created using a module) A Compendium is a game reference document that's been set up for use in a game. For example, for D&D 5e (20104), the D&D SRD (System Reference Document) is a free *Compendium* that can be used in a game, and others like the Player's Handbook, The Dungeon Master's Guide, etc. can be purchased and "turned on" through a game's Settings Page (that option is under the game's page, not from within the game). The GM and players can then access the compendium from within the game and also usually drag-and-drop items from the compendium and onto compatible character sheets. An adventure or module is a game resource that (in my experience) that is used when creating a new game. You mentioned that you played LOST MINE OF PHANDELVER; that was a module, and when you created that game using that module in loaded al the maps, NPCs and handouts that were included with it. AFAIK, when it comes to the Marketplace the terms "Adventure" and "Module" are interchangeable. You cannot directly add a module/adventure to an already existing game. "Add-Ons" are resources that you can add to a game after it's already been created. You can share any asset in your personal Art Library between all games that you have created, and also use those assets in games where you are a player, although you can't share items in your Art Library with others: to do that, you need to drag the image to the VTT so that other people can then download it to their own device from which they can then upload it to their own library. Sharing maps, character sheets and handouts between games that you have created can only be done using the Transmogrifier tool, which requires a Pro or Elite subscription. I'm sure that others will come along with anything that I missed or got wrong (in which case I'll get to learn something too!) JML said: 1. What is the difference between a "Compendium", "Adventure" and "Module"?  Are any of these terms interchangeable, and how do they relate to each other?  Is each type handled differently and can any of them connect to each other? 2. Is there a way to share assets between these types of items from the Marketplace, or do I need to start a new game for each of these collections?  I've put a ton of work into the ICESPIRE PEAK game with lots of custom assets, the players have their characters all set up, etc etc and it would be a major bummer to have to build it all again to continue on with the same characters into different adventures?

A Marketplace item can be a single thing such as a Module, Addon, Art Assets, or Compendium, or it can combine one or more of those things together. An Adventure is a collection of characters and tokens in Journal entries, and map pages that is pre-written and created to make your life as GM easier. For Roll20, adventure content (what you read through) is shared with you as GM as handouts in the Journal. Maps will be pre-made (usually with Dynamic Lighting already), and tokens placed and linked to character sheets. If you bought a physical book, you would have to set all of your maps and tokens up yourself in person, so that is part of what you're paying for when you purchase it on Roll20 - the convenience of that work already being done. If you bought a physical book, or a digital version on D&D Beyond, you could do all of the setup work yourself on Roll20... it just takes time and work.  A game can have only a single  Module , which must be selected by the Game Creator when the game is created.  A game can have multiple  Addons , which must be selected by the Game Creator from any that they own. They cannot add Addons from a promoted co-GM's account. They have to be added one at at time, but it's not an onerous process. From the Game Details page, scroll down a little below the Game title to the Game Addons section, and make sure that it isn't minimized. Then click on the 'Select a Game Addon' dropdown to choose from any Addons that you own from the Roll20 Marketplace. Art Packs  are accessed inside the game by going to your Art Library tab. Usually the hardest part about adding these to a game is finding them, because their organization is totally dependent on how they were named.  A Compendium is a collection of rules, characters, tokens, etc. for a specific game system, such as D&D 5th Edition, or Pathfinder, or Call of Cthulu, and is tied to which character sheet is selected for the game. It does not include any specific adventures, but can have items that can be drag and dropped into a Journal inside a game, if you own those assets through the Roll20 Marketplace. A Module or Addon may also include Compendium items, but they do not have to. E.g. if you buy Lost Mine of Phandelver, you get all of the maps and tokens and character sheets, but you also get the Compendium entries for those tokens and character sheets, so you could drag and drop them from the Journal into any game you create. The easiest way to combine two Modules is to have a Roll20 Pro or Elite subscription and use the Transmogrifier . If you don't have Pro/Elite, you can move items manually between games, either by using the Character Vault for character sheets, and by saving each token and map image individually to your computer, then recreating them in the other game. I wouldn't recommend that. If you are not interested in a long-term Pro subscription, you can upgrade for a single month to transmogrify whatever you want, and then downgrade back to Plus.  As an FYI, there are other perks to a Pro/Elite subscription, such as Mod (API) script access, which can help automate a lot of things in your game, and access to the Roll20 Reserve, which are monthly free assets. Here's a list of all the Reserve items that have been given away over the past several years. You also get a lot more storage and higher individual file size limits. Related to that - any assets that are part of a purchased Marketplace content do not count towards your Roll20 data storage limit.

Thank you so much for this breakdown, it helps me understand it a lot better, and now I think I have a reasonable sense of what I can and can't do! Does the Transmogrifier allow you to pull in elements directly from other MODULES, or would I need to start blank "GAMES" using these modules, and then import the assets from that game into my current running game? So, for example, if the ESSENTIALS KIT comes with several ADVENTURES, and I also have additional MODULES, these are both the same thing, and would require me starting a BRAND NEW GAME in order to access the materials? And, if I wanted to pull the assets from the new modules, I'd need to start a new game using those assets, and using a pro/elite account, use the Transmogrifier to import those assets into my existing game? Any tips for using the Transmogrifier? Anything I'm not getting right here? Thanks again for your quick help!  I really appreciate it!! Josh

To clarify: a Module or Addon is simply a way to add assets to a game. An adventure is a collection of assets that is packaged together in a Module or Addon to provide a seamless way for a GM to run a game.  There is another piece of Roll20 Marketplace Terminology: a Bundle. A Bundle is a collection of Modules, Addons, and/or Art Packs that are sold together as a single item, but will display individually in your My Items list . Dragon of Icespire Peak and Lost Mine of Phandelver are both Modules. Storm Lord's Wrath, Sleeping Dragon's Wake, and Divine Contention are each Addons. The Essentials Kit is a Bundle that includes DoIP, SLW, SDW, and DC as a set.  If you already created a game with DoIP as the Module, you cannot simply add LMoP to that game as a second Module, or vice-versa. However, if you create a game with either DoIP or LMoP as the Module, you can add SLW, SDW, and/or DC to either game because they are Addons.  Yes, the Transmogrifier can only move elements between games that you created, not directly from a Module or Addon. You can create a game with DoIP as the Module, then add SLW, SDW, and DC as Addons. You don't have to even open that game. In your LMoP game, you could open the Transmogrifier and move all of the elements from the full "Essentials Kit" game into your LMoP game. There are some downsides, such as Transmogrified items not being done in bulk or keeping their folder structure in the Journal. Or if you transfer a page but you didn't transfer the character sheet for tokens on that page first, then the tokens will come over unlinked. If you later Transmogrify the character sheet for one of those tokens, Roll20 should  automatically link the character after the fact, but in my experience it doesn't always work.  My biggest suggestion is to Transmogrify only a few things at at time. Characters will come over in the main list of the Journal, not in any folder, so you'll have to manually move Transmogrified Journal items.  If you're going to Transmogrify Pages, make sure to transfer over characters first. And if you're going to keep your Pro subscription, I wouldn't Transmogrify anything until you need it. And if you keep your Pro subscription, you can create an Archive game, and move each of your pages to the Archive after you use it, and Transmogrify it back if you ever need it again later. 

Thank you!! I'm going to muck around with it and see what I can get working. Thanks again for all this great info!  I really appreciate you taking the time to sort this out with me!!