Why Make the Magus Device a reality?

I have another reason to create The Magus Device: I'm trying to save a hobby.

When you talk about role-playing games today, most people with an interest in it will assume you are talking about online games like World of Warcraft or City of Heroes. Ten years ago, if you mentioned role-playing games, those (few) who knew what you were talking about assumed you were referring to either tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons or Champions, or live-action role-playing games (LARPs) like Vampire: the Masquerade. Twenty years ago, those (far fewer) who knew what RPGs were mainly thought about them in terms of tabletop games. There is a humorous T-shirt graphic from this time showing a nerdy gamer saying, "Let me tell you about my magic-user".

In LARPs and tabletop games, players seemed to have more emotional investment in their characters than the online gamers of today. Of course, one could argue that the former types had put more work into their characters than the latter: pouring through rulebooks, scribbling info on a character and then (most importantly) scheduling time to actually meet with your gaming group and play an adventure! THAT'S the part that a lot of tabletop and LARP gamers are missing: actual face-to-face interaction! The social aspect has always been a key part of role-playing.

But, of course, the hustle and rush-rush-rush of everyday life, friends grow apart. Gaming groups get harder and harder to make meeting times. The social aspects become more difficult to manage. So, we need a tool to help facilitate those aspects. There are already social networks to help organise your relationships, I want the Magus Device to help organise your characters' relationships.