Gamers Give $178,900 to Haiti Relief

Sometimes it just feels awesome knowing you belong to a community of people that do great things. Today is one of those days. Early this morning I received the RPGNow!/DriveThruRPG newsletter and it contained the following announcement:

As far as I know, and as far as anyone I’ve talked to knows, there’s never been anything like this accomplished before.

We raised $178,900.00

That is the amount we wired to the fine folks of Doctors Without Borders. When I spoke with their representative about this recently, she was literally moved to tears (as was I). And now I want to point out each and every one of our incredible publishers who contributed to the package that accomplished this incredible feat:
4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, A Terrible Idea, Adamant Entertainment, AGES Gaming, Applied Vectors, Arc Dream Publishing, Art Fantasies,Bards and Sages, Basic Action Games, Berengad Games, Better Mousetrap Games, Black Snake Studios, BoxNinja, Brave Halfling Publishing, Cellar Games, Chaotic Shiny Productions, Crafty Games, Creative Conclave, Dane of War, Day Dreamer Interactive, Dork Storm Press, Encompass, Erisian Entertainment, Evil Hat Productions, Fabled Worlds, Fat Dragon Games, Fiery Dragon, Fire Ruby Designs, FJ Gaming, Flames Rising Press, FSpace Publications, Fuller Flippers, Game Monkey Press, GameVein, Generic Universe Publishing, GMC,Grasshopper Games, Green Ronin, Greg Stolze, Gun Metal Games, Hex Games, Highmoon Games, HinterWelt, Jessup Games, Jon Brazer Enterprises, Justin Achilli, Kallisti Press, Keck Publishing, Knowledge Arcana, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Machine Age Productions, Magique Productions, Malcontent Games, Marcus L. Rowland, Margaret Weis Productions, Mesozoic Press, Mystic Ages Publishing, Nevermet Press, Nomadic Delirium Press, Open Design, Open Game Table, OtherWorld Creations, Palladium Books, Paper Make iT!, Pelgrane Press, Peryton Publishing, Planet Thirteen, Point of Insanity Game Studio, Polgarus Games, Prince of Darkness Games, Red Anvil Productions, Rhallen Enterprises, Rite Publishing, Rogue Games, Shield of Faith Studios, Silent7Games, Silver Gryphon Games,Skirmisher Publishing, Skortched Urf’ Studios, Sonic Legends, SPQR Studios, StoryWeaver, Sword’s Edge Publishing, Tabletop Adventures,The Le Games, Thenodrin Presents, Third Eye Games, Tricky Owlbear Publishing, Troll Lord Games, WorldWorks Games, Wydraz, Ye Olde Gaming Companye

Listening to: Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe 2 – Jesus Frankenstein

Is the iPad the Messiah of Roleplaying?

When Apple unveiled their new multi-touch tablet device ^[1], the [horribly named] iPad, I watched as half of the internet sung praises of Apple to the heavens while the other half spoke of disappointment. In the tabletop roleplaying community, I saw a trend of tech-minded gamers ^{[2] [3]} hail the tablet as the messiah of digital roleplaying.

My personal opinion is, much like the internet, divided between praise and disappointment. However, I strongly disagree that the iPad will be the savior that shepherds tabletop roleplaying into the digital Promised Land. This article assumes there is such a place, but does not serve as an argument concerning any debate over whether there is, or is not, a digital paradise for tabletop roleplaying games.

Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary

Tablets are not new, and a good friend of mine has used his touch screen Lenovo ThinkPad tablet ^[4] as a digital library for gaming for last five years or more. It’s not as slim as an iPad, but it’s not unwieldy either. The iPad looks fantastic as a document reader, but I fear I wouldn’t be able to read any of my existing e-books on it nor could I transfer anything bought through their iBooks ^[5] app on any of my other devices.

The iPad does offer a multi-touch display, but that is not new either. Regular (single) touch screens have been available on tablet notebooks for years and multi-touch became available on tablet netbooks ^[6] last year (primarily with the release of Windows 7 which supports multi-touch ^[7]). I do think that Natural User Interfaces are a revolution in computing, but the fact that the iPad uses it is not.

