AltspaceVR has developed a virtual reality version of Brotherwise Games’ card game Boss Monster, which will be available for the first time at a convention at Gen Con this week in Indianapolis.  The virtual reality version of the game is playable using Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or Samsung Gear VR, or is playable on desktop without VR.

This is the first virtual reality version of a tabletop game with complex pieces, cards, and interactions, the company said.  And AltspaceVR allows multiple people to be together in virtual space, which can bring together players separated by distance.

"We were blown away with the fidelity of the VR experience," Brotherwise CEO Chris O’Neal said.  "It really looks, sounds, and feels like you’re sitting in an old tavern, playing Boss Monster with a group of friends."

AltSpaceVR has previously created Dungeons and Dragons sessions as well.

Digital versions of tabletop games have generally been a positive for sales of the physical games, with the broader awareness of the game leading some to seek out the physical game as well.  Virtual reality adds an additional level of engagement for the digital version; we suspect that just makes the appeal of the property more intense and may help sales of the physical game to an even greater degree.  But that remains to be seen as this new technology is applied to the world of tabletop games.