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Laptops at the gaming table.
- Thread starter Velenne
- Start date
ergeheilalt
First Post
Laptops
I love my old laptop, but I'm not all that attached to it. When I game the laptop stays closed until the combat starts up. Then I've got to open up my combat program and then we dice. I've also used a graphing calculator with a dice program in it, as dice at my school are considered to exist only gambling. For the most part my laptop is used for writing the adventures while watching movies that trigger ideas.
I love my old laptop, but I'm not all that attached to it. When I game the laptop stays closed until the combat starts up. Then I've got to open up my combat program and then we dice. I've also used a graphing calculator with a dice program in it, as dice at my school are considered to exist only gambling. For the most part my laptop is used for writing the adventures while watching movies that trigger ideas.
Radiating Gnome
Adventurer
MIddle of the road: PDA
I used to have a laptop from work, and although I was tempted, I never brought it to a game session. With all the books I carry in (I'm the DM, and it's starting to break my back) I don't have the energy for a laptop, too.
What I do have is a Handspring Visor Neo (palm pilot clone) and one of the folding keyboards that you can get for it. Add to that the word processing software I wanted for it, and I spent about $300 for the set -- not exactly chump change, and if I didn't want it for work and other things as well, I wouldn't have picked it up, but I have been bringing it to game sessions, and I've found that I like it a lot as a player, but not so much as a DM.
As a DM I'm always on the move -- shifting from one book to another, grabbing dice, moving minis, etc, and being latched on to a keyboard just doesn't work very well for me. I prefer the pen and paper (lots of index cards) to the palm. But in another campaign, where I am a player, I like the Visor as a tool very much. And all I'm using it for is to keep a log of our adventure. I could do that on paper, but I type faster, and it's a lot more legible than my handwriting when I'm trying to keep up with a verbal game. My notes are still a mess, of course, but they're a lot more complete, and a lot easier to sort out. And, they take up a lot less table space than laptops, and don't interfer with the line of sight to other players.
Of course, it's not really worth it if you can't swing the folding keyboard to go with the PDA. You'll never be able to input text fast enough using a stylus to take decent game notes.
-rg
I used to have a laptop from work, and although I was tempted, I never brought it to a game session. With all the books I carry in (I'm the DM, and it's starting to break my back) I don't have the energy for a laptop, too.
What I do have is a Handspring Visor Neo (palm pilot clone) and one of the folding keyboards that you can get for it. Add to that the word processing software I wanted for it, and I spent about $300 for the set -- not exactly chump change, and if I didn't want it for work and other things as well, I wouldn't have picked it up, but I have been bringing it to game sessions, and I've found that I like it a lot as a player, but not so much as a DM.
As a DM I'm always on the move -- shifting from one book to another, grabbing dice, moving minis, etc, and being latched on to a keyboard just doesn't work very well for me. I prefer the pen and paper (lots of index cards) to the palm. But in another campaign, where I am a player, I like the Visor as a tool very much. And all I'm using it for is to keep a log of our adventure. I could do that on paper, but I type faster, and it's a lot more legible than my handwriting when I'm trying to keep up with a verbal game. My notes are still a mess, of course, but they're a lot more complete, and a lot easier to sort out. And, they take up a lot less table space than laptops, and don't interfer with the line of sight to other players.
Of course, it's not really worth it if you can't swing the folding keyboard to go with the PDA. You'll never be able to input text fast enough using a stylus to take decent game notes.
-rg
Last edited:
Sollir Furryfoot
Explorer
Lol Fsck, once upon a time I remember Mavis Beacon 
, however, I can type about 120 WPM with prolly 90-95% accuracy or so, sometimes more, sometimes less, but the way I learned it was from playing EverQuest for so long, putting all that time into a game...those addictive MMORPGS! I did go up from about 10 WPM now, so I guess my time wasn't wasted. (I'm now EverCrack-Free)
, however, I can type about 120 WPM with prolly 90-95% accuracy or so, sometimes more, sometimes less, but the way I learned it was from playing EverQuest for so long, putting all that time into a game...those addictive MMORPGS! I did go up from about 10 WPM now, so I guess my time wasn't wasted. (I'm now EverCrack-Free)
KnowTheToe
First Post
I don't own one, but could see benefits as a DM. I would never allow my players to use them. There is no reason.
I use my laptop all the time as a DM.
The biggest adventage for me is that my notes become permanent and organized. Both the scenario descriptions, the NPCs and the notes from the sessions are *there*, and not on several slips of paper all over the place. I only use Word/excel (and partly the NPC generator), all maps, props etc. are still made by hand.
None of my players use a laptop, and I want it that way. In other campaigns I fo stash-lists in excel, but updates are done between sessions, I don't bring my laptop to the table.
.Ziggy
The biggest adventage for me is that my notes become permanent and organized. Both the scenario descriptions, the NPCs and the notes from the sessions are *there*, and not on several slips of paper all over the place. I only use Word/excel (and partly the NPC generator), all maps, props etc. are still made by hand.
None of my players use a laptop, and I want it that way. In other campaigns I fo stash-lists in excel, but updates are done between sessions, I don't bring my laptop to the table.
.Ziggy
CRGreathouse
Community Supporter
I use my laptop frequently and do all of my planning on it, but never use it at the table. This is for three reasons:
* I know the rules very well, well enough that it's not worthwhile for research purposes (SRD, etc.).
* There aren't any programs out there that do in-game mechanics faster than I can do with dice, mentalmath, and scrap paper (for hit points and such).
* My players feel I'm not paying enough attentio to them when I use it
* I know the rules very well, well enough that it's not worthwhile for research purposes (SRD, etc.).
* There aren't any programs out there that do in-game mechanics faster than I can do with dice, mentalmath, and scrap paper (for hit points and such).
* My players feel I'm not paying enough attentio to them when I use it
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