Laptops at the gaming table

[Phlebas]

I used to use a laptop next to me (as GM)- it was mainly for notes and paperless system - especially when I'd been running late and just e-mailed home the plot details I'd sorted out during my lunch-break

but i gave it up - it wasn't fast enough, i kept having to move it out of the way to search for the scraps of paper or maps that i hadn't scanned. I found having to alt-tab through the dozen files i had open time consuming and it annoyed the players 'cos i kept on asking them to wait why i found something. It then crashed half way through a final encounter with the BBEG stats lost....

I also found the problem was that it was forcing me to do more and more preparation to make the game work. no more sketching encounters out and then detailing them in breaks with notes on a print out

It sounds like other GM's are more organised than me, and maybe that makes a difference, but unless I invest in a tablet (I used to have a palm so I'm not 100% convinced on the writing) and the software gets that little more user friendly, I'm going to keep the laptop for preparation, and use paper & pencil at the gaming table. (OK I will keep it in the room in case of emergency print requirements - but thats about it)

(Not trying to derail the thread - just wondering how the other DM's get over these problems )

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

If you want to assess "cheap" in comparison to used equipment - ok. There is no way you bought a new laptop for $350 - (unless you got it from Negroponte and it's green and has a hand crank).

Wrong, actually. Bought it from Microcenter, brand new, for $450 with a $100 mail-in rebate. Admittedly, the $350 was before taxes.

The next most expensive they had was less than $50 more, and they had at least three below your allegedly cheap price point. Best Buy and Circuit City also both offered their lowest-end laptops for less than $500, but they weren't as good as the one from Microcenter.

Ironically, I *couldn't* get a used laptop for $350, at least locally; the cheapest one I found was $399 and didn't have a working touchpad. :\

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Using a laptop has fundamentally changed the way I DM my games. It acts as a DM screen so no more of those cardboard ones. It has all the pdfs I need, as well as virtually all of my campaign information. It's got the Sovelior Sage SRD, which is awesome and saves me so much times during the game. I keep electronic character records for all the PCs, which is very useful when someone can't show up. I've incorporated number generators into them to save on the dice rolling; one click of F9 and every random number on the page refreshes so with one click I can get everything from attack rolls to crit rolls to damage to saves to initiative to whatever else you can imagine.

Recently other players have started using laptops and I don't mind one bit. It makes people more organized and I'm all for that. Now if they were watching movies or playing video games, that would be a problem but I've never experienced that to date.

I like the instant messaging feature but I just have to get around to hooking up the wireless capabilities on my laptop.

When my old laptop died, it was a crushing blow to the game. Not that I lost data, but that I had to go back to pen n' paper until I could either borrow a laptop or buy a new one.

 

[greywulf]

While I prefer to use good ol' pen and paper (I use a computer too much as it is!), I've relented a few times and used the laptop to DM. They are strictly banned for my players though as they're just too darned distracting.

I run Linux, and have the sovelior sage SRD and pcgen in place to handle rules and character generation in case anyone's character dies and they need a new PC quickish. If I use the laptop I use it for the entire game, including folding the screen back to show the players maps, "handouts", etc.

We've even used miniatures on the flat-back laptop screen to handle a complex d20 Modern firefight. I just stuck the layout fullscreen and we played off that. The gamers enjoyed that, and would definitely do that again, though make try to remember to use acetate to protect the screen next time

I feel that the laptop enhances play in a modern game where it's more in keeping with the setting. I've mocked up websites and let them "surf" to them on the laptop to find clues, do research, etc. That works.

For fantasy games though, I think it's just too much of a distraction, but one that's likely to hit the table more and more as time passes.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I've only taken my laptop if I couldn't do my character sheet in time to print it out. But only on rare occasions as I print out my character sheets and have the books for all the spells I would need.

 

[Ibram]

As a DM I make extensive use of my laptop as a DMing tool. It stores stats, notes, and has a large number of PDFs that I use (as was stated earlier there are several books that I only have in PDF form, owing to their rarity). Since my laptop has a stylus and can flip to become a tablet I can scribble my notes (hit points and initiative) right onto of the Word docs that I use to store my info.

A great resource for a DM is the Fantasy Grounds program, which was designed for online games. When run in DM mode it is an incredible resource. It has everything a DM need, encluding a copy of the standard d&d books. The only trouble is that entering information into the system can be time consuming...

 

[RainOfSteel]

With the exception of the exel suggestion, is there any other specific software or utility that anyone would suggest?

Yes.

TableSmith

Here: TableSmith Home

And Here:
TableSmith Support Group

There are hundreds of existing tables already written and ready to go, and most are DnD or Fantasy oriented.

Many of them are extremely simple to modify.

Making new tables is a snap.

The support group is very helpful.

 

[Gilwen]

I have been coveting a tablet pc for gaming since the tablets came out. I am still too much of a cheapskate to purchase one, considering they are still rather substandard to standard laptops (and especially desktop models) - price for price.

My dream will probably become a reality when all laptops are effectively also tablet pc's (or convertible models)...

You may want to check out Lenovo's x60t and toshiba's R400 Portege both of those have good specs, the R400 is pricey but it's the flagship for product for the line. Also keep your eye out this year, I am predicting a whole line of new tablets and UMPC's coming out this year. Other vendors to watch are HP and Gateway although I am not traditionally a fan of either of those but I would make an exception for a tablet from either one.

I am looking for hte tablet to fill the gap between laptop and pen and paper notebook; I'll most liekly be purchasing a slate if I cna get over the fact it won't have a keyboard built in. I'll take a bit for me to figure out how I work with the tablet best but I think it will definitely cut down on the amount of stuff I have to lug around to the game.


gil

 

[Plane Sailing]

I don't think anyone else has actually mentioned this, so I will - as a player I find a laptop is invaluable for character sheets. I've written character sheets in Excel which are printable, but most importantly when all of the calculated values are 'live', so when I power attack, or get a prayer or buff my strength (etc) I just put in the appropriate value and everything else (attacks, damage, saves, skills etc) automatically changes to the correct value.

I find it invaluable for d20 based playing.

Cheers

 

[Crothian]

We don't use them. I don't like games were we have to look things up or buffs so colplex a player needs help doing them.