Demo of ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ on Microsoft Surface

courtesy of geeksofdoom

The emergence of popular CCG’s like Magic: The Gathering and a plethora of MMOs have all but killed the player base for old school tabletop games, but that could change in the future.
A digital version of tabletop RPG Dungeons and Dragons that uses Microsoft Surface technology was recently developed by a group of students from the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, who uploaded a demo video of the project. [Scroll down to watch it.]
The students created the demo as part of the SurfaceScape project that is “taking traditional tabletop role-playing games to the next level, adding a new layer of immersive and intuitive gaming to the Microsoft Surface Table and assisting both GMs and players in enjoying exciting and engaging adventures,” according to their Web site.
I’m not suggesting that tabletop games are going to immediately become popular again. Microsoft does not have a consumer version of the Surface tech ready to launch in the marketplace and even when they do, I’m guessing it’ll be hellified expensive — enough so that probably only one out of seven of your geeky friends might pony up the cash to get it.
But when that happens, the other six geeks would conceivably meet up to play a Surface tabletop game like D&D. Alternately, the comic shops around the country would have a new way to generate money by charging for tournaments. This of course is all a pipe dream at this point. However, if I were working for Wizards of the Coast (which owns the rights to Dungeons and Dragons), I would be feverishly calling Microsoft to set up meetings. *Video Below*

Surfacescapes Demo Walkthrough from Surfacescapes on Vimeo.

MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers Preview Video

I know that the game comes out in mere hours, but I thought that this video (which shows how the game plays) would be nice to watch just to get a preview of what to expect from the game. It sucks that they are severely limiting what you are able to do and from what I gather deck construction will be severely limited as well to the point where it will not be a major part of the game. :( Sucks. You can read more details here in a GameSpot forum thread. Anywayz, here is the video. *video below*

Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers on Xbox Live June 17!!!

courtesy of pixelatedgeek

Wizard of the Coast released a Press Release yesterday for the XBLA exclusive game, Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers. Here’s what they had to say after the break.

New and Existing Magic Players Will Rule on Xbox LIVE® Arcade

Wizards of the Coast Launches Duels of the Planeswalkers for Xbox LIVE Arcade

June 3, 2009, Renton, Wash. — Wizards of the Coast today announced that Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers, an extension of the worldwide Magic: The Gathering franchise for Xbox LIVE Arcade, will be available June 17, 2009.

“We’re thrilled to introduce the Magic game experience to the Xbox LIVE community,” said Greg Leeds, President of Wizards of the Coast. “Duels of the Planeswalkers will allow both new and experienced players to develop and test their skills in the ultimate battle of wits.”



In June, fans can challenge game developers and famous Magic: The Gathering trading card game players in a Duels of the Planeswalkers tournament through Microsoft’s online Game with Fame and Game with Developer events. Game with Fame will take place June 20 and Game with Developer will follow on June 27.

Developed by Stainless Games, Ltd., Duels of the Planeswalkers, rated T-Teen, lets players simulate the Magic: The Gathering trading card game through lush interactive 3-D environments. The arcade-style game takes players on a journey through a vast Multiverse of unique worlds where they are deemed Planeswalkers, powerful mages who battle others for glory, knowledge and conquest.



Players can choose to battle against the computer or compete online against real-life opponents using Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Arcade. With numerous game play scenarios, including multiplayer game mode, Duels of the Planeswalkers offers an unrivaled depth in which each game is different from the last. Wizards of the Coast is supporting this release with an exclusive promotional card, which includes brand new artwork, making Duels of the Planeswalkers a game that both new and existing Magic players will enjoy.

Introduced in 1993, Magic: The Gathering is the first and most widely played trading card game. With more than 10,000 different cards available, Magic offers an unrivaled depth of game play with several choices and customizations available for its players.




For additional information on Duels of the Planeswalkers, please visit: www.duelsoftheplaneswalkers.com

About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. The company holds an exclusive patent on trading card games (TCGs) and their method of play and produces the premier trading card game, Magic: The Gathering®, among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons®, and publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.

MTG expansion Alara Reborn rumored to be a completely multicolored set

The rumors have become one step closer to becoming a reality since WotC (Wizards of the Coast) previewed Ardent Plea, a card (well, just the picture for the card) that will be available in the next MTG (Magic the Gathering) expansion - Alara Reborn. For a couple months, people have been speculating that WotC was going to make an entire multicolor expansion considering all the emphasis on multicolor in Shards of Alara and Conflux (the 2 previous expansions). Those predictions are now one step closer to being confirmed.