The Kindle Chronicles

So far computers have been helping us with our gaming hobby but they've been largely absent from our tabletops.

However with the advancement on e-readers I think this will change and this is how we can benefit from it.

As technology advances we see it invade even more our daily lives and the transformation it's happening so fast that sometimes we just need to stop and realize how far we've come.  Sure, for a long time we've considered our hobby of tabletop games to be an analog one, computers have been there to help us by forming comunities, allowing us to access information and bridging gaps.

However, there's one step ahead of us that might put a computer in the center of our gaming tables and I´d like to comment on the ways it might improve our gaming experience.

Electronic book readers are yet to be embraced by the populace but I see how rapidly they are being developed and their popularity is growing.  Thanks to the latest technological breakthroughs we'll soon have color in them with an extended battery life.

Regardless of the type of games you play (miniatures, wargames, boardgames, cardgames, etc), an e-reader would allow you to carry all of your rules, FAQs and playsheets everywhere, everytime; it'll be easier to consult and clarify any rules question that do come up and since they also have internet access you'd have the capability to even consult the forums in case you need it.

Even more for miniatures and RPG gamers, I can foresee the advantange this would be, you'd only need to carry your miniatures and it wouldn't matter which game your friend wants to play, you've got all of your rules at hand so you're set to go.

And for those DIY players out there, you could even carry the files for a small game or terrain piece and print it out and put it together in your friend's house before sitting down for playing.

I know many boardgame plublishers like Fantasy Flight Games already provide a free PDF file of their game rules prior the release of the game, but there are still many game publishers--mainly the big miniature games publishers--that still release there rules and army lists as books only, a shift towards PDF files would provide a chance for a decrease in price of these products and a faster distribution of them as well as a better opportunity to have the rule books corrected when erratas or new rules are included into the game.

I know that many small game companies are coming up nowadays with PDF releases for their games, so it would be easier to promote some of these independent games.  If they find a way to work together and making it easy to download and try out their games I think they stand a better chance of making business.

Plus think about the impact this would be on the environment, the less paper is needed the less trees are cut down, just a nice side-effect of embracing technology.

After reading this you might think what's so revolutionary about an electronic reader that a laptop can't already do?  Well you could store all of your files in your laptop but it's the shape/size factor of the e-reader and the comfortable screen that makes it a superior option for reading.  Have you ever tried reading a book or a long rule book on your computer?  It's tiring on the eyes.

Given that people will be using the e-readers for the books and comic books (once color is implemented), it's only fitting that these same people will make this their preferred reading apparatus and thus bring it to the tabletop along all of their games.

I've already talked as to why and how I think the e-reader can improve our gaming experience, it's not trying to predict any future trends (I don't intend to do it); but rather how I see it implemented in my life.  How do you think it'll impact yours and those around you?