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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fedifensor" data-source="post: 3279138" data-attributes="member: 7289">Oh, there's no way I could function on something with that small of a screen.  While portability is very important, readibility should not be sacrificed.My current laptop is great for preparation, but way too big for easy use at the gaming table - a HP Pavilion zd8000.  It's screen is bigger than many desktop screens, and it has all the power of the desktop.  But it's something like 10 pounds with less than 2 hours of battery life, making it more of a desktop replacement than a real laptop.  However, it's easy enough to walk over to the laptop and print out a few pages that I can then refer to during the game.  During a recent game session, I forgot to prep the stats for a particular creature.  I just walked over to the laptop, brought up d20srd.org, found the creature, and printed it out.  No need to keep open my monster manual to that page - it's a lot easier working with a few printed pages.I'm currently saving up and trying to convince my wife to let me purchase the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_VAIO_VGN_TXN15P_W/4505-3121_7-32103794.html?tag=pdtl-list&ar=o" target="_blank">Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/W</a> for my birthday.  With a battery life of 9+ hours, there's no need to seek out an outlet during most gaming sessions.  As an ultraportable that weighs under 3 lbs, it's a great way to travel to a friend's house or a convention without carrying an entire library with me.I checked it out at a computer store, and found the keyboard to actually be comfortable to type on.  It's definately not something for a person on a tight budget, but it has virtually everything I need for a tabletop game.There are several pieces of software that are essential for a gaming laptop.  A die-rolling program capable enough to handle any type of die, and multiple dice at once (ideally with a way to print out rolls.  A mapping program (Dungeon Crafter is free but no longer supported, and I just bought Dundjinni) really helps in the preparation of modules.  Character creation software is very helpful, but it's hard to find truly quality software that doesn't require a ton of tweaking - HERO Designer (for the HERO system) is about the only one I've tried that fits this bill.  There's also online play - I've used AIM and Gametable several times to play tabletop sessions online.  Gametable is better but harder to set up, while AIM is available to virtually everyone but rather basic in features.  Finally, get your rules in electronic format.  I purchased a subscription to d20srd.org so I could get the downloadable version of the site, and it's amazingly easy to browse.  In addition, I play Living Arcanis, and the main 'crunch' books are available in PDF format.  They give both a nornal and a print-friendly version of the book in PDF when you purchase it - the print-friendly is significantly faster to browse.  Don't go overboard, and use the free SRD options when you can - most RPG publishers (including WotC) haven't caught on to the fact that a PDF should be significantly cheaper than the print product.If you're a player using a laptop at a game, the main thing to remember is to be considerate.  Turn the volume of your laptop OFF, so you don't bug other players with clicking sounds.  Don't browse the web unless your character is completely sidelined (unconsicous, in a different location from the rest of the party, etc).  If you are browsing the web instead of paying attention to the game...it could be a sign that the game isn't that interesting.There have been a lot of interesting comments in this thread, and I will definately be checking out some of the programs suggested.  Keep the ideas flowing!</blockquote>

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