Greatest. Gaming. Table. Ever.

http://www.d20srd.org/extras/mapProjection.htm
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=122099

It works best with a limited visibility game like Dungeons and Dragons, but I
can see possibilities with StarGrunt.

G'day,

Howmuch does a data projector go forin the US/Canada? That would be one
expensive piece of kit over here (I think, based only at the mumblings of our
IT guys)

Cheers

Beth

[quoted original message omitted]

> Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:

> http://www.d20srd.org/extras/mapProjection.htm
Hmmm, we have a midrange DLP at the office...

> Beth.Fulton@csiro.au wrote:

> G'day,

$600 US used on eBay. That's expensive.

> On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 Beth.Fulton@csiro.au wrote:

> G'day,

$900-1200+ CDN, from what I've seen. Fancy ones $1500+ CDN. The AU$ &
the CDN$ are about equal right now, according to xe.com...

[quoted original message omitted]

KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de said:
> -----Original Message-----

I want the system they had in 'Supervolcano' (aired at the weekened on the
BBC). Big 3D holographic projection.

Totally fictional, but I want one anyway.

Expensive to buy but not bad to borrow from work for the weekend!

Bob Makowsky

> --- Beth.Fulton@csiro.au wrote:

> Dedicated modellers might not like the flat table. No hills, trees,

Intel prep of the battlefield. Minefields. Preplanned arty fires or air
support lanes. Phase lines and unit boundaries. Be especially nice if the GM
can hand the base map to team CO's in advance. Not that the base map has to be
entirely accurate....

***
> Dedicated modellers might not like the flat table. No hills, trees,

One might get away with blank boxes, especially with sloped-outwards
sides and the 'map' giving details.

***
Intel prep of the battlefield. Minefields. Preplanned arty fires or air
support lanes. Phase lines and unit boundaries. Be especially nice if the GM
can hand the base map to team CO's in advance. Not that the base map has to be
entirely accurate....
***

I'd think that would be one thing at which the 'map' could excel; the troops
'walk' over a certain area, and, with a simple
keystroke/mouseclick,
the area, simple plowed fields, becomes exploded mines.

Not sure I'd like seeing the 'map' on the back of my hand as I'm moving figs,
mind you.

The_Beast

[quoted original message omitted]

$6-800 at Costco or any office supply store.

[quoted original message omitted]

A lot of the people I know that own them get them at discount prices by
getting them form companies who are phasing older models out for newer models.
Unfortunately it's something you have to sort of be around for when it
happens.

[quoted original message omitted]

Although for FOG OF WAR games it would work.... players could use a dry erase
copy of the map to plot movement, which the ref could then plot marks on the
map to show where the units are... unit models wouldn't be placed on the map
until they actually had line of sight to the
opposition.... it >would< reduce the need for the old two-table method
mentioned in the 'Weight of Command' thread from a week or two ago...

> --- "KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de" <KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de> wrote:

Remember, even light is shaped by the darkness that surrounds it, and the true
crafters are seldom ever seen. Welcome to the shadows kid.

G'day,

> $600 US used on eBay. That's expensive.

You aren't kiddin!

G'day,

> A lot of the people I know that own them get them at discount

Unlike Magic I don't think I'd get to borrow one, but given the number kicking
round down here putting my hand up for cast offs could be a goer. No to think
about how I could distort the images so they flowed ok over bumpy terrain
pieces too;)

Have fun

> Bradley, Jason (US - Minneapolis) wrote:

> From: ~ On Behalf Of Nyrath the nearly wise

Nah, they've mounted the projector _over_ the
table. Each time you reach to move a figure... shadow puppets.

Put the projector _under_ the table and back-
project onto a glass surface. Use periscope methods to fold the beam if
necessary.

OR

Big touch-sensitive screen, horizontally
mounted? If the interface is drag & drop, I
want felt-covered bases!

OR

RFID transponders in bases (not sure how close the reading devices can be
without reading each
other's "hexes", but we can dream - a good
detection system might read the exact X/Y/Z)

> CS Renegade wrote:

> Put the projector _under_ the table and back-

Bleah.

Seriously Bleah.

OK for use for a few hours at a time, but don't expect a long life from the
light valve. Other technology might work, but costs.

Sorry, I was involved with this type of stuff for military purposes nearly 20
years ago now. The technology has changed and gotten a lot
better, and the prices are 1/100 of what they used to be, with
reliability better by a factor of 100 too. Also, wargames don't have the

usual military requirements about shock resistance, ability to work at
60C and -10C, insensitivity to vibration etc.

Still not ready for prime time.

> CS Renegade wrote:

They hashed that out in the various discussion groups.

	[a] In practice, the shadows are not
noticeable. In fact, it makes your hands "transparent", instead of obscuring
the map. The people who actually have this set up think it isn't a problem.

	[b] With rear projection, the image rapidly
dims unless you are on the axis of the projection. For full brightness you
have

> Alan and Carmel Brain wrote:

> 60C and -10C, insensitivity to vibration etc.

> at a a price. The price either being in $ or reliability.

The people who have this arrangement are talking about adding additional
cooling fans.

There are some suggestions that mounting the projector with the lens pointing
down violates the manufacturers warranty. The internal struts are stressed for
horizontal use, not vertical. A mirror or prism might be required.

The set up they have is about 1600 lumens. They say that it is easy to see if
the room has slightly reduced illumination. Not enough to make it hard to read
a book. They have been running it for six hour game sessions once a week or
so, for about three years. So far they