Coumpter assisted Boardgame?
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Just thought I'd throw this idea out there, but I'm curious what people think of a boardgame that also has a computer component to it? The computer part would mean that players need access to a PC to player the game, but it would handle various aspects of the game, such as random events and secert actions performed by the players against each other.
Has been done already: check out Cyberboard, VASSAL, and Aide-de-Camp.
Also, see Hexwar.com.
Regards,
Also, see Hexwar.com.
Regards,
I for one would love to see more of this in the pen & paper RPG side, but if the boardgame was sufficiently complex I think it would be interesting.
One problem with the idea may be the dynamics of where people play their boardgames versus where the computer is, though.
One problem with the idea may be the dynamics of where people play their boardgames versus where the computer is, though.
Quote:Original post by Wavinator
I for one would love to see more of this in the pen & paper RPG side,
I had thought about developing a product based on tablet PC's just for this purpose. Tablet PC's being both portable, and useable as a map I think could really provide a nice and marketable product.
Author
Quote:Original post by Wavinator
I for one would love to see more of this in the pen & paper RPG side, but if the boardgame was sufficiently complex I think it would be interesting.
One problem with the idea may be the dynamics of where people play their boardgames versus where the computer is, though.
I thought about this and agree that alot depends on whether people play board games near a computer. All though one thing that would assist in this matter would to be look into making the computer part light enough that it could run on many diffrent forms of computers.
Author
Quote:Original post by Strategy
Has been done already: check out Cyberboard, VASSAL, and Aide-de-Camp.
Also, see Hexwar.com.
Regards,
I took a look at those sites you mentioned, but none of them are what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about away to play a boardgame over the computer. What I'm talking about is a boardgame that also requires a computer to play. The computer part would act almost like GM, regulating the game and keeping track of things for the players both overt and secert. For instance if it was a strategy game, a player would enter their secert orders into the computer and then the computer would determine at whether or not the secert order succeeded but also whether or not the other players know which one of them performed the order.
But if you know of any boardgame that does please let me know/
Another thought about this: One good use of the computer *might* be prepocessing elements of the board game. Perhaps the computer could be used to create and print maps, generate random encounter tables, and receive and respond to input from the last gaming session. This could work for long term campaigns, especially if there were any onerous book-keeping or number crunching between games.
I recall a game which required a DVD player coming out not too long ago, I'm not sure what the idea was perhaps some sort of "name that tune" but with clips from movies. Of course, people are more likely to play games in a room with a TV than a computer, but with laptops being more and more common, it'd certainly be possible. Wavinator's preprocessing idea is a good solution if you're concerned about people having a computer in a decent location to play.
Also, it is sort of impractical, but depending on how advanced it is, perhaps putting it on a mobile device like a cell phone. If there was a game with a complex system of keeping score, or perhaps some random events I can see a phone being a possible platform.
Also, it is sort of impractical, but depending on how advanced it is, perhaps putting it on a mobile device like a cell phone. If there was a game with a complex system of keeping score, or perhaps some random events I can see a phone being a possible platform.
This was actually pretty fun. The video component was basically used as a countdown timer and as a "random event" generator -- although of course it wasn't actually random. With more interactivity and genuine randomness, it would have been a lot more replayable. I would guess that something like this is more likely to be a DVD than an actual computer game, though. How many people have a computer that they can easily get 4+ of their friends to sit around -- plus table space for the board game? TVs are a better bet, for now. Either that, or multiple PDAs / cellphones -- everyone uses their own as a display, with one of them actually running the game.
Then there's something I saw at SIGGRAPH's Emerging Technologies this year -- a square screen, set in a table, capable of displaying a completely different view from each of the four sides. The demo they had running was a card game. Depending on where you were sitting at the table, you'd see your own cards face up, and everyone else's face down, until they were played. Lots of possibilities there.
Then there's something I saw at SIGGRAPH's Emerging Technologies this year -- a square screen, set in a table, capable of displaying a completely different view from each of the four sides. The demo they had running was a card game. Depending on where you were sitting at the table, you'd see your own cards face up, and everyone else's face down, until they were played. Lots of possibilities there.
You could probably create a DVD that runs of the DVD Player which does have random event programmed into it sort of like the Playable Movies. But I do agree that the idea of having that on your TV is much more inviting than putting that on the PC unless of course you have a really big screen or you can cram everyone into the room where you keep the PC =P. It really depends I guess.
I have seen a lot of table top RPG's with massive ammounts of software elements. If I recall correctly WOTC has a complete DM program that allows the DM to create the game in the program and he can follow his story and all that stuff.
I have seen a lot of table top RPG's with massive ammounts of software elements. If I recall correctly WOTC has a complete DM program that allows the DM to create the game in the program and he can follow his story and all that stuff.
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