doesn't anyone play low-tech anymore?

[S'mon]

I don't like computers at the table, and my own PC Larsenio Roguespierre is pencil & paper only although I use the old character builder to make PCs for other people. I mostly use the (old) monster builder software for printing out handy references, but usually I edit up or create new monsters with pencil & paper only.

I still use 25 year old lead miniatures, including for my PC Larsenio, but I also buy lots of modern D&D soft plastic miniatures, which are vastly superior for taking to the game as they're much lighter and don't break. I strongly dislike roll-up wet-erase battlemats, and I'm not a big fan of the WotC cardboard map stuff (very heavy & fiddly) but I love Paizo's dry-erase flip-mats, especially the blank ones.

 

[vaultdweller]

I use digital tools wherever possible.

As a player, I use the Character Builder for character creation (though I use the offline one so I can have support for house-rules). I use iPlay4e and DiceTool to play the character (I have oodles of physical dice, but I never use them). During game sessions I take notes in a shared OneNote notebook. I have a binder for my primary character with printed sheets (which I keep indefinitely), various documents and backstory stuff, and power cards, but nothing I really use to play.

As a DM, I require all players to have characters built with the Character Builder. I use the Adventure Tools Monster Builder for my custom monsters, NPCs, etc. I use Masterplan and DiceTool for running encounters. Due to lack of screen real estate on my laptop, I used to print off monster stat blocks for each encounter for easy reference; since switching to Masterplan from DM Battle Screen I no longer find this necessary. I do produce information cards (NPCs, plot info, etc) and other print-outs for players to keep in a campaign binder, but of course handout they receive was created on a PC. I make tokens for the monsters and NPCs using TokenTool. The only thing that I don't do digitally is the actual battle maps, which I make with Dungeon Tiles or draw on flip-mats with wet-erase markers.

In all campaigns I'm involved with, as a player or a DM, all files related to the campaign are kept on Dropbox for sharing with the group. This includes character files, information documents, images, maps, etc.

 

[Baron Von Mandrick]

As far as functionality I definitely see the benefit of the DDI character builder which has the errata taken care of and all the feats and powers from different sources in one place. It's easy having a computer tally up all the benefits and find them for me.

But just the feel... the flakes of lead from a sharpened number two pencil as it writes out the character on actual paper is a magic all its own. Drawing a character sketch no matter how bad of an artist I might be puts a personal touch on it that computer images just don't have even if visually they are cooler, and nicer for others to look at.

My attachment to pencil and paper characters will always be slightly deeper, and more personal. I understand that not everyone will share that feeling.

That said, I mostly play on the D&D VT now. My DM and other players are spread out across the country We all grew up together and used to play face to face, but that just isn't possible anymore.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

I'm strictly utilitarian away from the table. If a computer something helps, I'll use it. This changes from session to session. One session I'll write practically everything in Word, use online tools, etc. The next session, it is notes scrawled in a notebook. Sometimes doing dungeon design, I just want to kick back on the couch.

At the table, no electonic aids whatsoever. I'll bend for calculators in some systems, until I can find a way to house rule the need away. And I say this as someone who ran Fantasy Hero combats with a custom program that I wrote myself. I find that staring at screens distracts me from the focus I want. There can't even be a muted TV screen in my peripheral vision. I'm more visually oriented than even most males, and this probably has a lot to do with my preferences.

 

[Dannager]

If I could incorporate more digital elements into gameplay, I would. As it stands, though, I have to settle for a netbook at the table, using a combination of thumb drive and cloud storage for campaign information/monsters/encounters.

Ideally, my game would feature a large, Surface-esque table that would serve as map and display aid, interfaced (via wifi or Bluetooth) with an app on each player's smartphone that displays their character information and allows them to plan their turns out ahead of time.

The coolest part about this is that I'm almost certain that I'll actually be playing D&D this way within a decade's time.

 

[Mapache]

But just the feel... the flakes of lead from a sharpened number two pencil as it writes out the character on actual paper is a magic all its own. Drawing a character sketch no matter how bad of an artist I might be puts a personal touch on it that computer images just don't have even if visually they are cooler, and nicer for others to look at.

Drawing? That's what Wacom tablets are for!

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I build my PCs usually on the character builder, but write them out onto the character sheet and manually make my own power cards (since the ones that come with the character sheet suck, IMNAAHO).

Yay, making my lack of a printer into a virtue!

We have a couple of laptops or netbooks at the table. They're invariably used either for note-taking (typing is much faster than writing) and looking up items or other rules references in play.

I still bring the relevant books with me, since if I level up during a session I'll have to look up a power or feat, and it's a pain borrowing someone else's laptop.


Now, for the Shadowrun campaign I'm running, I'm mocking the people who're using the various and sundry unofficial character builders, because it's not really that difficult to make a PC just with the books. This is especially true after I was asked if a hacker could take a negative quality that didn't seem to do anything; it turns out that the character builder they were using forgot to mark the negative quality as having a preq. of Cyberzombie.

It is vaguely ironic that Shadowrun, a sci-fi fantasy RPG, doesn't have an official character builder yet, while D&D does.

Brad

 

[the Jester]

Well, I don't use any electronic stuff at the table these days, but I usually write my adventure notes in OpenOffice.

But yeah, I'm pretty heavily pen and paper.

 

[Quickleaf]

My gaming group is pretty old school, and I doubt any of them are even aware of the character builder. We are playing exclusively from Heroes of the Fallen Lands and everything is just written out on paper character sheets with occasional references to the book for power details if we forget them.

Just HotFL? You are a diamond in the rocks.

I've been thinking of adding a "fill in the map" element to my next campaign. I'll take a big old roll of butcher paper or something similar and sketch in the starting area in a medieval style. As the players explore new areas we'd fill them in and keep unrolling the paper. Basically a more organized and glorified way of running games like I did when we were 12.

 

[OldGeek]

Mix and Match

30 years ago we used graph paper and pencils with the basic set. I loved drawing out the dungeons and writing out the stories. Today, I use a mix of both technology and pencil, felt pen, and colored pencils. The CB is great for the players to get a new character up and running if one meets his or her demise. All the players in our group have built characters from the ground up, so they understand the mechanics. Monster Builder helps me as the DM to make quick monster cards for my game. I haven't figured out how to cut and paste electronically with it yet, so I mount them on 4X6 cards and sort them by type. We do not use electronics at the table, I try to keep it with an old school feel. We use painter's masking paper for the grids or if it is a outside adventure I draw up the area with trees, holes, etc. We have a piece of acrylic on top of the grids so the players can use either dry erase or wet erase. It works well. We use miniatures, tokens, and even plastic bottle caps depending on the situation. I use the computer to write up my stories, but I also have a notebook with ideas that I jot down, flow charts, and map ideas for the adventures. So in closing, I still like to draw on paper, write using the computer, and mix and match between the books and the online tools. Have fun!