Computers/Laptops at the gaming table?

[robberbaron]

But two (out of five) of our players also use laptops. And so far we haven't had any problems with web surfing or looking up SRDs to find out monster weaknesses. No, they just use the laptops to take notes. And they do take notes, lots and lots and lots of notes..

Heh, heh.
I was guilty of this when I started my campaign. I was determined to post the story so wanted to get as much down as possible. I found that I was spending more time making notes than running the game and that just would not do.

After one session like that I decided to record the game instead.

That meant I would never miss a pithy quote or an item found or a funny occurance.
Trouble is that it takes approx. 2.5 hours per hour of recording - listening, pausing to type the account then 1 or more read-throughs to sort typos and get the feel right - to transcribe, which eats into my prep. time. And my life.
Got to be worth it, though, if only to keep the players on their toes. If they say something it gets recorded, and then gets printed.

 

[Ashrum the Black]

Well, as the DM I use a computer a lot during preperation, and recently I've begun to use my new laptop as well. I'm hoping it will allow for better organization than my handwritten notes. The Players all use PC's to track their PC's, but when it's time to game it is a printer copy and a pen jotting down changes and notes.

-Ashrum

 

[Seeten]

As with everything, common sense and moderation is the key. If you want to surf pr0n, stay home and surf pr0n. If you want to rp, go to your sessions. If you bring a laptop, dont disrupt play with it, use it to make everyones experience better.

It is not the fault of the laptop that you have immature or unreliable players/DM's. I love my laptop at the table. I can change my hp under current hp right on the sheet, I can take con dmg under temp score, I can look up my spells through my spellbook, without the 9 book delay without it. I cant live without my computer. I am too old these days for all the busy work. I want a program that makes my life easier. I am willing to create the forms and sheets myself, but unwilling to do all the math in my head at the table. Thats why I own computers. To make my life easier, and more enjoyable.

 

[The Pjats]

Our group only uses computers in prep time. We use them to store our sheets, post the sheets online, roleplay online, plan when we're gonna play our next session and discuss what we're gonna do during our next session. We use a forum for all this

 

[Black Pharaoh]

At our games the DM usually has a laptop as do 2 or 3 players. Another players uses a PDA from time to time. the rest use pencil and paper.

We have numerous tools on our laptops that we use for roleplaying. I usually have music and sound effects cued up on mine as well as NBOS Inspiration Pad to generate names and such on the fly.

Fractal Mapper and Dundjinni are used for mapping from time to time.

character sheets and party inventories are handled in excel.

we also set up wireless networks and have a web based message board with private messaging to pass notes and discuss things silently (other than the keyboards)

 

[reveal]

I am a DM who uses a laptop at the table. I'm the only one who has one. I use DM's Familiar to keep track of initiative and combat. It's great because it speeds up dice rolls, keeps track of spell durations, potion durations and things of that nature. No more "How long until your spell is done?"

I also have PDF copies of all my books. I can quickly copy and paste, search for text and have all my notes at my fingertips. I have links to the SRD at PBMNexus and the searchable SRD. All in all, it has sped up my gming a great deal and I love having it.

Oh, I also have the full version of ScreenMonkey which allows me to show an image on an external monitor to my players. I create maps in Dundjinni and place icons that represent their characters on the map. Then I uncover only the parts of the map I want them to see. It's great because they don't have to map and can see the map quickly and completely without having to pass it around the table. They also get an idea of what everything looks like so no more "but I thought the room looked like this."

Recently, as an example, we played a couple of Epic level sessions in which I was a player. It was extremely nice to just click a button and say "I hit an AC ## and did ## damage" rather than rolling and counting and hoping I came up with the correct number. Just really dang convenient.

 

[Mercule]

I'm the only person in our group to ever use a laptop at the gaming table. Even though I was DMing, I think it was a bad plan. It was a hindrance to play more than anything else, taking my attension from the players more than paper notes would have. It was just the nature of the interface. I even used the laptop for a few months to see if it was a matter of just "getting used to it". Nope. Laptops at the table are bad.

I've also used a PDA (both Palm and Pocket PC) at the table. Again, I'm the only one who's enough of a gearhead to even own a PDA. Anyway, I found that a PDA wasn't a distraction to the game at all. I stopped mainly because there isn't any good software -- at least none that fit my needs.

Putting those two experiences together and I'll be trying my new tablet at the table, once the game comes back from hiatus (maternity leave for my wife, essentially). Low profile, and not a keyboard in sight. Just a fancy paper book.

 

[WayneLigon]

I have experienced it when a GM uses a PC or laptop. It really doesn't seem to add much and results in rather more fiddling than if he had a clipboard or notebook. Now, if we had a set up like the projector or it was used for a few sound effects.. then it might be OK. I'd find it too awkward to use, myself.

Though one of the better gaming stories I have involves a computer.

We were playing Call of Cthulhu and the GM had just gotten a TRS-80 with a cartridge tape drive. He had a couple small programs for it, one of which was a dice roller. One of the PC's was sucked into a dimensional portal and vanished. We had an NPC ally with some cross-dimensional capability, but with limited time and range. So the GM says 'pick a number from 1-10,000'. The player picks 6269. The GM has the PC roll a d10,000. It comes up 6269. It's the only time I've ever seen a human being go pale with shock.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I voted for "only the DM."

As a DM, I need access to my world notes. I can never be sure what NPCs the PCs are going to want to talk to, and since I update those notes after each encounter I'd be annoyed at having to re-print a sheaf of notes every session. So I keep all my growing world notes on the comp, and print out disposable info (like extremely stripped-down monster stat blocks, etc.) for use during combats and such.

Wouldn't be too keen on players using a comp at the table, nor have I ever used one as a player. You just don't need access to enough info to justify the distraction.

 

[Umbran]

I find that having computers at the table is an immense distraction. Each and every time a person looks at their computer, they are drawn out of the fictional word and into the real world, meaning they break character and suspension of disbelief all too often.

It isn't a problem if the GM has an unobtrusive computer, but when everyone has a keyboard and screen, you might as well just put walls up between your players. In theory they can make rules-referencing faster, but in practice I find they constitute a barrier between players. They look at their computers instead of each other. Blech.