Technabob » tabletop

Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack Miniature Wargame Uses LEGOs

Lambert Varias — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:30:54 +0000

Miniature wargames are one of the more niche tabletop games, not only because they tend to be very technical, but because they can be very costly because of the figurines, terrain and other props needed to play. But a miniature wargame called Mechaton can be played without splurging for miniatures, because it’s meant to be played with LEGOs.

Mechaton was invented by game designer and publisher Vincent Baker. For its tenth anniversary, Baker and his colleagues launched a new edition of the game called Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack, along with a Kickstarter fundraiser. I have not read the game’s rules but from what I can understand it allows for a lot of flexibility with regards to creating units, or Mobile Frames as they’re called in the game. This means that you can have a truly unique unit and most importantly you can make one from LEGO pieces, which should be cheaper than buying figurines. Check out the gallery below for a few examples of Mobile Frames:

Here’s the Kickstarter video for Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack:

I wish Baker and company would upload a more newbie-friendly video. Not that they need to – they’ve already reached their Kickstarter goal, but the fundraiser is still ongoing. If you already have a bunch of LEGOs, a $10(USD) pledge already gets you a PDF copy of the rulebook, including guidelines for building LEGO mechs. Compare that with the $99 Warhammer starter set. But the game does have high-end goodies for those who are willing to spend: Kickstarter backers who pledged at least $200 will receive unique Mobile Frames designed by Baker’s partners.

Learn more about Mechaton on Vincent Baker’s website and be sure to check out the Mobile Frame Zero Flickr pool for more awesome LEGO mechs.

[via Super Punch]

Surfacescape Redefines Tabletop Gaming

Lambert Varias — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:45:46 +0000

Anything that starts out of a suggestion from Penny-Arcade’s Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkins – aka Gabe & Tycho – is bound to be geeky, and this one is no exception. The duo visited the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University and ended up chatting with a bunch of students that were using a Surface, Microsoft’s multitouch wonder computer. Says Krahulik: “After I was done doodling I started sketching out a game grid and we all got to talking about how you might be able to use this tech to play D&D. I drew out some rough ideas and Tycho and I gave them a wish list of things we’d want to see it do. Stuff like selecting spells from a menu around your figure and animates effects for attacks and auras. After we got home we received a mail from them saying they liked the idea so much they wanted to make it their next project.”

Months later, the students released a video with a proof-of-concept of the D&D-Surface mashup, which they named SurfaceScapes, including a look at how combat plays out.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Virtual d20 ftw.

[via Wired via Penny Arcade]

Wall Charger Keeps Gadgets Organized

Technabob — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:40:00 +0000

If your household is anything like mine, you probably have scads of electronic gizmos which need to be kept charged all the time. But who really wants all those unsightly cords and chargers lying around their countertop? This handy box neatly tucks away all your power adapters and cables.

The charging station lets you charge up to three mobile gadgets at once, and can be even be wall mounted with just a couple of screws. It’s got plenty of room for AC adapters, cables and up to a 10-inch power strip (not included) hidden behind its sliding front door.

The box measures 13″L x 3.75″D x 5″H and the slots can hold most mobile phones, PDAs, media players and other small electronic devices. It’s available in solid white, black and dark blue finishes from KangaRoom, and retails for $40.

Reactogon Interactive Sequencer Reminds Me of Star Trek

Technabob — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:03:13 +0000

I recently came across this rather cool user interface for a music sequencer called the ReactOgon. Looking like something you’d find on the deck of the Starship Enterprise, the instrument uses a large tabletop multi-touch interface to create music sequences in real time.

The creators of the ReactOgon call it a “chain reactive performance arpeggiator”, which dynamically shifts its patterns and sequences based on coded discs placed on the flat-panel interface.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Each hexagonal cell on the surface represents a fixed note on the harmonic table. The placement of the discs influences the whether or not a note is played, as well as its placement in the sequence. By stringing together a number of directional discs, an entire musical sequence can be created. Special discs can also initiate multiple sequences, for more complex patterns. A bank of touch-sensitive sliders are then used to change volume, timbre and rhythm of the notes.

There’s no word on if or when the developers of this technology plan on commercializing the concept.