The iPad does offer an accelerometer, which is great for when you switch between landscape or portrait orientation and for video gaming. The base model (sans 3G and with only 16 GB of storage) did surprise me with its price of only $500. But it’s lack of support for Flash, incapacity to multitask, inability to install apps outside their app store, and Apple’s penchant for DRM ^[8] all prevent me from hopping aboard the iPad fanboy train (the lack of a camera or GPS doesn’t affect me though).

Besides, I think the Always Innovating TouchBook ^[9] does a good job of providing all the features of the iPad I like (sans multi-touch) while still being able to have control over my content/software for a $100 less ($200 less if you don’t want the attachable keyboard) and it’s been on the market since last fall.

iPad, the False Prophet?

If Apple’s tablet is not really anything new, can it still show the path to the digital nirvana of tabletop roleplaying? It’s possible, but the iPad would have some very big obstacles to overcome. First, this assumes there is a financially viable market of gamers that are looking, whether they realize it or not, for the Digital Promised Land of Roleplaying. Second, this market needs to be willing to purchase an iPad for this game or they need to have already purchased an iPad for other reasons (read: market penetration).

Third, there would have to be a company that would develop the platform and publish a game that targets this market. But just targeting the iPad wielding digital roleplaying pilgrims would not be enough. The game would have to be fucking awesome. So awesome, people are blinded by its divine light when they play it. What is more, this divine game would still have to be a roleplaying game (preferably one that meets my definition ^[10]), because that is the only way it could urge the rest of the tabletop roleplaying industry to embrace such a platform… which would truly make Apple’s tablet a messiah.

I do not see all the previously mentioned components becoming a reality; therefore, I do not believe the iPad is the Messiah of the Digital Promised Land of Roleplaying. At best, it is another herald that whispers in the ears of technophile gamers and Macphiles. Publishers looking at utilizing tablet devices to enhance or facilitate tabletop roleplaying would be best served at developing device agnostic platforms that can support any web browser.

Regardless of its impact on tabletop roleplaying, it’s sleek form factor and price point is an important harbinger for things to come in the world of web and document devices.

References

[1] Apple unveiled the multi-touch iPad tablet device Wednesday, January 27^th, 2010.

[2] The Apple iPad: It Will Change the Way We Play. The Core Mechanic. 2010-01-27.

[3] Is iPad a Game-Changer. ICv2. 2010-01-28.

[4] The Lenovo ThinkPad multi-touch tablet.

[5] Apple’s iBooks, a storefront/app that provides e-pub format books for purchase.

[6] The ASUS T91MT is a tablet netbook with an 8.9” multi-touch display for $484.

[7] MultiTouch Capabilities in Windows 7. MSDN Magazine. 2009-08-01.

[8] A Look at Apple’s Love for DRM. Ars Technica. 2010-01-04.

[9] The Always Innovating TouchBook is a touch screen tablet with an accelerometer.

[10] RPP 101: Defining Roleplaying Games. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-01-15.

Listening to: Machine Head – The More Things Change… – Take My Scars

Non-Heroic Scale Minis Database

There are multitudes of scales for miniatures. There are micro scale (1:1200, 1:2400, etc.) that allow wargamers to play out large naval or space battles on the dining room table. 15mm is a common size for historical and fantasy battles of epic proportions. And sometimes you may not really care about scale you just want an impressively detailed 90mm resin model to paint and display.

In this installment of Miniatures & Terrain Series, I provide a simple database of manufacturers of miniatures of what I’m calling non-heroic scales (everything but the D&D 25mm-28mm standard). But don’t let the name deceive you, there are some very heroic minis available within these scales.

Non-Heroic Minis Database

Scroll right to see more.

Miniatures & Terrain Article Series

If you’re having trouble finding that [near] perfect mini (or terrain to put it on), visit a few of the manufacturers I have cataloged in Google Spreadsheets in one of these articles:

• Heroic Sized Minis Database (25mm-28mm)
• Terrain, Cardstock, & Tutorials (not Googlized yet, but soon)
• Level-Up Your Miniature Hobby Skills (painting and modeling resources)

Listening to: Testament – The Gathering – Eyes of Wrath

Level-up Your Miniature Hobby Skills

So you purchased the perfect mini for your character, but it is currently just a heap of white metal in a plastic blister pack. Oh, and it uses a scimitar instead of that awesome two-handed falchion your character likes to use to split enemies in twain, but it is close enough to perfect… and you can literally picture what it will look like painted and finished in your head.

