Laptops at the Gaming table: worth it?
- Thread starter Blackfish
- Start date
As a DM, I've used a laptop successfully. It allowed me quick and easy access to monster stats in game, better than a book because I could have multiple pages open at the same time and roll dice. Hard to do when you've got five fingers of one hand stuck in a book and three stuck in another... and I don't recommend rolling dice with your teeth.
On the other hand, I have a player who is very on the ball. He has his character book earmarked, stats laid out for quick and convenient access, etc. And he is often locked into the game world and what's going on around him. One day he brings in his laptop in the hope that it will make him even more efficient.
Oh, how wrong he was.
Every single combat turn I had to explain what was going on because he was so busy fiddling with all the windows, scrolling through books, searching for keywords, etc. he wasn't paying attention to the game. So I asked him to put it away and voila! No more problems at all!
Perhaps he could have organized the laptop better. Perhaps it was good for me because all I was really using it for was a quick monster reference. We've often talked about throwing some sort of mapping system up onto a screen with a data projector, though we've never been able to make it work effectively (without spending oodles of money).
On the other hand, I have a player who is very on the ball. He has his character book earmarked, stats laid out for quick and convenient access, etc. And he is often locked into the game world and what's going on around him. One day he brings in his laptop in the hope that it will make him even more efficient.
Oh, how wrong he was.
Every single combat turn I had to explain what was going on because he was so busy fiddling with all the windows, scrolling through books, searching for keywords, etc. he wasn't paying attention to the game. So I asked him to put it away and voila! No more problems at all!
Perhaps he could have organized the laptop better. Perhaps it was good for me because all I was really using it for was a quick monster reference. We've often talked about throwing some sort of mapping system up onto a screen with a data projector, though we've never been able to make it work effectively (without spending oodles of money).
I've played around a bit with having a laptop at the table. I find it to be a mixed bag. There's some advantages, some disadvantages.
The big thing I noticed is that laptops really don't have the screen real-estate for broad, complex tasks. You've got enough room to look at one application at a time, referencing multiples means lots of flipping back and forth between windows you can't see.
The big thing I noticed is that laptops really don't have the screen real-estate for broad, complex tasks. You've got enough room to look at one application at a time, referencing multiples means lots of flipping back and forth between windows you can't see.
kamicosmos
First Post
My group has a ton of laptops. 6 laptops out of 7 people, and 5 Nintendo DS's, and generally a PSP or two in the mix as well.
As DM, I love having the laptop. IM'ing players is so much more convenient than slipping them a note that everyone notices. PDFs, dice rollers, and d20srd are fast and discrete for the DM, and spreadsheets to track XP, loot, and such is terrific. Heroforge is great, especially when you smack the players with negative levels. heh. I have to admit though, I'm still big on using real dice, paper, and my big stack of books for most things. Call me old school if you must, but it is Pen & Paper D&D, after all!
Players, well. I've been tempted to shut off internet access a few times, but in big rule discussions, it's nice to have multiple people researching something to get a resolution quicker. The aforementioned IM'ing would also be a big loss. But, usually too much distraction for the players, not too mention potential abuse of looking up things they shouldn't.
So, mixed results for me. If I had to start over, I'd probably say Laptop for the DM, and one designated laptop for the players, either someone playing secretary, or simply a laptop for all to use if they need it. I'd probably also nix the game devices, but as a Player, I know sometimes you just simply have nothing to do as the bard is negotiating for the 15th time that session, for example....
And as mentioned, if it's not the internet or DS/PSP, it's going to be a book, MP3 player, daydreaming, talking, whatever.
As DM, I love having the laptop. IM'ing players is so much more convenient than slipping them a note that everyone notices. PDFs, dice rollers, and d20srd are fast and discrete for the DM, and spreadsheets to track XP, loot, and such is terrific. Heroforge is great, especially when you smack the players with negative levels. heh. I have to admit though, I'm still big on using real dice, paper, and my big stack of books for most things. Call me old school if you must, but it is Pen & Paper D&D, after all!
Players, well. I've been tempted to shut off internet access a few times, but in big rule discussions, it's nice to have multiple people researching something to get a resolution quicker. The aforementioned IM'ing would also be a big loss. But, usually too much distraction for the players, not too mention potential abuse of looking up things they shouldn't.
So, mixed results for me. If I had to start over, I'd probably say Laptop for the DM, and one designated laptop for the players, either someone playing secretary, or simply a laptop for all to use if they need it. I'd probably also nix the game devices, but as a Player, I know sometimes you just simply have nothing to do as the bard is negotiating for the 15th time that session, for example....
And as mentioned, if it's not the internet or DS/PSP, it's going to be a book, MP3 player, daydreaming, talking, whatever.GammaPaladin
First Post
I have a tablet, so I'd be using it for my character sheets even...
And yeah, the SRD, pdf books with SEARCH (Sooo much better than looking at a stack of 50 books and thinking, "So... which book was that in..."), excel spreadsheets... Even as a player spreadsheets can be awesome for maintaining your spell list, quickly choosing your prepared spells for the day, etc, etc.
Wouldn't leave home without it.
And yeah, the SRD, pdf books with SEARCH (Sooo much better than looking at a stack of 50 books and thinking, "So... which book was that in..."), excel spreadsheets... Even as a player spreadsheets can be awesome for maintaining your spell list, quickly choosing your prepared spells for the day, etc, etc.
Wouldn't leave home without it.
Fallen Seraph
First Post
If you sign up for DDI I think having the Rules Database would be a major help at the table. They said they may be building a encounter calculator as well, so if you need a random encounter on the fly it could help there too.
