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Playing with friends? Godlike.Host runs hosted Vintage Story servers from 10 data-center locations, with free DDoS protection.
The most reliable way to start a Vintage Story roleplay server is to design and tune the world in single-player, copy that save into a dedicated server’s data folder, lock access with a password and whitelist, then add a small, version-matched mod pack. You can run the server on your own Windows or Linux machine, or use managed hosting when you need continuous uptime and do not want to administer networking.
This guide covers the technical setup, internet access, mods, roleplay rules, launch testing, and ongoing maintenance needed for a private RP community.
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Technical settings cannot rescue an undefined roleplay concept. Write a one-page premise before you download the server. A bounded setting gives players immediate reasons to build, trade, explore, and disagree without requiring a huge rulebook.
Choose a setting with a clear playable scope
Examples include a historical village, a low-fantasy frontier, a merchant settlement, or a region divided among political factions. State the time period or technology level, the geographic area, and what makes the opening season different from ordinary survival play.
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Decide whether the server allows player-versus-player combat, theft, property claims, faction warfare, sabotage, and permanent character death. If an action is allowed only with consent, define how consent is requested and recorded. Also decide whether out-of-character discussion belongs in the game chat, a separate channel, or both.
Set an operating model
- Private friends’ server: keep the address and password limited to people you know, and use a short set of social rules.
- Whitelisted community: require an application or invitation, publish conduct rules, and appoint at least one moderator besides the owner.
- Open recruitment: prepare a reporting process, escalation policy, and backup administrator before advertising. Public access creates a moderation workload even when the technical setup is simple.
Write the minimum rules players need on day one
- Character name, age, background, and naming conventions.
- Whether one player may control multiple characters.
- Faction, claim, settlement, and building-boundary rules.
- What counts as acceptable conflict escalation.
- Consent requirements for capture, injury, interrogation, theft, and permanent death.
- How players mark in-character and out-of-character speech.
- Moderator powers, evidence standards, appeals, and consequences.
These are community design choices, not mandatory Vintage Story features. Publish them before the first session so players are not asked to infer the rules during a dispute.
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A dedicated server can run on equipment you control. Self-hosting gives direct access to saves, logs, configuration, mods, and backups, but you must maintain the operating system, keep the machine available, configure the router, and troubleshoot firewall issues. The official dedicated-server documentation identifies monthly hosting as an alternative to running the server on personal equipment.
Managed hosting is useful when the world must remain online while your personal computer is off, or when you prefer a control panel for updates and mod management. The provider, rather than you, usually handles the physical machine and much of the network configuration. You still remain responsible for roleplay rules, save safety, and checking that updates do not break your world.
| Decision point | Self-hosted machine | Managed host |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | Not stated; depends on equipment, electricity, and internet service. | Not stated; verify the provider’s current plan and renewal price. |
| Port forwarding and firewall | You configure the router and host firewall. | Often simplified by the provider’s panel, but confirm what is included. |
| Uptime | Depends on your power, connection, and whether the machine stays on. | Typically intended for continuous operation; verify the host’s service terms. |
| Backups | You choose the schedule, destination, and retention policy. | Check whether automated snapshots exist, how long they are retained, and whether downloads are allowed. |
| Mods and updates | Complete control over files and update timing. | Convenient controls may exist, but panel features and supported versions vary. |
| Player slots and CPU/RAM limits | Limited by your machine and connection; no universal Vintage Story RP figure is established. | Defined by the selected plan; verify the allocation and upgrade path. |
| Logs and configuration access | Full local access. | Depends on the provider’s file manager, console, and download options. |
For a small group that plays at scheduled times, self-hosting is usually the simplest starting point. Choose managed hosting when uptime, independent access, or networking administration is more important than having every file under your desk.
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Install the dedicated server with a separate data directory
Vintage Story separates the game installation from the server’s data. Keep the data path distinct so saves, mods, logs, and configuration can be backed up or moved without disturbing the executable.
Windows setup
- Download the dedicated-server package that matches the Vintage Story release your players will use.
- Extract the server files into a dedicated folder rather than mixing them with a personal single-player installation.
- Choose a separate server data directory for saves, configuration, logs, and mods.
- Start the dedicated-server executable once. The first run creates the data folders and configuration files.
- Stop the process cleanly after the folders appear, then inspect the generated data directory before importing a world or adding mods.
Linux setup
- Install the runtime components required by the server release, following the current official dedicated-server documentation for that version.
- Extract the server package and use the supplied server script.
- Set and verify the server data path so it points to a writable directory separate from the game files.
- Run the server once to generate its Saves, Mods, configuration, and log locations.
