Technology for Tabletop RPGs, Let's take advantage of technology while keeping it tabletop Options

[Semerkhet]

The discussion in http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=34442 regarding elaborating the SR combat rules got me thinking.

More and more I'm coming to believe that in the next ten years products that are the descendants of the Microsoft Surface are going to become very popular with tabletop *roleplayers,* as opposed to, say, just miniatures wargamers. The trick in applying a technological solution to a crunchy combat system is to remove the burden of endless calculation of modifiers without removing the "feeling" of playing a tabletop RPG. You don't want to turn it into just another CRPG. I can imagine an SR game where you use the table to display maps of Seattle, or wherever, to keep track of where the players are during legwork and then, during combat, switch to a tactical map of the area. Using as a basis the already existing Shadowrun package for for RPTools' Maptool product, I can imagine players moving their characters around on a digital map surface and having the software calculate things like LoS and all modifiers. The players could still roll their dice to resolve things; I've seen demos of surfaces that read special dice that land on the surface.

The upshot is that you still move your character and roll the dice and feel like you're directly controlling what your character does. At the same time you eliminate the hassle of all the number-crunching.

This sounds nearly ideal for me. I know some people revel in the number-crunching and, for them, this probably sounds unattractive. I wonder what DS'ers in general think about using this sort of technology. Do you think it would make Shadowrun more fun or less fun for you and your group?

[CanRay]

My GM back home has dreamed of this since the early '90s.

[Semerkhet]

There was a company at GenCon, can't remember the name, that made "gamer furniture." They had a digital gaming surface prototype set up. It needs some work and the prices need to come down but I see great potential.

[CanadianWolverin...]

I eagerly await such technology and the accompanying software. I would be happy with a CRPG like NeverWinter Nights 1/2 as well, simply due to cost. I already have seen people take things like laptops and handheld computers like the iWhatevers with a pdf of the books (doubt they were purchased) and take notes that way, even seen them exchange things like game maps with a USB stick or by email - I just had the old school stuff, felt a bit left out to be honest.

[CanRay]

I want IBM to do a RPG Challenge for their next big computer!

[ravensoracle]

I've read somewhere, I can't find the link right now, that a programmer took a xbox kinect device and hooked it up to a linux computer to replicate the interactive interface seen in the Minority Report movie. I was thinking what if that was mounted with a projector to point down on a table top to provide an interactive surface. I would think mount the projector underneath the table to project up and the Kinect camera is mounted above to prevent shadows to the display from arm motions. I think that would be much cheaper and allow for greater flexibility of using things like miniatures and dice than an expensive touchpad the size of a table.

[CanRay]

Jeeze, and I thought the Sony Playstation Computer Farm Supercomputer was a cool idea!