Travelling DM's, hernia waiting to happen?

[Arnwyn]

I'm the host for all the sessions - as DM, the number of books I use during a game results in any travel being not an option.

Besides, my house has far superior gaming amenities than anywhere else.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I travel to all my games. I carry a legal case (9" x 14" x10"), my mini's case, and a battlemat. It can be tough to navigate doorways and corners!

When I DM, I carry a DMG, PHB, MM, occasionally one of the other books (PsiHB, MM2, splatbook) if its something I will need and the players don't have it. In one group, we play at the house of someone who has pretty much all the books I have and more besides; in my other group we play about 30% of the time at an apartment with all the books.

The players generally bring what books apply to their PC. I don't bring those extra books unless I will also need to check that info regularly.

I concur with Henry about limiting sourcebooks - there's so much out there, it's easy to become swamped in sourcebooks. I try to write out any bits that are taken from otherwise rarely used books in order to limit the amount of stuff I need to carry.

 

[LGodamus]

I have one of those pull behind luggage thingies with the extendable handle and a backpack and sometimes my minis case ....sometimes though I only take the luggage piece

 

[Ylis]

7-14 books isn't THAT bad...I mean, you could be running a RIFTS game

But to answer the question...my group typically has group books that are left at the host's house. That way the DM doesn't have to carry anything but paper, dice, and pen. So, all our books we mainly use for RPG are there, cluttering his/her house, etc. If anyone from the group needs a book, they just go get it and bring it back later. If you have a close-knit group, that could be the way to go

 

[Ylis]

Oh, and, incidentally, I weighed my RPG bag at one point before we implemented the group library thing, and it weighed in at 113lbs for running a slow point in a game....so I know what you mean

 

[Nifft]

I'm the DM, and I try to avoid looking in too many books during a session. However, since players will always go in the wrong direction / do the one thing that I didn't plan out fully, I often do need to reference my monster books.

-- N

 

[Wombat]

I am the GM.

The game comes to me

In the past I have travelled to other people's games, but as they were non-D20, I'm not sure my carrying experience signifies. For most any game I will bring the core rulebook and maybe a supplement (if it is important to my character). Beyond that, zippo.

OTOH, from looking at my players... Most, but far from all, of them bring a copy of the PHB. One guy brings at least 8 (!) books to each session, which leads to a lot of problems because he is constantly shuffling books around and has become an inadvertant kleptomaniac, in that he keeps picking up the wrong books when he leaves, bringing them back rather sheepishly to the next session.

 

[eris404]

Because one of my player's job asking him to get up early and him having children we have been 'forced' to play at his house rather than at mine.

Now I don't find this a problem except for the fact that I'm constantly forced to either type everything I need for a session in my campaign notes or take along a hell of a lot of books. Although it varies I sometimes take about 7 to 14 books with me most about 70% hardcovers not counting the amount of paperwork in binders and other assorted items like dice, food and drinks.

How do you handle this? I'm mostly fearfull in leaving my books behind in case my player's do something out of the blue which I don't expect. How much are you carrying around for a session?

Although I am just as guilty for wanting to bring my whole collection with me, the one thing I would suggest is to pare it down - you are killing yourself with all those books!

One thing I would suggest is that if some of those books are for the players (that is, has a magic item, prestige class or whatever that a player is using), make them responsible for it. Either copy the appropriate information and give it to them to manage, or just expect them to bring the book themselves. We've done that in our group and it makes the DM so much happier (especially when the DM was me).

Another idea, especially if there are multiple copies of the same book around, would be to leave a copy at your friend's house, especially if you always play there.

 

[Allanon]

Ah, it's good to know that I'm not alone in my back aches concerning books .

One of the things I'm currently trying to get my player's to do is make them take care of their own books, excerpts and the like. Problem is, is that I'm a book-o-holic and the only one with a collection of this size.

Maybe I'm going to take the suggestion of some of you to heart and 'lend' my books semi-permanently to the ones who need them... if I only can get myself to part from my 'baby's'

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I answered "Normal", because I do indeed only bring 3-5 books with me (PHB, DMG, MM, FRCS and MM2), but there's additional stuff that I bring:

All the time:
- Notes binder
- Box of Minis
- Box of Dice
- (semi-voluminous) Pencil case
- 6 Small (6"X6") Dry-erase pads (for passing notes and taking temporary notes, ie buffs and combat spell effects)
- Various foods, and most of the time a 2L of Coke

Sometimes:
- 30"X40" Dry-erase rigid gridded panel for combats
- Box of pewter minis

So, yeah, when I have to take public transportation, it can be tireing.

AR