Tabletop Nirvana

[Lyion]

http://www.d20srd.org/extras/mapProjection.htm

From Slashdot:
RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons are traditionally played on a tabletop using miniatures. The problem is that the players are only supposed to see those parts of the map that they have explored. Gamemasters are reduced to drawing explored sections of the map on the playing surface with dry-erase markers or using cardboard tiles representing stretches of corridor. Some fellows have an expensive but elegant solution. They map out the playing area in a laptop using software such as Tabletop Mapper, which allows to game master to dynamically hide and reveal sections of the map. The laptop is attached to a 1600 lumen DLP projector mounted on the ceiling and projecting an image of the visible map onto the tabletop. The miniatures can then be moved on a dynamic map. The eye candy factor is vastly increased, gamemaster labor is reduced, and the players have more fun. The elegance is that this is an intuitive enhancement of the traditional gaming experience, instead of an unfamiliar new user interface to be mastered.

[Tikker]

or

you could just log into EQ, or WOW

[Lyion]

Yeah, I can't see doing the D&D thing again with so many good online games.

Heck, I wasn't interested when I was playing early Might and Magic games 13 years ago

[brinstar]

it is still fun if you get someone good running it

but it is nigh impossible to get a half dozen adults' schedules to line up consistently enough to make it worth doing

[Drem]

agreed. it's vastly fun. i prefer pen & paper (and i like muds) roleplaying, myself. leaving it up to your imagination and being in a room full of people and laughing and having a good time beats playing my computer for hours, imo.

[mofish]

agreed. it's vastly fun. i prefer pen & paper (and i like muds) roleplaying, myself. leaving it up to your imagination and being in a room full of people and laughing and having a good time beats playing my computer for hours, imo.

Never thought Id play again. But a friend of mine ran a few games, he was an awesome DM, a few years ago, with all my buds. It brought the magic back, as it were. Too bad I moved. Really miss tabletop gaming.

[Martrae]

We have a group of friends we play with whenever we visit Atlanta. This map thingy sounds fun.

[Tacks]

I'm here to say that I've never played dungeons and dragons

[Lyion]

it is still fun if you get someone good running it

but it is nigh impossible to get a half dozen adults' schedules to line up consistently enough to make it worth doing

True, I can say some of my early Warhammer and AD&D sessions were as much as fun as my EQ sessions.

My last attempt was in 1995 but the 2 of the 7 of us were always absent, and it always turned into a pizza and beer bullshit session.

I wish Neverwinter Nights had been better in facilitating the AD&D Tabletop type atmosphere.

[horendus]

I play on Saturday evenings. Though, currently we are average group level of 18 and the game is starting to wind down. I play a 17 Half-Orc Barbarian (7 Barbarian / 10 Frenzied Berzerker). He tossed his Ashka: The Demon Slaked Blade (+5 artifact great-sword of outsider slaying) into the firey lavas of Hell after soloing a pit fiend. I rolled a 1 on the next attack against his minion after I defeated the main dude. =/

Anyhoo, we just use the wet-erase markers on the mat.

[Donnel]

agreed. it's vastly fun. i prefer pen & paper (and i like muds) roleplaying, myself. leaving it up to your imagination and being in a room full of people and laughing and having a good time beats playing my computer for hours, imo.

WTF I asked you a couple times on MSN if you ever played pen and paper games and you said no.

Anyway, we play just about every saturday night with 4 of us. It's alot of fun and it actually gives me a time I can spend time with my brother in law who is really cool but we both work alot.

[Tossica]

nerds