suggestions needed! - minimize "stuff" that i have to bring for dm'ing each session

[thegrumpyyoungman]

first of all, i really dont bring that much to my games because i'm really trying to go the more digital route for dnd. i know that may make some of you old school players cringe, but i'm wanting to go paperless if i can. so the "stuff" i bring is probably not as much compared to others. with that in mind here's my setup right now (DnD 4e):

1. dice
2. miniatures
3. dungeon tiles stuck to black foam board for my encounters
4. laptop - i use this as my dm screen, notes, music, etc during my games. i use the following software:

- Masterplan - awesome software, but i'm finding that i dont need to use the digital map creator to run my encounters as it just takes too long to do it and doesnt add anything to the game. so if i take that away, i really only use masterplan for the story board part...which i do in other software.

- Scene Sound - i play sound effects, mood music, etc and my players LOVE it.

- DDI subscription - don't care what everyone says, i love the CB and compendium and the magazine articles. plus, my players pay for it so it works out for me

5. speakers - for playing sounds
6. external monitor - Masterplan has the ability to output the encounter map and initiative order and what not to an external monitor. it's cool, but i'm finding it takes away from the concentration of the players. they pay more attention to the screen than the map on the table.

so i know that doesnt really sound like tons of stuff to bring to a game, but i'm wanting cut it down even more. my laptop is a huge monster that really is a desktop replacement and too big. the external monitor i'm finding isnt really necessary. and finally, i'm feeling like i'm trying to "tech-up" dnd a little too much when it doesnt need the added complexity, especially for me as a dm having to prepare all this crap before hand.

what i want is a way to minimize the digital stuff i bring and/or prepare for each game session. here's what im thinking and this is where i need suggestions:

1. use Asus Transformer tablet instead of laptop - suggestions for apps? i know there aren't many, but i know some use evernote for their "story boarding" if you will. i could use that instead of masterplan maybe? the music/sounds i play can be done via either my Android phone through speakers or through my tablet as well, so that's not an issue although i wont be able to use SceneSound to PLAY the sounds...i can work around that.

my main problem with the tablet setup is that the compendium isnt accessed as quickly, or really at all. anyone have suggestions for that?

2. go more old school - instead of using masterplan for conditions/statuses and what not, i've purchased some pipe cleaners to use for bloodied markers, AoE spells, etc. i'm also going to make status/condition cards that i've seen on the internet. for initiative i plan on using folded pieces of paper for standup initiative tracking so both players and dm can see them.

so what do you guys think? any suggestions for making my dm'ing more efficient and easier? i guess what it boils down to is making prep time not take so long so i can concentrate more on the game.

 

[[OMENRPG]Ben]

You can do more prep before hand, and other than a few minor notes, not really require anything at all.

Monsters and bad guys can be printed out before hand, or you can even email them to yourself so you can view them on your phone. I'm not sure why you would need to have the full compendium, builder, and everything that the DDI subscription entails while at the table.

So, do some more prep with the monsters and bad guys that are likely to be encountered in the current adventure, and then put everything away except for maybe your phone for sound effects etc.

It won't really hurt if you give it a shot, and if it doesn't work you can always bring all of the tech stuff back. I've gotten to the point where I bring nothing to my game table. No books, no computers, no notes, nothing. I only got to that point because I pushed myself to memorize / understand the rules and mechanics as best as possible. Obviously a combat mat (which the pipe cleaners are a nice touch) is almost necessary to run a 4e game.

Good luck, and as always, play what works at your table.

 

[thegrumpyyoungman]

well i have the compendium because i havent memorized the rules and stuff yet. i wish i could, but my memory isnt that good...i would need more time and practice.

 

[[OMENRPG]Ben]

Fair enough, but you wont' ever memorize them if you don't push yourself to try. Just my coupla coppers.

 

[thegrumpyyoungman]

Any other suggestions for organizing my digital dnd stuff?

 

[RedTonic]

Personally... I keep my public & semi-public stuff organized on a private forum for my players. They're responsible for knowing where it is if they need to access it (in other words, look it up yourself; don't pester me about the pantheon when I'm trying to resolve a combat). I use 4 pieces of software: Jasc PSP to make maps (PSP is a poor man's Adobe), Notepad (for my notes!), Excel (spreadsheets!), and Windows Photo Viewer slideshow thingy. Technically, I could just fold all my notepad content into Excel, but that's a little ugly. I can track all combat in Excel and, if I feel slightly meticulous, I can keep a blow by blow account in case we end a session mid-combat, or have a detailed account of what occurred during a fight so that I can write a log later.

When I play regular table top sessions, all I bring is a notepad, a copy of my map, my notes, and a calculator. Well, at least 1 color of pen/pencil, too. The only games I've played where we used figures or any type of representative token is my father's gaming group. Otherwise, we relied on mental gameboards or drawings.

 

[thegrumpyyoungman]

ah...a true old school dnd gamer! just to throw in a side note....my first dnd experience was 3.5, but the group i played with was all old school so we had new physical representation of anything whatsoever. it was fun, but my first dm'ing experience was 4e and i'm all about the physical representation of stuff. some say it takes away from the game and the imagination part of it, but thats only if its overused. i only use dungeon tiles/maps during encounters and i heavily describe the area before showing them the dungeon tiles. i get my group to buy miniatures for their characters and paint them themselves to make them attached to their character. if its just a plastic mini i give them to represent their character, they can take it or leave it and dont feel as worried about their character dying. they've invested money ($5-10 depending on the mini) and time (painting, and character creation) so they really care about their characters choices.

anyway, i try to mix what i learned and loved about older dnd editions with the new (maps, dungeon tiles, mini's). my players really like the maps and mini's and stuff, but the point of this post was basically to say that i think i've overdone the physical/visual stuff and tried to make it too modern when it doesnt need to be. Masterplan is very high tech and basically takes care of a lot of things most use via paper (i.e. conditions, initiative order, statuses, line of sight, movement). but what i found is that took away from the game itself, so i'm cutting most of that out and going back to basics. although i dont want to use paper as a dm at all....which is the point of this post...asking for recommendations on how to simplify my digital way of doing things. make sense?

 

[RedTonic]

My first pnp games were also 3e (surprisingly not 3.5 specifically). I love using maps and minis, but my liquidity isn't great enough to afford the accessories. I find that a sufficiently disciplined mind doesn't suffer either way. As long as you have one of those brains in the group, you can play with just the people and no other trappings. Of course that method isn't widely preferred--but it's doable! I also like to minimize my 'carry-ons' and complications, and find elegance in minimalism. I think I typically wieldmore stuff at a table where I don't feel very secure. In those cases I use 'stuff' as a barrier. If I can't reasonably increase my comfort level (and ditch the stuff), I invariably leave the table. I suppose it's acually a bit OT, but I wonder if other readers are similar?

 

[MarauderX]

Good plan for the digital route, as I've been doing it myself (thanks to 4E).

How about instead of foam boards for the dungeon tiles you look into tact-tiles? You can still paste the dungeon tiles on with poster putty, then draw in secret rooms with dry erase markers. To me big mats and boards were the worst due to their bulkiness.

 

[Vespucci]

Just a note on terminology: old school D&D players were mostly born in the 70s or later. They're not a generation alienated from computers. IIRC, Dragon was quick to run articles (perhaps even a regular column) covering the possibilities of computer aids for the game.

Arguably, it's the dungeon tiles and miniatures that are the new school elements in your ref kit.