Dlsharrock
First Post
What sort of technology do you use in your game sessions? I know a lot of DMs these days use their laptops instead of pen/paper/DM screen.
Pen, Paper, Tech?
- Thread starter Dlsharrock
- Start date
DM uses a laptop for keeping track of his world, but still prints out stats of NPCs likely to be faced. CD player for music with mostly burned CDs. A handful of the players use laptops instead of carrying their books around, and use the laptops for scratch paper. Only one player uses a completely electronic character sheet.
Most importantly, we use AIM video conferencing software so one player in Chicago (me) can play in the game just outside Boston with everyone else.
Most importantly, we use AIM video conferencing software so one player in Chicago (me) can play in the game just outside Boston with everyone else.
Masquerade
First Post
My face-to-face group is probably a little higher tech than most. We recently starting using a virtual tabletop program (MapTool) shown on a big-screen TV as our battlemap. Both of the laptops at the table can be used to move tokens around on it in addition to being used to reference rules. It's much cheaper than minis, and much more attractive than tokens/dry erase board.
But we still use real dice and paper character sheets, and I have been using a dry erase board to track conditions and initiative.
But we still use real dice and paper character sheets, and I have been using a dry erase board to track conditions and initiative.
HeavenShallBurn
First Post
I do most of my prep, stat blocks, notes, etc on a computer. I'll leave a laptop on the extra chair so I can manage the background music playlists or rapidly look something up if things go an unexpected way that needs me to check notes though usually I just adjudicate it off the cuff. I still print all the important notes, NPCs, and such just like my group still prints out our character sheets. Paper is just more convenient. We do all our dice rolling via programs running on our pda's or phones since it's so much faster. But the game itself is pretty much the same as always. It's the prep and accessories that have changed.
Ruin Explorer
Legend
Masquerade said:
This is so how it'd like to do it. If only I had a decent laptop!
fuzzlewump
Explorer
Hmm, our group has a friend who lives on the other side of town and we were thinking about doing something similar. How well does the AIM video conferencing work? I mean, how far away is it essentially from having the guy sitting there in person?Corsair said:
Ginnel
Explorer
Printed out character sheets and an Ipod plugged into some computer speakers is about as tech as it gets, Blank grid with Jenga tiles and cardboard doors to represent the dungeon/room and minis to populate it.
Proper dice are essential, people like rolling dice
well in my neck of the woods anyway.
Proper dice are essential, people like rolling dice
well in my neck of the woods anyway.
PeelSeel2
Explorer
With 3.5e I used a laptop all the time, for eTools to help create creatures and monsters on the spot, as a rules reference, etc.
With 4E, I have not had to use one. I make a couple of notes, and I am in the session DM'ing. If I want a creature on the fly, I take one from the MM that is close to what I want and use it. Easy cheesy. Pen and Paper so far. Although with Asmor's monster generator, I could see using my laptop again. His generator is web based, however, and therefore inconvenient for my purposes. Great product though.
With 4E, I have not had to use one. I make a couple of notes, and I am in the session DM'ing. If I want a creature on the fly, I take one from the MM that is close to what I want and use it. Easy cheesy. Pen and Paper so far. Although with Asmor's monster generator, I could see using my laptop again. His generator is web based, however, and therefore inconvenient for my purposes. Great product though.
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