Edit: I wrote this article in 2012 right before War Room released. In hindsight, some of it was a bit off but overall, I think it was prescient about the role of tablets and technology in modern wargames.
Warmachine War Room software launch logo
I’ve got a strong feeling people will talk about that whole part of the industry like they do D&D when it comes to RPG’s. It’s a disruptive technology and should make for some real changes in the industry. Of course, some other companies will claim they were first to market but I bet War Room is going to become a name for the entire sector like Trampoline or Xerox did for theirs. And this is coming from a died in the wool Grognard.
This is actually me
People have long wondered when digital “stuff” would hit the tabletop and how it would hit. Well, this is the first way. People have of late been touting “interactive” tabletops but cost, weight, utility, etc I think are going to totally prevent that widespread adoption. War Room style apps tied with Google Glasses will probably be a really disruptive technology in the tabletop world. Probably more immersive than disruptive (unlike say 3D printing) but it may make a big difference.
There have been other “apps” that are totally tied to a single platform but this is the first widespread release of a truly helpful application. The great thing about the app in particular is the army list builder. Given that Army Builder recently got screwed over by GW because of “copyright infringement”, a more platform specific app may be the answer. In the case of War Room, you have not only the ability to build a list with your army, you get the chance to check the list of the person you are playing. You also have the ability to buy/download other army lists. This is big. It is true that unlike GW, PP has not been dickish about making people purchase multiple army list books just to be able to play the basic game. However, the way that War Room handles it is a real see change.
Thank God, this is not the future
Is the War Room app perfect? No, it has some room to grow. However, I can see this style app being ungodly useful to players of games like DBA where you have a gazillion lists to manage. Heck, any platform really. I imagine that some smart developer will come up with a generic app platform (or maybe even PP would do it to earn some money off of their “competition”) and be able to tailor it to multiple systems.
The future is here, and frankly, it looks kinda nice.
