Board Tabletop
The Engagement
The Board device is a 24″ game console that sits on any table—big enough to gather around and play with groups of all sizes.
Board wanted to create an original app that experienced tabletop RPG players (Dungeons & Dragons, etc.) can use to super-charge their experience. The app combines the best of physical and digital tabletop gaming—playing together in person while moving miniatures around on top of interactive dungeon maps on the Board device.
Board needed a team nerdy enough to understand the needs of Tabletop gamers, technical enough to work with their hardware and software stack, and creative enough to innovate on the UX for a new type of device. Double Coconut eagerly jumped in!
Board wanted to create an original app that experienced tabletop RPG players (Dungeons & Dragons, etc.) can use to super-charge their experience. The app combines the best of physical and digital tabletop gaming—playing together in person while moving miniatures around on top of interactive dungeon maps on the Board device.
Board needed a team nerdy enough to understand the needs of Tabletop gamers, technical enough to work with their hardware and software stack, and creative enough to innovate on the UX for a new type of device. Double Coconut eagerly jumped in!
Timing
1 month of pre-production for tech diligence and UX, 4 months for complete app to be built and deployed to the Board store
Team Composition
- Project Manager
- Tech Director
- Senior Web / HTML5 Engineer
- UX Designer
- Visual Effects Artist / Animator
- Sound Designer
Our Contribution to This Game
The Problem
- A complex mix of HTML5 / web tech, an Android base Kotlin app, and a custom Board SDK.
- Work with the Foundry VTT code to tap into a GM's game instance via web-sockets and pull the necessary items into the Board tabletop world.
- Work with new custom game pieces created by the Board team, within which players can insert their miniatures.
- Reveal the world as you explore with dynamic Fog of War tied to your mini's movement.
- Include hundreds of high-resolution maps and also allow custom maps to be uploaded via a QR code or SD card.
The Results
We helped scope out the User Experience (UX) for a new type of device that lies flat and combines physical pieces being moved along with a touch screen. For example, a "bind pieces to actors" popup allows players to pick the physical game piece they want and customize its name as well as the visual effect when the piece is placed down or moved.
The final app has a robust stand-alone mode where players can use pre-built maps or load custom maps and set up their minis around at any scale, "painting" the fog of war away as the adventure proceeds through a map.
The Foundry VTT mode smoothly connects to a Foundry server and allows a GM to fully control the NPCs, traps, line-of-sight, and map reveal as players make their way through exploration and battle.
The final app has a robust stand-alone mode where players can use pre-built maps or load custom maps and set up their minis around at any scale, "painting" the fog of war away as the adventure proceeds through a map.
The Foundry VTT mode smoothly connects to a Foundry server and allows a GM to fully control the NPCs, traps, line-of-sight, and map reveal as players make their way through exploration and battle.