"Wargame rules for E-readers and Tablets like the IPad" Topic

I noticed recently (See: link ) that Osprey Publishing is starting to publish their inhouse, smaller paper trade wargame rules as Kindle E-books. In general, I think this could be a great trend, but it really depends on the kind of wargame being converted to digital. Huge, complex, self-referencing books with lots of color art are somewhat problematic on tablets, as the preferred method of delivery is PDF, to retain the artistic layout. EPUB and MOBI are leaner but sacrifice some of the more colorful aspects of layout that are part of the paper (usually full color hardcover) experience. Osprey appears to have some items in PDF but have just released Dux Bellorum and The World Aflame as MOBI files on Amazon's Kindle Store. These are smaller rule sets with much less art and fairly easy to index due to the size. I've picked both of them up and plan to convert them to Epub and see how they do. I've run games with just a tablet and dice before, and did perfectly fine, but the experience depends on how easy the ruleset is.

What is the consensus on Ebook-style Wargame rules? And I'm not asking this question of diehard Luddites. If you don't have an ereader or tablet and don't plan on buying one, there's no need to answer with an excoriation about how technology is the work of the Fallen One, etc.. yes, yes, we already know. You like paper books over electronic ones. This isn't about that.

V/R

Walt O'Hara

Thanks Walt.
I do enjoy the digital versions on my IPAD.
I have not used Kindle or Nook so not sure on how that works out.
I have had success using just the dig-version to run games; downside is usually my friends don't have them so passing the books back and forth are a bit easier if needed.

Again, I would like to Thank you for the Cold Wars app ,it was Great!
Clif

Nothing against the technology, use my iPad to store loads of info re uniforms etc, but would not like to risk it in a club room, where it could easily get knocked off a table. If that happens to a book, it's not £ 400 down the Swanee.

While I strongly recommend the Song of Blades and Heroes rule set, the kindle version is very hard to navigate vice a PDF (which also works on kindle).

I've already got rules and QRS on my iPad and I've used them to run games. So big thumbs up from me for more rules available that way.

E-books also create a problem for small publishers. You can certainly stick to PDF. But they can be hard to read depending on your tablet/screen. If I want to truly cater to the e-pub market such that my rules allow you to exploit the capabilities of a tablet, you have to do a variety of formats: PDF, Kindle, EPUB, MOBI et. al.

And despite what you may think, that is a LOT of work.

What rulebooks do you know of are being sold or offered as as PDFs that were originally big dollar print items? I can think of a few-- LASALLE, UNCHARTED SEAS, DIRTSIDE, STARGRUNT, GRUNTZ 15mm, FIRESTOME ARMADA, TOMORROW'S WAR, HORDES OF THE THINGS, and much of what you can get from the Wargame Vault. These are straight PDF conversions. The recent Osprey Kindle versions of DUX B and THE WORLD AFLAME are searchable and indexed, which I like a lot.

I have a 10" tablet and have bought Osprey's Kindle version of Dux Bellorum. in that format, it is an enjoyable read but I don't feel the format is as readily available as an INSTANT rule reference as a traditional book is, particularly as you are learning the game.

I wish I had bought the PDF version because at least I could print that out – with the Kindle version you do not get printer access to the Quick reference sheet. Also the charts are frequently spread across two pages, so when you flick to page two, the headings at the top of the chart are not there because they are only repeated once (i.e. on the first page that the chart appears on).

I hear the Lardies are doing hyper links within their rules and that seems like a step forward.

I really want the e-book thing to work for me because it is such a space saver. I am going to try a little harder to get to grips with it before heading back to hard copies.

I have quite a few rulebooks in pdf on my iPad, I don't have a problem using them. I hate to say this, but the best electronic gaming book I have is GW's Dark Angels codex, it is so interactive and easy to use, I actually rate it better than the normal book format…

Mick

The future. Only those stodgy old wargamers stand in the way!

In other words… 80% of the hobby stands in the way.

;)

I kid, I kid!

