Beyond The Blue

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Part Three: Staying Connected

Theodore was certain that he was about to crack this case. He carefully walked around the cozy tavern room, ensuring that no piece of evidence was missed. There were inky handprints outside of the door. There were no signs of forced entry. The curtains around the bed were pulled back, yet the bed seemed to be undisturbed. The Duchess’ trunks remained untouched, however, she, and the document she carried, had seemingly disappeared. All signs pointed that this crime was committed by someone who was inside the tavern and was carefully watching for their time to act. Struck by a sudden realization, Theodore reached underneath the bed.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.” A shadow crept from behind him, and he thought he could make out a faint smile beneath the stranger’s hood.

“Roll for Initiative.”

Welcome to Up Your Game: Integrating Technology with Tabletop Gaming. This is the third installment of a multi-part blog series that will highlight products, software, and other ideas that may enhance your tabletop gaming experiences. While reading the other parts are not neccessary to understand this blog, I'll leave you some links to catch up on the other two parts.

Part One: Setting Your Stage

Part Two: Lightening Your Load

While the miles may separate us, we can still stay connected. Never has that statement been truer than today. With all the technological advances that we get to take advantage of, we can instantly connect with our friends and family members. Why not connect to play games together? Your ongoing campaign doesn’t need to end, just because someone is unable to physically be in the room with your adventuring party.

Do a quick online search, and you will find that there are lots of software and app options out there to connect your party members together. Get the most out of your software and apps by upgrading your hardware to have the best remote gaming experience.

Mic Check: 

Having a high-quality microphone will help ensure that your fellow gamers will be able to hear you clearly. With that being said, not all microphones are built for the same type of use. Let’s figure out what type of microphone setup might work best for your situation.

Trying to catch audio from a group of people? Try an omnidirectional microphone to help catch sounds from all directions of the room. If you have a larger group or table, you may want to consider having more than one microphone to ensure everyone can be heard clearly.

If you’re by yourself and are looking to add your voice to the ongoing conversation, try out a cardioid microphone. This will help focus the sound being that is being picked up to your voice. For many gamers, especially those who are also listening along, a simple computer headset may also be a practical solution.

Share your Adventure:

Streaming and creating online videos has become a growing area of interest for many types of gamers, including tabletop gamers. If you’re looking to share your adventure with a wider audience, or if you are just looking to capture your games to revisit later, you may want to consider setting up a streaming system. Besides microphones and software, you will likely want to pick up a webcam or camcorder, as well as a video capture card.

Are you a fan of tabletop gaming?  Do you have ideas of products, services, and applications that have enhanced your tabletop experience?  What are some of your favorite games to play?  Is there technology that you wish existed, but currently doesn’t?  Please feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and comments down below!  I look forward to hearing from you!

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