Graybeard
Explorer
I usually have my laptop at the table but I don't actively use it. I use Heroforge for my character sheets so I will have that on the screen for reference. It's good for making notes of items found and where. In the past I have had the habit of putting my character sheet somewhere after the session and then forgetting where I put it.
Two other guys in our group have laptops at the table as well (out of 6 players). One uses it when he DMs and for reference to his character sheet. The other guy uses it only for his character sheet.
As for surfing the web while playing, I simply turn off my wireless router (since we play at my house). If we play at another player's house (secondary playing location) he doesn't have an internet connection at home. Problem solved.
Two other guys in our group have laptops at the table as well (out of 6 players). One uses it when he DMs and for reference to his character sheet. The other guy uses it only for his character sheet.
As for surfing the web while playing, I simply turn off my wireless router (since we play at my house). If we play at another player's house (secondary playing location) he doesn't have an internet connection at home. Problem solved.
The Levitator
First Post
Once again, someone comes on here to ask for advice on the best ways to use a laptop with their gaming, and it turns into a "Laptops Are Good" VS "Laptops Are Evil" thread. If people hate laptops so much, why are they responding on a thread asking for help in implementing one into a game?
To the OP, you can save the SRD to your desktop, so that you can access it offline. Having an internet connection would help access other things that might help your game, but there are also a ton of free programs out there that can be used offline. Name Generators, Dice Rollers, Inn Generators, Character Sheet Generators, Initiative Trackers, etc. I don't like having 20 different programs to keep track of, which is why I spent the money on DM Genie. it handles every aspect of my game and there is not a single program available that does what DM Genie. I believe it's $35, but has a fully functional 60 day trial. They also just announced that they will be making a DM Genie v4, which will be designed for 4th Edition. I have no plans to switch myself, but for anyone going to 4th edition, this may be a cheaper alternative to DDI.
There are some other really good game management programs out there, but they don't have the capabilities or customization that DM Genie has. Some of the ones that come to mind are Roleplaying Master, D&D Manager, and Campaign Suite, just a few that come to mind.
In addition to game management, virtual tabletops are also very popular right now. There are a lot of them out there, both free and paid programs. Virtual Tabletops replace the battlemat in a conventional game. I am currently using Maptools. It's free and one of the most full featured VTT's out there. VTT's are great for our group because it saves a lot of time setting up encounters and can be used at our tabletop, or online when we can't get everyone together in person. I also like that it saves a ton of space, and there are thousands of beautiful maps available online that we much prefer to grease pencil marks on a dry erase board. I also don't miss digging through all my mini boxes to set up encounters on the fly. I can just drag and drop my creature tokens right onto the VTT. One of the best things about Maptools is that it has dynamic light sources, vision and FOW, which is functional and still in development. It also has individual PC views, so each person only sees what their character can see. This really adds to immersion and reduces metagaming.
If you want some leads on free software, drop me an IM and I'll send you a bunch of links that you might find useful. If you like the idea of using a laptop at your gaming table to help you, then by all means try it. Nobody here has the insight to tell you if it's a good idea for you or not. But then, if you hated laptops like some people apparently do, you wouldn't have posted questions on how you might implement one into your game now, would you?
Here are some links to the programs that I use:
DM Genie
Maptools
Ever Changing Book of Names
James Buck NPC Generator
Hope this helps!
To the OP, you can save the SRD to your desktop, so that you can access it offline. Having an internet connection would help access other things that might help your game, but there are also a ton of free programs out there that can be used offline. Name Generators, Dice Rollers, Inn Generators, Character Sheet Generators, Initiative Trackers, etc. I don't like having 20 different programs to keep track of, which is why I spent the money on DM Genie. it handles every aspect of my game and there is not a single program available that does what DM Genie. I believe it's $35, but has a fully functional 60 day trial. They also just announced that they will be making a DM Genie v4, which will be designed for 4th Edition. I have no plans to switch myself, but for anyone going to 4th edition, this may be a cheaper alternative to DDI.
There are some other really good game management programs out there, but they don't have the capabilities or customization that DM Genie has. Some of the ones that come to mind are Roleplaying Master, D&D Manager, and Campaign Suite, just a few that come to mind.
In addition to game management, virtual tabletops are also very popular right now. There are a lot of them out there, both free and paid programs. Virtual Tabletops replace the battlemat in a conventional game. I am currently using Maptools. It's free and one of the most full featured VTT's out there. VTT's are great for our group because it saves a lot of time setting up encounters and can be used at our tabletop, or online when we can't get everyone together in person. I also like that it saves a ton of space, and there are thousands of beautiful maps available online that we much prefer to grease pencil marks on a dry erase board. I also don't miss digging through all my mini boxes to set up encounters on the fly. I can just drag and drop my creature tokens right onto the VTT. One of the best things about Maptools is that it has dynamic light sources, vision and FOW, which is functional and still in development. It also has individual PC views, so each person only sees what their character can see. This really adds to immersion and reduces metagaming.
If you want some leads on free software, drop me an IM and I'll send you a bunch of links that you might find useful. If you like the idea of using a laptop at your gaming table to help you, then by all means try it. Nobody here has the insight to tell you if it's a good idea for you or not. But then, if you hated laptops like some people apparently do, you wouldn't have posted questions on how you might implement one into your game now, would you?
Here are some links to the programs that I use:
DM Genie
Maptools
Ever Changing Book of Names
James Buck NPC Generator
Hope this helps!
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