Laptops at the table - Do you use them?

[just__al]

85-95% of my game prep happens on my desktop computer at home. Because I've moved to the next state over if I forget to print something out or the players force me to change my plans I no longer have the option to just call a five minute break and run for my computer. I now use www.logmein.com to access my home PC from my laptop. If the host of the game wasn't MAC boy and either of us could figure out entourage printing, from my PC laptop to his numerous printers. I could print at his house and put the laptop away, but if I need it, it gets opened on the table. It's as good a DM screen as my screen and sometimes better. If I really, really need something printed I have to print to PDF, put that PDF on a USB keychain drive and have him print it, that just takes up too much time...

 

[smootrk]

I have always wanted to use laptops at the table, using some sort of IM feature to do the notes (volume muted) and private info with individual players. I have seen some great excel character sheets that do wonders for record keeping and even combat modifiers, keeping pdf books handy, d20srd.org, etc. On the other side of the screen, the DM could use DM Genie for quick stat generating (or other utilities), general record keeping, goofy name-generators, potion description generators, etc. The list goes on, but caution must be used lest the game devolve into staring at screens instead of each other.

It seems like a no-brainer to bring one if available, although in a perfect world, everyone will get Tablet-PCs to use to keep intact that pen/paper/clipboard aspect of the game.

 

[Umbran]

I've seen one or two GMs manage with a laptop well enough. I, myself, don't use one - I don't own a suitable machine, and I'm not sure I'd use it if I did.

None of my players have ever brought a laptop to game, though I'd probably ask them not to do so. Setting aside the fact that at my table there's no physical room for laptops, the machines would serve as a major distraction for players, and create enough of a phycial barrier between people to also serve as a psychological barrier.

Given how I prefer to focus my games, if players need a computer to keep track of information at the table, I'm doing something very, very wrong.

 

[Gilladian]

I use a laptop as DM, mostly just for keeping my game notes on (I'm always losing paper) and the SRD as it is quicker than the books.

I wish most of my 3rd party resources were online, too. Or at least were PDFs.

Sometimes I use a name site for NPCs, or Crystalball to roll up an NPC quickly. But mostly I use the NPC Wiki for quick grabs.

I have one player who uses a laptop. She keeps a log of the game, an excel treasure sheet, and a few other notes, but we all use real dice and real paper character sheets.

In the game where I'm a player, I'm thinking about keeping our treasure and kill lists (a foible of the character I'm playing) on my laptop, but haven't tried it yet.

 

[Harmon]

I've seen one or two GMs manage with a laptop well enough. I, myself, don't use one - I don't own a suitable machine, and I'm not sure I'd use it if I did.

None of my players have ever brought a laptop to game, though I'd probably ask them not to do so. Setting aside the fact that at my table there's no physical room for laptops, the machines would serve as a major distraction for players, and create enough of a phycial barrier between people to also serve as a psychological barrier.

Given how I prefer to focus my games, if players need a computer to keep track of information at the table, I'm doing something very, very wrong.

For our GMs its easier to locate monsters and baddies- way easier.

Finding rules (spells, endcumbrance, etc) that we do't have memorized its way, way quicker then looking through the book.

Few years back I built a table (8'x4'), supplied 6 rolling chairs, covered the table with 1"x1" bat then covered that with plastic to wrap on, followed by the purchase of 5 small (18"x30") tables for the corners and one extra for Coyote6's lap top (mine goes on a corner table). They (the PCs) do not block or even come onto the play area.

The computers are no distraction, infact after years without them they make the game smoother, and much more enjoyable; The role playing aspects are not effected by the pressence of the machines in a negitive manner at all.

If you are anti PC then you might have either not seen the usefulness of the computer or had a good experience in the past.

I recommend, Umbran that if you can ever afford to, get a lap top for the table, all the SRDs you can get, write your adventures on it and find a way to have it at your side, and I think you will enjoy it, and find it makes the game go much nicer.

Peace all.

 

[Wombat]

Laptops are great ... for WoW.

For p-n-p games, please pay attention to the game, not the screen. Laptops at the table tend to lead to people just generally surfing.

 

[Zustiur]

Laptops at the table tend to lead to people just generally surfing.

Maybe you should consider switching off your wireless modem! Kills the source of that behavior without removing a very useful tool.

Zustiur.

 

[Halivar]

Maybe you should consider switching off your wireless modem! Kills the source of that behavior without removing a very useful tool.

QFT. I keep an off-line copy of the SRD when I game, because our DM's house doesn't have wireless.

 

[arscott]

Man, I wish I could use a laptop at the table.

Instead, I had to drag my desktop up and down the stairs every saturday and set it up on the living room floor. It was kinda nice that it was under the table instead of on the table--That way, there was no screen between me and the table. It was a pretty low table and I'm a very sprawly person, so I sat on the ground and used the table as my GM screen while the players sat on chouches and chairs. It worked out great, except for the annoyingness of carting a desktop up and down the stairs.

And I got pretty good use out of that computer. I run Dark•Matter (a modern occult/conspiracy setting), and at the beginning of the game I found I D•M themed website that allowed me to post mission briefings and such for my players to access. But there were problems accessing the website at the table, and it got pretty time consuming to update, so I switched to using the computer for GM notes and for accessing the books I had in PDF form.

I think there's something nice about players having laptops in modern games, given that their characters have access to similar equipment. Seeing them searching google maps to find the location of a murder sight and similar stuff really offsets my concerns about laptops being a distraction.

 

[Matchstick]

Maybe you should consider switching off your wireless modem! Kills the source of that behavior without removing a very useful tool.

Zustiur.

Even better, just configure the router so that it'll only let the DM out, as he's the only person that might need to hit the internet. Really any router with security on it will be in that configuration by default anyway. Just don't give the players the key.

About the only thing I can think of that this would limit would be the use of chat to communicate privately with players.