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Message: <blockquote data-quote="evildmguy" data-source="post: 1533930" data-attributes="member: 6092">Ideas for your laptopGreetings!I have a laptop when I game and here are the tools I use on it when at the table. I mention them because I have found them to be extremely helpful! Many of them could be used even if there is no computer available at the table. CCPro - Mapping software. I also use Fractal Terrains as well. This is a great mapping program! I have used it a lot and really like it!  (I have tried NBOS and it is good but I liked CCPro better, fwiw.)  Realm Overseer - I have Realm Overseer 3D, which allows me to convert my 2D maps from CCPro to a 3D format! I don't see a lot of use at it at the game although I have. It is a great tool. I don't think the company is supporting it anymore, though, which means that newer symbols are not supported. TreePad Business Edition - A very good tree view with notes software program. It allows internet links, links to programs, embedded pictures and more! It has a great search capability as well. I am using this for all of my notes on the campaign and it is working well. MSExcel - I use this to track combat and it works well. (For d20, I have a combat manager that I found on enworld.org but I think it was removed.) I also use this to track xp given as well as some character information. I also created a population spreadsheet to simulate population growth. MSWord - I was using this for my campaign notes and other notes but Treepad has good (enough) word processing abilities and is easier to jump back and forth between notes. So, I haven't used it much since I got TreePad. Milieu's WeatherMaster program - This is a very good program. I tested it against Kami's and it was much better due to the reports it can generate. It doesn't have much room for a log of events but as I use TreePad, this wasn't critical for me. I also wanted to generate the weather years at a time, and this does it well. It can't easily change generated weather, though, because it treats weather as an ongoing system. However, each day can easily be created as needed. A very good program. (I did see that one of the d20 programs has a weather generator as part of their program. While WeatherMaster still wins for reports, it was good.) Legacy - A genealogy program. I am using this to track the royal and noble houses. It is a LOT of work but will help out greatly and have some excellent reports. BLAZONS - I use this program as it creates the word version of the heraldry. However, support has been terrible and the website hasn't been updated in over a year. It is good program and very helpful but these have really soured my experience with it. Translators - I also found a language translation program to be able to fake some of the languages of my world. I use real world languages and try to be consistent in my speech, since I don't speak any other languages fluently! Web - I am fortunate enough to be connected to the web via a wireless network so I can use the web to find things while playing. This helped me find some riddles during the session and I don't know if the players noticed! It does require knowing what you are looking for but it has been a great help. FreeMind - This is some mind mapping software that is freeware. I haven't used it much yet but it will be very helpful in creating organization charts, like the thieves' guild, or any guild. I have found one that allows notes against each node, which would be nice, but it was very expensive. So, I accept that! Obviously, I don't use all of them at every session. However, they have really helped me create my own world, track things that are happening in it and allowed me to have rich details in my game that don't bog down play. I also use a digital audio recorder to record the session.  I do find myself listening to them later if I need to remember something for my notes.  I am still learning how to use it well.  One thing I am doing is making index marks in the recording and then noting why I made it.  I am considering getting a web cam to have a visual recording as well but have limited myself to audio for the moment.  I have a printer connected to it to be able to print out anything I need or if my players need something as well.  That is very handy!  I hope this is helpful! Have a good one! Take care!edg</blockquote>

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