MNblockhead
A Title Much Cooler Than Anything on the Old Site
One gaming aid that I've started to use is Alexa. There are not too many truly useful Alexa skills for TTRPGs out there but slowly more are being added.
In my game room I have an Amazon Echo Dot (3rd edition) and I also have the Amazon app on my phone.
Here are some skills that I've tried and my thoughts about them:
1. Ambient Sounds
There are a number of Ambient Sounds skills out there, such as those from Sleep Sounds. These allow you to say "Alexa, open Ocean Sounds", "Alexa, Open Rain Sounds"
The speaker on the Echo Dot is great for this and I could also use Fire TV to play it through my TV speakers. But I ended up only using once or twice. Having to yell out "Amazon, open Ocian Sounds" feels too disruptive. I can just connect my phone or laptop to bluetooth speakers and play from a much larger selection of ambient sound with You Tube, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc.
What I've thought of playing with is changing the device's trigger word from "Alexa" to something else, so that that sounds would start up more naturally. Eventually the technology will be there where Alexa or some competing AI will be able to determine appropriate sounds and music to play based on the DMs descriptions and some pre-set rules and play lists. But, for now, the technology is just not there yet.
2. "Alexa, Vicious Mockery"
Allows you to invoke the vicious mockery spell to hurl insults. The female voice actor is good, but the mocking is pretty tame and there is not a lot of variety, you start hearing the same taunts repeated soon after using the skill. Also, again, it is disruptive to yell out "Alexa, Vicious Mockery" in the middle of the game. It was a fun novelty for, oh, 5 minutes, and then never used again.
3. "Alexa, open d.n.d. guide"
This one was better than I expected. You can ask a wide range of questions about the basic rules and get answers read to you. But, while I enjoyed playing with it, I rarely use it as an in-game or even a game-prep reference. It is quicker to use a book or DnD Beyond. Also, it is limited to programmed questions and doesn't learn from use. Where something like this would be most helpful would be for asking information that requires pulling from multiple sources, but it can't handle that.
4. "Alexa, ask Spell Book to lookup _"
This one is more reliable, but nobody want's to listen to a spell description read out slowly. It is much easier to look up in a book or D&D Beyond and read/skim the description for the info you need.
5. "Alexa, ask Dungeon Assistant to roll _ die ___" AND just the Alexa without the skill
Having Alexa roll dice is the most useful skill I've used for TTRPGs. If you have a large number of dice to roll, asking Alexa to role them can save time. I found that I no longer need the Dungeon Assistant skill. I can just ask Alexa straight up to roll 10 d 8. My only complaint is that if you are having Alexa roll a large number of dice, she'll read out each one. E.g., "I rolled eight-sided dice and got 6, 4, and 1 for a total of 11."
I've tried to ask Siri to roll dice but Siri can only handle rolling one die. You can have Siri roll a twenty-sided die, but I've been unable to get Siri to understand a request to roll, e.g. 4d20.
Any other Alexa skills that are useful when playing or prepping TTRPG sessions?
In my game room I have an Amazon Echo Dot (3rd edition) and I also have the Amazon app on my phone.
Here are some skills that I've tried and my thoughts about them:
1. Ambient Sounds
There are a number of Ambient Sounds skills out there, such as those from Sleep Sounds. These allow you to say "Alexa, open Ocean Sounds", "Alexa, Open Rain Sounds"
The speaker on the Echo Dot is great for this and I could also use Fire TV to play it through my TV speakers. But I ended up only using once or twice. Having to yell out "Amazon, open Ocian Sounds" feels too disruptive. I can just connect my phone or laptop to bluetooth speakers and play from a much larger selection of ambient sound with You Tube, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc.
What I've thought of playing with is changing the device's trigger word from "Alexa" to something else, so that that sounds would start up more naturally. Eventually the technology will be there where Alexa or some competing AI will be able to determine appropriate sounds and music to play based on the DMs descriptions and some pre-set rules and play lists. But, for now, the technology is just not there yet.
2. "Alexa, Vicious Mockery"
Allows you to invoke the vicious mockery spell to hurl insults. The female voice actor is good, but the mocking is pretty tame and there is not a lot of variety, you start hearing the same taunts repeated soon after using the skill. Also, again, it is disruptive to yell out "Alexa, Vicious Mockery" in the middle of the game. It was a fun novelty for, oh, 5 minutes, and then never used again.
3. "Alexa, open d.n.d. guide"
This one was better than I expected. You can ask a wide range of questions about the basic rules and get answers read to you. But, while I enjoyed playing with it, I rarely use it as an in-game or even a game-prep reference. It is quicker to use a book or DnD Beyond. Also, it is limited to programmed questions and doesn't learn from use. Where something like this would be most helpful would be for asking information that requires pulling from multiple sources, but it can't handle that.
4. "Alexa, ask Spell Book to lookup _"
This one is more reliable, but nobody want's to listen to a spell description read out slowly. It is much easier to look up in a book or D&D Beyond and read/skim the description for the info you need.
5. "Alexa, ask Dungeon Assistant to roll _ die ___" AND just the Alexa without the skill
Having Alexa roll dice is the most useful skill I've used for TTRPGs. If you have a large number of dice to roll, asking Alexa to role them can save time. I found that I no longer need the Dungeon Assistant skill. I can just ask Alexa straight up to roll 10 d 8. My only complaint is that if you are having Alexa roll a large number of dice, she'll read out each one. E.g., "I rolled eight-sided dice and got 6, 4, and 1 for a total of 11."
I've tried to ask Siri to roll dice but Siri can only handle rolling one die. You can have Siri roll a twenty-sided die, but I've been unable to get Siri to understand a request to roll, e.g. 4d20.
Any other Alexa skills that are useful when playing or prepping TTRPG sessions?