I prefer PDF's. I try to avoid the ones with a colored background. PDF's aren't great but they are printable. I want to know that I will have a printed copy in 10 year's time when the digital content provider has gone bust or the e-reader software is no longer backwards compatible.
I am not interested in using tablets etc to game with, even though I work for a large hi-tech content provider. Obviously using a tablet to game with would be too much like work.
Hardware-wise I have a Win7 10" tablet, Android mobile which I read TMP on when commuting, a few gaming pc's/laptops. Main tablet use is drawing, reading cbr's, note-taking and website reading/capture to OneNote. Screen size is an issue and the 18" ASUS AIO is under consideration although Win8 is an issue.

I bought Song of Blades and Heroes as a Kindle book. While it was good enough to get me into the game, the PDF is of far superior quality, not the least because kindle doesn't support tables or most graphics.

I spent several months looking into the possibility of developing a tablet version of my next rulebook, and finally decided it was about three times as much work as doing a traditional printed book.

There is very little cross-platform compatibility between the various brands (Kindle, Nook, Android, iPad, etc.), so you have to use different size, shape, and styles of layout from the get-go. Essentially, you're redoing your book three times, and then using three sets of quality control tests.

Smart PDFs are a little better, but then you run into copyright protection issues, and even with PDFs there are cross-platform issues. That "Next Page" button that works fine on the iPad, doesn't work on an Android, and so on.

*

I did a poll of people on my Forum, and found them remarkably evenly split between different platforms, so it's not like there's a single clear or obvious format yet.

I think we're at a stage sort of like the early 1980s when VHS and Betamax were battling it out. I'm going to wait until somebody wins, so that there's one simple standard.

PDF is all you need. multimedia – moving maps, thats for bling.

I have been using my Nook for PDF rules and paper model instructions. I still prefer the paper versions, but it is nice to have everything there.
PDF would probably be the best cross platform choice.

I much prefer PDFs. Best of both worlds. Have it on my home computer and can easilly access and print out charts or forms yet can also transfer to my iPad making them portable.

Sorry, chaps.
I can't run this multi-player game.
I forgot my charger!

A little bit of a follow-up: As luck would have it, my PRINTED copy of Dux Bellorum arrived in the mail last night. A couple of points: Much as I would like to convert my legally purchased copy of the Kindle version of DB to Epub for use on my Ipad, I can't. Wargames published by Osprey appear to be DRM protected. And, no, I have no intention of doing anything illegal, so it looks like I'll be reading these rules on the Kindle app on my Ipad henceforth. Secondly, there are some limitations to the Kindle version of the rules. As any wargamer can attest to, a wargame has plenty of tables. The conversion has to do tables right to be useful as a resource for GMs. My reaction is. yeahhhhhh sorta. The alignment was a bit messed up and the tables in the DB rules overran the margin a few times. Still, it was readable and I didn't lose any information, per se, I just had to swipe left and right to see the stuff outside the margins. The DB rules are primarily black and white (printed) with some color plates and minis photos. The printed layout was not replicated like it could be in a PDF, but it was still readable and useful. So overall I'm still not unhappy about purchasing rules via Kindle.

I use the iPad version of IABSM, in addition to PDFs for Lascalle. it's the way to for sure. The IABSM edition is particularly good as it includes touch pad friendliness in the document design.

I read a lot of PDF for work stuff and I have a recommendation.

I'm reading this on a nook HD. Brilliant for reading technical books on and fine for internet browsing. I'm using cyanogen android booted from a micro SD. Totally painless, I downloaded from androidfornook. As it was 119 pounds it's not disposable but not luxury level pricing.
The point of getting proper android is that I get a better choice of apps. Sinai now use adobe reader 11 for PDF and it remembers the last page read.
I think 10 inch tablets are too heavy. This thing is 7 inches and about 300g

I have all my TFL rules/Specials on my Nook Color. Makes great reading on break at work.

Wouldn't think of running a game with it. Battery life and players wanting to see the words for themselves/read the finer details when it's not their turn are the reasons.