So, you can probably come up with a ton of things that R&D could do to advance the D&D product, but I think this one could be the most beneficial.
The link should lead you to a YouTube video where Minecraft is exhibited at E3 (happening now), using HoloLens.
There has been a lot of criticism that HoloLens has a long way to go before it is perfected, however, the main point here is that we all know it will be one day.
Looking at how Minecraft can operate with HoloLens should instantly give us gamers ideas of how D&D TRPGs could benefit from using this!
So I say that WotC R&D needs to get on it, and start making connections with Microsoft now, while this is in development. Can you imagine the possibilities of this? It's foolish to pass up, and if it is possible for Hasbro to make a connection with Microsoft, it could really help instill a better future for D&D.
That said, I expect that WotC won't make this happen, given how things have worked out with this kind of thing in the past. I hope I'm proven wrong though, cause this could be much better than their Sword Coast Legend DM mode their touting today.
Imagine the dungeon tiles and minis in an application made specifically for D&D, imagine our on line games or our home games and how it could be possible (eventually anyway) to integrate other tools we have seen like music and sound effects. It's exciting to see this technology, I really hope we can see it utilized fo TRPGs.
A D&D Board Game.
On the one hand, this sounds like a fun idea. A 3D map that could be generated on the fly my DMs, or load it up with some premade maps from official modules...
But on the other, I think it would kind of interfere with what makes D&D so great. Though the phrase "theatre of the mind" is often used to describe running games without a map, it's also a good description of the game as a whole. When my DM describes a room which is only drawn as a box on some grid paper, he delivers the details through his storytelling and I piece them together in my mind. The flickering of torchlight in the dimly lit tunnels, the earthy colors of the walls around me, and the rust-tinged grate barring the door to the left-- It's described by the DM, and I take that description and get immersed in it.
I think that if there was a 3D map, and the usage of such became really popular, we might lose out on some of that immersive atmosphere.
A DnD Collectible Card Game.
SirAntoine wrote:
Spellblade007 wrote:
The biggest application of the hololens, to me, is for playing with my friends in other states/countries. To be able to include them, as if they were literally sitting next to me at the table, would have incalcuable value.
But I don't think that having the holo version of minis and dungeon terrain would reduce immersion, or cause us to lose any of the social interaction value of dnd. Because your friends are still there, and nothing is interfering with you talking to them, throwing things at them, etc.
As far as losing value of the traditional story telling immersion, I view the prospective application of HoloLense the way I look at maps and minis. Not necessary for gaming, but can be a great aid to enhance the immersion. I imagine that the ideal application could provide as little or as highly detailed an experience as one would require for their table. But because it isn't one person's choice, it doesn't mean that it's potentiallity should be ignored. IMO, I believe this technology could easily run hand in hand with story-telling-immersion and enhance it rather than simply serve to take away from it.
Shasarak wrote:
CCS wrote:
I think it is way too early to get excited about the HoloLens. Remember all the excitement last time when they showed us Star Wars Kinekt? Yeah, hold back your enthusiasm till you see the actual product. No, what they should really do is start bringing out more Monster Manuals, and more exciting expansion material like they did for 3rd edition. Stuff like Stormwrack, Frostburn, Sandstorm, Ghost Walk and Libris Mortis.
Imaculata wrote:
"But I am also not pleased about the prospect of a Complete Gnome Cobblers Handbook."
Agreed. It's absurd to think they can do justice to the D&D tradition of demi-human shoemaking in just one book! They need one just for the various monster leather tanning tables, and the chapter on enchanted laces alone could run to 40 pages. Plus all the sub-classes - Gnome Bootspringer, Gnome Orthotic Master, Svirfneblin Steeltoe. The list goes on.
Pfft, Gnome Bootspringer was way overpowered.
Totally disagree on the idea of not getting excited yet. That whole mentality of applying the "don't count your chickens before they hatch" adage to people's excitement is complete nonsense, to me. It only makes sense as a warning to avoid making plans that depend on the thing that isn't for sure yet, not as some kind of depressing "don't get excited about things" statement.
The Hololens is exciting. The kinect was exciting. It wasn't/hasn't been used to it's full potential yet, and it still needs some iteration, but one of the things stopping that from happening is the voices of pessimists who dismiss anything innovative but risky.
At this point, I just want jury duty to end so we can adapt material from earlier editions. And hopefully OSR stuff too, those guys just won't quit being inventive.
Hitdice wrote:
Look, Brock, it'll be official, okay?! 
Admittedly, the only thing I'm really having trouble adpating to 5e is 3e's ever increasing DC range, but I'm just a fan doing fan fiction; I want to see how they handle it officially.
Hitdice wrote:
Brock_Landers wrote:
DoctorBadWolf wrote:
Y'know, it's much more the time sink than the intellectual rigor that bothers me at this point in my life; D&D 3e and 4e requires a ton of arithmetic, even for reverse engineering. At least I find it does, but then I want official adaptation systems, just because I'm pretty sure I'm doing it wrong. 
Brock_Landers wrote:
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I wouldn't accuse you of being disingenous if you say you have an easier time converting 4E>5E than Other E>5E, Mechapilot.
I might question whether you are atypical however. I have run 4E since it was released and I still couldn't pick up a 4E module and "eyeball it" into my 5E game, something I HAVE done with great ease with 2E and 3E modules.
4E is just different. I have no desire to wade into the "better/worse" pool; it's just different in enough ways that the effort of converting it pushes it into "Maybe I'll just make my own adventure" territory for a lot of people.
DemoMonkey wrote:
....so HoloLens with D&D. Am I right?
Seems to have nothing to do with converting older versions to 5ed.
I like the potential and I do not see it taking away anything from the story telling element. It is a tool to assist but it does not tell the story for you. It might give a more unified vision of locations and the like, but really, is that a bad thing? I usually prefer it when my players see the same thing as opposed to 4 -5 slightly different things.
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Brock_Landers wrote:
DemoMonkey wrote:
DoctorBadWolf wrote:
Istbor wrote:
DoctorBadWolf wrote:
Imaculata wrote:
Brock_Landers wrote:
Sands666 wrote:
I have seen some loss of RP immersion through the use of minis and dungeon terrain. In my experience, maybe 33% of players seem to find that it keeps them from imagining the environments. They stop seeing the walls in front of their characters, for instance, as if they were there, and instead feel attached to the viewpoint they have as players, over the props on the table. Most people may not experience such a loss, but for those who do, I think the electronic format would be an even greater distraction. In a typical tabletop RPG, we're not talking about our positions on a battle mat, like we might in a typical miniatures game, but describing and imagining our own way through environments.
SirAntoine wrote:
One word: OGL
DoctorBadWolf wrote:
ShadoWWW wrote:
Sands666 wrote:
Shasarak wrote:
We mostly used books and paper. The occasional player uses a laptop. We have tablets etc at home we just don't use them for D&D as a general rule except for player with PDFs.
I would like them to work on combining D&D with Aquaponics. Tasty interesting realistic escapism.