Building a portable projector setup for RPG mapping

[OnlineDM]

Following in the footsteps of Sean Pecor and a GM named Ian from my friendly local game store, I plan to build a portable projector rig for RPG mapping (mainly D&D 4e). I know that there have been several threads on this topic in the past, so I thought I'd share my experience as I go along in order to help others who might be considering this approach.

Step 1: Background research. I read Sean's article about his setup, as well as threads from EN World where other people talked about their rigs. I considered using a flat-panel TV (it would certainly be easier and possibly not much more expensive), but rejected that idea for three reasons:

• It would be very heavy and tough to carry to a convention site
• It would likely have its VGA input on the back, which wouldn't work if I wanted it to lay on its back on a game table
• I would cry if someone were to spill a drink on it

I thus settled on the projector approach. I talked to Ian at the local store about his setup, and I also talked to a buddy of mine from my bowling league who works with high-end video rigs for a living. I learned that I was on the right track.

Step two: Picking the projector. Based on my research, I knew I would need a short-throw projector - that is, one that can project a good image without having to be, say, six feet away from the projection surface. Since I plan to suspend this thing maybe 30 inches above the tabletop, it had to be short throw. I also wanted pretty good brightness. My bowling buddy suggested I look for 4,000 to 6,000 lumens if I wanted to be able to use the projected map in a bright room (like a store or convention). Well, the brightest I could find on a short throw was 3,500 lumens, and that would have been REALLY expensive. Even 3,000 lumens was pricey, so I settled on 2,500 (eek). I also, as you might guess, didn't want to spend crazy amounts of money - the less, the better.

I settled on the ViewSonic PJD5152. It's short-throw, it's lightweight, it's 2,500 lumens and it costs $464 from Buy.com (via Amazon.com). My only real concern is the resolution: 800 by 600. I know that Sean and Ian both used higher resolution, but I'm just not convinced that I need it for a static map that won't be very big (I'm guessing around 3 feet in length, 2 and a half feet in height). We shall see. Buy.com apparently has a 30 day return policy, which I'm glad for!

The next steps, after the projector arrives, will be to test it out manually (holding it over a table) and then, if that goes well, building a rig to hold it (probably following Sean's example pretty closely). I'll be using MapTool for the maps, since that's what I'm already using for my online games. I'll extend the desktop on my laptop to stretch onto a second monitor (the projector), open my main session of MapTool on the laptop screen, open a second session on the projected screen and connect to the main session via that second session. I'll then put the second session in full screen mode, and I'm all set!

Wish me luck!

 

[Ferghis]

I one day hope to assemble something like this at home. While a Multitouch surface is probably the best medium for computer-assisted gaming, I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to let my wife let me build one in the livingroom, and proper software support with a good, intuitive UI is still far in the future. So, yes, a projection is probably the best way to go about business. Since we're together on this, and that's where you are, I'll share my dreams with you.

This setup also needs two computers at the table. The DM's computer (which I'm guessing most folks have) and a second small one that players pass around so they can enter their character's actions and update the map. I really don't want this setup to burden the DM with additional work. Ideally, this second computer would be a tablet, but, again, cost is an issue, so a netbook might have to do. Obviously, this depends a lot on what resources the players already have.

The second computer could also show the initiative order, and any conditions that were known on the characters. Making the players input the conditions on monsters (and maybe even on their own characters) would free up a lot of the DM's time. If I were at home, and had the hardware capacity, I'd actually throw this info up on the flatscreen TV (this requires a third output from the DM's computer, or just yet another computer), just so everyone could see it all the time. Especially if I'm playing 4e, where conditions and initiative changes are plentiful.

Finally, this aspiration is why I've been tracking the hard work done by the MapTools community on automating attacks and powers. Which is why I want to mention the following regarding your work on MapTool Macros: thank you. I hope one day we get to the point where in 4e saves, regeneration, ongoing damage, and the like are done without player intervention (unless they want to roll the dice).

 

[OnlineDM]

@Ferghis: Thanks for sharing your plans! In my setup the players will continue to use minis to move around the map on the table, so there shouldn't be any need for them to deal with the computer. They'll still roll dice for their own attacks, etc. They'll keep track of conditions on their characters as they usually would (little rubber bands on the minis, most likely). For monsters, I'll be responsible for tracking conditions on their icons, which is pretty easy in MapTool. I'm with you about wanting to see the day that the initiative tracker in MapTool keeps track of conditions that a save ends, ongoing damage, etc.

As for me, I'm moving on. While I wait for the projector to arrive in the mail, I'm starting on...

Step three: Planning the rig. When I went into this, I planned to build a rig like the one Sean Pecor put on his blog: a big cube made of tubular aluminum with the projector mounted at the top. However, I realized that I might be able to get away with a simple tripod.

There are more details and a crappy sketch on my blog, but the general idea is that the projector will sit on a little triangular platform some distance above the table (say, 30 inches) and the platform will be supported by three wooden legs.

This would have the advantage of being very inexpensive (I spent seven dollars at the hardware store yesterday on what I think will be pretty much all the supplies I need for a simple version), quick to build and highly portable.

The main disadvantage I see with the tripod approach is that the legs might be more in the way for the players, though I'm honestly not sure about this until I try it.

What do you think? Would a tripod get in the players' way of seeing the board and moving their minis? Is there some other obvious problem with the tripod approach that I'm forgetting about?

