DM Tools

[LeStew]

I use it regularly. I find it best to use if you are willing/able to futz around with the xml templates.

What exactly are you trying to use it for? I track initiative, hp, and power usage, but it took a little bit to familiarize myself enough to make a 'system'. I can go into more detail, if you like.

EDIT: [MENTION=6688865]LeStew[/MENTION]

I guess that's part of my conundrum. Aside from tracking imitative, and HP, why use it? I mean cuz I could that on paper....

 

[Eronian]

I think I will play with Masterplan when I have time and money to get a DDI account, that program seems to be great if you can import from the compendium and what not. I looked at it before and loved what I could do with it but do not have a DDI account atm. I dont have the time to sit down and put ALL that info in manually between work and school, however when I get DDI I can slowly create my next adventure carefully through it while I kinda wing this one I am running now. I just wanted something simple to work with (which I like the way DnD 4e Combat Manager helps with the combat now that I understand how to imput the information.) and I will probably use Power2ool running in the background for notes and such. In the end I think Masterplan will definitely be my end all be all of programs though, I just need time to imput my entire plotline into the program.

 

[Obryn]

Yeah, it's pretty amazing.

You can enter monsters longhand, fwiw. It's time-consuming, but it works. It's also quite functional for making new monsters from scratch and editing existing ones. It's not quite as good as the DDI Builder here, but it works.

-O

 

[Siberys]

Well, I hate using paper for that - it's a lot easier to lose. And it can track power usage and conditions, including non-standard conditions. Finally, it's good for avoiding an issue I've occasionally come across where the players wrote down different hp on their scratch paper or lost them, or whatever.

( [MENTION=6688865]LeStew[/MENTION] )

 

[LeStew]

Well, I hate using paper for that - it's a lot easier to lose. And it can track power usage and conditions, including non-standard conditions. Finally, it's good for avoiding an issue I've occasionally come across where the players wrote down different hp on their scratch paper or lost them, or whatever.

( [MENTION=6688865]LeStew[/MENTION] )

Good points. I'm gearing up to take the DM reigns again. So I'll probably test out a couple of the DM tracking tools for iOS. I'd use MasterPlan but I don't have a laptop.

 

[Myrhdraak]

We are using MapTools from RPTools, that allow you a lot of flexibility depending on how far you want to take it. But then we run a lot of our sessions online so its perfect for that.

 

[Trit One-Ear]

I second [MENTION=11821]Obryn[/MENTION]'s suggestion of Masterplan, though I haven't used it much for combat. I do use it to track monster stats and the like, as well keep my constantly expanding encyclopedia of NPC's and organizations the players discover. I feel I've only scratched the surface of what it can do. Definitely worth spending some time with once you get DDI (and probably before too).

I also play my sessions online, so Maptool is perfect for that. Between the two of those, I can do almost everything I need. Though if you don't play online, most f Maptool's features are probably not helpful.

Trit

 

[fjw70]

What the best DM tool for iOS that imports from DDi?

 

[Greyson]

I Like DnD4ECM

I like DnD 4e Combat Manager (or, just DnD4ECM) a lot. I use it exclusively to manage 4E combat. I have a D&DI subscription, so I use Adventure Tools to adjust or build monsters. Then, I export them to the DnD4ECM Library. It's usually pretty fast and way easy.

I manage my campaign(s) at Epic Words. I have not looked at MasterPlan, but Epic Words gives us a Web site where we can post journals, have forums, manage loot and XP, employ wikis, manage NPCs, quests, etc... Check out our just-finished Red Hand of Doom campaign to see how extensively we've used the site. I guess Obsidian Portal does what Epic Words does, but I've never used the former.

Anyway, between DnD4ECM and Epic Words, we have a pretty smooth campaign and combat management system. I could never go back to running 4E combat on paper. It's just too much.

 

[Balesir]

I'll second the DnD 4e Combat Manager recommendation; I used it throughout our last weekend-long run and it worked nicely - easy to use, covered everything I needed and ran glitch-free. Not to mention that importing monsters and characters from the tools was a breeze. Definitely worth a try!