pedr

There've been computer game versions of D&D for a long time - I seem to remember that I first read a Dragonlance novel because it was bundled with a Dragonlance computer game. There are two MMOs directly based on D&D products - Dungeons and Dragons Online takes place in Eberron with recent Forgotten Realms expansions, and Neverwinter takes place in the Realms city of that name. Neverwinter is closely connected with current story developments in the Forgotten Realms, with special events which link to recent novels or published adventures. But there's an increasing use of technology to support pen and paper roleplaying including the relatively simple use of form-fillable or interactive character sheets, unofficial and official character creation tools, and a crowded market for programs that create virtual tabletops so people in different places can play the same traditional game. These allow the GM to import images to act as maps and 'miniatures'/tokens, draw on gridded white-boards, hide parts of the map until the PCs can see them, track hit points, etc, as well as - in some cases - integrating voice and video chat so you could play B2 with friends who've moved away, or strangers you've met on a message board! The product that's getting a lot of use at the moment is at http://roll20.net The other thing that technology has done is to bring the cost of publishing down, so a lot of games are available as PDFs or ebooks, or as print-on-demand, so it's easier than ever to get a game or supplement you've written into the hands of people who might like to play it (and might pay for it!)

The new edition of D&D looks due to be released shortly, with a date of July 15th pretty much confirmed for a US release of the Starter Set. I expect there'll be various launch events, including ones at Patriot Games where I run things, if anyone on this thread is interested. I'll come back when there's something concrete to announce!