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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 7697650" data-attributes="member: 6796661">Technology can certainly distract, but it can actually facilitate more interaction and better play. I started DMing a 5e game after not having played TTRPGs since the early 90s and at first I was very anti-technology, because my experience was from before mobile phones and laptops were common. That said, I use RealmWorks to create and run adventures and Herolab to help manage combat. I have a smaller laptop and that is my DM screen. I actually have less of a barrier between me and my players than I did with one or two DM screens. Not having to flip through books as I run my adventure keeps things running more smoothly than I could with printed material. As the players have leveled up and combat has gotten more complex, I found that managing on paper and a Paizo combat pad was getting cumbersome. The Hero Lab tactical console really helps me keep combat moving. And this is 5e...I can't imagine running a Pathfinder game without something like Hero Lab. Using Realm Works player view, I can throw up maps on a large plasma display with fog-of-war features. I initially intended to make the players map or take notes, but I we all find the game much more enjoyable this way. We focus on problem solving, role playing, and combat rather than mapping. I now would only require mapping with pencil and graph paper as a special challenge that fits into the story. I'm the only one with a laptop. One other player has a tablet that he runs Herolab on. It don't even notice it. All the other players use paper character sheets. Phones are less of a problem than I thought they would be. Our sessions are 8 hours long and we have wives, kids, jobs—there are going to some life interruptions. We are all adults, so it really hasn't been a problem. I've also had one player join remotely. It has been a challenge to run an at-table game with one remote player, but with a good microphone, camera, and large display, it is kind of like tele-presence. The main issue is when multiple people talk, it is hard for the remote player to understand what is going on. When it comes down to it, I don't think it is technology that is the problem. It is behavior. The GM needs to set the ground rules and explain expected etiquette.</blockquote>

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