Downsizing what I play with

[ShinHakkaider]

Heh, I *wish* my players would bring their books! So often I've seen a player with an apparently wrong interpretation of a power, but no book in which to check it!

As DM I always bring a PHB these days, but even with limited sources I can't fit them all into my RPG bag. I can see a case for bringing netbook + DDI subscription instead since the pubs I play in have wifi and the online Rules Compendium is very good these days, but I'm worried about breaking it while in transit through the London Underground.

When I got my iPad it's been a lot easier to cart around a whole mess of books for reference, but still when we do allow anything out of core in the game the player is responsible for making sure that they have the information handy for reference during the game. Usually I just point them toward the PFSRD and to copy stuff to a word document and print it out for easy reference.

It's understood that if they dont have it handy for quick and easy reference then it's not getting used in play. That way if takes the burden off the DM and places more responsibility on the player for their character, where it should be. It's their character they should know how their own fiddly bits work...

 

[The Human Target]

That may well be but it makes a DM's job a lot easier to ban whole books instead of having to check and judge every single item. Ultimately it's also easier for the players to remember what is and what isn't allowed in the game.

In our current campaign we're using a white-list rather than a black-list. I.e. as a default nothing is allowed. When I was the DM I didn't allow anything from books I didn't own or hadn't read.

It does make the DMs job easier, but it seems kinda unfair to me.

Reminds me of Junior High.

Someone shoots a spitball into the teacher's hair and the whole class gets detention.

 

[The Human Target]

Not all restrictions are due to the quality of the content. In my case, in one of my campaigns, it is entirely for logistical reasons. We play once a month, after work, in a board room at my office. It is just not feasible to bring a large collection of books to my office for a monthly game. It is easier to just say "everyone brings their Player's Handbook and one other book of their choice and those books will then constitute the entirety of the rules we will be using for this particular campaign."

Absolutely. I'm coming from the standpoint of 4th edition, and its great character builder. Which means players shouldn't really need any books at all, ever.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to hear from Greylord. Has he gone thru with his downsizing? Are his players angry, ambivalent or joyous?

 

[Votan]

When I got my iPad it's been a lot easier to cart around a whole mess of books for reference, but still when we do allow anything out of core in the game the player is responsible for making sure that they have the information handy for reference during the game. Usually I just point them toward the PFSRD and to copy stuff to a word document and print it out for easy reference.

It's understood that if they dont have it handy for quick and easy reference then it's not getting used in play. That way if takes the burden off the DM and places more responsibility on the player for their character, where it should be. It's their character they should know how their own fiddly bits work...

iPad make a huge difference for Pathfinder, which has a lot of resources as PDFs (as well as the pathfinder SRD). It is an expensive start-up but solves the book lugging problem permanently.

 

[IronWolf]

iPad make a huge difference for Pathfinder, which has a lot of resources as PDFs (as well as the pathfinder SRD). It is an expensive start-up but solves the book lugging problem permanently.

The iPad has been great for letting me have a tremendous number of RPG books readily at my disposal. No more I forgot to bring that book tonight issues with the iPad.

 

[Pour]

With DDI's Compendium, along with Masterplan and Power2ool, I honestly haven't experienced the same frustrating shuffling I once did. I have, however, felt my grasp of all potential options slip from time to time, and I took it upon myself to conference with my players individually and discuss their capabilities, as well as their plans for the future, to better prepare myself.