Laptops at the gaming table.

[Velenne]

Many of the folks I game with also have careers having to do heavily with computers. While at one point only having 1 laptop at the table was ok, now we're up to four and the place starts to look like a LAN! Wires are everywhere, people have their faces buried in screens playing solitaire or somesuch when they're not RP'ing or fighting and the darn things take up so much room!

I know there's a plethora of nifty-thrifty programs out there to help you manage your character sheet, roll your dice, keep track of your modifiers, etc etc, but do you need all of them at the gaming table?

 

[Crothian]

I don't use on at the gaming table. The main reason is I don't have one. Otherwise, I think it might be useful, but it isn't anything I'd consider a must have. If I acquire a laptop for other reasons, I'd proibably use it some of the time to help me game.

 

[madriel]

Well, if we could afford laptops we might use them...

 

[Ron]

Not only I have a laptop but, as a matter of fact, I'm writing this piece on it. I never bring it to the gaming table. It takes a lot of space and, in the end, it is faster to make notes by hand over paper. There are some nice use to computers in RPG, such as creating characters and NPCs or preparing maps and such. In the table, I think it just stands in the way between the DM and the players.

 

[rounser]

Speed of laptop use in-game is improved considerably if you touch type and use a graphics tablet instead of a mouse.

In fact, if you can justify the expense, I recommend graphics tablets to RPG players in general for use with mapping programs...

 

[JDragon]

I have a laptop and use it on both sides of the screen, as player and DM.

I have developed my own simple combat/encouter tracker for excel and write up my notes in word. I really haven't been supper impressed yet with what software I've looked at, but thats probalby becasue I haven't taken the time to figure it out.

I have also developed my own charcter sheet for real time use in excel. I have a large portion of the spells out from WotC in it and linked to casters spell books. This way I don't have to have 5 books ready to look up all my spells. It also has a worksheet set up for printing the character out if I'm in a game where the computer isn't allowed or don't have power for.

As for space, as long as you pay attention I don't think it takes up anymore room than a clip board and pile of books.

I do still use real dice, otherwise it wouldn't be the same to me.

JDragon

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I don't own a laptop right now, so can't really use one at the table. I might however be getting a fairly old one for free (might have to fix some stuff on it...) so maybe I'll use it, at least on the DM side of the table.

 

[Turlogh]

I don't like them at the gaming table because there are too many non gaming gewgaws for people too be distracted by. Plus if everybody has one you lose a bit of the face to face interaction- in effect everybody has their own DM screen to hide behind. I also have not noticed it speeding things up or being especially useful.

 

[Maerdwyn]

I don't have a laptop

 

[Plane Sailing]

If I had a laptop, I'd use it as a DM (the SRD is easier to quickly lookup things in than the books!) but not as a player.

As a player I keep my character sheet on my PalmOS PDA; handy for instant recalculation of bonuses and skills as attributes change due to magic or poison.

Cheers