What's in your DM Kit?

[Cyronax]

I actually like this song. If you really want to annoy your players with a Rush song, try "Rivendell."

One of my players thinks he is a hipster and wails like a baby when I put Rush music on. He especially hates 'Trees' because its part of some Rock Band package that he was forced to endure at a party.

My favorite Rush song is probably Red Barchetta or Time Stands Still.

Best Rush D&D song is still the whole of 2012.

Side note, I saw Rush in concert for the first time last September. Amazing.

 

[UnknownAtThisTime]

My new DM Box

I've come across what is, for ME, the perfect DMs kit and carrier.

It is a Sterilite Portable letter size hanging file carrier (15" x 10.9" x 11.5").. Here is one on Amazon.

Why does this simple box excite me?

1. It has a carry handle. Do not dismiss the convenience of carrying a box with a top handle.
2. It has a seperate top accesible tray for storage for the little things like pencils, dry erase markers, dice, clothespins, etc. T
3. I wish I had a picture, but the size is perfect for placing the new boxed set boxes inside vertically if you so choose. (Dungeon Tiles for example). You could fit four boxed sets in there, with room to spare for some minis and dice. Not sure why you would take that many at once though.
4. you can put plain hanging folders in there to store notes, modules, character sheets, etc, seperated from whatever else you just throw in the box (like minis and dice)
5. You can put any number of commercially available hanging file folder size accessories in there, like the trays, plastic hanging boxes, zip pouches that are available specifically for file cabinets.

I can definitely see keeping all my core books, dice, pens, pencils and campaign notebooks in there. When I need to go to a session, all I will have to add are the session specific minis, and Dungeon Tiles if needed.

Granted, for those that need to carry it on their backs, this will not work, but for me it was exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Ryujin]

I've come across what is, for ME, the perfect DMs kit and carrier.

It is a Sterilite Portable letter size hanging file carrier (15" x 10.9" x 11.5").. Here is one on Amazon.

Why does this simple box excite me?

1. It has a carry handle. Do not dismiss the convenience of carrying a box with a top handle.
2. It has a seperate top accesible tray for storage for the little things like pencils, dry erase markers, dice, clothespins, etc. T
3. I wish I had a picture, but the size is perfect for placing the new boxed set boxes inside vertically if you so choose. (Dungeon Tiles for example). You could fit four boxed sets in there, with room to spare for some minis and dice. Not sure why you would take that many at once though.
4. you can put plain hanging folders in there to store notes, modules, character sheets, etc, seperated from whatever else you just throw in the box (like minis and dice)
5. You can put any number of commercially available hanging file folder size accessories in there, like the trays, plastic hanging boxes, zip pouches that are available specifically for file cabinets.

I can definitely see keeping all my core books, dice, pens, pencils and campaign notebooks in there. When I need to go to a session, all I will have to add are the session specific minis, and Dungeon Tiles if needed.

Granted, for those that need to carry it on their backs, this will not work, but for me it was exactly what I was looking for.

I've got exactly the same box but I use the top to hold magnets of various colours, used to signify marks/curses/quarries/bloodies. Other than that:

- laptop (only useful when playing where I have an internet connection)
- maps on 1" ruled graph paper, carried in a cardboard mailing tube
- said box with magnets, figures, dice, and writing utensils
- white board that has been painted with 1" ruled lines (for more fluid style encounters)
- and, of course, my books

 

[Siberys]

For the weekly Gamma World game I'll be running, this is what I have;

My ipad - I convert my campaign notes to landscape PDFs for table use. I also made a 'DM Screen' with the damage and DC by levels table, and a chart with condition effects and an indicator of how to show them with alea tools. I just switch between these two during play.

Alea Tools kit - contains Alea Tools, an assortment of tokens, one of those nametag string things that I use as a LOS indicator. There's also a whole bunch of those generic pogs given out for DDE, though I will probably not be using those with GW, considering all those tokens the game comes with.

