My new DIY portable digital tabletop roleplaying map!

[seanpecor]

just saying that's INSANE expensive for a gaming prop.

Someone who enjoys boating once a week goes out and buys a $20,000 pick up and a $12,000 boat. Is that insane lol. I don't think the role playing hobby gets the status it deserves. I enjoy gaming once a week so dropping $750 on a gaming prop seems sane to me

Plus, $750 is chump change for hard-core middle-aged war-gaming enthusiasts with discretionary incomes. Shawn Gately at Blue Table Painting keeps like 4 painters busy year round painting 1,200 - 2,500 point armies for $1,000 or more.

You only need one person in your regular gaming group to have enough bank to build a cool digital map rig, and then all 4-6 of you can enjoy it for years to come

Sean

 

[seanpecor]

That is sweet. Could you give a link to the specific projector you bought at the website you mention?

Sure thing - BenQ Projectors: BenQ MP522ST DLP projector

I didn't buy it from that site, I just searched for it on Ebay. There is one for sale for $550 on Ebay right now, probably from the same merchant. It's a good projector, and I plan on using it for business purposes also (it pops out of the mount with just 4 wingnuts).

Sean

 

[Melkor]

Awesome! I can't wait until my gaming group can pull something like this together.

 

[seanpecor]

It would be better if I had a dedicated gaming room instead of having to set it up and take it down in my living room every session. I am definitely more about a really good, fixed solution than portability.

I'd love a good fixed solution also but don't have the space to spare. So portable seemed the way to go, since I can take it where-ever our group chooses to game (which can fluctuate depending on availability).

My first choice was to go with the under-the-table set up but like you I ran into projection size issues. Portability notwithstanding, I had trouble designing a solution that I was 100% happy with. One solution I did come up with was a modified pub-style table. A pub table is 42" tall, and substract 12" for the vertical projector height and you still have about 30" which would be enough for a 43" diagonal 4:3 map. Table materials would get spendy though! At that point it's almost worth just buying a used DLP rear projection TV and lying it on it's side and building a box around it

Lastly, how much contrast do you lose with your setup? In my tests, I lost a bunch of lumens and contrast when reverse projecting onto a frosted piece of glass and some other materials. I wondered about gutting a junk reverse projection TV for it's screen at some point to try out that method.

Sean

 

[seanpecor]

The signup thread will be up in about a month or so.

Awesome! I look forward to it!

Sean

 

[seanpecor]

It's very nice, but it would be even nicer if you put the projector under the tablemat.
Then you woudn't have that big box over the table, nor miniatures casting shadows, and overall it would be more clean and open

The big box actually just seems to "disappear" when you're using it. It's far less substantial in person than in the photos, for some reason. The top is high enough to not block your view of the other folks, plus the legs are only 3/4" in diameter, you hardly notice them. Once I'm sure I'm done fiddling with the design, I'll spray paint it a flat black, and it will be even less obtrusive.

The limitation I've found with reverse projection as you describe is it looks pretty washed out, unless I'm missing something. Projecting straight onto a surface from above creates a gorgeous and vibrant map. I actually like the shadows. In person it adds a sort of reality to the minis because they're casting little shadows on the map I definitely think large props set down on the surface would cast too much shadow though, so in that scenario reverse projection is definitely superior.

Sean

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Lastly, how much contrast do you lose with your setup? In my tests, I lost a bunch of lumens and contrast when reverse projecting onto a frosted piece of glass and some other materials.

None that I notice. I also have a BenQ projector (not sure what model off the top of my head) but it is really, really bright.

I do suspect that by the time I own a home with a dedicated "Game Room" (fingers crossed everyone!) I am far more likely just to buy a big LCD screen and lay it flat into a custom designed tabletop. (At which point the projector will be used for its actual intended purpose-- Big Geeky Movies.)

For that matter by the time I have a Game Room there may be some Microsoft Surface-type applications within my price range.

I'm with you on the $$$, by the way. This is my hobby. It's nothing at all for most Real Men to go spend $2000 on a wide screen TV just for watching football. I just happen to be using my TV for another weekly pursuit.

 

[Oryan77]

I just designed and built a portable digital map rig:

I call shenanigans! I don't believe it really is portable. If it truly is, then you should bring it to my house and run a game with it to prove to us that it really is portable!

 

[Scribble]

None that I notice. I also have a BenQ projector (not sure what model off the top of my head) but it is really, really bright.

Just a tip for anyone wanting to do rear projection (from a guy that used to do AV setups for a living.)

They make special projector screens for rear projection, that can be used with any projector*. It's actually really cool because you can use them in much brighter settings then normal setups.

*You do have to be able to switch it to rear projection mode, otherwise everything is backwards...

 

[Treebore]

Sure thing - BenQ Projectors: BenQ MP522ST DLP projector

I didn't buy it from that site, I just searched for it on Ebay. There is one for sale for $550 on Ebay right now, probably from the same merchant. It's a good projector, and I plan on using it for business purposes also (it pops out of the mount with just 4 wingnuts).

Sean

Yeah, I did read your write up about how you got all the components, I just wanted to see an actual "stat block". Thanks!