My new DIY portable digital tabletop roleplaying map!

[GlassJaw]

Freestanding Low Profile LCD Stand for classrooms, courtroom, meeting rooms, special Display and Point of Sale

It was similar to the above but had a longer stand and a longer arm.

This mount is pretty cool. You could put this right on your gaming table. This is probably the direction I would go, at least at first.

 

[catsclaw227]

We've been using my projection map cube for our weekly game and everyone loves it. We've also used it for some "pickup" LFR gaming nights. It is a major improvement to the gaming experience.

So far, one DM is using Fantasy Grounds II and it has been working very well. The other DM just used MS Paint and it works surprisingly well too

Did you bring this to the LFR games at All Fun N' Games? I have been needing to get there and start playing a bit of LFR. I like a lot of the gamers there, but my time has been limited.

 

[Mark]

Even though it stands on its own, maybe running a line to the ceiling and an eyebolt would be a good safety measure.

 

[Garmorn]

Both of these stands look really good.

For soft ware I will probably use Campaign Cartography as it has the most flexibility and I already own it. It is a full function CAD program made for RPGs.

 

[Hippy]

Inspired by this thread, I've constructed my own tabletop projection rig. I'm using the same BenQ projector (and I really appreciate the info on it) but with a "Periscope" stand that better suits my lack of tools and mechanical knowhow.

Here's an image of the setup:

http://ki-ryn.com/Misc/Ki.Ryn_Projector.jpg

Though it may not look it, the set up is really stable. That 25 lb weight on the bottom is both heavy and wide. It takes about a minute to convert from table top RPG mode to movie watching mode.

I haven't used it for a game yet, but all of the test runs look promising.

Awesome setup! I am jealous. What I like about what you have is the portability of the whole thing. I am lucky enough to have a dedicated game room fully finished in my basement, but I want to expand it in the future to allow for a bigger table to be used and more room to move around. (When someone needs to get up, others need to get up and move too...or think real skinny ) Your pole mount systems would allow me the flexibility to adjust for any configuration change to room size in the future!

Could you provide any information on how you constructed it? materials costs, etc. Plans.. if any needed.

Again awesome!

Hippy

 

[0-hr]

The periscope mount uses 3 parts for sale at mountdirect.com:

1 NPL Series Projector Ceiling Mount ($45)
1 NPL Long Adjustable Column Extension Pipe (range of extension 35"-42") ($50)
1 NPL Extension Elbow ($20)

Those parts all just screw together. The only custom bit is the 25 lb weight I bolted it to for a stand. I have a friend with acess to a machine shop at work and so he was able to have the weight drilled and the stand bolted on. You could probably do something in wood if you wanted (maybe attached to the map board?). The mount is made to screw into a ceiling so it's not hard to attach to stuff - just need something that isn't going to get knocked over.

One word of warning, my projector (and I assume most) warns NOT to use it oriented downwards like I do. I'm guessing maybe the heat dissipation isn't good at that angle? Anyway, proceed at your own risk.


I've looked at different software options and my current favorite is Map Tools. It can do a nice full screen showing nothing but map, can add a grid, and does decent fog of war without having to run both a GM and Player version. It's also free http://rptools.net/

 

[falcarrion]

if having the projector pointing down is a problem. Then have it horzontal refecting the pic with a mirror onto the board below. Make sure the mirror has the refective surface in the front instead of the back side like most mirrors.
Otherwise you will get ghosting.

 

[seanpecor]

Did you bring this to the LFR games at All Fun N' Games? I have been needing to get there and start playing a bit of LFR. I like a lot of the gamers there, but my time has been limited.

Yep, we game at AFnG every Monday from 6p-10p and we've been using the map. There are definitely a ton of great gamers there, to be sure. The LFR Tuesday and Wednesday night meetups usually have 3-4 tables going.

Sean