Gamma World Box - contains both GW books, two copies of the RC (one for me, one for my players) for rules not in the GW books (mounts, vehicles, et cetera), GW maps, tokens and cards, as well as an extra one of those LOS things.

Crown Royale bag - 6 or 7 of my favorite complete dice sets, 25 red poker chips (for use as bennies, which I've houseruled in or replaced APs with in pretty much every game I now DM), and occasionally Erol, the owlbear rager miniature and mascot of the Kingmaker campaign I'm running.

A multipage folder - for those things that won't fit in the GW box due to dimensions. Namely, some character sheets and handouts.

A journal - for notes.

I put everything but the GW box in a backpack.

EDIT: For that kingmaker game, replace the GW stuff with Pathfinder rulebooks, some binders with maps, a cardboard mailing tube for more maps, and a white erase board for initiative. For other games, I would run them at home, where I don't need to carry stuff around. Bookshelves and my desk work for that.

 

[Wiseblood]

*Dice. Pencil.

*books (as few as possible and light)

*an insidious plan.


(Think Life Near the Bone)

 

[jbear]

Chessex playmat
Lap Top
The Book

Wooden Box
- Blue Dry Erase Marker
- Red Dry Erase Marker
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Pink Digital Timer
- Blue Digital Timer
- Sand Timer
- Green Dice Set for normal encounters
- Red Dice Set for serious encounters
- Spare Dice
- 4 different colours of Plastecine

Bag Box
-Rules Compendium
- Green Stones (Action Points)
- Brown Stones (Recharge Points: House Rule)
- White Stones (Drama Points: House Rule)
- Plastic Box with Condition Tokens (taken from Descent Boardgame)
- Plastic Bag: Trap Tokens
- Plastic Bag: Miscellaneous Tokens
- Plastic Bag: Doors

Descent Box
- Miniatures that may be used in the next area of the adventure
- Map Tiles

Monster Vault Box
- Monster Tokens
- Monster Vault

 

[Dice4Hire]

My list is not so impressive

I leave a bunch of dungeon tiles, and miniatures at my friend's house, where we play.

Character sheets are also left there.

So I carry 2-3 books, some notes, printed out monster/encounter stuff, and maybe a few new tiles and such that I did not take over before (I try not to exceed the box my friend has set aside for me at his place.

I do not use markers, condition tokens, laptops or the like at my games.

Pretty light, overall.

 

[Plaguedguy]

As of my current setup:

Red Box Box with:
Maps (and/or tiles)
Small baggies of markers and tokens
'Community Dice' (1d20 for each player, 5d6, 2d4, and a mix of all else)
DM Screen
Character Sheets


And a carrier bag with:
Notebook
Notepad (tracking combat information)
Assorted pencils, markers, etc.
My personal set of dice
Books: Currently Rules Compendium and Monster Vault, plus any relevant to the session.
Print outs: Sheets of monster stats, maps, reference material.
Miniatures: Sometimes one or two big monsters for a notable encounter.

The Red box goes into the bag and generally my entire DM kit can be carried one handed.

 

[Daern]

my game kits

I try to keep it to a briefcase with printouts, minis, tiles, dice, pencils, a book or two and various props. And my laptop for backup. I find its better to print stuff out than to read off the screen. I agree it slows down and distracts the game.

For DMing Encounters a while back I parred it down to dice and a small box with a dozen minis and pencils.

For playing, I've taken to showing up with dice, one mini, and my character sheet. I thought that would never happen!

 

[Herschel]

Canvas attache w/ Alea Tools, DM Screen, initiative Tracker, Scratch paper and any module stuff as well as any books (usually Dark Sun pair these days and maybe Rules Compendium). Under the flap there's a pocket for dice, another for map pens and pencils. Front pouch is antacids, Tylenol and cough drops (just in case).

I need to use tiles more as I have almost all of them. I have a big, canvas poertfolio case I carry all my maps in, which are laminated if WotC, otherwise I have the Chessex, Paizo and Cubicle 7 markable ones also. The rig gets fairly heavy but it's worth it.