same here. Paper/Binder. And now that the beamer is broken I'm reduced to temporarily draw out my maps again with mini's. Instead of projecting gimp/photoshop maps with tokens on the wall.
I use an iPad for my games. I have DDB open and flip tabs when I need to look up a monster or a rule if I don't just want to wing it. I use a note pad to jot down information in actual INK!. Although, I have the hardback books for almost everything (not Ravinica...shudder...MtG evil has come...) I don't use them, it is just easier to use either my iPad or my Laptop to access that material now.
As to minis and maps and such: I run a Theater of the Mind game, so no detailed maps and minis. If the players need something they just have to cope with a quick, not to scale sketch, I can make on the spot.
Laptop - I'm making way to many notes as I'm DM'ing, dipping into random name generators, and/or hitting Wikipedia for historical and/or mythological references, while playing, to limit my input speeds to that inherit in a tablet.
All my notes are on Google Docs - and while you can read those on a tablet, they're a constantly changing document during play.
Laptop, Dice, Scratch Notepad, Scratch graph pad, and generic GM Screen with 8.5x11 pockets stuffed with reference charts and flowcharts.
Combat is Theatre of Mind, although I'm not above busting out an impromptu sketched not-to-scale map to clarify layouts to Players.
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I use my laptop for a few things such as sound and previous session notes, but I track everything else on paper. I don't like to have too much in the way of electronics, I want the players to forget the real world for a few hours.
I'm neither team Samsung nor team Apple, I'm PCMR. My games are run via PC. I have two monitors, so TableTop Simulator runs on my main, and I keep other windows on the second. If playing face-to-face (which hasn't happened in over a year due to my gaming group being spread across the country) I have multiple Windows 10 devices (laptops, 10" tablets and 8" tablets, but none of them are actually a Surface) that I use, depending on the level of intrusiveness allowed. I don't keep things on paper any more.
I don't own dead-tree editions of many books since it's much nicer to only have to carry a laptop and have access to my entire library. I'm old and I remember having to lug 75 lbs of gaming books around. I'd rather lug my i7 laptop with all of my books occupying the majority of a 64-gig thumbdrive. All of them. GURPS, Doctor Who, Heavy Gear, BattleTech, Star Trek Adventures, CthulhuTech, Savage Worlds, Hero, Mutants and MasterMinds, Shadowrun, Warhammer Fantasy, and a bunch that are relatively niche that many people probably haven't heard of (I'm looking at you BASH and Supers!). The only books I can't download are D&D, because, well, I'll be really happy when D&D Beyond gets us a Windows 10 app. My Gaming Books directory is 33.5 gigs, but BattleTech and GURPS are their own directories. BattleTech is an additional 7.4 gigs and GURPS is 4.1 gigs (the old BattleTech books are mostly scans, so they're huge) which brings my gaming books to 45 gigs.
Oh, man, I haven't played Space Opera in ages. I'm not sure I even have those books in dead tree anymore (they might have been destroyed in the great wettening of the '90s--where I lost my original copy of BattleDroids). I know I don't have them for PDF. I still have my FASA Doctor Who and Star Trek games (including the ship combat game). And my old FASERIP Marvel Super Heroes as well as the not-quite-as-good SAGA version. MechWarrior 2nd edition is still the best edition of MechWarrior. The new versions are all just too . . . clunky.
And for any of you who don't quite understand, you should be reading every game you can get your hands on. Read games to learn how other systems do things so, when you come across a mechanic you don't like, you'll be able to draw from your experience and find a new one you do like.
Using a laptop: I have all my world notes (maps, history, locations, NPCs) in Scrivner including data from previous sessions and I also have Random Roll Charts to come up with names and descriptions on the fly. I run Syrinscape for music on my laptop. Excel spreadsheet for tracking the world's economy, since I use a different coin conversion rate than D&D (1,000 system not 10).
I use my tablet for online resources and to pull up reference books, my tablet can also run Scrivner. Thank you, D&D Beyond! I also use my tablet as a calculator with MyScript Calculator and if needed Syrinscape can be run on it too.