- Stop it before making file changes. Run the service under a dedicated user account rather than an account with unnecessary system privileges.
Exact commands, paths, and runtime requirements can change between Vintage Story releases. Use the current official guide for the package you downloaded instead of copying a command written for an older version.
Create the world in single-player and import it
The safest build sequence is to create and tune the world in single-player first. The official multiplayer guide describes this as the easiest way to use advanced world-creation options before making the save a server world:
“The easiest way to create a custom world is to first create it in Single Player, using the advanced world creating options – and then upload it to use as your server world.”
Build and test the initial world
- Start a single-player world using the game version you intend to run on the server.
- Open the advanced world-creation options and set the climate, terrain, generation, temporal settings, and other values that fit your RP premise.
- Enter the world, confirm the spawn area is suitable, and prepare any starting locations or landmarks that players will need.
- Save and exit completely. Do not copy a save while the game still has the world open.
Copy the save to the server
- Stop the dedicated server if it is running.
- Locate the server data directory’s
Savesfolder. - Copy the single-player save into that folder.
- Either rename the file to
default.vcdbsor setSaveFileLocationinserverconfig.jsonto the exact filename you copied. - Start the server and watch the console or log for the save-load result.
- Join with a non-admin account and verify the spawn, time, terrain, inventories, and any prepared structures.
Always make a backup of the original single-player save before the first server launch. Once the server has written to the imported world, keep a separate untouched copy so you can return to the pre-server state if a configuration or mod experiment goes wrong.
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Configure the server identity, password, whitelist, and network
Set a recognizable server name
Open serverconfig.json in the server data directory and set ServerName to the name players should recognize in the multiplayer list. Avoid changing several unrelated settings at once; small, reversible edits make startup errors easier to diagnose.
Protect a private RP community
Use a strong password and keep a whitelist for a private roleplay server. Dedicated servers use whitelist behavior by default in the current versions documented by the guide. Treat the password as an additional gate, not a replacement for the whitelist: remove former members from the list and rotate the password if it has been shared outside the intended group.
The server console supports a password command in this form:
/serverconfig password <strong-password>Use the current guide’s player-whitelist commands to add or remove names, because command syntax can change between releases. Test the result with a normal player account rather than relying on an administrator account that may bypass access checks.
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Forward the multiplayer port
For players outside your home network, forward both TCP and UDP port 42420 from the router to the machine running the server. Allow the same port through the host operating system’s firewall where required. Forwarding only one protocol can produce confusing partial failures, such as a server appearing reachable but refusing a connection.
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- Give the server machine a stable local address, preferably through a DHCP reservation in the router.
- Create router forwarding rules for TCP 42420 and UDP 42420 to that address.
- Create matching inbound firewall rules on the host machine.
- Start the server and test from a second player on a different internet connection, such as a mobile hotspot. Testing from inside the same LAN may not reveal router loopback limitations.
- Publish the external address only after the outside-network test succeeds.
If outside players cannot connect, check the server’s listening status, the local firewall, the router’s destination address, and whether your internet service places you behind carrier-grade NAT. A hosting provider may be simpler when your connection cannot accept inbound traffic.
Add roleplay-supporting mods without breaking the world
Mods are installed in the server data directory’s Mods folder. Make file changes while the server is stopped. For a shared RP pack, prefer server-side or universal mods that match the exact Vintage Story version. Supported server mods may be offered to joining players automatically; client-only mods require each player to install them separately.
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Use a controlled installation sequence
- Write down the Vintage Story server version and the exact version of every mod you plan to use.
- Download the mod files from their legitimate project pages and keep the original ZIP files unchanged.
- Stop the server before placing the ZIP files in the server data
Modsdirectory. - Start the server and read the console and log for dependency, version, or load errors.
- Join with a test account. Verify that recipes, blocks, commands, permissions, and client downloads work as intended.
- Only after the test succeeds, copy the same version list to your player instructions.
| Mod category | What players need | RP-server guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Server-side | Usually only the server installation. | Prefer for administration, rules enforcement, and mechanics that do not change the client display. |
| Universal | Server support and, depending on the mod, a compatible client component. | Check whether the server can offer the supported file automatically and test with a clean client. |
| Client-only | Every player installs it separately. | Document the required version and provide troubleshooting instructions; do not assume automatic delivery. |
Some mods create their configuration files only after the server starts once with the mod installed. Stop the server again before editing those generated files. Freeze the mod list for launch, record the versions in a plain-text manifest, and back up the world before every mod upgrade or removal. Removing a mod that added blocks or items can make existing chunks or inventories unsafe, so treat mod changes as migrations rather than casual file swaps.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Design the roleplay experience around the technical server
Give players a setting primer
Publish a short document that answers: where the settlement is, what resources or threats define it, which groups already exist, and what a new character can reasonably know. Include a map or landmark list only if it helps players make decisions; avoid revealing mysteries that are meant to be discovered in play.
