It reminds me of 3D Email.

Quote from: SettembriniEvenb if it WAS the best graphics EVAR.
Why?
Me too olde to get?

I'm 41, and I get it. Sometimes it's tough to get everyone in your group in the same physical space, or to get a group, period. It'd be awesome to be able to get my original group back together, but that's physically tough to do, what with us scattered across the continent. This gives the ability to do that - or at least it should, according to the description.

Quote from: StuartIf you like this, why not just play World of Warcraft on an RP server?

Like Drew said, this isn't meant to do the same thing as WoW. I'm really digging the implications of this the more I see of it. That says something, because I have never had the urge to play anything like WoW, but I'd love to be able to play D&D with people I know who are 3000 miles away.

I'm too technically inept for this kind of stuff myself and $9 a month? No thanks.

Incidentally, someone over on Enworld posted a screen capture of one of the webpages and it had a Dwarven 'Warlord' as one of the characters. 9th level apparently. Also included a Fighter, a Ranger and a Cleric, i believe.

Quote from: One Horse TownI'm too technically inept for this kind of stuff myself and $9 a month? No thanks.

The price is a concern of mine, also, but I'm sure I'm as technically (dis)inclined as you are, or even less so, and this looks pretty intuitive to me.

Quote from: One Horse TownIncidentally, someone over on Enworld posted a screen capture of one of the webpages and it had a Dwarven 'Warlord' as one of the characters. 9th level apparently. Also included a Fighter, a Ranger and a Cleric, i believe.

Did it include stat blocks?

If so, then a link may be in order.

Quote from: DrewDid it include stat blocks?

If so, then a link may be in order.

Sadly not. It was just some portraits of a person's characters. Incidentally, Fighters also get special abilties and feat trees depending on which weapon they use, so choice of weapon actually means something for a Fighter now. Hopefully, they are all balanced, although i notice that they say that the Longsword is the most versatile weapon choice. That was one of the best bits of Iron Heroes to me, a feat tree for some weapons. Seems Mr.Mearls has expanded this to include all weapons for 4e. Cool.

As for links, there are far too many threads about this in all kinds of places. Check out the 'What we KNow' threads on both ENworld and RPGnet.

Quote from: One Horse TownSadly not. It was just some portraits of a person's characters. Incidentally, Fighters also get special abilties and feat trees depending on which weapon they use, so choice of weapon actually means something for a Fighter now. Hopefully, they are all balanced, although i notice that they say that the Longsword is the most versatile weapon choice. That was one of the best bits of Iron Heroes to me, a feat tree for some weapons. Seems Mr.Mearls has expanded this to include all weapons for 4e. Cool.

Couldn't agree more. What we've heard so far seems to indicate a blend of IH, BO9S and SW SAGA, which is just about spot on as far as I'm concerned.

QuoteAs for links, there are far too many threads about this in all kinds of places. Check out the 'What we KNow' threads on both ENworld and RPGnet.

Yeah, I've read most of them. I was just hoping for something a little more concrete, despite Slavisek saying numerous times that the game is still very much in the design phase.

Thinking on it more it's likely we won't see a completed stat block until the previews are released next year. There seems to be an awful lot they haven't nailed down yet, so revealing anything beyond design intent would be preemptive to say the least.

Quote from: SettembriniHuh?
WHy should I want to play online?
The Fuck?

Well if your friends are in Missouri, Georgia, Central Pennsylvania, and you are stuck in in Northwest Pennsylvania, how else you are going to play tabletop?

Quote from: PseudoephedrineI'd be willing to sacrifice whiz-bang graphics for the ability to run it on an older computer.

FUCK YES.

By the way: that little game called WoW? It certainly doesn't have the best graphics out there. Neither did Diablo or Starcraft.

Quote from: StuartIf you like this, why not just play World of Warcraft on an RP server?

Sorry to sound a bit testy but I don't think people understand what this type of software is used for.

It is an outgrowth of virtual whiteboarding. Where a corporation, or a university is connected through the network/internet and what one person draws in one place appears in all the connected location and vice versa.

In the early 2000's a couple of people got the idea that this can be applied to tabletop role-playing. Why would they want to do this? Because gaming groups split up due to life circumstances. People still want to play together but the army or their company moved them halfway across the country.

So combine a whiteboard that emulates a battlemap, graphics for tokens/figures, and voice chat system then you got something that emulates the tabletop experience quite faithfully. It is NOT 100% but darn close.

The other use for that software is at a regular tabletop system and a digital projector. You point the projector at the table and use it to show battleboards. Other than being able to use graphics this takes the fog of war advantage that the internet programs have and applies to the tabletop.

What bothers me is the following question: will ALL players have to pay a monthly fee?

Quote from: estarWell if your friends are in Missouri, Georgia, Central Pennsylvania, and you are stuck in in Northwest Pennsylvania, how else you are going to play tabletop?

Sure. But this is for ultra-hardcore people. That is not actually something really making the DI or the 4th edition exciting.

Quote from: estarSorry to sound a bit testy but I don't think people understand what this type of software is used for.

...

So combine a whiteboard that emulates a battlemap, graphics for tokens/figures, and voice chat system then you got something that emulates the tabletop experience quite faithfully. It is NOT 100% but darn close.

I understand how it was developed, and how they intend people to use it.  I'm just disagreeing on whether it really emulates the tabletop experience where it really matters.  You can buy the videogame version of all sorts of boardgames and play them against people online (with voice chat if you like)... but it's just not the same.  It's not about rules and mechanics.

I'm sure some people will use it and like it, and that's great (honestly).  I don't think it will have a broad appeal though.  It won't bring in WoW players, and it won't bring in non-gamers.  It will appeal to some section of the current RPG players.  Not sure how many, but certainly much less than the total number.  Probably by quite a lot.

Does it run on a Mac?