Dice and Dogs in the Vineyard

November 30, 2008

Last time, I discussed EpicTable’s support for game pieces on a tabletop surface. This post is similar in that it too involves moving objects around on the tabletop—only this time, the objects are dice. Dogs in the Vineyard is a prime example of a game that involves doing more with dice than just rolling them. Lets look at how EpicTable supports this functionality. Read more

Posted by John Lammers | Filed Under EpicTable Development, Screenshots  

Don’t Rest Your Head: Initial Thoughts

October 16, 2008

As part of developing EpicTable, I’m always on the lookout for interesting dice mechanics. I’d heard that Don’t Rest Your Head, from Evil Hat Productions, had some interesting mechanics, so I picked up a copy…and promptly lost several hours to reading and to the sudden compulsion to build white, black, and red dice pools for EpicTable. Read more

Posted by John Lammers | Filed Under EpicTable Blog  

Thoughts on “My Life with Master”

June 7, 2008

In a recent post, I talked about the value of trying other game systems, particularly the so-called “narrative games” or “story games”. All this was a little abstract, and it strikes me that saying “this is a good thing” without really explaining why isn’t terribly helpful. In this post, I look at a specific example: my recent experience with My Life with Master. Read more

Posted by John Lammers | Filed Under EpicTable Blog  

(The Wait for) 4th Edition is the Best Thing to Happen to Gamers in a Long While

April 25, 2008

Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition was announced last GenCon, and since then, both game vendors and purchasers have been reluctant to put money into a to-be-obsolete game system. The roleplaying game industry has come to a standstill…. Or has it?

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Posted by John Lammers | Filed Under EpicTable Blog  

Virtual Tabletops are More Than Maps

March 27, 2008

Armored man fighting a giant troll Virtual tabletops—my own EpicTable included—tend to put the spotlight on maps. Most (probably all) virtual tabletops provide a lot more than maps. There’s chat, character sheets, rules automation, and various kinds of media that a GM can send to the players…but still, a lot of the focus is on maps.

I’ve said to myself all along that there are other aspects of the gaming experience that are important—especially to the more story-oriented crowd, and I’ve imagined EpicTable following the roleplay vector more than the wargame vector over the next several years. Don’t get me wrong—I think maps are important, and I’m a long-time D&D player, so I’m not throwing away my battlemat anytime soon…but I had an interesting couple of experiences this week that put virtual tabletops into a little bit different perspective for me. Read more

Posted by John Lammers | Filed Under EpicTable Blog