Travelling Light to games

[dragonlordofpoondari]

That Kenzer one - is it available in .pdf?

I really don't think so. Here's the link.

That page has a link to a visual tour of the 3.0 one for your perusal.

 

[shilsen]

Laptop + a downloaded d20SRD.org?

Works for me.

Cheers, -- N

I'll second that. I never used a laptop for gaming, but ever since I started, it's made things much easier. Not only do I end up carrying less, but I have all sorts of gaming stuff on it, so being able to check them at the press of a button makes life much easier. The fact that I'm also online during the game helps a lot, but even without that the laptop is very handy.

 

[bento]

I go two different ways depending how I feel:

* Laptop (SRD, pdf adventures and notes) + small mini box + battle mat
* 3 Core books + binder with notes + small mini box + battle mat

I'd third (or is it fourth?) the idea of a rolling backpack. I could have sworn I saw a backpack made specifically for gamers. You also might look at what scrapbookers use.

 

[kenobi65]

I saw a lot of folks with the rolling backpacks/bags at Origins. My understanding is they aren't particularly cheap, but then again, neither is back surgery.

 

[RFisher]

For D&D: Everyone in my group has the core books. (At least everyone who ever hosts, but I think everyone does.)

It's good for everyone to bring their own PHB since that is the one book that ever seems to have more than one person referencing it at a time. I got the Mongoose Pocket PHB instead of the 3.5 PHB, & it has served me well while being even more portable.

Of course, it helps that I have a tendency to stick to the core books.

I also tend to eschew minis & battlemat these days, but the two of us who most often host have stuff to serve for that. In the past I got by just fine with a ziplock bag of counters & four roughly-letter-sized pieces of laminated paper with a 1" grid.

For most other RPGs I play, this isn't an issue, since the whole game is usually smaller than the PHB.

 

[Voadam]

Delegate to players. Have one bring a DMG and one bring an MM. Ask if you can share one of your player's PHs. Has worked for me. If a player is playing a wierd class or whatnot require the player to bring the book that has the stuff in it or make a cheat sheet for you to reference.

If you have stuff in pdf then print out the few pages of monster or stat blocks you want to use so you don't have to bring the whole book. If you only have hard copy then photo copy the pages you need. Bringing two pages you don't mind writing on is great compared to hauling a full hardcover for the same info.

Hauling a module around is no big deal (Unless it is WLD I guess).

Campaign setting or city/regional sourcebooks are generally something I bring.

If you want to be able to spring random wierd encounters on your party limit yourself to one monster book that you bring.

Minis, I've torn up a sheet of paper to make appropriate sized tokens before. writing O1, O2, O3, etc. on a bunch of 1" or so scraps of paper makes useable orc minis within 3 minutes. Doing the fold over and tape design for stand up ones takes more time and effort. There are also a ton of pdf options for fantasy minis and there are the Cardboard Heroes from GURPS that are lighter weight and more portable than metal or even plastic minis.

 

[Hjorimir]

I wish I could help you, but all I need to run my game is my book (True20), notebook, and a d20 stuffed into my pocked along with my keys.

 

[BlackMoria]

If the laptop is too much, then try a PocketPC with a large capacity memory card with PDFs stored on it. Mine even has a good dice program stored on it and PocketPC Excel for character sheets.

Downside - it has a small screen and unless you bring a roll up keyboard (yep, there is such a beast), using the stylus to tap in data can be a pain.

Upside - it all can go into a pocket or fanny pack so it doesn't get any lighter or more portable than that.

 

[Echohawk]

Yeah, I know... I omitted mentioning that chart in hopes of getting fresh ideas. Also, although I use the chart a lot I'm also used to having the other books around as a reference if needed. But that Kenzer screen sounds smart.

rycanada, I have a spare Kenzer screen if you want one. One of the (many!) panels has come loose and might need to be taped back on. If that doesn't bother you, drop me a message with your address and I'll post it to you.

 

[Ilium]

Small rolling luggage (the equivalent of an overnight bag or so) can be had fairly cheap. I bought two for my kids when we went on a trip for about $10.00 each at Target. Even when I bought them I thought "This would hold my gaming stuff really well..."