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<blockquote data-quote="Jubles" data-source="post: 7082026" data-attributes="member: 6875874">There are a few things I make sure I have handy before I DM any game.&nbsp; 1.&nbsp; A small whiteboard or mirror or something else for initiative.&nbsp; I have the players roll their initiative and one of the players collects the scores and writes them in order on a mirror on our wall while I roll monsters and get my own sheet set up.&nbsp; Then I have them read the numbers and names of the player initiatives so I can have them in front of me in the same list as the monsters and they have their own reference.&nbsp; One initiative sheet for me and one for the players has sped up and simplified combat a lot for our group.&nbsp; Having players know their turn is coming up makes a huge difference.&nbsp; 2.&nbsp; A recording device, usually my cell phone.&nbsp; I'm honestly surprised I don't see more people employing this.&nbsp; I record every session I do so I don't have to waste all my time taking notes versus running the game.&nbsp; It allows me perfect recall of the session and is invaluable to me for planning for future sessions and arcs.&nbsp; They're also often quite entertaining.&nbsp; I have a large group and as a table we drink plenty.&nbsp; Listening back allows me to hear the session from a 3rd party perspective and gives me a chance to hear things I might have missed during live play.&nbsp; I highly recommend others record their sessions, even if only for note taking purposes.&nbsp; **An important note:&nbsp; If you decide to record your sessions be sure to get everyone's consent first.&nbsp; In some places it can be technically illegal to record without consent but beyond that it's a simple courtesy that should not be overlooked.**3.&nbsp; Visual aids.&nbsp; This isn't for everyone but I like to do sketching and painting as a hobby.&nbsp; Creating portraits for NPCs has been a fun way to practice my art and give the players a visual anchor for NPCs.&nbsp; 4.&nbsp; My children's toys.&nbsp; I have two boys, 2 and 5 and I am not ashamed to admit using their toys as battle props.&nbsp; In particular last session we had a fun battle on a river ship against a froghemoth from Volo's.&nbsp; My sons have a Little People Noah's Ark toy and a weird peek-a-boo frog that's about eight inches tall.&nbsp; It worked amazingly and was a lot easier than buying props or hacking together pieces of Amazon Prime boxes.&nbsp; Duplo legos and Megablocks are also great props for dungeons, walls, barriers, or even elevation markers.&nbsp; None of these are revolutionary ideas but they work for us.&nbsp; I love the idea of butcher paper rolls.&nbsp; It reminds me of places like Macaroni Grill with the crayons and paper tablecloths.&nbsp; I might have to give that a try next time.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jubles, post: 7082026, member: 6875874"] There are a few things I make sure I have handy before I DM any game. 1. A small whiteboard or mirror or something else for initiative. I have the players roll their initiative and one of the players collects the scores and writes them in order on a mirror on our wall while I roll monsters and get my own sheet set up. Then I have them read the numbers and names of the player initiatives so I can have them in front of me in the same list as the monsters and they have their own reference. One initiative sheet for me and one for the players has sped up and simplified combat a lot for our group. Having players know their turn is coming up makes a huge difference. 2. A recording device, usually my cell phone. I'm honestly surprised I don't see more people employing this. I record every session I do so I don't have to waste all my time taking notes versus running the game. It allows me perfect recall of the session and is invaluable to me for planning for future sessions and arcs. They're also often quite entertaining. I have a large group and as a table we drink plenty. Listening back allows me to hear the session from a 3rd party perspective and gives me a chance to hear things I might have missed during live play. I highly recommend others record their sessions, even if only for note taking purposes. **An important note: If you decide to record your sessions be sure to get everyone's consent first. In some places it can be technically illegal to record without consent but beyond that it's a simple courtesy that should not be overlooked.** 3. Visual aids. This isn't for everyone but I like to do sketching and painting as a hobby. Creating portraits for NPCs has been a fun way to practice my art and give the players a visual anchor for NPCs. 4. My children's toys. I have two boys, 2 and 5 and I am not ashamed to admit using their toys as battle props. In particular last session we had a fun battle on a river ship against a froghemoth from Volo's. My sons have a Little People Noah's Ark toy and a weird peek-a-boo frog that's about eight inches tall. It worked amazingly and was a lot easier than buying props or hacking together pieces of Amazon Prime boxes. Duplo legos and Megablocks are also great props for dungeons, walls, barriers, or even elevation markers. None of these are revolutionary ideas but they work for us. I love the idea of butcher paper rolls. It reminds me of places like Macaroni Grill with the crayons and paper tablecloths. I might have to give that a try next time. [/QUOTE]

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