I have a 3 Ring Binder that has what I planned for the session (monster packs, Maps, Map legend, notes) and a 3 Subject Notebook to track what is going on in session (what random encounters I have used, random names, fun PC in-game quotes, what is bought and spent, XP, money distributed, how many days have passed in-game).
A box of index cards with Monsters at the parties level all ready to go so I can pull them out on the fly in case the players go off on a tangent and I cannot repurpose the creatures I had previously planned for the session.
My GM Screen I put a post-it note with Player characters names on it sitting arrangement order thing, Random Name Generation D20 Roll table, and rules that I commonly need available.
All my paper notes get loaded into Scrivner after the session to track what has occurred within a few days while everything is still fresh in my head.
Though we play on a grid with minis, I'm finding I'm DM'ing and playing more from my tablet than I used to. I have pretty much all of the DM resources in pdf, and usually will load up/bookmark pages for quick reference. I like your idea of a roll chart for names on the fly, as I'm finding my table likes to get to know NPCs before executing them.
I use a trusty old ThinkPad laptop with the following resources (plus dndbeyond, obviously):
Map display via either RPTools MapTool or roll20.
Initiative / hp / status tracking with improved-initiative.com. It's really nice even if you don't want to show the player view: built in reminders of status effects and concentration saves are great to have. If you want to run somewhere without internet connectivity, it's also possible to host a copy locally on your own machine (though it will take some setup). My player facing display is usually a browser window split 75/25 between map or images and the player view of improved initiative.
Sound mostly via Kevin MacLeod's incompetech.com for background and tabletopaudio.com for effects.
Campaign notes with restricted player read/edit access via DokuWiki. I find it has a good balance of features vs. effort to configure, but that will vary depending on your level of comfort in tinkering with things. There are several good online options for campaign wikis if you don't want to set one up yourself - worldanvil.com in particular I would probably be using if I did more detailed worldbuilding.
I would prefer to use pen and paper but don’t have the time to continue to draw out maps for the party, still using premade adventures. Call me part of the instant gratification generation of you like but I find it speeds up the play at my table. I use an iPad and my phone, the party uses a mix of laptop/tablet and spell cards.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I'm curious what other DMs use for their technology platforms.
I'm still mostly using paper at the table still. When I do need to check something quickly, I have an iPod Touch that does the trick in a pinch.
same here. Paper/Binder. And now that the beamer is broken I'm reduced to temporarily draw out my maps again with mini's. Instead of projecting gimp/photoshop maps with tokens on the wall.
I use an iPad for my games. I have DDB open and flip tabs when I need to look up a monster or a rule if I don't just want to wing it. I use a note pad to jot down information in actual INK!. Although, I have the hardback books for almost everything (not Ravinica...shudder...MtG evil has come...) I don't use them, it is just easier to use either my iPad or my Laptop to access that material now.
As to minis and maps and such: I run a Theater of the Mind game, so no detailed maps and minis. If the players need something they just have to cope with a quick, not to scale sketch, I can make on the spot.
Laptop - I'm making way to many notes as I'm DM'ing, dipping into random name generators, and/or hitting Wikipedia for historical and/or mythological references, while playing, to limit my input speeds to that inherit in a tablet.
All my notes are on Google Docs - and while you can read those on a tablet, they're a constantly changing document during play.
Laptop, Dice, Scratch Notepad, Scratch graph pad, and generic GM Screen with 8.5x11 pockets stuffed with reference charts and flowcharts.
Combat is Theatre of Mind, although I'm not above busting out an impromptu sketched not-to-scale map to clarify layouts to Players.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I use my laptop for a few things such as sound and previous session notes, but I track everything else on paper. I don't like to have too much in the way of electronics, I want the players to forget the real world for a few hours.
I'm neither team Samsung nor team Apple, I'm PCMR. My games are run via PC. I have two monitors, so TableTop Simulator runs on my main, and I keep other windows on the second. If playing face-to-face (which hasn't happened in over a year due to my gaming group being spread across the country) I have multiple Windows 10 devices (laptops, 10" tablets and 8" tablets, but none of them are actually a Surface) that I use, depending on the level of intrusiveness allowed. I don't keep things on paper any more.