Define character creation
- Set a maximum starting skill or knowledge level if the setting requires everyone to begin as a newcomer.
- Require names that fit the setting and explain whether titles, aliases, or modern references are allowed.
- State whether characters may arrive with pre-existing relationships, property, faction membership, or specialist equipment.
- Explain how a replacement character enters after death, retirement, or an approved reset.
Make conflict consent-based and actionable
Describe what happens before violence, theft, imprisonment, or permanent injury. For example, require an out-of-character check before a scene can permanently remove a character, while allowing ordinary in-character risk during an agreed event. Specify how a player can pause a scene, contact a moderator, or report a rule violation without arguing in public chat.
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Separate moderation from ordinary play
Name the people who can investigate disputes, restore a backup, mute a player, or pause an event. Record decisions in a private moderator log. Give players a predictable appeal route and state which evidence is useful, such as timestamps, screenshots, or server logs. Moderators should not use hidden administrative powers to gain in-character advantages.
Set an event cadence
Announce an opening event with a start time, expected duration, meeting location, and fallback plan if someone disconnects. A regular cadence—such as a weekly gathering plus optional impromptu scenes—helps players understand when the world is active without requiring the server to be online every hour.
Launch checklist
Complete these checks before inviting the full group:
- The dedicated server starts cleanly and loads the intended save.
ServerName, password, and whitelist behavior are correct.- A non-admin account can join, spawn, chat, and use only the permissions it should have.
- The server accepts connections from outside the host’s local network.
- TCP and UDP 42420 are forwarded and allowed through the host firewall.
- Every required mod loads without errors and has the documented version.
- Supported server mods are offered to joining players as expected.
- The opening area, rules signs, starting inventories, and prepared landmarks are correct.
- A dated backup exists before public invitations are sent.
- The setting primer, character rules, conduct policy, joining instructions, and support contact are published.
Operate the server safely after launch
Back up more than the world file
Stop the server before copying a backup so the save is not being written while you archive it. Preserve the world save, serverconfig.json, the Mods folder, the mod-version manifest, and your RP rules. Keep at least one backup away from the server machine and label copies with the date and the Vintage Story and mod versions.
Control updates deliberately
Do not update the game or mods immediately before an event. Read the release notes for compatibility changes, copy the live world to a test location, and start the test server with the proposed versions. Have moderators join, inspect important settlements, test permissions, and verify that key mods still load. Schedule the live update only after the test passes, and retain the pre-update backup.
Use logs to resolve disputes and failures
Keep server logs long enough to investigate conduct reports and technical incidents. When a player reports a problem, record the approximate time, character name, location, recent commands, and whether the issue affects everyone or only one client. This information is more useful than repeatedly restarting the server without changing anything.
Troubleshoot the most common launch problems
| Symptom | Likely area | Action |
|---|---|---|
| The server starts but loads a new world. | Save filename or configuration. | Stop the server, verify the save is in the server data Saves folder, then confirm the SaveFileLocation value or rename the save to default.vcdbs. |
| Local players can join, remote players cannot. | Router, firewall, or carrier-grade NAT. | Test TCP and UDP 42420 from an external network, confirm the forwarding destination, and check inbound firewall rules. |
| A player is rejected despite having the password. | Whitelist or account name. | Verify the exact player identity on the whitelist and test with a non-admin account; a password alone does not replace whitelist access. |
| The server stops during startup after a mod change. | Version mismatch, dependency, or generated configuration. | Read the first error in the log, remove the newest mod from the Mods folder, restore the backup if necessary, and test one change at a time. |
| Players see missing content or a client disconnect. | Client-only mod or incompatible universal mod. | Compare the client and server versions, determine whether the mod must be installed manually, and distribute the exact tested file. |
| A world becomes damaged after an update. | Unverified game or mod migration. | Stop the server, preserve the damaged copy for diagnosis, restore the dated pre-update backup, and test the upgrade on a duplicate world before trying again. |
Final decision: a repeatable RP launch process
Start with the social design, build the world in single-player, and move that tested save into a dedicated server with a separate data path. Protect it with a password and whitelist, forward TCP and UDP 42420 only when internet play requires it, and add a small set of version-matched server-side or universal mods. Test with a non-admin player from outside the host network, publish clear rules, and make dated backups before launch and every upgrade. That sequence keeps technical failures from becoming roleplay crises and gives your community a stable foundation to grow.
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