Still not right. IMO

[Mercurius]

I'll riff off of [MENTION=6688791]Consonant Dude[/MENTION]. I am not opposed to--and enjoy--digital tools to enhance the tabletop experience, but I don't want it to replace it.

The imagination is not old-fashioned, it is not "so 1980." The imagination is eternal and universal - it is part and parcel to being a human being and, I would say, is actually somewhat in danger of being atrophied or, at least, malnourished. The more we rely upon digital interfaces and image-making "out there" (not in the mind, but in our sensory field), the less we use our own imaginations. And, as the saying goes, "use it or lose it!"

 

[Yora]

In my oppinion, 5th Edition has been announced to adress precisely the two big problems I had with the recent editions. Rules bloat and a steep power curve.

5th Edition has been announced to be very basic rules that can be expanded as needed by the campaign, and that monsters stay relevant for a longer time. Sounds perfect to me. Now all that remains is waiting to see if that actually happens and the rest of the game is solid.

 

[Serendipity]

I don't really care about digital tools. I'd like something recognizably D&D that is simple, straightforward and has a LOT of options for how I (and anyone else) wants to mod the basic, streamlined engine. However, I don't need a new edition of D&D (or any other game for that matter). If 5e, once it comes out and I have a look at it, rings my bells then great, yeah, I'll buy and play it. If not, I won't.
In any case, none of this really matters. WotC is going to try to make the game that the most of us want to spend money on. Period. It's just up to Wizards to figure out what that game is.

 

[howandwhy99]

For some of us, it doesn't matter if they gave us 500 free gold-plated miniature and a digital board and if a super-computer calculates all the movement and distance combat options. WE LIKE WHEN ALL THIS STUFF TAKES PLACE IN OUR MIND.

I agree. Some people play games to test themselves in highly complex strategic situations. Having a computer do that can override their reason for playing.

Are we really talking about removing strategy from game playing?

 

[Ed_Laprade]

In my oppinion, 5th Edition has been announced to adress precisely the two big problems I had with the recent editions. Rules bloat and a steep power curve.

5th Edition has been announced to be very basic rules that can be expanded as needed by the campaign, and that monsters stay relevant for a longer time. Sounds perfect to me. Now all that remains is waiting to see if that actually happens and the rest of the game is solid.

I need to spread some XP around to give you more.

 

[boredgremlin]

But realistically, what's the cost? a 55-72" TV will run you anywhere between $700 and $2000 dollars. Tablet PCs(that are worth their salt) will run you upwards of $4000 easily. An iPad starts at $499. Imagine an iPad 55" across, that's gonna be several thousand dollars.

A lot of the reason they are so expensive is the internet options. A better comparison might be the kindle.

For 400$ I would buy that in a heartbeat. have it where I can download a digital copy of the books I've bought into it and scroll through them that way and I see an excellent tool for the kind of gaming I want.

For people worried about limited options. Thats what the DM over ride feature is for.

Say for instance that your guy wants to climb a wall and jump on a bad guy or some other crazy thing and the rules dont support it in the software or whatever.

You two just chat it out decide what happens and then the DM puts it in via over ride. Either manually placing the character where it should be or entering the situational modifiers you guys agree on the computer runs the math.

I dont see any reason why a good digital representation would limit anything.
Its just the next gen of battlemat.

 

[Sunseeker]

ePawn hasn't set a price yet, but the target is/was $400. I wouldn't recommend flipping your TV on it's side.

I think by the time we get 55-72" "iPads" (or whatever surface device that gets marketed) will be a lot cheaper than $4,000 simply because of the law of scaling. Already, you can make a DIY surface table for $1,500.

Here's their website:

ePawn

Still through, they're competing in a market where the average playmat runs between 20 and 50 dollars, where minis can be purchased in bulk on ebay. Where pretty much all physical content is portable. I can't carry a 55"-72" flatscreen to my friend's house.

I think what we're really going to have to wait for as a realistic digital solution is digital paper. If I can roll it up and put it in a small mail-tube just like I can with my current 3x4 playmat, I'll go for that, even at a higher considerably cost. Portability is one of the key features to keeping D&D alive.

 

[kitsune9]

I can't carry a 55"-72" flatscreen to my friend's house.

But it would be amusing to try!

Yeah, I agree. If someone had something like this, D&D would end up a fixed location based on whoever had a surface table, unless surface tables become ubiquitous in every household.

There is electronic paper though, but quite expensive so far.

 

[mkill]

It's perfectly fine if groups want to play with that, but I for myself spend way too much time at a computer screen that I very much enjoy the offline and analogness of pen & paper RPGs.

Also, every time there is a new edition there is bitching and moaning about buying a $40 book. Now try to tell people that they need a $400 tablet to play. The game doesn't need even more entry barriers.

 

[BobTheNob]

The op states what COULD be IF digital technology was embraced in its fullest. True.

But the fact that its possible doesn't at all mean that what is proposed with 5e is wrong. At its heart D&D has always been a game about your imagination, and my biggest issue with 4e was rules saturation which tended to take possibilities from the imaginings of the players and moved them into the realm of mechanics.

5e (if they do it right) will hopefully move us back into the realm where players lived or died by how they thought their way through the situation rather than by which combination of powers they had and how big the numbers backing them were. I thought this is what was needed well before 5e was announced and am so glad that the signs indicate that this is where its going.

In so far as what the OP suggests, it may be a possibility in some games, but in so far as stating that this is what WOTC should be doing with 5e....couldnt disagree more strongly.