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I've been curious lately. I know years ago it was just pen and paper, but today with so many game aids available, what do you use in game. I always thought that the modern gamer was a lot like me getting things like this and painting it green with tree accessories for wilderness encounters. And buying these for dungeon sets. Turns out I may be an extreme case. But I am curious to know what game aids you use?
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I use, or will be using:
- dry erase map
- invisible character markers
- flying character stands - both the large set, and the smaller ones for individual minis
- plastic minis, of course
- some of the gamermastery map packs - I have caravans, campsites, and ships.
- I also have a bunch of those gamemastery item cards, from when they used to send a pack with purchases.
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-Minis (probably too many but hey at least I'll have what I need)
- Dwarvenforge classic dungeon set (for when it's appropriate)
- Games Workshop Terrain gridded out (for wilderness encounters)
- Dry erase mats (trying to get to a point where these are null)
And thats as far as I've really gotten beyond the essentials, I want to start buying the cave set from Dwarvenforge but the last set cost $500 to get just enough to make a nearly full dungeon.
MapTool
Ventrilo
Mike and headset
PhotoShop
;)
how do you use the mike and headset?
Rulebooks
dice
pencils
paper
graph paper for combat maps
on occasion: critical hit deck, harrow cards
That's it. I prefer the pure, clean sound of analog gaming.
how do you use the mike and headset?
Plug them into my computer, obviously. ;)
Also forgot the Crit Hit/Crit Fumble decks, I do use those.
Laptop, dice, white board and marker.
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wet erase mats (2), markers, rulebooks, game mastery pad, minis (borrowed), Paizo GM screen, printed stat blocks, pen & paper for notes, and dice.
You didn't ask, but after the game, I summarize it all on Obsidian Portal.
How many of you use props like coins, "gems", wanted posters and other handouts, etc.? I've used handouts for backstory and journals/diaries, etc, but I've never used coins/other props as I don't really see the point (I'd love to hear otherwise, as I think the main thing missing from my games is tactile interaction, other than moving figs around the battle mat).
Music on the other hand is great. Low volume classical or movie soundtracks are epic!
Zo
Edited to remove excess "great"s. Doesn't work unless you're channeling Cleese's Scottish movie director.
Basics (Books, dice, pencils, sheets)
Dry-erase maps and minis. I'm very visual, I tried playing Vampire and had the storyteller draw maps during fights cause I wasn't sure where eveything/everybody was.
Magnetic dry-erase board for Init/Dmg/Status tracking (much like the game-pad one, but homemade using the extra magnets set)
I prefer no laptops/computers at the game, it may help in some situations, but I tend to find they become more of a distraction than an aid.
It would be nice to be able to afford all the terrain and dwarvenforge stuff. If I really need terrain, a hobby cutter, styrofoam and some paint will net me a cruder but much cheaper version.
How many of you use props like coins, "gems", wanted posters and other handouts, etc.?
I play with a guy who uses coins and gems, it was neat at first, but in the end we spent more time trying to remember what each one was valued, which were 10's or 100's, that I just went back to writing it down on my sheet. However I think it is fun getting a bag of "gems" as a prop and but once you figure out the value, returning said prop.
As for handouts I try in some cases, I made a few "old" maps and prophecies by typing something upon lt yellow paper then crumple and smoothing it so many times it was real flimsy and had the worn feel.
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How many of you use props like coins, "gems", wanted posters and other handouts, etc.? I've used handouts for backstory and journals/diaries, etc, but I've never used coins/other props as I don't really see the point (I'd love to hear otherwise, as I think the main thing missing from my games is tactile interaction, other than moving figs around the battle mat). Music on the other hand is great. Low volume classical or movie soundtracks are great!
Zo
I've used props in the past, from handouts to an assortment of weapons, and even an old pipe I would "smoke" from when GMing the PCs aged mentor. Can ad alot to the fun, and I used to have a bunch of costume jewelery and fake coins I would hand out when they found treasure. Thanks for reminding me of how much fun it was to use that stuff, now I got to see how much of it I can find.
Here is a link to my set up at my last place, the set up in the current place is pretty similar.
I use a game board and wet-erase markers along with extensive use of miniatures. I do on occassion use some buildings, usually cardstock paper buildings, but also a few mega-blocks (just like legos but cheaper), heroscape, and mage-knight buildings. I don't use the buildings as much mainly because people were having a hard time seeing around them (we mainly play seated the entire time).
Here is a link to free paper buildings on the WotC site.
There used to be a link to the wiz-kids site as well, but it looks like they dumped it when they got bought out.
