The DM's Laptop: what should be on it?

[Buttercup]

(Moderators, I posted this here because I want the widest possible response, and it's more about running a game than about computers, IMHO.)

For those of you who run your game from a laptop, what programs do you use, both for game prep and at the table? Do you use a mish-mash of stuff, or do you use an integrated package like RPM? What do you like, and what don't you like? What creative uses of software have you come up with?

Right now I'm not using a laptop at the table, but since my game got too big for our living room, I'm DMing elsewhere. I'm sick of schlepping tons of stuff. I've tried RPM, but putting the adventures into it seemed counter-intuitive to me. Suggestions?

 

[Mark]

Email me, please...

 

[Nine Hands]

For my games, I use a laptop almost exclusively. If a book is published in PDF form, I have a PDF copy on the laptop.

A searchable version of the SRD is essential. I also created a huge document of all available spells in my campaign (with any changes that I wanted to add).

DM Genie is used, the time tracking and calendar functions are excellent. I use the combat options less and less as its easier to do the stuff in my head.

I use PCGen but normally print out the character sheets.

One thing I have a problem with a laptop is that there is just not enough room on the screen for all of the stuff I want to run

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I've often considered using a laptop for my games - the biggest benefit is that since I design all my adventures on the PC, I always would have access to every adventure and NPC I've created in the past 6 or 7 years.

I'm not a user of the various DM helper softwares, but I do use ETools, and having it handy would be nice.

I'd love to have various appropriate music cued up to playback via outboard speakers, also sound effects could be useful - I've thought of building a flash program with SFX so that you could just click a button to get various effects (screams, sounds of battle, creaking doors, etc).

If you had scans of all the monster pictures, you could just swing the laptop around to show the players a picture of a creature, without having to hold your hand over the name...

 

[JoeGKushner]

To keep track of initiative, I use Excel. Pop the character's name in, put their initiative roll, sort, and bam, start calling out the character's names.

 

[Trainz]

You could also use your laptop to run your games, if you use ID. You wouldn't need to draw maps or use a battlemat, or keep track of initiative or spell effects:

http://www.geocities.com/trainz_ca/ID

 

[Fenes 2]

I use a laptop to run my games as well. In every session I have the following files open:

- Complete Adventure Notes, in Word (the notes for the current adventure are printed out)
- Complete (hyperlinked) NPC file (Word) with all the NPCs the party encountered (and which are still alive)
- Party Data sheet (condensed version of the character sheets, all on one page, lets me roll sense motive, spot, listen checks etc. without asking if I want to)
- "Goon" file (word), a collection of the raw stats of all the NPCs I used in combat - great if I need to wing a fight with a high-level NPC.
- Name list (If I need to make up a NPC on the spot)
- Regional home-made campaign Sourcebook (word)
- Campaign history/adventure log
- Searchable SRD pdf document - great to look up spells etc. during play.

I don't have many combats in my game, and so I don't need software support to run them.

I could have all those files and documents printed out (and did before I got my laptop), but they were almost never up to date, and took a lot of place on the table, and a lot of time shuffling and searching through them. Nowadays I only have the PHB (for nostalgic reasons) and a couple printed adventure nots, and the paper to log the session, on my table next to the laptop.

 

[Nifft]

Linux :-D

Python -- what I write all my RPG programs in

Emacs -- or any other fast text editor for keeping notes

OpenOffice -- or any other word-processing program for making pretty hand outs

Mozilla -- or any other web browser

802.3b -- or some other connection to the Internet, for checking stuff in-game

PCGen -- awesome utility for advancing monsters & giving them character levels

XMMS -- or some other MP3 player -- I've ripped my whole collection to MP3, and it's very easy to make a "mood music change" when certain events occur.

-- Nifft

 

[Sam Witt]

For running your game at the table, DM's familiar is absolutely the best thing I've ever seen. It doesnt' have any generation capabilities, it doesn't have any fancy mapping programs, but it does keep track of everything needed for an adventure.

The combat boards are fantastic, the ability to drag and drop NPCs and Monsters into a battle at any time, and the quickly searchable reference are all so cool it'll change your DMing style.

There are other packages for generating characters (Campaign Suite is good for that), but nothing beats DM's Familiar for the DM with a laptop at the table.

Sam

DM's Familiar: http://www.paladinpgm.com/dmf/

 

[Steverooo]

One thing I have a problem with a laptop is that there is just not enough room on the screen for all of the stuff I want to run

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