Whiteboard (Dry erase board)- How do you use it for your games?

reveal · Jun 17, 2005

We are looking at buying a whiteboard/dry erase board (whatever you want to call it) and mount it in our gaming room. I'm looking to see how others that have them use theirs.

ElvishBard · Jun 17, 2005

I use mine to draw the map. I have gotten rather good at it over the past two years, and the players now recognize my symbols so I don't have to explain them. It works really well for displaying the map so they know where they are and what options they have.

thalmin · Jun 17, 2005

I found a dry erase board that has pale dots that form a 1" grid. We use it on the table instead of a Battlemat. A second one hangs on the wall behiond the DM and is used with magnets for initiative tracking.

Glyfair · Jun 17, 2005

We use it to keep track of initiative. At our place, it's mounted on the wall so everyone can see when their turn is coming up and, theoretically, be prepared.

Unfortunately, we haven't been playing here recently and have been using a smaller one. It's good for moving initiatives around easily, but player's often aren't prepared during their turn.

wingsandsword · Jun 17, 2005

I have a dry erase board that I took a permanent marker to and put dots at one inch increments so I could draw maps on it but have movement rates/positions still be unambiguious (small dots of permanent marker flakes off of dry-erase board quite easily, I've had to touch it up more than once).

I've also seen them used, up on the wall, to write initiative order in so that it's crystal clear what the initiative order of combat is (so nobody gets accidentally skipped), or by the GM to draw a map or otherwise illustrate things.

Trevalon Moonleirion · Jun 17, 2005

I use a small whiteboard mainly to keep track of initiative and perhaps draw out a few things for the players on occaision. I'd like an easy way to mount my board on a wall or something, but there isn't really a temporary solution that i'm too fond of.

devilbat · Jun 17, 2005

I use ours to map, but also to keep track of worthy quotes through out the game.

An example from our resident healer. "Here, drink this it will make you feel bet...NO WAIT, thats the acid"

shaylon · Jun 17, 2005

I have a small dry erase board that I keep track of initiative when I DM. I usually don't share this with others. I could use a bigger one to draw maps or even grid out if I didn't have free access to Tact-Tiles.

-Shay

Crothian · Jun 17, 2005

shaylon said:
I have a small dry erase board that I keep track of initiative when I DM. I usually don't share this with others. I could use a bigger one to draw maps or even grid out if I didn't have free access to Tact-Tiles.

-Shay

We could use it to draw the symbol of Amber company on and hang it on the wall to mark our gaming territory!!

Argonel · Jun 17, 2005

I've gotta go with the flow here. I have a small magnetic whiteboard that I primarily use for initative. Character names are on small magnets so they are very easy to move around. I also will keep track of monster HP on the same board during combat.

Out of combat settings I've used it a few times to sketch out quick maps of a general area when specific details and scaling weren't important.

I have some tact-tiles on order to replace my chessex batlemat so I hope they work out well.