Technology Meets Tabletop Gaming In The Lands Of Ruin Kickstarter

February 24, 2016 by deltagamegirl22

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I'm all for holding a beautiful, hardbound rule book in hand, but there is definitely something to say for streamlining. The fellas at 6th Extinction Games have put together a rather interesting, pretty fantastic looking tabletop game that embraces technology to make a less cumbersome game play experience.LOR logo

Their Kickstarter, Lands of Ruin: Hybrid Tabletop Gaming As It Should Be if live right now and looks to offer some really cool benefits to the table.

LOR tablet shot

Lands of Ruin is a 28mm post apocalyptic game for two or more players that promises to offer gamers an immersive experience by combining aspects of MMO's & RPG's into their game by use of a tablet or device.

The best way this is noted is by the integration of the rules at your fingertips. This allows you a quick way to jump in and get playing and really enjoy the game, without feeling like you can't play until you read the 200 page rule book or it's not fun when you have to dig into the rule book constantly to confirm whether you are doing something right. (a perfect tie in to the conversation on XLBS this weekend!)

LOR tablet rules

The Command Console app will do a lot of the calculating of bonuses and such for you, but still allow you the hands on and social aspect of tabletop gaming that we all know and love. You measure your moves, you physically move your minis, and you roll your dice. The app just pretties it up for you.

LOR RENDERS1

LOR mini1

You get eye catching, colorful art for your characters so you can easily see what their abilities are and where their health is at. The app also provides an overview of the map and the location of the minis in play- at least the ones you can see.

The game offers a nice little bonus of keeping characters intended to be stealthy hidden. If you're sniper is hidden away in a building, your opponent will now know it initially until something happens for them to be discovered.

LOR RENDERS2

LOR mini2

To keep the game even more interactive, Lands of Ruin adds a level of complexity with the IA controlled NPC's of diseased/undead. In a post apocalyptic world there are the those who have survived and are trying to thrive, and there are the others.

These AI miniatures are controlled by the Command Console and will bend and change the activities in the game whether you like it or not, so it's not just you and the other guys you need to worry about.

LOR game table

I'm very anxious to have a look at this one up close. I'll confess that my last experience with a hybrid game left me a little underwhelmed in both the overall look of the figures and how the technology piece made me feel disconnected from the game- but this one has me reconsidering. I like the art direction for the game and minis, and they look like proper tabletop miniatures.

The app piece looks interesting enough and I appreciate the fact that it doesn't do everything for you. It keeps you involved enough to feel like you're still in control of the game. And if you can't finish a game?

LOR game table2

The app stores your game progress for you to pick it up another time - also a very handy aspect when life gets in the way of your gaming.

How do you feel about embracing the technology offered in the Lands of Ruin?

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