The Future of Computers in D&D

[Kaodi]

Inspired By This Series: Legal software: Automation could kill lawyers. Why that's good for everyone else. - Slate Magazine

Forgive me if this has already been addressed many times before, but after reading this article I sort of got thinking about what role computers could play in D&D if someone got really serious about building a random dungeon generator for instances. In this respect this thread is a bit of a fork from my last one on versimilitude.

I suppose if you wanted to go even further than that however, we could perhaps discuss what jobs of the Dungeon Master that computers could eventually perform. Dungeons, monsters, adventures, campaigns... eventually even replacing the Dungeon Master altogether, though D&D is such a niche industry that it could be a long time before anyone takes the time to build a program to do that. Hell, one day computers will even generates the rules of D&D.

To a certain extent this may just be a rehash of where computer games could be going, but I think it is quite possibly, perhaps even probable, that D&D will never make a full transition to being a computer game. Look at the board game industry: these are all things that could easily be computerized, and are, but the evidence suggests that it is not merely the game itself but the mode of interaction that continues to make them popular. While computers might play an ever growing role in development, it will likely always be the case the D&D is a game that can be played without electronics. And if not, well, someone screwed up the programming.

This being a community with a lot of computer geeks, I imagine there are quite a few that could add to this or rob me of any illusions regarding the technological possibilities. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I do not see computers replacing DM's anytime soon, though I see an increase on online play via virtual tabletops and perhaps a growth of hybrid face to face games with online players.

 

[BriarMonkey]

Given that D & D, or any RPG for that matter, is primarily a social event, the replacing of a key player (the GM) by a bit of hardware/software is rather unlikely.

If it does go that way, aren't you really playing an CRPG then?

 

[Dausuul]

I think the main role of computers in tabletop RPGs will be to automate the stuff that goes on away from the table. You can see this already with the DDI. Virtual tabletop aside, the main role of the DDI is to provide character creation tools for players, monster and adventure creation tools for the DM, and a big honkin' reference library for everybody.

I expect that trend will continue. There's a lot of room for computers to help generate dungeons, for instance; not just spitting out maps, but constructing encounters with interesting and thematic elements.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I think the main role of computers in tabletop RPGs will be to automate the stuff that goes on away from the table. You can see this already with the DDI. Virtual tabletop aside, the main role of the DDI is to provide character creation tools for players, monster and adventure creation tools for the DM, and a big honkin' reference library for everybody.

I expect that trend will continue. There's a lot of room for computers to help generate dungeons, for instance; not just spitting out maps, but constructing encounters with interesting and thematic elements.

I am not sure I would agree. The stuff away from the table i can manage fine with out automation, it is running complex crunch heavy games like D&D that I would appreciarte some help with.

Frex, if something like the MS Surface demo was available for say 600 quid or so. I think many gamers would be all over it.

The principle thing I tend to forget when running 4e are; who is one next.

Recharge powers, (mainly to make the recharge roll) and if they make to reuse the power.
And finally ongoing effects.

I don't forget them all the time or even often but if stuff is going to be forgotten than that is what gets lost.

So a system that would help automate that stuff while still enabling a face to face game would be great.

In 3.x it was spell like abilities that often went unnoticed. In fact in 3.x it was worse since fights were shorter in terms of rounds of combat. So forgetting stuff had more of an impact.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As an attorney, I can say I honestly don't feel threatened by tech- at least not any more than any other info/expertise based profession.

And as a DM/Player, I can see computers making certain tasks much easier...then again, we've been using computers to do some things (in certain games) since 1985.

Heck, my last few years of RPG files (3 campaigns & hundreds of PCs) reside only on my (dying) Palm, a CD of files rescued from it, and the iPod Touch I'm transferring them all to.

 

[His Dudeness]

As long as it says out of the table, OK computer.

 

[khantroll]

In the whole, I think the trend of convergence will continue. I don't think we'll see players replace, or the hobby turned into a computer game with literally thousands of manuals. I think we'll see digital libraries become more common, along with smartphone and tablet apps to record keeping. We might even seen intelligence in the form of advising apps, and of course digital terrain and encounter representation will become more mainstream.

That being said, I find the current state of the art to be underwhelming, and due to the social nature of the game and that underwhelming feeling, my table is and shall remain a reflection of the late 1980s/Early 1990s period that I learned to play in: maps, minis, terrain, and dice all on the table. The only digital things we really use are spellbook apps and our massive pdf libraries.

 

[NewJeffCT]

well, when we're all part of the Borg collective, I can see computers replacing DMs.

However, before that, I think it will be difficult for computers in that sort of role. I see a lot of tools to make lives easier and things becoming more integrated - smart phone/tablet stuff so a DM can send info to one or two players, while not tipping off the whole group... or maybe gaming via video conference with an advanced version of Skype or similar... and, hopefully, virtual tabletops that get cheaper and easier to use.

 

[Stormonu]

The only way computers will replace humans is if they don't have to interact with humans - we're a quirky bunch and computers don't handle interactions with us well (like Vulcans and Klingons).

Still, computers have taken up a lot of the hard work of DMing, with the likes of Dungeon Hack (1993), Neverwinter Nights (with the DM tool) and even WoW - the latter no DM is required and you can play with your friends in an immersive world. (Heck, I've got some older software called Realms Overseer that allows you turn Campaign Cartographer maps into 3rd-person-shooter type battlemaps, and even create interactive, scripted 3D adventures - back from the 90's). The fact is, if you want to play D&D without having to have a DM you can already boot up the computer and do that.