Greetings, Forge people!

It's been a while since our last livestream, and we've got a lot to share about what we’ve been working on behind the scenes. From exciting updates to the Forge platform to some big-picture changes in how we engage with the community, here's everything you need to know.

First off, Happy Holidays!🎉
We’re thrilled to kick off 2025 with our first developer update in a while. One reason for the pause? We’ve been heads down on improvements that, while not always visible, make a huge impact. From polishing website pages to building background features for better customer service, these changes set the stage for a smoother Forge experience.

If you'd like to watch back on the developer update stream, we'll have it posted later to Youtube. Otherwise, below is a rundown of all the latest developments from The Forge.

V12 support: Mission Accomplished

Foundry VTT v12 has been supported and recommended on The Forge for some time now, but getting there wasn’t easy.

We put in significant effort to fix premium package installations, improve the user manager, and even smooth out asset library integration for v12. Viewing v12 logs for a Foundry VTT server is now easier than ever, too.

Want the full story? Check out our detailed blog post on the challenges we faced and overcame.

World Launch Screen

Last year, we introduced a sneak peek of the World Launch Screen, and now it’s officially available!

This feature offers real-time progress updates as Foundry VTT starts up and launches a world, keeping you informed about the startup process. While it doesn’t make games launch faster, it provides clear insights if issues arise.

Since its debut, we’ve polished the feature to improve access to public games and eliminate repetitive error notifications, ensuring a smoother experience overall.

DDB Integration Upgrades

DDB integration keeps getting better!

We’ve improved our processes to push updates faster, fixed pesky bugs like those with the DMG 2024 import, and added exciting content like Scions of Elemental Evil, Lord of the Rings Roleplaying, and The Illrigger Revised.

Stay tuned for even more updates to this integration in 2025 - we’re just getting started.

New Hires

Our team is growing!

We’ve welcomed three amazing additions: Joe and Valdemar, experienced developers who will be working on exciting new content, and Sebastian, our DevOps expert who’s already improved our infrastructure and server updates.

With their help, we’re poised to deliver even more in the year ahead.

Bazaar Improvements

We’ve significantly enhanced the Bazaar experience to make it smoother and more user-friendly.

Loading into the Bazaar is now faster, allowing users to find and access content quickly. We’ve also revamped how video media is displayed, making it easier to preview content while browsing. Additionally, we’ve resolved several issues with premium package installations and general package installation processes. As part of these updates, we now display package compatibility with your games, ensuring you can easily identify content that works seamlessly with your setup.

This all leads up to the newest feature of the Bazaar…

New “Featured” Sorting Algorithm

The Bazaar now features a revamped sorting algorithm that highlights a richer variety of content.

Previously, the most commonly installed systems and dependency modules dominated the top spots, often showing the same popular content repeatedly. With the new algorithm, popular creators and content still shine, but there’s also room for older gems, smaller creators, and lesser-known content to be showcased.

This diverse selection ensures that you’re always discovering something new and exciting to enhance your Foundry VTT games. It’s our way of making the Bazaar better than ever by connecting you with the perfect tools for your adventures.

Holiday Solitaire: A Fun Surprise

During the holiday season, we introduced Solitaire on The Forge - a fun and easy way to stay entertained while waiting for your GM to prepare the next twist or for your party to regroup.

Curious to learn more? Check it out here. If you haven’t played yet, now’s the perfect time to dive in! Join our Solitaire Speedrun Challenge before the month ends for a chance to win exciting prizes.

Leaving Twitter/X Behind

After much consideration, we’ve decided to stop posting on Twitter/X, which is increasingly a dead social platform gamed around, causing arguments and increasing engagement that way.

The platform’s decline and recent troubling events, especially the Nazi salute given by Elon Musk make us far too uncomfortable to continue posting there.

The Forge opposes any form of bigotry, especially bigotry that calls for violence, or genocide against others, and stands firmly against hate and discrimination. We will no longer be posting on Twitter/X.

For updates in a short-form format, follow us on Bluesky.

A Constellation of Interviews

We’ve had an incredible run of interviews with TTRPG creators, including Gabriel Pickard, Michael Ghelfi Studios, JB-Media, and IronMonk.

These conversations offer insightful glimpses into their creative processes and the world of digital TTRPGs, and even into the general TTRPG industry. If you missed them, we highly recommend each and every one.

Bazaar Showcase

We showcased the following packages during our developer update:

And that's it!

Thank you for reading through everything and for being a part of The Forge community! We’re constantly working to make The Forge better, and we can’t wait to bring you more exciting features in the future.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check out our previous blog post reviewing 2024 and offering a glimpse into what’s ahead for 2025. It’s a great way to see how far we’ve come and what exciting plans are in store for the future.

Stay tuned, and follow us at the following social media channels for more news and updates about The Forge:

https://forge-vtt.com/discord
https://forums.forge-vtt.com/
https://bsky.app/profile/forgevtt.bsky.social
https://reddit.com/r/ForgeVTT
https://www.instagram.com/theforgevtt/
https://www.threads.net/@theforgevtt
https://facebook.com/ForgeVTT
https://patreon.com/kakaroto