 

[IronWolf]

I considered using a flat-panel TV (it would certainly be easier and possibly not much more expensive), but rejected that idea for three reasons:

• It would be very heavy and tough to carry to a convention site
• It would likely have its VGA input on the back, which wouldn't work if I wanted it to lay on its back on a game table
• I would cry if someone were to spill a drink on it

All good points - especially one and three. Two possibly as well, I think my TV has the VGA input on the side, but certainly not all do and I may be mistaken about where mine is.

The next steps, after the projector arrives, will be to test it out manually (holding it over a table) and then, if that goes well, building a rig to hold it (probably following Sean's example pretty closely). I'll be using MapTool for the maps, since that's what I'm already using for my online games. I'll extend the desktop on my laptop to stretch onto a second monitor (the projector), open my main session of MapTool on the laptop screen, open a second session on the projected screen and connect to the main session via that second session. I'll then put the second session in full screen mode, and I'm all set!

MapTool is great. Good idea on using the laptop and the projector as the second display to cut down on the number of computers you need at the table.

The main disadvantage I see with the tripod approach is that the legs might be more in the way for the players, though I'm honestly not sure about this until I try it.

What do you think? Would a tripod get in the players' way of seeing the board and moving their minis? Is there some other obvious problem with the tripod approach that I'm forgetting about?

I would just wonder how often the players might bump the tripod and possibly cause the map to shift during play. Might not be an issue or if slight bumps don't cause much movement.

 

[jodyjohnson]

I haven't been to a big con since we did our projector setup up 6 years ago. Do convention organizers allow rigs of electronics in the halls for regular play?

For conventions, preprinted maps seem like a better plan between safety and ease of setup. Especially since the sample area from Sean's rig is the same size as the WotC preprints.

 

[JDragon]

Nice set up.

I have a permanent ceiling mount for my projector at home currently.

It has a native 800x600 res, and since I have vaulted ceilings I'm able to get a 30 inch by 40 inch image. The large playing surface is nice, the one down side is that my 1 inch squares only have 25 pixels per side to work with.

I use photoshop to custom make/recreate all the combat maps we use.

Sean's set up nice, but still seems like a lot to haul for the set up. The tripod idea sounds much nicer if you can make sure its stable and not interfering with players space. I look forward to seeing what you come up with and how it works.

 

[OnlineDM]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone - this is good stuff!

@IronWolf: Good point about the bumping. I'm hoping that putting rubber feet on the bottom of the legs will keep the projector from shifting relative to the map. It might wobble when bumped, but I'm hoping that it will settle back down where it was (so the minis won't have to be totally rearranged).

@jodyjohnson: I've checked with the person organizing Living Forgotten Realms events for TactiCon, and she tells me that the projector should be fine there. I'm not planning on going to GenCon next year to run games or anything like that - just local cons and games in my local store (plus home games, of course).

@JDragon: You've made me very happy by saying that you're using 800 by 600 and are okay with it! I'll be sure to chronicle the development of my rig right here on EN World as well as on my blog.

 

[Ferghis]

Step three: Planning the rig. When I went into this, I planned to build a rig like the one Sean Pecor put on his blog: a big cube made of tubular aluminum with the projector mounted at the top. However, I realized that I might be able to get away with a simple tripod.

There are more details and a crappy sketch on my blog, but the general idea is that the projector will sit on a little triangular platform some distance above the table (say, 30 inches) and the platform will be supported by three wooden legs.

This would have the advantage of being very inexpensive (I spent seven dollars at the hardware store yesterday on what I think will be pretty much all the supplies I need for a simple version), quick to build and highly portable.

The main disadvantage I see with the tripod approach is that the legs might be more in the way for the players, though I'm honestly not sure about this until I try it.

What do you think? Would a tripod get in the players' way of seeing the board and moving their minis? Is there some other obvious problem with the tripod approach that I'm forgetting about?

If I were doing it, I'd probably drop a bit more money in this part. That thing on top is worth a few hundred, so I'd rather spend, say $50 in securing it. Plus, I'd like to see fewer legs for players to knock around. I was wondering about the feasibility of using metal plumbing to create a solid metal base and a single pole on which to affix the projector. Possibly like so:

The frame below (the part with the two Xs) would be covered by appropriate projection film. Also, the cables should come out of the bottom of the upright pole. Ideally, that arm would pivot at the base for easier transport, but I would certainly privilege structural sturdiness over hinges.

This is NOT to knock your tripod idea. I'm just sharing my thoughts on what might work.

 

[Ferghis]

I forgot to say: I do think using miniatures is better than making everything computer generated. But I do want the players to update the monster conditions and initiative. This can be done on paper too: it's nice if everyone can see it.

 

[Tuft]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone - this is good stuff!

@IronWolf: Good point about the bumping. I'm hoping that putting rubber feet on the bottom of the legs will keep the projector from shifting relative to the map. It might wobble when bumped, but I'm hoping that it will settle back down where it was (so the minis won't have to be totally rearranged).

Perhaps, to keep it more stable, you could use heavy, solid feet, as some long-armed office table lamps have (IKEA | Lighting | Table lamps | FORSÃ… | Work lamp). That would give it very low risk of both jostling and tipping over. (I've had some cast-iron lamp feet that weighed *tons*, but you don't have to go so far.)


Or clamp the feet to the table, as other lamps do: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10018561

Another thing you could do if you have a tri- or quadro-pod is to put string or fishing line between the feet to make the legs more stable - the lower any such string or line is, the more it helps the legs to be stable, if it is kept tense by the contraptions weight and the angle of the legs.