Expand Your Role-Playing Experience With The Calamus
May 1, 2013 by brennon
The Calamus by TrapStreet Studios (a Kickstarter pointed out to me by Romain by the way!) is looking like it could be one of the nicest pieces of tabletop technology we've seen in a while.
"The Calamus is a smart phone app for iOS, Android and the desktop. Our hope is that it can be a companion for your tabletop gaming experience, with the ability to selectively replace the need for almost all physical materials in the game. It provides a rich and engaging digital experience, whether you're playing with friends around the table or around the world."
It's certainly a very interesting product and something that immediately looks engaging when you check out some of the features it is going to provide which include:-
Map Making with or without Tiles
Customisable Tokens
Statistics and Status Effects
Equipment Tracking
Digital Dice
Spectator Play (Hook it up to your TV!)
...and even an awesome Runic Lock Screen for those players who you don't quite trust while your in the toilet. It helps that the entire App looks very polished right now.
It's quite fun too as you can try out a number of the features of the App via the Kickstarter by clicking on the various images. I have already lost about five minutes randomly clicking buttons on the Runic Screen Lock.
Essentially this is looking like it could be the nice 'one stop shop' for everything you need on the tabletop. While it's always nice to do things in the old Pen & Paper style this doesn't seek to replace that, but compliment it.
It would certainly be more affordable than buying one of those big table size tablets that were being discussed a year or so ago.
Check this one out, I think it deserves your attention.
What do you think?
very cool may have to poke a friend to back it for me (no way of using paypal or a card atm :/) the 100 dollar pledge seems well worth it!
Certainly has got me interested. I’m not usually a fan of all these gadgets for the tabletop but this one has a certain appeal to it. I think its the aesthetic they’ve gone for and the nice array of features.
Plus I get to play with all the Apps 😉
BoW Ben
Yes, I like it… especially because it’s simple and generic enough, yet cool looking !
It also has many possible applications.
Something like this, compatible for tablets and phones, is awesome. Tablets are becoming mainstream, and if you can have your “everyday” tablet display dungeon maps and such, it’d go a long way to solve the issue of having a dedicated, big and unwieldy apparatus for that purpose !
Looks cool, but I wonder if $125,000 is a bit to lofty a goal.
It’s been going a week and they’ve only got about 100 backers.
If they want to succeed, the’re going to have to get the publicity wheel turning very soon.
If I see one more ^%#^& product that doesn’t exist because it’s another Kickstarter I’m gonna hurl mightily.