D&D 4E My 4e DMing setup

[bh2]

I thought I'd post my current DMing setup and get some feedback on it (or see what others are doing setup-wise). I am constantly trying to tweak my setup so that when I DM, the combat part can go as quickly, smoothly, and transparently as possible.

The basic setup is this:
* Initiative/Monster HP = Tracking pad (hidden)
* Condition (ongoing and save ends) = condition tracking pad (displayed)
* Quarry = tokens under minis
* Marking/Curses = tokens under minis
* Bloodied = tokens under minis
* PC identifier = tokens under PCs
* Area of effect/zones = chits on battle map

I have pics to help demonstrate what I mean.

All players are assigned a color. That same color token goes under their minis and under monsters they mark/quarry/etc.

From left to right: Beer (an essential DM aid), bloodied tokens, numbered white tokens (used ad-hoc), 11 different colors (used ad-hoc or as monster identifiers), chits (for zones/ad-hoc stuff), daily item use cards, action point cards.

The condition tracker has end of turn and save ends conditions separated. The word in parenthesis after the condition on the end of turn side corresponds to after who's turn it is that the condition ends (if it doesn't end on that same creature/PC's turn). Characters have different colors assigned. Other info could be added ad-hoc.

Behind the screen I keep track of monster hp, the initiative order, readied/delayed, what turn it is, secret rolls, etc.

 

[Then]

I use a different setup.

I use clothespins for initiative that is seen along the top of my Dm screen.

I use jewelry hoops for marking, and bloodied statuses(put on the miniatures for easy seeing)

Conditions other than marking or bloodied I use foam paper(craft section of Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.) with the effects on it(red with ongoing 5 fire written on it)

 

[Flipguarder]

For combat? Very very simple for me.

get a pencil and paper, list everyone in initiative order, put enemies in an additional list based on init order, keep conditions marked on first one, keep track of damage taken on the other.

 

[Pbartender]

I use a different setup.

I use clothespins for initiative that is seen along the top of my Dm screen.

I use jewelry hoops for marking, and bloodied statuses(put on the miniatures for easy seeing)

Conditions other than marking or bloodied I use foam paper(craft section of Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.) with the effects on it(red with ongoing 5 fire written on it)

I use a setup similar to this...

Instead of clothespins, I use index cards folded in half. The name of the monster or PC shows on the players' side of the screen. On the DM's side of the screen, the card has some basic stats that I like to have at a glance: Ability scores, defenses, max hit points, and a few passive skills.

Instead of jewelry hoops, I use the little plastic "freshness seal" rings you can pull off of most plastic bottles -- especially soda, juice or milk bottles. They're effectively free, have tons of colors, and come in both large (~ 2 inch) and small (~ 1 inch) sizes. We use them for marks, bloodied and other conditions (based on color... red, for example, is bloodied, blue is marked, green is poisoned, etc...).

 

[weem]

We use an alternative initiative method and thanks in part to this (and in part to us being pretty good at tracking things with the many markers we have) my setup is very light. I have my notes/maps in front of me, a pencil and dice - that's it.

 

[blalien]

I use a similar setup. But since we don't have a regular gaming spot, portability is very important for me.
*I have a fold-out laminated battlemat. I plan to purchase a set of battle graphs one of these days. I just use dry-erase markers, no dungeon tiles.
*Even though I have a minis collection, I got sick of carrying them around. So now I just make my own minis using this tutorial. You lose the fancy 3D-ness but gain customizability. I use the Alea Tools magnet circles instead of metal washers.
*I also use Alea Tools magnet markers, but I don't assign any particular value to a color. I just improvise as I go along. The odds of every single player being able to mark, quarry, or curse is unlikely. I also don't need to use red tokens for bloodied, I just flip them over as per the tutorial.
*I have the same brand of combat pad. I write the PC's names in wet-erase marker so they don't go away, and I write the monsters in dry-erase. How do you store that thing? I have a small report folder, and I keep the magnets in a zip-lock bag.
*I do not use a DM screen. They take up too much space, and I trust my players not to look at my notes. I really like the customizable DM screen, from the same company as the combat pad, but I can't justify paying $25 for it.
*I like the condition tracking pad idea. I need to find a way to make that portable.

 

[_NewbieDM_]

Damn Blalien, that's one bad ass tutorial you found.
Glad it worked out for you!

 

[Hjorimir]

I approve of your Gamescience dice, bp2, and I envy your ship tiles.

 

[BobTheNob]

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/258498-anyone-interested.html

I am using this. Just recently got zone effect support working (a recent fight we had sacred circle, consecrated ground, grasping shadows AND winters wrath all in overlapping zones) damage calculation support (to hit is already up and going).

Im working on resistance and vulnrability support and after that proper aura support (it does aura support, but its real clunky atm)

 

[Siberys]

Here's my setup;

As with bh2, Each PC is color-coded. I only have 3 players, so one is red, one blue, and one green. Enemies are assigned purple, yellow, and orange. Initiative is tracked on a dry-erase board, where I write conditions (something I'll admit I've stolen from bh2).

The actual gaming table I use has a plexiglass surface, so I write on that with wet-erase markers (dry erase soaks in and stains it).

[sblock]

This is the DM desk. Spacious. The computer has a program I made called Scratchpad 4e, which takes the place of scratch paper for HP, etc.

The desk would have adventure notes, a color guide for my alea tools, and my DM copies of character sheets and power cards, but I don't have those quite finished yet. I didn't pull anything out, just shifted the furniture to where it'd be during a game.

My DM screen will have some custom tables on it, too, plus all errata, once I find a color printer.

Before you ask, yes, Regdar is wearing a fedora. I'd say he's hard-boiled enough to.

Directly to the right of my DMing desk is a second desk. I keep my library of 4e and Eberron books here for easy perusal.

The silver rectangle there is a dry erase board. I use it much like the Gamemastery combat pad, and bh2's condition board; in fact, after seeing this thread, I consciously patterned it off of those. For special initiative actions like delaying, I'll just take the magnet for whoever's delaying off of the board and continue playing, moving the magnets up one space at the beginning of their turn, until the delayer decides to move.

Also kept here, during games at least, is my alea tools case. It holds the alea tools (of course), dry erase markers (for the sideboard), wet erase markers (for the grid), various tokens (for AoEs, ongoing damage, and flight altitude), and poker chips; red for action points, and blue for re-rolls (I allow each player one free re-roll per session, plus I have one that the players can force me to use). There is also a Line-of-sight indicator - it's actually a trinket designed to prevent name tags from being lost, but after a little bit of fiddling with, it works perfectly. I got four for less than two dollars, and they were conveniently black (for me), and red, blue, and green, for the players.

This picture shows the card table where the players sit. It's positioned so I can easily see dice rolls; It's rather clear now, but during game, it'd have character sheets, dice, and power cards (and likely snacks) covering it.

That pole's placement, unfortunately, means the players have to stand up to move stuff around the battlemat. This isn't much of a problem, as they like to stand around it anyways.

This picture shows the battlemat table and the dry erase board. The players are free to scribble notes there.

[sblock]The table was designed and built by me; it's bar-height and has a plexiglass top with a grid underneath. Once I've got time, I'll be making four normal-height tables that can be arranged around it, making this the raised center of a larger table. These sub-tables will have cup holders and cubby-holes for books and dice. Once those are built, this rather awkward three-table setup will be replace by a more elegant single-table-made-of-five-lesser-tables setup. It'll be like the Voltron of game tables![/sblock][/sblock]
EDIT @ BobTheNob: I may have to try that out sometime. Our group mostly plays in person, though, so I'm not sure how much utility it'll be to me.