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<blockquote data-quote="thewok" data-source="post: 7697648" data-attributes="member: 60907">I share GMing duties with another guy.&nbsp; He's currently doing 5E.&nbsp; I'm doing SWFFG, as we're on a break from the 5E campaign I run.&nbsp; I've found technology to be very useful in prep, but very hindering in the game session.&nbsp; Our table is cluttered with two laptops (now a laptop and an iPad Pro), as two people use them for character sheets.&nbsp; With all these devices on the table, there's now a physical barrier between people, where before there was none.&nbsp; The other GM is one of those two, and he uses the laptop for everything in his game.&nbsp; He hooks his laptop up to the TV and runs Roll20 for EVERY battle.&nbsp; He has to track everything, including our personal hit points.&nbsp; And, when the tech doesn't go smoothly (which seems to be all the time, honestly), it takes even longer for this &quot;better&quot; method of running a game.For my games, I'm considering a &quot;No devices bigger than a phone on the table&quot; rule.&nbsp; If you really must use your laptop instead of a paper sheet, then it must be on your lap, or on a side table, like a TV tray or something.&nbsp; I want to get rid of that physical barrier between the players.&nbsp; I want to be able to pull out physical maps and minis from time to time, and I cant right now because there's just no room for it.There's also the problem that it's distracting as hell.&nbsp; Everyone (including me) is distracted by tech at the table.&nbsp; Looking at Facebook or funny sites, playing games on the phone ... whatever.&nbsp; We have one weekend a month where we get together with another guy who is running a D&amp;D game.&nbsp; He doesn't use tech in his DMing, and it's honestly, the best game I play in because of it.&nbsp; I want to extend that to my game so that people focus on the game and each other, rather than hitting up Facebook/Twitter or reading Fox News or something.It just feels very different than it did when I first started RP gaming back in 2001.&nbsp; And I don't like it.&nbsp; It feels a lot less personal and, in the end, a lot less fun.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="thewok, post: 7697648, member: 60907"] I share GMing duties with another guy. He's currently doing 5E. I'm doing SWFFG, as we're on a break from the 5E campaign I run. I've found technology to be very useful in prep, but very hindering in the game session. Our table is cluttered with two laptops (now a laptop and an iPad Pro), as two people use them for character sheets. With all these devices on the table, there's now a physical barrier between people, where before there was none. The other GM is one of those two, and he uses the laptop for everything in his game. He hooks his laptop up to the TV and runs Roll20 for EVERY battle. He has to track everything, including our personal hit points. And, when the tech doesn't go smoothly (which seems to be all the time, honestly), it takes even longer for this "better" method of running a game. For my games, I'm considering a "No devices bigger than a phone on the table" rule. If you really must use your laptop instead of a paper sheet, then it must be on your lap, or on a side table, like a TV tray or something. I want to get rid of that physical barrier between the players. I want to be able to pull out physical maps and minis from time to time, and I cant right now because there's just no room for it. There's also the problem that it's distracting as hell. Everyone (including me) is distracted by tech at the table. Looking at Facebook or funny sites, playing games on the phone ... whatever. We have one weekend a month where we get together with another guy who is running a D&D game. He doesn't use tech in his DMing, and it's honestly, the best game I play in because of it. I want to extend that to my game so that people focus on the game and each other, rather than hitting up Facebook/Twitter or reading Fox News or something. It just feels very different than it did when I first started RP gaming back in 2001. And I don't like it. It feels a lot less personal and, in the end, a lot less fun. [/QUOTE]

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