I have the same Crystal Caste gaming mat that presman has in his screenshots. (Pretty sure it's the same one. Might be different dimensions, they come in various sizes.) It's wet-erase only and mine is stained with blue Vis-a-vis marker. The blue is the only one that stains really badly so I just plan to eventually color the whole thing with it so it's consistent.
Besides that I use a D&D 3.5e DM Screen or a PRPG GM Screen (depending on the game we're playing) and appropriate game books. Our main campaign is currently 3.5e. We're almost finished with Cormyr: The Tearing of the Weave and I've also started Expedition to Castle Ravenloft except set it in Ustalav with Pathfinder RPG rules. (Much easier in Pathfinder since undead aren't immune to crits.)
I also use the GameMastery Combat Pad to track initiative in every game (VERY VERY USEFUL), and the Critical Hits and Critical Fumbles decks.
Most of the miniatures at the table are D&D Miniatures brand plastic minis though I've recently branched out into other varieties of miniatures so I expect to see more variety at the table soon. (I started buying D&D Minis with the Unhallowed set because I really wanted a mini of Strahd. I ended up buying 29 boxes of Unhallowed and I'm still 4 minis short of a complete set.)
We also have a couple notebooks and a couple $1 calculators I got at Wal-Mart. Everyone gets a pencil.
I've recently started using the GameMastery Face Cards to represent NPCs (especially the NPCs that are with the party) and I think it helps ME as much as the players because I remember who is talking if more than one NPC is.
I own a BUNCH of the Item Cards and I'm trying to figure out how to fully integrate them into the game. So far I've just started handing them out as new loot, but haven't fully represented the characters' existing gear with them.
I also use AleaTools magnetic markers for color-coding different monsters of the same type that are using identical miniatures. I have six colors of AleaTools markers (red, orange, yellow, white, light gray, dark gray) so that's six distinct monsters with the same mini and I can start staking them up if I want to color-code beyond six. (I'd like to order the blue-green set of AleaTools markers next.)
I plan to introduce GameMastery Plot Twist Cards at the next session. I've already had some of my players draw their Plot Twist Cards (at a rate of one per character level).
I also use GameMastery Flip-Mats when I think they fit the situation and likewise for Combat Tiers. Combat Tiers (elevated platforms) make for some nice dynamic representation of aerial combat. So far I've used them for a fight with gargoyles and when the druid was Wild Shaped into a bird, but I expect to use them more as the party encounters a black dragon soon.
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When I start my Masque of the Red Death campaign I plan to move away from the gridded combat.
For that campaign I want to use item cards, plot twist cards, and maybe the critical hit/fumble cards, but I want to rely more on narration than grid combat. (Of course in that game "Run away!" is supposed to be a popular combat option. We'll be starting at level one with the slow XP track.)
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Projector
Laptop
Photoshop
Maptools
AP maps
Google Images
Homemade item cards
Critical Hit deck
I'm very lucky to be able to use tutorial rooms at my university, with full IT setup. So I create maps in photoshop extracted from the AP's, and layer on tokens made from art from the APs and other sources.
Here is a link to my set up at my last place, the set up in the current place is pretty similar.
I use a game board and wet-erase markers along with extensive use of miniatures. I do on occassion use some buildings, usually cardstock paper buildings, but also a few mega-blocks (just like legos but cheaper), heroscape, and mage-knight buildings. I don't use the buildings as much mainly because people were having a hard time seeing around them (we mainly play seated the entire time).
Here is a link to free paper buildings on the WotC site.
There used to be a link to the wiz-kids site as well, but it looks like they dumped it when they got bought out.
cool room, pres man!
cool room, pres man!Here is a link to my set up at my last place, the set up in the current place is pretty similar.
I use a game board and wet-erase markers along with extensive use of miniatures. I do on occassion use some buildings, usually cardstock paper buildings, but also a few mega-blocks (just like legos but cheaper), heroscape, and mage-knight buildings. I don't use the buildings as much mainly because people were having a hard time seeing around them (we mainly play seated the entire time).
Here is a link to free paper buildings on the WotC site.
There used to be a link to the wiz-kids site as well, but it looks like they dumped it when they got bought out.
Thanks, the new place is a bit smaller (or at least less regularly shaped), so the bouch (bed-couch) got bumped, much to my wife's disappointment (on occasion she would lay down, if it had been a long day leading up to the game, when she wasn't having to roll dice).
Ventrilo (or Mumble if the server is screwy)
TTopRPG (really recommend this, it's awesome)
Photoshop and the like
Foobar2000 (for music, loops songs nearly perfectly)
And iof course Critical Hit and Fumble Decks =)