I don't own dead-tree editions of many books since it's much nicer to only have to carry a laptop and have access to my entire library. I'm old and I remember having to lug 75 lbs of gaming books around. I'd rather lug my i7 laptop with all of my books occupying the majority of a 64-gig thumbdrive. All of them. GURPS, Doctor Who, Heavy Gear, BattleTech, Star Trek Adventures, CthulhuTech, Savage Worlds, Hero, Mutants and MasterMinds, Shadowrun, Warhammer Fantasy, and a bunch that are relatively niche that many people probably haven't heard of (I'm looking at you BASH and Supers!). The only books I can't download are D&D, because, well, I'll be really happy when D&D Beyond gets us a Windows 10 app. My Gaming Books directory is 33.5 gigs, but BattleTech and GURPS are their own directories. BattleTech is an additional 7.4 gigs and GURPS is 4.1 gigs (the old BattleTech books are mostly scans, so they're huge) which brings my gaming books to 45 gigs.
Is it possible to be a digital hoarder?
You are fine...you can stop anytime you want.
Also, I do in fact know BASH and SUPERS!
Can I raise you a Space Opera?
Oh, man, I haven't played Space Opera in ages. I'm not sure I even have those books in dead tree anymore (they might have been destroyed in the great wettening of the '90s--where I lost my original copy of BattleDroids). I know I don't have them for PDF. I still have my FASA Doctor Who and Star Trek games (including the ship combat game). And my old FASERIP Marvel Super Heroes as well as the not-quite-as-good SAGA version. MechWarrior 2nd edition is still the best edition of MechWarrior. The new versions are all just too . . . clunky.
And for any of you who don't quite understand, you should be reading every game you can get your hands on. Read games to learn how other systems do things so, when you come across a mechanic you don't like, you'll be able to draw from your experience and find a new one you do like.
Oh how true. Breadth of exposure is a key here. Read whatever you can.
Using a laptop: I have all my world notes (maps, history, locations, NPCs) in Scrivner including data from previous sessions and I also have Random Roll Charts to come up with names and descriptions on the fly. I run Syrinscape for music on my laptop. Excel spreadsheet for tracking the world's economy, since I use a different coin conversion rate than D&D (1,000 system not 10).
I use my tablet for online resources and to pull up reference books, my tablet can also run Scrivner. Thank you, D&D Beyond! I also use my tablet as a calculator with MyScript Calculator and if needed Syrinscape can be run on it too.
I have a 3 Ring Binder that has what I planned for the session (monster packs, Maps, Map legend, notes) and a 3 Subject Notebook to track what is going on in session (what random encounters I have used, random names, fun PC in-game quotes, what is bought and spent, XP, money distributed, how many days have passed in-game).
A box of index cards with Monsters at the parties level all ready to go so I can pull them out on the fly in case the players go off on a tangent and I cannot repurpose the creatures I had previously planned for the session.
My GM Screen I put a post-it note with Player characters names on it sitting arrangement order thing, Random Name Generation D20 Roll table, and rules that I commonly need available.
All my paper notes get loaded into Scrivner after the session to track what has occurred within a few days while everything is still fresh in my head.
Though we play on a grid with minis, I'm finding I'm DM'ing and playing more from my tablet than I used to. I have pretty much all of the DM resources in pdf, and usually will load up/bookmark pages for quick reference. I like your idea of a roll chart for names on the fly, as I'm finding my table likes to get to know NPCs before executing them.
I use a laptop and/or a phone but I would prefer to use no devices at all. They are a huge distraction -- especially for players.
I have noticed this with the younger generation especially. Darn anti-social media!! ;)
I use a trusty old ThinkPad laptop with the following resources (plus dndbeyond, obviously):
I would prefer to use pen and paper but don’t have the time to continue to draw out maps for the party, still using premade adventures. Call me part of the instant gratification generation of you like but I find it speeds up the play at my table. I use an iPad and my phone, the party uses a mix of laptop/tablet and spell cards.