Tabletop Aids

[megamania]

Currently in use-

paper for notes and Init
Battlemats (multiple- saves time drawing out major areas of battle that are known)
Dice boxes that the dice come in (denotes if one is flying)
Pennies / nickles for Wall of Blades, Wall of Fire etc...
2x2 Large bases for enlarged PCs / NPCs
3x3 stiff colored paper for Huge resized PCs / NPCs
Dungeon Tiles
Prebuilt Lego blocks (assembled, glued and painted) for building construct with tiles
Foam knockouts from Chessex figure boxes and Reaper blister packs glued to make walls of ruins
Colored Foam sheets for rivers, ponds, lava, lava rivers, Marshes
Metal figures
40k figures
DDM figures
Toys
slugs / purges from molding press machines (I work at a plastics factory)

and anything else not tied down.

 

[megamania]

I knew this guy, he had an unprotected game with really sexy table, and, well, he got tabletop AIDS.

Many say addicts of Plastic Crack get tabletop AIDS also.

 

[Shadowslayer]

Currently in use-

paper for notes and Init
Battlemats (multiple- saves time drawing out major areas of battle that are known)
Dice boxes that the dice come in (denotes if one is flying)
Pennies / nickles for Wall of Blades, Wall of Fire etc...
2x2 Large bases for enlarged PCs / NPCs
3x3 stiff colored paper for Huge resized PCs / NPCs
Dungeon Tiles
Prebuilt Lego blocks (assembled, glued and painted) for building construct with tiles
Foam knockouts from Chessex figure boxes and Reaper blister packs glued to make walls of ruins
Colored Foam sheets for rivers, ponds, lava, lava rivers, Marshes
Metal figures
40k figures
DDM figures
Toys
slugs / purges from molding press machines (I work at a plastics factory)

and anything else not tied down.

Holy crap. I got a tin of dungeon tiles, a tin and a couple sewing boxes with minis, a big half poster size folder for maps, and my books...and I'm already taking up too much space with my game stuff.

I'm jealous.

 

[megamania]

Holy crap. I got a tin of dungeon tiles, a tin and a couple sewing boxes with minis, a big half poster size folder for maps, and my books...and I'm already taking up too much space with my game stuff.

I'm jealous.

I inhereted my folks house (it is a money pit) that doubled as a woodshop. I took the space downstairs and broke it up, One room is 15x30. In this room are two 4x8 game tables, a computer, 20 years worth of metal, games work shop and DDM figures, 30+ years worth of action figures, dragon and monster toys. Its great for gaming but I still wonder if the house was worth it.

 

[Emirikol]

Aside, from Dice, Pencils, Paper, Mini's, Laptops, and Battlemats, what things do you use to help run your game?

Basics: all of the above sans the laptop (computers slow the game down).
I dont actually use the vis a vis markers much anymore. We use black dragon dominoes (the black side) and the cardboard doors. Vis a vis is about as "blah" as you can go for a game..plus you don't have to get blue fingers from cleanup!

Advanced:
Cardboard heroes
Cardboard heroes mount: horses & camels that you can stick your character into for a MOUNT
Cardboard stand-up doors
Painted cotton torches with a small band of tape so they can be mounted on all mini's
Rocks and stones for creating cave walls and elevation. I use fossil rocks that I find out here in Colorado
Modeling clay (for creating stuff)
Red clay (for creating stuff)
Sticks (for logs)
Cardboard tiles for creating rivers/trails (double sided)
Cardboard houses (some flat-topped for thief adventures)
Cardboard castle walls
Train-layout bushes and treees
COTTON - some stained red/yellow for FIRE
COTTON - staned gray for smoke (we use a MARKER btw, to change the cotton colors)
Fruit netting (like you get for oranges) for webs, nets, etc.
Miniature plastic chairs/tables
Clear plastic stand for invisible characters
Clear plastic elevation stand for elevated characters (flying, climbing, whatever)

TABLE TENTS: We re-use the table tents over the years. These are the PC billboards that sit in front of a player that say what the characters name, class, race, PICTURE, etc are. They're getting heavy because we just add new sheets of paper over the original stand and other PC's as we enter new campaigns. There's a lot of history under them.

I keep a box of "junk" nearby for heaping the occasional odd thing on the table. Rusty can serves as an ancient tower, bent wire (works well for simulating rope..and you can dangle minis' from them off of "cliff-like rocks."

For players that are too lazy to paint their mini BEFORE the game, I keep paint and a file at the table.

MAPS on the walls..many national geographic historical maps.

CONAN books..the artwork inspires

Parchment

Post-its

Cardboard Heroes "Weapons" for disarms


etc.

jh

 

[GeorgeFields]

This thread is awesome.

I plan to use many of the things I've seen here.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Basics: all of the above sans the laptop (computers slow the game down).
I dont actually use the vis a vis markers much anymore.

I recently got my laptop back from warranty covered repairs. I intend to use it for speeding up reference. I got the CMG Standard Reference Document .pdf's. If someone busts out a spell I am not familiar with, I should be able to find the description within it much faster then I could using the PHB.

I dont anticipate using it for tracking things like initiative or character HP though.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Chairman7w]

Best Initiative tool ever: Simle Index Cards.

I have a card for each player and I ask them all to roll Init at the start of combat. I just write the Init at the top right of the card very small (about a 1/4" high) and then write the monster's name on a card and roll/write it's Init.

Then just put the cards in correct order and combat away!!

Additional Note: When a particular Effect happens to somebody I can write it on the card (Stunned, Dazed, etc.)

 

[Emirikol]

Roll Initiative!!!!

I only use cards for initiative if we have 7+ players. Otherwise I keep it on my scratch sheet of paper in front of me:

[EDIT] : SEE MY DM SCRATCH SHEET ATTACHMENT IN NEXT POST


It's laid out like this:
---------------------------------------------------
DM_______|___15_______|_______________________________
H.Izo_____|___22_______|_______________________________
Barbaras__|____10_______|______________________________
Masika____|____27______|_______________________________
Azula_____|____19_____|_______________________________
Slorn_____|____4_____|______________________________
Mombasa__|____14_____|_______________________________

I simply circle the ones that are HIGHER than the DM and read the numbers.

I know some of you are experts with the cards, but I found them cumbersome and I tended to fumble them during combats.

jh

 

[Emirikol]

The Most Important Thing..the Dm's Scratch Sheet Of Paper

The most important thing in front of me (besides the scenario) is my DM's Scratch Sheet. Every game, I take a sheet of paper and prep the night on it.

We have campaign "theme" additions to every game (we're playing Age of Worms in Conan's world afterall). So I take a sheet of blank paper for DM scratch sheet and include the following information: Encounter flavor updates, Combat tracking (hit points), Initiative.

SEE ATTACHED.

jh