However, a day and a few paint pots later, your miniature figurine doesn’t even come close to what you wanted. This is probably a familiar scenario for many roleplayers who try their hand at trying to find and paint the perfect miniature. Well today, as part of my series of miniature resources, I am presenting a database of websites that offer tutorials to level up your miniature hobby skills.

The following collection of sites has been tagged with what types of help they offer. Typical examples include painting tips & tricks (like how to paint non-metallic metal), basing (make your mini look like it’s standing on terrain), photography (how to grab an awesome pic of your finished masterpiece), sculpting & conversion (make your own mini or modify an existing one), casting (mass produce a custom mini), and terrain (creature awesome environments to use your mini with).

Miniature Hobby Resources

Scroll right to see the URLs.

Miniatures & Terrain Article Series

If you’re having trouble finding that [near] perfect mini (or terrain to put it on), visit a few of the manufacturers I have cataloged in Google Spreadsheets in one of these articles:

• Heroic Sized Minis Database (25mm-28mm)
• Non-Heroic Scale Minis Database
• Terrain, Cardstock, & Tutorials (not Googlized yet, but soon)

Listening to: Soilwork – Figure Number Five – Rejection Role

D&D on Microsoft Surface

What if you could roleplay at a table that actually contained all the game logic? It recognized your mini when you placed on the surface and presented an array of options available to your character and resolved the challenges based upon GM and Player input? In addition, you were not constrained to play within the rules (game logic), but could play “freestyle” any time you wish by simply switching of the rules?

Well, the technology is available today, but it’s real pricey (app. $12,000 USD). However, in about 10 years, I expect the price for such technologies will have dropped into the upper range of affordable and such tables might become something more than an uncommon sight.

If you have been following the Labs for any amount of time, then you are probably aware of my love of technology when it is used to enhance or facilitate the playing of roleplaying games. Recently, The Core Mechanic and Mad Brew Labs bounced some ideas about utilizing Social Media as a platform for playing RPGs.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Prior to the discussion of Social Media RPGs, I wrote several articles about the Future Technology of roleplaying. These articles focused on current technologies the hobby had yet to use fully^[5], emerging technologies that RPGs could utilize^[6], a look at augmented reality for RPGs[7], and finally a piece about the rise of the digital game table^[8], which included a preview of Dungeons & Dragons being playing on the Microsoft Surface.^[9]

The SurfaceScapes^[10] team at Carnegie Mellon University^[11] has designed the interface and logic for playing D&D on the MS Surface. The MS Surface site has done several interviews with the team, and if you’re interested in the technology, I recommend you read them.^{[12] [13] [14]}

Otherwise, I present three videos that demonstrate the capabilities of the table:

References

[1] Roleplaying Games, Social Media Games, and the Shared Fence. The Core Mechanic. 2010-01-12.

[2] Bridging the Gap: RPGs and Social Media. Mad Brew Labs. 2010-01-14.

[3] Social Media RPG Platform. Mad Brew Labs. 2010-01-15.

[4] Social Media Role Playing Minigames. The Core Mechanic. 2010-01-15.

[5] Untapped Potential of Technology. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-05-06.

[6] Future Potential of Technology. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-08-06.

[7] Augmented Reality “Boardgame”. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-08-07.

[8] Rise of the Digital Game Table. Mad Brew Labs. 2009-10-19.

[9] The Microsoft Surface is a multi-touch table computer.

[10] SurfaceScapes is a student project for Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center.

[11] Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, PA.

[12] Dungeons & Dragons Done Right on MS Surface. MS Surface Blog. 2009-10-19.

[13] SurfaceScapes Follow-up: Bringing D&D to MS Surface. MS Surface Blog. 2009-12-08.

[14] New Gameplay Video with D&D on Surface. MS Surface Blog. 2009-12-16.

Listening to: Monster Magnet – Dopes to Infinity – Negasonic Teenage Warhead

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