Adding 2nd monitor to my GM setup - need advice


Technology


I GM for my group, and I run most everything from my laptop. I am looking at adding a monitor display to use for showing my players maps, portraits and the like. I'm not real great on software, so I need some help with programs.

Basically, I'm looking for a program that I can use that will display the image, maps mostly, and allow me to cover unexplored areas of the map and uncover them as the area is explored. My players aren't really into mapping and it kind of slows things down.

It doesn't need to be a VTT. We have a gaming table that one of our guys built. I'm not opposed if this is the best option, but I really don't need all the features they include.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Roll 20 includes the Fog of War mechanics which will hide portions of your map on the player's screens.

If this is for a standalone setup open up dupes of your file in Photoshop or GIMP and add layers to the image that you can click off at will.


Using a VTT will definitely be easier than nearly any other solution. This is because you need to have 2 separate views of the same map at the same time. I've done this more than a few times using MapTool, but any client/server based VTT should do the trick.

GM Monitor: Start MapTool as a server. This is where you'll do all of your "work" (i.e. adding monsters, moving player tokens, etc.)
2nd Monitor: Connect MapTool to the local server as a PC.

For the 2nd monitor, I simply bought a 50-ft HDMI cable off Amazon and ran it straight to the input on my TV. Even if your PC or laptop lacks an HDMI out, DVI to HDMI adapters are cheap (VGA to HDMI aren't as cheap, but they do exist).

Hope this helps.


Thanks for the advice. I'll give MapTool a try, but I've never been able to get it to install properly on my PC. Hopefully I can figure it out.


You probably had a newer version of Java install than what it was compatible with. Thankfully, this past year they've updated to Java 7, so just be sure to download the most recent version and you should be fine.

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