What's in your DM binder?

[grodog]

I narrowed the scope of the project to focus on information discovered about the original Castle Greyhawk, and have been talking with the other admins at Canonfire! about building that. It's not a near-term project though.

(My current near-term project is finishing the d20 conversion of Rob Kuntz's MoZ4 adventure "The Eight Kings," which I have been working on for far too long, given how little I have left to finish).

 

[Silver Moon]

Rather than a binder I use a shoulder bag and a figure case.

In the shoulder bag I keep a stack of eight folders, each with different information needed for the current module (1) the main module; (2) maps (3) possible secondary encounters; (4) NPC's; (5) party character info. including copies of character sheets; (6) info. on unique party magic items; (7) the current module log (which is also posted on either EN World's Story Hour or Dragonsfoots Campaign Journal message board); and (8) Unrealated info. that I might decide to use just for the heck of it.

Also in the bag are the PHB, DMG, MM, a home-made gaming screen and usually a few issues of Dragon, Dungeon or Polyhedron magazine that I might use.

The figure case has four drawers full of metal miniatures, a big drawer on the bottom with assorted plastics and props; and a smaller top drawer with dice, pens, dry erase markers, and a cloth measuring tape to quickly measure out spell ranges.

 

[grodog]

Also in the bag are the PHB, DMG, MM, a home-made gaming screen

I'd be interested to hear about your homemade DM Screen. What do you have on it?

 

[Aristotle]

Pretty much all of my goodies have been listed already. The one major item that I have not seen mentioned (unless I missed it) is a calendar.

I print out a calendar (1 page per month) for the campaign world. I keep about 1 year in my binder, and I make copies for players to keep in their own binders. The calendar might include marks for important dates, phases for any moon(s), and so forth.

This way we can keep track of time and make notes where appropriate. It has proven to be a much greater tool than I originally thought it would be.

 

[dema]

Gee-

I had a binder, and it's still got stuff in it, mostly notes. I used to use a plain binder black and white but I change my mind too often. One cool thing I have in my binder is some protected dividers from the old MC books, all the lovely ladies and their demons (just gets the imagination going, opps wrong imagination.)

In serious, I have a bunch of internet found tables and charts that all my fellow fans make. These vary from DM screen replacements to combat stat summaries, and pre-made NPCS (I use many pre-made NPCs.)

Other that that, I started taking along a stack of index cards with me too. I also have a few old non-converted monsters from 2e, I convert on the fly (yeah I make that stuff up.)

Paper for notes, and graph paper. That's about it. I normally carry a few 2e FR campaign books with me, or just a module.


My signature pencil for DMing is an old Scripto with the hugh leads in it, that will last me til I die. I have some liquid pencils too, but havn't really used them too much. The rest of the group uses mechanical pencils though I keep a few regulars with grips and such around. My next step is to get a Pocket PC for fun and work, then we will see. But I still can't see computers replacing paper for a PnP RPG, it's just not right ! ! !


-d

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

DM Binders... they are really great things... what i need to do is organize mine a bit more and figure out what I really need and what I don't. There are some great articles in Johnn Four's weekly newsletter, Roleplaying Tips Weekly, (www.roleplayingtips.com if my memory serves me right) about DM binders, and DMing background preparations in general. Looking through my little archive here on the computer, #68 seems to be a huge collection of ideas just relating to the very topic of this thread.

I myself have a big black leather 3-inch 3 ring binder that my mother got at some conference of annuity planners or something. I have two folders hooked into the rings. One contains my DM Screens and all of the party info that i need for my main campaign. The other folder has all of the party info for my older, very seldom run game.

After that, the rest of the binder is divided into various sections of stuff--i use a LOT of those document cover thingies... you know.. clear plastic slip that you put paper into.... acn't remember what the heck they're called. I've got maps, angrablah-blah's reference sheets, player handouts, PC backgrounds, weather patterns for waterdeep, blank paper (quadrille and college ruled), a few house rules.... I really can't think of anything else at the moment


My DM Binder at the moment is very messy and not very organized or useful to me at this point. I need to examine exactly what i need and fix it up.

 

[Zhure]

3x5 cards.
Random NPC names.
That's it.

 

[megamania]

My binder has general campaign history. Thrown losely into it are my notes on the immediate adventure coming to be. On my four connected DM screens (yes-four connected by BIG paper clips) are notes about characters(AC, DEX, Skills,Items), reminders of rumors to build future gaming plots, and general reminders of how to GM better (refer to all 6[yes 6] senses in descriptions and so on).

 

[Psion]

My DM binder is basically my laptop. I write all my notes and whatnot on my laptops, and drop shortcuts to my notes and all of the utilities that I use into a convenient folder on the desktop.

I have two actual binders. One I keep photocopied articles in as well as map printouts. The other is sort of a file folder with some smaller scale maps and tactical maps (pullout from dungeon, etc.) When I ran 2e, I had a house rule and deities binder that I will probably re-introduce to pass around the table when my rules get to the point I am comfortable handing them out.

 

[Leopold]

No binder. I have a laptop, any material i need from the web i stream to my laptop from the internet using wireless. Audio, Video, etc all come down the pipe to my players laptops and my own. If i am being really mean, i start playing music to make them feel like they are USCWAP.