Gaming aids

[BlueBlackRed]

In your pen & paper games, besides the standard pens, pencils, paper, dice, and miniatures, what do you use to help with the game?

The game I'm in we have used some magnetic terrain tiles, dry-erase boards, and similar items. I'm just wanting to know what else may be out there to use.

 

[Gilwen]

In your pen & paper games, besides the standard pens, pencils, paper, dice, and miniatures, what do you use to help with the game?

The game I'm in we have used some magnetic terrain tiles, dry-erase boards, and similar items. I'm just wanting to know what else may be out there to use.

Sometimes I use my laptop in the game but that isn't often. I have seveal random generators (npc's, treasure, etc). Something that I just bought and have used once so far is a product called Tact-Tiles http://www.bc-products.net/Index.html
The are essentially a modular dry erase map with 1 inch square grid lines marked on them. Since they are modular you can place each portion of the map out when the PC's actually get to that part and it also helps to get the parts of the map that arent being used out of the way. I plan on using them every time I play even if it is just for tactical layouts for combat.

Bryan

 

[francisca]

Lets see:
-Battlemats and DragonScale Tiles
-Skeleton Key Terrain Tiles
-WorldWorks, WotC, Dirt Cheap, and Budget Battlefield cardstock fold-ups
-DragonScale and Klaus' Creature Collection Counters
-Game Mechanics Initiative Cards
-Alter, knife, and virgins for the sacrifice to Tharzidun
-The Other Game Company's Spell Cards
-My laptop with the Creative Mountain SRD package is always handy
-A disk with MP3s of various movie and game soundtracks to help set the mood.

Holy crap, no wonder it takes me 45 minutes to setup/teardown on gamenight!

 

[rrealm]

I too use my laptop for NPC generation, quick house rule lookups, and sometimes I record our session - I like to write an adventure log afterwards. Index cards for taking care of initiative, and clear plastic pieces cut to the correct size and shape as the area of effects for spells. A special mat with a grid that we can use wet erase markers on. Extra pencils for my lazy players. And a DM screen with 30 paper clips attached everywhere - so I can attach notes, maps, and pictures for the PCs (on the outside) or reminders for me when the PCs lose levels, get poisoned or interact with people. Also, a list of names too. No more Bobs and Bills!

 

[The_Universe]

I use a computer for music, a battlemat and markers for most combat. We have tons of miniatures - plastic and metal, as well as terrain made by either me, Games Workshop's old HeroQuest game, dwarven forge, or some guys who had a booth at gen con, whose company name I have forgotten.

I have folder and folders of game materials, as well as a single journal-style notebook I try to use for game stuff, exclusively.

I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff....

 

[Hjorimir]

Tact-Tiles (best investment I’ve made for gaming)
Two whiteboards (one on the player’s side of the room, one on mine)
Gaming table, 4’ x 8’ (with cubby holes to store books, papers, dice, etc)
Miniatures (tons and tons of miniatures)
Dry Erase Markers (for whiteboards and Tact-Tiles)
Stacks of more books than I can possibly use in one sitting
Imagination (because the game sucks without it)
Beer (for those times that imagination fails…)
and most importantly…

Friends. (I mean who else will come back session after session for this abuse?)

 

[Sorren]

Tact-Tiles (best investment I’ve made for gaming)

Indeed. Easily the best money I've spent on gaming. (Not counting books of course.)

 

[BlueBlackRed]

Tact-Tiles (best investment I’ve made for gaming)
Two whiteboards (one on the player’s side of the room, one on mine)
Gaming table, 4’ x 8’ (with cubby holes to store books, papers, dice, etc)
Miniatures (tons and tons of miniatures)
Dry Erase Markers (for whiteboards and Tact-Tiles)
Stacks of more books than I can possibly use in one sitting
Imagination (because the game sucks without it)
Beer (for those times that imagination fails…)
and most importantly…

Friends. (I mean who else will come back session after session for this abuse?)

You sound like my kind of DM (except for the beer).
I have everything except the cubby holes in the table, the beer, and the Tact-tiles.
I have a folding table. That's not going to change. (Wife)
No beer involved. (I shudder to think of what that might be like.)
No tact-tiles. But those sound like they might be a good investment. We use the magnetic tiles from Skeleton Key Games. We like those as well. So now I have to figure out which of the two would be better.

Anyone out there tried both have any input on their experiences with the two?

 

[Ourph]

I use 3D terrain created with Hirst Arts Castlemolds (TM) silicone molds. Usually an assortment of fieldstone walls, flagstone floors, doors, columns, and various other dungeon accessories. For outdoor combats, I use the 3d terrain in conjunction with a battlemat so I can include vegetation, water, etc.