Runewend is experimenting with tabletop Mixed Reality
· Runewend team
We are experimenting with a tabletop Mixed Reality mode for Runewend. Our goal is to let players place the live game world in their room as a miniature 3D diorama, surrounded by headset passthrough instead of viewing the game on a flat virtual screen.
The prototype uses WebXR in a compatible headset browser. It draws the same terrain, buildings, players and NPCs used by the normal browser client, with stereo depth and real parallax as you move around the tabletop. Your character remains connected to the live world, so movement, combat and game interactions continue through the existing server and client.
We are testing controller movement, rotating and repositioning the miniature world, and pointing at terrain, NPCs and scenery to use the game’s normal interactions. A dedicated /vr route prepares the compatible WebGL client before login, while unsupported devices continue to use the ordinary desktop or mobile experience.
This is an experiment, not a finished feature or a promise that every headset will work at launch. Physical-hardware testing still needs to validate comfort, performance, controller accuracy, session recovery and longer play sessions. Interface panels such as inventory, chat and the minimap will receive more Mixed Reality work after the core 3D scene and interaction loop are stable.
Runewend officially launches on October 31, and we are looking for early beta testers who want to help kick-start the community. Players with a compatible Mixed Reality headset can try the beta and share their headset model, browser version, comfort notes, frame rate, missed inputs and visual issues in our Discord.
More media, setup guidance and development details are coming soon. If you enjoy testing unusual ways to experience a familiar world, we would love to have you with us at the beginning.