Computerized DM aids

[FilmGuy77]

I am very seriously looking at buying a laptop computer in the next month or so. One of the main reasons for the purchase is as a DM aide. I already use E-Tools for character generation, and I have some good note taking/organizational software.

What I’m wondering is what software do other computer-at-the-table DMs use. At this point I think projecting battle maps are a bit out of the question – I am never playing at my apartment, and trying to set that up is both too expensive and too cumbersome for the time being.

I’m looking at DM Familiar and Tablesmith – both seem to be good programs for speeding and streamlining DM duties, though I haven’t tried the demos yet. I am also taking a look at NPC Designer from RPG Attitude. Seems like a pretty solid program, though I'm not sure how much I would actually use it. Sure makes quick and dirty NPC generation painless...

Any other “must have” DM helpers out there? Anything that would help either prep or game time would be most appreciated.

Oh, I am a windows user, for what it’s worth.

Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[Henry]

Moved to Software & Computers.

 

[caudor]

Thanks to others at ENWorld, I discovered a very nice gem called maptool:

http://rptools.net/doku.php?id=maptool:intro

It's free. It basically replaces the battlemat and minis. What got me is how easy this tool is to use. If find it easier than setting up a real battlemap. You can also download a token creator from the same site.

I'm glad I found it.

 

[cimbrog]

I'm actually in the same boat, new laptop looking for in-game tools to use. DM's Familiar looked really good, but it makes Windows Vista very angry. I'll second the MapTool, and if its a little too much for you, there's also an excellent Initiative Tool on that website. And since it is all Java, it will work on Vista.

 

[Vascant]

Software is more about personal taste but here goes..

Probably a good idea to invest or find a good digital copy of the SRD, something you can search is key. I find this saves me a lot of time. I also find being able to edit it and add notes pretty key because it allows me to make notations and such in case of house rules or different situations I may want to remember (I am getting old so I need the notes).

Some kind of small generation software, Tablesmith or NBos iPad work well. I have used both and either choice is a good one. Tablesmith probably has a better user community and developer support though in my opinion.

DM Secretary may be worth taking a look at depending upon your needs.. here is a link
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=694703 They seem to be working pretty hard on this which is always a good sign.

I love NPC Designer but I also wrote it (duh). It fills a need where nothing else does, as a DM I was tired of a bulk of my prep time being NPC creation. Now I spend more time on the story/plots and less on mechanics.

One of the key things is find software that works together, like DM Familiar I believe has Table Smith where you can access it directly without changing applications. NPC Designer works with DM Genie, FG I and II. I have even used the NPC Designer with TableSmith. TableSmith allows you to display images and I use NPC Designer to create 3x5 index card size images of NPCs and created simple Encounter Tables inside TableSmith.

 

[DMFTodd]

Combat Managment would give the most dramatic impact on your game. It really speeds thing up to let the computer handle init, hit points, and rolling attack/damage for the monsters. Programs that do this are DM's Familiar (mine), Roleplaying Master, and DM Genie.

Since these programs generally have a "Reference Library" of monsters, spells, etc. - I'd start looking at them. I know with DM's Familiar, I have no need for a SRD as it's already in the program.

As for Vista not liking the DMF installer, I'd guess that's because I install in c:\program files\familiar. Try installing to c:\familiar and see if that gets around it. Thanks Microsoft!

 

[FilmGuy77]

Thanks so much for all the help. I will definitely look into some of these products.

So far I do like (the little) I have played with NPC designer. I still have the demo so I haven't really been able to put it through its paces yet. How difficult is it to expand beyond the SRD? It seems like a great program to generate a random 5 level fighter out of the PHB, but it might be nice to add classes or feats from other sources.

I'm definitely interested in combat tracking - that's the main reason I started looking in this direction. I seriously doubt that I will ever be able to talk my players into giving up their own rolls, but I have no problem with the baddies being taken care of by the comp.

I'm really looking forward to the potential time saved with this stuff.

 

[Mercule]

I use PCGen, MS OneNote, Word, and Excel.

 

[Vascant]

Thanks so much for all the help. I will definitely look into some of these products.

So far I do like (the little) I have played with NPC designer. I still have the demo so I haven't really been able to put it through its paces yet. How difficult is it to expand beyond the SRD? It seems like a great program to generate a random 5 level fighter out of the PHB, but it might be nice to add classes or feats from other sources.

I'm really looking forward to the potential time saved with this stuff.

How easy, guess that depends on you because for me it is very easy. The system is based on the idea that each person can modify or add to NPC Designer based on how they wish to run their own game. You can check out the scripts directory from the install and see how all of the work is done in the SRD, there is nothing hidden.

 

[noretoc]

In my opinion if you are good at learning some scripting, DM genie is unbeatable. Combat management is superb.