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Lifestyle

Pen & paper gaming plus iPad equals awesome

Essential linkage: What can new technologies bring to the classic pen and paper RPG crowd?

First came Kindle and the other tablet ebooks, and now Apple has announced it's new/old take on tablet technology - one that will doubtless make them scads of cash and see iPads showing up in houses and handbags across the world.

But the move to digital readers could have a truly useful impact on one very geeky realm - old school roleplaying.

Typically, the scene of your classic dungeon bash is awash with rulebooks, character sheets, and other odds and ends. However, given the gaming community's been more than happy to move to PDF, the larger move to simple readers could change all that. One observer, over at gaming blog Robot Viking, gives it a bit of thought:

"But when your ereader comes extremely close to reproducing that feeling, with a lot of additional advantages, then pdfs are going to look a lot more appealing. A thin, lightweight device that you can easily pass around the gaming table is a whole other experience from reading a pdf on a monitor. As a DM, one of my favorite things in the world is writing an adventure, sitting at a big table with books spread out all around me, drawing maps and taking notes. I don't really like having to refer to my computer when I do that. A nice slim tablet with an assortment of game manuals would be just the thing."

So if you're as nerdy as I am (and I know that's a few of you), check out the whole post.

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16 Comments

GhostWhoWalks Jan 28, 2010 5:26 PM	I just came a little in my pants. I always wanted a color .pdf viewer with a decent screen resolution and size. I'd almost buy one of those things just for that.
Jeruselem Jan 28, 2010 5:36 PM	That's if Apple turn on the eBook function in the Australia iPads which is no guarantee given Apple's track record.
Hawkeye Jan 28, 2010 5:44 PM	Combine it with an elegant dice roller (and there's HEAPS of those), and it's a winning combo in my books.
LordBug Jan 28, 2010 6:21 PM	A digital dice roller? Might as well as say screw it to the game and play something on PC in that case :)~
Khirareq Jan 28, 2010 7:11 PM	Yep - That's what I've been thinking since I saw it. Been wanting something like this for a while, but scared of the price it's gonna be :P
Krispy89 Jan 28, 2010 8:59 PM	iPad? Really, couldn't have chosen a worse name even if I tried.
Elfarch Jan 29, 2010 12:47 AM	Oh really Krispy? Howabout the P-pad then? Is there a trick I am ignorant of then (besides having a number of comps)? I can only get one pdf book open at a time on my comps, if I was using one of the things for gaming (& I'd certainly like to) then I'd want to have a couple of books open at the same time and be able to switch between them. Not wait for one to close and another to initialize all the time.
t1k Jan 29, 2010 5:18 AM	Disappointed. Apple have obviously chosen to keep a lot of functionality from the iPad in favour of selling newer, more functional versions in the future.. no DVD/CD drive, no ebook functionality, no multi-tasking, no camera for video-calls etc etc. Don't get my wrong, I watch videos on public transport on my iPhone and love it and the iPad is a video/movie fanatic's wet dream ... but I'm still left thinking either missed opportunity or typical Apple "next year's model will be even better so save for the new model now" approach to all things. 1000
fliptopia Jan 29, 2010 8:26 AM	I still reckon i'd go with the kindle as an ebook reader.
Demonic Jan 29, 2010 8:58 AM	Where is the SD slot Mr Revolutionary Photo Device, ohh I need too pay extra for a little hting that plugs in? My Netbook does more, costs less but doesn't have a Touch Screen ohh well
Hawkeye Jan 29, 2010 9:42 AM	LordBug: If dice rolling is the high point of your games, you're playing with the wrong people! Krispy: I don't know - I kinda like it. Reminds me of the PADDs from Next Gen :)
brissietex Jan 29, 2010 11:59 AM	let's see... http://www.apple.com/au/ipad/pricing/ I predict the price of the 16gb wi-fi base iPad here will be $799 given Apple's Be an Australian so pay 40% premium and the current exchange rate. Buy myself a really nice netbook for that price. No thank you...the iTouch is more tempting for its portability.
smadge1 Jan 30, 2010 12:20 PM	Well, it's definitely an iPad, I'd have preferred a MacPad myself.
Nyobium Jan 31, 2010 11:22 PM	This is becoming so Star Trek. We'll be walking around using WiFi pushing at the screen doing our work. I'm hoping Apple integrates enough flexibility to make it a school PC killer. Imagine that, all the schoolies with their school books saved onto the thing. Their home work etc. Could this be the paperless society we were looking for back in the 80's?
majestic975 Feb 1, 2010 11:32 AM	I'm waiting for them to bring one out with Wings... so I can take it swimming, bike riding,running...........etc
leey Mar 11, 2010 7:03 PM	eher, sounds unimaginable. well, i'd like to share some information about ipad, you can be the first to look Apple's latest iPad, its video and audio formats, features, things that really suck about the new Apple iPad and frequently asked iPad questions from this column: http://www.ifunia.com/ipad-column/index.html

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Atomic Magazine

Issue: 133 | February, 2012

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