Ponderings: Tabletop to Video game

I don't know about most of you, but I dream of the day when I can play an honest to Zeus tabletop to video game conversion of some of my favorite war games. Video games such as Space Marine and Fire warrior don't scratch that itch since I don't want a shooter, likewise Dawn of War doesn't do it for me either because that is real time when Warhammer 40k is turned base. It isn't even that hard to make either since unlike most video games you would not really need to animate any of the models, there is minimal real time elements, and all of the game mechanics has already been done! Sadly though because it would cut into the table top playerbase since those of us with lighter wallets and don't enjoy the hobby part or the pleasure of handling models would definitely only stick to the digital table top version.

What is needed to make a video game counterpart to Mordheim you wonder? Well lets look at the different features we'll need.

• The third dimension since unlike Vassel (where you can sort of play a 2D version of these games) actually having 3D models in a 3D area, especially for mordheim is not only more engaging but also easier to play, especially with line of sight!
•  Slight modelling options. There is no need to animate them but if you can raise an arm here or make one guys pants pink with a blood splattered base I'll be happy. A game I've pre-ordered called Overgrowth (which has an awesome weekly update blog) has this color picker thing for different areas on the models which works pretty darn well. Just a custom colorscheme is really all that is needed.
• Stick to turn based in the same way the actual game is played, it has been play tested enough that all there really needs to make the game is the 3D models, the game engine, and textures aka making a gray box into a wooden one.
• LOS detection and an automatic distance ruler marker. Line of sight is the easiest part to be honest because all you need to do is check to see if a line between a few vertexes on Model A doesn't pass through other objects  before it touches Model B.

Ever so often I stop and think about just breaking down and writing a game like that myself though I know my current skills are just not up to par to do a game like that justice. I have tried Vassel though, but expecially for mordheim where LOS and multiple levels are pretty important it just didn't work for me.

Can you imagine though starting the program and being thrown onto the main menu with probably a chapel in the background and a band of empire malitia next to it with some skaven creeping around corners. All the models have bases that just don't match the ground (like winter bases on a grassy board) with the options too...

• Local Campaign
• Local Skirmish
• Online Campaign
• Online Skirmish
• My Warbands (So you can pre-make starting warbands and look at existing ones)
• Options
• Credit
• Exit

Want to just play a one off game? Do a skirmish which you can either use an existing warband or take one of your starters and buy upgrades for them like in the rules for one off games. Run through a campaign locally (either against yourself, someone else at home or on a lan line, or against bots or something) or even online since handling packets between users will actually be pretty simple. All there really needs is TCP since nothing is happening in real time and only one person is doing something at a time. There can also be some leniency to protect you from someone "rolling" too fast before you can parry an attack and save your hero.

For bigger games like Warhammer 40k there would have to be a bit more trickery in making it run faster and smoother since there will obviously need to be a fast way of moving units then one model at a time, something like holding shift and moving a single model in a unit then the rest will try to stay in coherency and then you can tweak the rest after they've all moved their 6 inches.

Oh well a man can dream.