I was running out of PAX East last Saturday. I had to catch a bus. But I wanted to check one last cranny of the show floor to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I'm so glad I did, because I nearly missed Eon Altar. What, you've never heard of it?
Eon Altar is a tabletop role-playing game made for tablets and phones. Up to five players use phones or tablets—Android, iOS, Windows 8—to control their heroes in a Dungeons & Dragons-style quest. A tablet sitting on a table between them serves as the game board. The tablet doesn't need to be gigantic, but the game's developers at Flying Helmet Games decided to use a freakishly large one for their PAX East demo.
Each player sees their character's stats on their own screen and can choose combat options through their personal interface. They can pick up loot and move their characters on the big tablet.
In battles, players roll dice by shaking the screen in their hands. The dice roll out onto the tablet on the table.
Here is the hurried video I shot of the game, as the minutes were ticking down to my exit:
I had to dash off. But, yeah, I'm glad I saw that. Eon Altar is five months into development. Follow future developments at the game's official site.