DarkKestral
First Post
In the other thread "The iPhone will kill D&D" which is about what exactly will happen to tabletop RPGs in the age of the Kindle and iPhone, there's a lot of discussion about what people see as problems with RPG software.
Those of us who feel that D&D will eventually adapt and go at least partly digital look to things like the Character Builder and MMOs, while those who don't claim that paper will get beat out by digital gear for one reason or another.
So, that said, what do you think are the necessary features that would get you to go to a software-based version of your favorite tabletop RPGs? Note that I don't mean software-based in the sense of being something like an MMO or a current CRPG, but instead would remain games that still use human GMs, but use software to smooth gameplay, even in face-to-face contexts.
For me, personally, it would have to be a networked character builder with autoroller functionality that remained simple to use, and preferably, would fit on my phone, so I don't have to have a huge computer to play it. The current crop of VTTs look far too complex for my tastes, and in some respects, fail for lack of smart design. I've yet to try 4e's character builder, in part because of my dislike of 4e, but if it works well, think of it as something close to a prototype. It also doesn't have to provide visuals or anything, just keep the mechanics of the game out of my mind as much as possible.
Actual virtual tabletops are less of a concern, except for internet play, but bonus points to ones that are well designed and keep things simple for the newbie and could do the above. My ideal here would be something that has things like pre-built tilesets and built-in monsters with a few different backgrounds to suit various situations to make building dungeons easier, but still offers a "make your own" functionality for those GMs willing to do the work involved in making completely custom designs.
Chat systems I'm not so sure of, because there are so many decent chat systems out there, and they're almost of no concern at all outside of internet play. Plus, I could see this being one component that is not necessarily a requirement of an RPG software aid, simply because people would have other means of communicating available to them outside of the software system they use.
Those of us who feel that D&D will eventually adapt and go at least partly digital look to things like the Character Builder and MMOs, while those who don't claim that paper will get beat out by digital gear for one reason or another.
So, that said, what do you think are the necessary features that would get you to go to a software-based version of your favorite tabletop RPGs? Note that I don't mean software-based in the sense of being something like an MMO or a current CRPG, but instead would remain games that still use human GMs, but use software to smooth gameplay, even in face-to-face contexts.
For me, personally, it would have to be a networked character builder with autoroller functionality that remained simple to use, and preferably, would fit on my phone, so I don't have to have a huge computer to play it. The current crop of VTTs look far too complex for my tastes, and in some respects, fail for lack of smart design. I've yet to try 4e's character builder, in part because of my dislike of 4e, but if it works well, think of it as something close to a prototype. It also doesn't have to provide visuals or anything, just keep the mechanics of the game out of my mind as much as possible.
Actual virtual tabletops are less of a concern, except for internet play, but bonus points to ones that are well designed and keep things simple for the newbie and could do the above. My ideal here would be something that has things like pre-built tilesets and built-in monsters with a few different backgrounds to suit various situations to make building dungeons easier, but still offers a "make your own" functionality for those GMs willing to do the work involved in making completely custom designs.
Chat systems I'm not so sure of, because there are so many decent chat systems out there, and they're almost of no concern at all outside of internet play. Plus, I could see this being one component that is not necessarily a requirement of an RPG software aid, simply because people would have other means of communicating available to them outside of the software system they use.
