The iPhone Will Kill D&D

[JoeGKushner]

How many years have people been predicting the demise of Apple? Get over it.

More importantly, it's not necessarily the iPhone/Apple I'm talking about.

Kindle.

PSP.

eReader

Nintendo's Handheld beast with... touch screen

G1

iPhone

These thing, to me, are expensive. In 5 years, they may be the 'standard' cell phone. How much memory, even SSD, might such a device have? Enough to hold more information than a library?

The level of penetration such a device, even if all the devices aren't the same, would be huge. And if the software companies start using the internet itself as the OS, then whatever they design is useable on more systems. Windows and Apple as OS become obsolete.

 

[smetzger]

How many years have people been predicting the demise of Apple? Get over it.

Eh, well Steve is sick, he IS the company, and he has not groomed a replacement. So, once he goes, its a good bet that Apple will take a significant downturn 2-5 years afterward.

Back to the main question. Lets see how computers have influenced my gaming over the past 25 or so years...
25 years ago I used a computer to generate characters. I wrote a program from my Commodore 64 that had ALL the 1e races and classes, thats everything from UA and all the Dragon mags. There were probably 30+ classes and a bunch of races. It could only do 1st level characters, but I never had the need for anything higher, because we always started out at 1st level.

Now...
I have access to character generators (some good some bad, I have NOT tried DDI), mapping programs, html linked SRD, PDFS, and lets not forget the internet and the hive mind for prepping a game.
Personnally I have not used a laptop at the table very much. However, if/when I do DM another game I plan on using one for at least reference.

The biggest influence for me has been the internet for prepping, game reviews and previews, and free content. The internet has completly replaced my FLGS. ENWorld and related sites completly fills the void, I probably step foot in a game store once a year now.

So 25 years from now...
1) I think brick and mortar gaming stores will be very rare. The ones that survive will have an internet presence and offer niche and fad merchandise at a reduced rate.
2) Every game group will have at least one laptop using person at the table.
3) Some game groups will have elaborate and large screen setups for battlemaps. I expect virtual battlemaps will be very popular.
4) There will be a much increased presence of computer aides for games. DMGenie already does a lot of this now, this type of stuff will only get better.

I don't think that a single company can provide ALL of the software needs for a game the size of D&D. So, IF WOTC and D&D is to go forward and survive, WOTC will need to figure out how to harness the power of Open Source, individual programmers, and smaller software companies.

If I were WOTC I would write some sort of Framework that anyone could write to that would tie all sorts of little apps together. The Framework should be with a proven technology that is scaleable and doesn't require a subscription to use. If WOTC did this with 4e, I would be all over it even though I have reservations about the way the system plays.

 

[insanogeddon]

Souls of the Lost !

The problem with needing/wanting digital assistance is simply if you need computational power to nut things out:
1. You're not doing it so roleplaying no more is a mind exercise but a zoning out exercise (how much more of that do we need). No more will it be the realm of the intelegemt.
(lol)
2. Computers are linear entities and so the huge plus all the online or xbox games in the world cannot give that of creativity is lost
3. Unless you have the entire programming staff of the apps on hand you cannot do what any DM can... on the fly reprogram the system to facilitate creativity and fun.
4. You slowly remove the human factor that roleplaying can offer better than any other medium... why remove its strength.

Why make dnd a computer game? It will always be inadequate. Play to its strengths and don't get confused by the urge to tech up, trend up, top up.. there are better bland channels for witless consumption (mine is xbox, mexicana corn chips and lime juice ice blocks).

Roleplaying is a game of imaginings, the mind is yet to be matched by any app or computer so tying yourself further to inferior technology is senseless.

The claim that having all the externals done for you frees your imagination and creativity is yet to be witnessed in this reality.

The ritual of roleplaying is as fundemental as the game, gadgets come and go be it diceless roleplaying, dice apps or the myriad of other games that have passed with far more perfect mechanics, easy little blast cards etc.
Always they fail as they rule away from the ritual.

Play to the games strengths not away from it and high fantasy and a different flavour of fun/satisfaction will be yours.

 

[DreadPirateMurphy]

Killer app: flexible plastic computer display that rolls out flat like a battle mat. Central area displays a map and virtual miniatures, with margins for things like counters and dice apps. The whole thing should plug into a laptop via USB, which the DM can use to hold his notes.

It works as a touch screen.

I drool just thinking about it (and can think of a bunch of business uses for it, too).

 

[tylerthehobo]

And meanwhile we're still waiting for DDI's online tools (y'know, like the 3rd edition ones on CD-ROM) to be made available... In theory, yes, technology and what we as players are doing with Wizards' platform is evolving, but the folks publishing our hobby aren't necessarily keeping up.

 

[tylerthehobo]

Shameless bump, but I set up a thread yesterday to talk about Jeff Jarvis' "What Would Google Do?" and its implications for Wizards of the Coast, here:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-rules-discussion/254372-what-would-google-do-wizards-coast-edition.html

For those of you who haven't read the book, it's an evaluation of why Google's succeeded, and how other companies could imitate Google's principles to better connect with their customers. I see WotC doing a lot of things right (open playtests, communicating with customers via enworld and blogs), but there are some missteps (the PDF thing being the most recent). Curious as to your thoughts... Seems to dovetail with what's being discussed here.

 

[gamerprinter]

I'm not anti-Apple

How many years have people been predicting the demise of Apple? Get over it.

I am not anti-Apple. I am a digital graphic designer and have been one for over twenty years. I use Macs in my studio, that I run. There's nothing to get over here.

Steve Jobs is stepping down due to health reasons and they are replacing Leopard OS with Windows Vista - those are coffin nails buddy. I am afraid my computer of choice is going the way of the dodo bird. That's a fact. I still see Apple in the next five years, but not much more than that.

Its a business reality, not PC vs. Mac thing.

GP

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

Killer app: flexible plastic computer display that rolls out flat like a battle mat. Central area displays a map and virtual miniatures, with margins for things like counters and dice apps. The whole thing should plug into a laptop via USB, which the DM can use to hold his notes.

It works as a touch screen.

I drool just thinking about it (and can think of a bunch of business uses for it, too).

Exactly!

I'm not talking about a "D&D Device." I'm talking about a new touchscreen platform for gaming, presentations, etc. You have device you can use to present a technical drawing to your boss (complete with touch and drag, zoom, etc), and then take home and play Monopoly (or D&D) on.

The presence or absence of such a device (and its ability to connect remotely to your old gaming buddy on another continent) does NOT force us to simplify or "computerize" the rules. It makes such a thing an option, and gives you ways to offload things like chickenscratch notes on how many healing surges you have left onto a display if you prefer such.

It is, in fact, the flexibility that will make or break the device. It is more powerful if it leaves as much of the rules as possible in the heads of the players, but gives them a shared representation of the game space and a digital scratch pad.

If you want a system that abstracts away more of the rules to catch those MMO-weaned whippersnappers, you can have that. But it should also allow me to use it exclusively as a communication/representation tool while we play a game on top of it instead of "on" it.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Steve Jobs is stepping down due to health reasons and they are replacing Leopard OS with Windows Vista - those are coffin nails buddy.

GP

Regarding Steve Jobs...

and as for Windows Vista becoming a the new OS for Apple?
LINK Please.

 

[gamerprinter]

Sorry, it was an email bulletin from one of the Graphics magazines I get - already deleted, so I'm unsure which one. Anyway, you can still get the Leopard OS, but it will be for $129 add-on. All new Macs will come preloaded with Windows Vista Premium. I wish I could send you the link, but its gone now. I will check to see if I can find it, or another notice of that info.

GP