Found this on another forum, where the postee was touting it as the future of tabletop gaming.
This is designed for D&D, but some think it could be adapted for WHFB and 40K.

So read the article, watch the embedded vid, make up your own mind,....
And then let rip and tell us what you really think!

Dungeons & Dragons brought to life using a Microsoft Surface Table.

Jervis talks about this in the new White Dwarf.

:angry: 'Damn you Jervis Johnson!' ;)

I thought I had some news you guys (& ladies) wouldn't have heard about yet. :(

P.S. What's your opinion on it Leman Russ SW?

That's unbelievable. I definitely want one.

I can see that Star Wars Miniatures and the like would be FANTASTIC on something like that!

I think that it is a sweet idea but I don't think it would work for WFB or 40k. BFG and Epic would be awesome though. IMO, everyone experiences 40k and WFB differently. Some actually "see" the miniatures doing battle where some only see plastic and paint and I think that using that table for playing a game of 40k or WFB might shatter the way some people see the game.

I would love to play BFG on that thing. OHHH MAN THAT WOULD ROCK!!!

Also, what about using that table as an interactive map for a campaign? :o

I love the table but do not like the system one bit.
Looks too complicated,and the squares and blue/red highlighting didn't really work for me.
I could see it working for BFG.
But for a hyper realistic board that you could put bastions on and the such,
That could have real possibilites.

That would suck for me cause I use my mini painting as a vent,
(Arggh!)and it would be the end of it.(I still haven't got caught
onto the whole Dawn of war game system....... :(

It's a nice machine, been floating around a while now, but this seems really against the concept of my table top hobby in every way. Where's the collecting, building, painting of miniatures? Just seems like your typical lazy-avenue approach that certain companies *cough* Mageknight *cough* have tried. Easy isn't better. Gimmick isn't better.

That said, it would make a great RTS interface. Something I spent some time trying to Warhammer-ise before.

I can see that being pretty nifty for D&D--looks like it has line-of-sight and area-of-effect blocked out, which could be useful! Might make it harder for the DM to fudge things/allow things outside the rulebooks, though, which would be a disadvantage.

hmm not sure what to think of that.

Can obviously see the advantages for RPG style stuff, with all the stat tracking and what not. Dice that don't fall of the table is pretty handy too :lol:

It looks like its pretty limited at the moment, that table wasn't anywhere near large enough for a game of 40K, maybe a 500pt skirmish but not a lot more.

I'd also like to see how it would preform without a grid, would probably make it a much differant system.

Also its cool that you can have 'CGI' enemies that move but it didn't really cover moving player miniatures.

I guess it'll be good for the collectable miniatures games at least.

That said playing BFG (or any space based game) on it would total rock :D pretty laser light show! and no more need for a million cardboard blast markers :P

I can also see the possibility for adding some sort of 'gobal campaign' type system, or even have differant parts of the same game happening in differant locations all linked via the internet.

mm.. gimmicky.


Alot of these new advancments rearing thier heads, they'll be popping up everywhere until an appropriate niche presents itself. Stretching out to other areas is great, but I dont think it'll stick here. To damn expensive for the forseeable for one.


On the other hand, rumoured the new fable game for xbox will feature microsofts new controller free interface Natal, which has interesting applications in other areas too.

I dont really like it and i think 40k and Apoc will be to large scale for something like that and i dont want a comp rolling my dice <_<

Yeah the computer dice roller doesn't look very good, and rolling physical dice is why I play these games! I looks like a nifty little gizmo for combat and campaigns in D+D but my group never uses models or a grid anyways. I certainly think this would never work with Warhammer.

Hmm, watching the video I'm not even sure I like it for D&D. I much prefer the top down projector that one of the DM's I play with uses.

Maybe I'm just old fashion.

This is fantastic! I definitely think this would enhance 40K in so many ways. For those that think it'd ruin it, simple solution: Don't buy it or use it, and keep with plastic and whatnot.

See, I think it should have the capabiity to scan in miniatures for an army that one creates, so the creativity aspect is still there. Furthermore, wouldn't it be cool if it could show cutscenes of actual battle instead of just dicerolls, etc?

Just my thoughts.

~Revan

well i know im a week late but, but that is AWESOME, and it could easly be used for a 40k of fantasy campaign, with minor adjustments to the game it self

I don't get why people are so amazed. Take a touchscreen monitor, turn it on its back....

Taking the D&D software away, as you're all discussing 40k, and that's essentially all it is.

I guess you missed the RFID bit.

The device can recognise individual objects which have a little radio transponder attached or in them.
It's how the guy gets his men on the screen, he uses the RFID object.

If you stuck these RFID chips/units to the bases of your models you just need to put them on the table and the computer automatically registers them and their placement.

It would be very hard to cheat on distance for movement and shooting, because you can have the computer deal with that.

If the dice gods hate me when I roll, they will probably hate me when the comp rolls for me :P

If their dice are anything like the Bloodbowl game, this will very quickly get binned :lol: