What tools/toys do you use to game. Options

[tech2.0]

Beside the BBB character sheet and dice, what do you use when you game shadowrun? (ie calc with dice roller program, spell or program cards)

[jklst14]

I always bring a laptop as well.

I would also suggest checking out this old thread here:

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=21004&hl

[Method]

Laptops are great, especially with text-searchable pdfs.

[Speed Wraith]

As the GM I have my laptop with my notes and .pdfs on it, otherwise the player's don't use anything but their dice, pencils, scrap paper, sheets and imaginations. The problem with dice roller apps is that you can't take an offending die and chuck it out the door. Therefore, they are utterly worthless (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Kyoto Kid]

...Notebook Comp with basically everything needed for a game session (except the snacks & beer). Basically got tired of lugging nearly 20 kilos of books around to every session.

The problem with dice roller apps is that you can't take an offending die and chuck it out the door. Therefore, they are utterly worthless

...the nice thing about them though is the players have no idea something is going to happen because you didn't tip them off by picking up the dice. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[tech2.0]

I am think more of want the players bring and what aids you use(cards with (x, y) info,basic combat matrix, custom combat init program...) . Laptop and pdfs are a standard now in most cases.

[RunnerPaul]

Google Maps / Microsoft Live Maps -- Wonderful source of overhead & oblique angle aerial shots of interesting buildings and corporate office campuses.

[Edit]
Though that's more of a GM tool and I see you're looking for player tools.

[cryptoknight]

...the nice thing about them though is the players have no idea something is going to happen because you didn't tip them off by picking up the dice. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Oh that's easy... I randomly pick up and roll dice throughout the non-something parts of my game... keeps the players on their toes.

[Method]

I don't think a player could go wrong with a copy of the GM screen. While it is intended to hide "sneaky dice of doom" rolls by the GM it also has all the important tables you need to play- none of which is the secret domain of the GM. I personally love having players who actually want to learn the rules.

Aaron's SR cheat sheets are also a great resource- basically the GM screen without all the sneaky doom.

[Hatspur]

Dice pits. I've been to so many groups who roll dice that bounce off the table all the time while they watch me roll into a nice flat area with its own built in walls. I've also heard people complain about the cost of Frisbees, but if you're looking for cheap ones and you happen to live in US, just hit up petsmart. They go for about $1.

As an avid Ultimate player, standard 175 gram Discraft Frisbees work the best.

[Kyoto Kid]

Oh that's easy... I randomly pick up and roll dice throughout the non-something parts of my game... keeps the players on their toes.

...I actually used to do that with my old Space Opera group. Really unnerved the heck out of them. I would also look about aht the players, raise an eyebrow or shrug, and then pretend to note something down. A little simpler with that game though since just about every test was d100 based instead of needing a fist-full of dice.

I still do use real dice during combat and when PCs are directly interacting with NPCs. I seem to have latched onto a "charmed" set which tends to roll an unusually high ratio of hits.

[tech2.0]

Aaron's SR cheat sheets are also a great resource- basically the GM screen without all the sneaky doom.

That is more what I am thinking of, I have printer a copy if the cheat sheets and borrowed the hacker cards. I'm making my own, but waiting for unwired to finish and looking at making sprite cards to use markers in the cards sleeve to make changes.

[Fuchs]

Laptop with all pdfs, and a link to wiki's "most popular first and last names" pages, for quick NPC generation on the fly. Dice of course.

[DocTaotsu]

We use a multi touch "Surface" screen appropriated from Microsoft.

Okay, that's a lie. But it'd be fucking awesome if we did. Especially if it was full gaming table size. I could pull up a PDF, read it behind my GM screen (in the real world) and then toss it to another table my flicking it across the table.

Oh yeah, i can't freakin wait for a cheap multi-touch table.



The GM screen is good times, combined with the cheat sheets it really speeds up gameplay.

I also enjoy the sneaky doom of a GM screen. Rolling in my Attache Case of Doom just doesn't freak them out as much, I blame to the padded bottom.

[Yoan]

Laptop with a lot of PDFs (old and 4th edition), White board with 2-3 different coloured markers, two binders (one fluff/campaign related, one house rules and new sheets), bucket of dice, stack of pencils. Graph paper, loose leaf paper and two different coloured notepads. I also keep some print-outs/write-ups of 'cheat sheets' (Combat, Matrix stuff, etc) since most of my players don't own the Core book(s) and I'm stingy; the GM screen also doubles as their reference, though. Google Earth on the laptop is also a godsend. A steel 12-inch ruler. Picking up Mini's eventually.

If playing in a foreign home, my water bottle + assorted alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, munchies, etc. When on home turf this isn't as much an issue.

Edit: I've been GMing far too long, can't you tell? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

Edit 2: Player gear includes whatever dice and pencils they can muster (usually leech mine), their sheets, some white paper for their notes (two or three are meticulous notekeepers, which I encourage), their booze, and the occasional calculators. Commando style.

[JeffSz]

- Dice of every shape, regardless of the fact that shadowrun only requires d6's (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
- Snacks
- Pencils, though often we forget until the last minute and I have scrounge around the house, or else someone ELSE remembers, and has pencils for us, to my great relief.
- Stack of printouts for the adventure: as useful as a laptop is, i can't stand trying to use it for -everything-
- Laptop: relegated to PDF's of any rulebooks i don't have hardcopiess for. Sometimes used to google images of something i want the players to really understand a description of.
- Dice pit: this is awesome, as dice stay on the table, but sadly I seem to have misplaced it...
- I recently picked up a hexxed wet-erase battlemat, which we'll use during combat situations for tactical reasons.
- scrap paper
- i would LIKE to start making little cards for weapons, etc. instead of using weapon listings on character sheets; this makes equipment less permanent. A character can toss a shotgun to an unarmed buddy, and the player only has to pass the card over. My obstacle is the time required to actually make the damned things...
- cheat sheets (The Veg-Packet) so most of the mechanics are easily found
- hardcopies of all the rulebooks, with important sections cleverly marked with stickynotes or those stick-on page tabs

edit: extra characters for each player in case somebody bites the bullet, so nobody gets bored / left out

[Nightwalker450]

- i would LIKE to start making little cards for weapons, etc. instead of using weapon listings on character sheets; this makes equipment less permanent. A character can toss a shotgun to an unarmed buddy, and the player only has to pass the card over. My obstacle is the time required to actually make the damned things...

I like this idea... I've got the Program cards, some for weapons/spells would be nice. Let me know when its done (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Larsine]

Snacks, BBB, drinks, Street Magic, snacks, Arsenal, drinks, Augmentation, snacks, GM Screen, drinks, dice, snacks, paper, drinks, pencils, snacks, Aaron's cheat sheets, drinks, imaginations, snacks, and then someting to eat and drink.

Lars

[JeffSz]

I like this idea... I've got the Program cards, some for weapons/spells would be nice. Let me know when its done (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Actually, Spells are already on some cards somewhere...
But if I ever finish making the weapon cards, I'll post them up.