The Role of Technology in the Future of TT RPGs

[Reynard]

I don't want to talk about paizo versus WotC. i don't want to talk anout MMOs or other video games. I want to talk about what the role of technology is going to be in playing traditional table top RPGs going forward.

In the past few years, we have seen a few things occur that will inform the future, i think: the "PDF revolution", the advent of the VTT in various forms, and all kinds of programs (and apps) designed to create characters, manage campaigns and otherwise improve play and prep. Outside of directly game related developments, we have general technological advancements: cloud based media storage and streaming, the explosion of smart phones and now tablets, and the appearance of the micro-transaction as a viable form of revenue for both big and small content providers. All of these things will likely advance and mutate as time goes on, and new developments will appear without warning.

I contend that while generally "quaint", TTRPGs aren't going anywhere, not for a long time. But self professed nerds, the kind of folks drawn to RPGs in many cases, also tend to love tech, and we have already seen technology get integrated into peoples' gaming.

So what does the future bring for TTRPGs as it relates to technology? Will we see the Knights of the Virtual Dinner Table, where integration of VTTs and communications systems makes the dinner table irrelevent? Or will we see large, cheap "smart" battlemats that enhance play through video-game like graphics and math resolution? Will buyers be able to build their books a la cart and have them printed on demand, thereby eliminating the notion of game Editions?

How do you see the future of traditional table top RPGs and technology converging? What do you hope for? What do you fear?

 

[Morrus]

I don't think the hardware is *quite* there yet. We have iPads and webcams and stuff, but it all feels just a tiny bit too inaccessible to me at present. Reading a PDF on a tablet isn't *quite* convenient enough; videoconferencing isn't *quite* immersive enough; virtual tables aren't *quite* easy enough to access and use.

But it's coming. It's certainly possible to make a lot of money via PDFs without a single product appearing in an FLGS these days.

For me, personally, the evolution which would excite me is a Neverwinter Nights style toolset game which was easier to use than the original toolset (it wasn't rocket science, but scripting and the like provided a barrier to achieving the best results, and the NWN2 toolset just... wasn't useable - by me) accompanied by EULA's which allowed me, as a publisher, to consider that a viable *format* for my releases (no nonsense about the developer gaining any rights to your IP and the like, or restricting commercial useage). I'd be all over that in a heartbeat.

Accompany that with some cool hardware, which always gets cheaper, it could even manifest as a tabletop with players gathered in the same room.

 

[Bluenose]

The people who are the future of the TTRPG are around now. And they're not you or me, because we're already part of it. They're the teenagers who are on Facebook or other sites, using their mobile phones and tablets and laptops to communicate with each other and to keep track of information. Whoever recognises that and finds a way to make their game(s) inclusive of their way of playing will create the future of TTRPGs. Adventure creation and communication with players is the important part, not anything about character builders or dice rollers or pdfs.

 

[jimmifett]

I'm in the planning process of building myself a prototype Surface table to test some ideas on. This is where I see the game going, at least for visualization.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I think technology will be a part of gaming but i dont believe it will be the focus of tabletop. One think to consider, printing has become easier for a lot of companies with the advent of print on demand. there are also many publishing models out there that involve zero cost to print (we are one such company, all our costs-both for pdf and print-- are with things prior to printing. We pay for art, writing, editing etc but dont pay printing , warehousing, etc). Also the cost of developing good software is not something every gaming company can realistically afford. I expect we will see a lot more grass roots software made by fans than stuff made by the companies themselves.

I think what wizards is doing with ddi is amazing. And its nice to see them get this off the ground this time around. Just not sure it will appeal to everyone. Pprpgs are a much different medium than online rpgs. One advantage of a printed manual is it is relatively static. Managing online updates and rules changes is a potential pitfall i see with going too far in the online direction.

 

[Bedrockgames]

The people who are the future of the TTRPG are around now. And they're not you or me, because we're already part of it. They're the teenagers who are on Facebook or other sites, using their mobile phones and tablets and laptops to communicate with each other and to keep track of information. Whoever recognises that and finds a way to make their game(s) inclusive of their way of playing will create the future of TTRPGs. Adventure creation and communication with players is the important part, not anything about character builders or dice rollers or pdfs.

I agree that social media is where a lot of this might be heading. Vehicles for long distance, campaign management/design; this is stuff i want ( i have yet to see a really solid piece of software for the gm).

 

[IronWolf]

I think we will continue to see the increase of technology in TTRPGs for those that want it. With tablets, laptops, VTT VoIP, PDFs of gaming materials, character builders and such just about everything is in place now to forge the way for the future.

The VTTs of today are pretty impressive. Spending just a little bit of time with MapTool and their tutorial videos and a framework for your system of choice it works very well. Throw in Ventrilo or Skype for your voice communications and gaming over the Internet in an immersive fashion is quite easy.

I still think people will gather around a table when the opportunity affords them. Some might move to projectors or big screen TVs to show off the VTT, but I am sure others will stick with battle mats and minis for the more tactile feel.

 

[jimmifett]

I still think people will gather around a table when the opportunity affords them. Some might move to projectors or big screen TVs to show off the VTT, but I am sure others will stick with battle mats and minis for the more tactile feel.

You can have your cake and eat it too these days. Using minis with recognizable unique symbols reflecting IR light, on a multitouch VTT battlemap projected on a translucent piece of plastic.

Projector underneath table shines VTT image up onto plastic. IR lighting from just underneath plastic, reflects off fingers and minis, down into an infrared camera to detect. There is software already to recognize this.
Add in remote VTT and VOIP, you can have remote players and live players all interacting with the same table.

 

[Dannager]

You can have your cake and eat it too these days. Using minis with recognizable unique symbols reflecting IR light, on a multitouch VTT battlemap projected on a translucent piece of plastic.

Projector underneath table shines VTT image up onto plastic. IR lighting from just underneath plastic, reflects off fingers and minis, down into an infrared camera to detect. There is software already to recognize this.

Not only is there software to recognize this, there's D&D-based software set up to recognize this. I played with it at PAX last year.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Not only is there software to recognize this, there's D&D-based software set up to recognize this. I played with it at PAX last year.

Do you know how much it is going to cost?