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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Castellan" data-source="post: 3057899" data-attributes="member: 639">I've found using a laptop at the table to be immensely helpful in the following ways:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dice Roller - Nothing takes the place of real dice, but if I need a truly "secret roll" and didn't do it beforehand, this is a life-saver</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Name Generator - there are several nice little name generators you can use on the web or download. My players always want the name of the NPC they're talking to, even if they'll never see him again. I like to encourage their attention to detail, so this is of great use to me.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">TiddlyWiki - <a href="http://www.tiddlywiki.com/" target="_blank">http://www.tiddlywiki.com/</a> is a great tool for organizing notes about your game, rules you might need to refer to quickly, and keeping a gaming log. Works perfectly on IE for Windows and Firefox on Windows/Mac (there are a few minor problems with Safari on the Mac, but I'm willing to let that slide; if you're still using IE on Windows, switch to Firefox. There are a million reasons, and it's free -- do yourself a favor). Oh, and TiddlyWiki doesn't require an active network connection (it's all on your computer, and there's no new software to install) and it's serachable. Awesome!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Text Editor - You never know when you might need to take a note or keep track of something. Until we built our wet-erase table for the game, I tracked all combat initiative, monster hit points, etc. in BBEdit on my Mac. No more scraps of paper. Plus, I could save the document for later, if necessary (you'd be surprised how important just keeping that info around can be -- especially when someone argues about how much damage they took two sessions ago).</li> </ul>Of course, having a network connection is great, because of access to so many online tools, but it isn't necessary.For the most part, just think about where using the computer will save time and only use it for that. Putting monster stats on the computer is great if you can actually get the info you need faster than looking it up in a book. If I use book monsters, I just record what book and page. If the monster has been templated or given class levels, I put everything into the computer (and I mean everything -- there's nothing worse than flipping back and forth between book and computer).I generally do not use the computer for maps, and I've never used it for running a module -- I always run from a book/magazine/printout.Overall, my laptop has really made a difference in my in-game organization. It's great.Good luck!</blockquote>

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