FFG - Please create an app that could be used for Chaos Tokens

[Hurdoc 16]

I'm thinking like a "dice roller" for essentially acting as a pull from the Chaos Bag. I'm always paranoid about the fiddliness with pulling tokens from a bag, so I prefer dice rolling, but in this case I think an app that simulates pulling a token from a bag would be simple. People wouldn't have to use it, they have that bag, but some players would appreciate it I'm sure.

[iGniGhted 113]

"fiddliness"

 

i'm having a hard time understanding how hard it is to stick your hand in a bag and pull out a token.

i promise, there is no snake in there.. no one put razor blades in there, there are just tokens. ok?

can't understand where all these complaints are coming from. many Arkham games use bags for tokens and such.

this is one of the easiest things to do.. people have been pulling stuff out of bags for ages. in ancient greece they kept their dracma in bags, the basic idea has stayed the same since.

you stick your hand in, you pull a token out. i know it sounds incredibly complicated, but i assure you it isn't.

 

or just keep praying to Zeus for an app. *shrug

Edited August 16, 2016 by iGniGhted

[Andre Bigler 56]

As far as I don't have anything against games with apps... no.

[dboeren1 294]

Its not the pulling I think, it's the setting up the bag with different contents each game that takes a minor amount of effort.

[Supertoe 662]

Nah, the bag is kind of neat. Brings me back to my Castle Panic days.

[Kakita Shiro 992]

I prefer the app simply to have less pieces to potentially lose. =)

[Hurdoc 16]

You can still use the bag, no one is stopping you. I'd just like to be able to use an app on my phone to do the same thing.

 

I'm just skeptical that tokens get randomized properly in bags in real life, not in statistical papers (is one of the tokens stuck in the corner? is there enough space in the bag to get proper "shake" like those lottery wheels? etc). I'm probably paranoid.  I would have actually preferred dice but FFG would have to keep releasing different dice every time a card or scenario changed the tokens in the bag.

 

If I could code I would probably just make my own. Hmmmm, I could probably just find a "die" simulator and rig it.

[Kakita Shiro 992]

If I could code I would probably just make my own. Hmmmm, I could probably just find a "die" simulator and rig it.

It's probably not difficult. It's basically a RNG with values assigned between the various tokens based on their frequency.

[rsdockery 537]

"fiddliness"

 

i'm having a hard time understanding how hard it is to stick your hand in a bag and pull out a token.

i promise, there is no snake in there..

 

Well, not until the Yig expansion, at any rate...

[iGniGhted 113]

 

"fiddliness"

 

i'm having a hard time understanding how hard it is to stick your hand in a bag and pull out a token.

i promise, there is no snake in there..

 

Well, not until the Yig expansion, at any rate...

 

 

 

[evilidler 145]

i'm having a hard time understanding how hard it is to stick your hand in a bag and pull out a token.

i promise, there is no snake in there.. no one put razor blades in there, there are just tokens. ok?

True, unless they're playing with my stuff. I don't like people touching my stuff.

 

An app would be nice, if only to shut up people who can't handle a game component that isn't a die, a card or a spinner. But an app is extra effort. The bag isn't, and comes with the game. It's ready to play out of the box. A luddite could play by candlelight.

 

(I've just ordered several bags for other games. I will report back if reality doesn't come crashing down due to the existence of several bags in my vicinity.)

[Authraw 565]

I think the reason people call token bags "fiddly" is that you typically have to use two hands to use them--one to hold the bag open, and one to pick out the token. That means you have to put down whatever you were holding in the one hand (usually some cards) in order to pull from the bag, and then pick your cards back up again afterwards.

 

That's obviously not a big deal if it happens occasionally--once a round or so--but when it's the core mechanic you end up having to put stuff down and pick it back up again so often that it begins to characterize the entire experience, making it feel clunky. Many people (myself included) prefer board and card games to video games because they enjoy the tactile experience that comes with an analog game, so it's not strange that some people would want to optimize that experience.

 

I'm not actually convinced that an app would fix the problem, though--I don't know about every one else, but my phone goes to sleep pretty quickly. Having to re-enter my pin every couple of tests would break the flow that the app is trying to streamline; and I'm not sure I would want it to block the lock screen since that eats battery. I guess it depends on how long a game of Arkham Horror LCG lasts.

 

With all of that said, I do really like the chaos bag as a game mechanic. It leaves lots of design space for them to play with to help keep the game fresh for a long time.

[dboeren1 294]

Tokens in a bag = 2 hands.  Tokens in a cup = 1 hand.  Cup wins.

[BD Flory 695]

It's weird that this is controversial. I'm sure they'll put an app like Star Wars Dice, and you can use it or not as you prefer.

 

Personally, I like the idea of tapping "+" a few times for each token I need for a scenario (or even just tapping a difficulty setting/scenario and having it preloaded, maybe with the option to customize) and being good to go. Some people like the feel of physical tokens in their hands, or don't want to deal with their phone sleeping (or draining their battery) or whatever.

 

I guess you could even use both, if it's going to come down to fisticuffs at your gaming table to decide between two different preferences. IIRC, the tokens go back in the bag after they're selected, so it wouldn't matter if you used two different "bags," but maybe I'm wrong about that.

[evilidler 145]

An app would have setup for all the released scenarios, so it shouldn't be many clicks to prepare. But there could be scenario effects which change the bag contents, so it would still need manual adjustments.

[BD Flory 695]

An app would have setup for all the released scenarios, so it shouldn't be many clicks to prepare. But there could be scenario effects which change the bag contents, so it would still need manual adjustments.

 

It'd be nice to have manual adjustments for early releases that might not be in the app yet, too. Like if a deluxe box drops at gencon, but doesn't get a general release or an app update for a couple months, say.

 

I suppose manual ajdustments are good for custom scenarios, too, which I know is a thing for LotR.

[evilidler 145]

Yep, a nice bonus feature of an app would be the ability to create lists of custom setups for custom scenarios or houserules.

[unlimitedpower 52]

Additional options are always good to have - signed

[evilidler 145]

Three gigantic token bags on my gaming table. It has been hours. It is dark outside, and I hear no howling. I think I am safe.

 

I could probably toss together a simple app if FFG don't have one ready at launch, but with the nice apps they have for Descent and MoM2e I think we'll get something. Looks like they have an in-house dev team for apps now.

[Rince 36]

An unofficial app is already in the making.

[evilidler 145]

How many platforms though?

[Rince 36]

How many platforms though?

 

iOS at the moment.

[evilidler 145]

I could do all mobiles and desktops, probably. We'll see when there's enough info about the game to actually complete it

[Rince 36]

It is always a good idea to have more options! I encourage you to do them.

[evilidler 145]

Yeah, tempted to make the basic shell this weekend. Web version is possible too