All righty, a quick and dirty post (just how your mom likes it) for my Dungeon Master Kit series (part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4). Warning: copious phallic jokes within.
I'm running a Castles & Crusades sandbox game in the Haunted Highlands. I love having a big physical map for the players and me to gaze at. There is something frickin' cool about a good fantasy map.
It's aHaunted Highlands hex map made by Darlene, who did the original Greyhawk map. I bought the PDF from the Troll Lords site and had it printed at Staples. (It doesn't seem they have it available at their updated storefront.) Since I can reprint it, I have no problem with us writing on it and making it our own.
What I present.
What my players see.
Well, it's kind of a pain to cart around without getting mangled, so being the top-grade nerd that I am, I bought a map case for it from Amazon. It was cheap and has been indeed handy. It's expandable too, which is nice.
Finally, the Dungeoneering Dad has come back to his Dungeon Master Kit series (part 1, part 2, and part 3).
Why PDFs?
As much as I love the usefulness, lack of eye strain, and, dare I say it, the beauty of hard copy books, I've found myself using PDF copies of RPGs more and more. They take up less space (duh), support smaller publishers, and are typically cheaper. As of now, I have an online library of 693 items at DriveThruRPG (...not gonna lie, that's a bit embarrassing).
An actual gamer using a tablet in sheer ecstasy.
Why a Tablet?
less to cart around
access to a large library of PDFs
can search books electronically
feel like you're from the future
Why a Fire Tablet?
Rich Corinthian leather case.
Look, straight up, if you can afford an iPad, the Fire tablet can't compete. However, if you're budget-minded, I recommend the Fire. (It was known as the "Kindle Fire," but they seem to have dropped the "Kindle" part.) As I've mentioned a few times in ages past (linky link and linky link), I use a Fire for my RPG PDFs.
How to Make Your Fire More Useful and Super-Duper Cool!
My DriveThruRPG library... behold and tremble.
Since a Fire isn't a typical Android tablet, you can't typically use it like a normal tablet. However, you can pretty easily side-load the Google Play Store and then, bingo, you can install a lot more apps including, the DriveThruRPG Library app, a variety of PDF readers, etc.
Here is a great "How to Geek" article detailing how to get the Google Play Store: link
Once you do that, you can use a variety of nice apps to organize your library, although I'm starting to use the DriveThruRPG Library appitself more and more. If you used the SD Cardmethod above, you can access the PDFs via a variety of PDF readers.
All righty... back at it here with part of 3 of my gripping Dungeon Master Kit series (part 1 and part 2).
I have a problem... I own *a lot* of Dungeon Master screens. I've been on the quest for the perfect one... never resting... never ceasing... until NOW.
It's excellent. You can get it at NTSD Gaming (amongst other cool stuff).
It's made of vegan leather (WTF is that you may ask? It's a material made of polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride). It looks great and does indeed feel a lot like actual leather.
It folds up nicely with a strap for extra sassiness.
I opted for a few customizations. I figure this will be the last DM Screen I'll ever buy (God willing). I opted for:
In addition to looking great, it has great functionality. It's magnetic, so it came with:
Cool d20 magnets to attach my own inserts. I made my screen inserts via Marq (a great free service).
Related note: While I've found lots of screens with cool art, they never seem to have exactly what I want. A custom screen is definitely the way to go.
Adorable... like your mom.
Magnetic initiative trackers that afix right to the screen.
My dice are totally not posing.
Initiative trackers... "Evil" is what I use for any opponent.
What the players see (well, this and my roguishly handsome visage).
Two magnetic white boards (one with a grid and one without).
Whiteboards aplenty.
I also splurged for other goodies.
foldable dice tower that magnetically attaches to the screen.
Works pretty well, despite what my players think. I can't help that I roll 20s, bitches.
There were some other goodies, too, like magnetic spell cards and PC ards.
Spell cards. The PC cards are, sadly, MIA at the moment.
This was an awesome purchase. I love it and highly recommend.
However, if you want a more budget friendly customizable screen, there are options here: link
Prior to finding the Kickstarter, I was on the verge of making my own screen. Here are some great ideas on how to do that. The DIYer in me still finds these options appealing.
I'm picking back up my series on my Dungeon Master Kit (part 1 being here: link). (Technically, I'm a Castle Keeper these days, but let's not trifle.)
As much as electronic tools are great, I still like using analog tools as much as I can. However, I'm not as organized with pen and paper. Notebooks, graph paper, etc... I'd grab whichever paper was closest. My notes would get scattered. This was especially the case when running one-shots that then later got resurrected into something more episodic.
My latest hotness is using a Rocketbook. I've had the original one for a few years, but never made much use of it (for gaming or otherwise). Once I splurged for the executive-sized Pro (7 inch x 9 inch), that all changed. This size is perfect. I really like that it's a hardcover. It's freaking great. Most importantly - it keeps me organized!
Player names redacted to protect the reproachable
A Rocketbook uses special paper on which you can write, clean, and rewrite. (You need to use particular Pilot Fixion pens.) At the bottom of each page is a "destination" icon. You place an "X" through that icon, and then use the Rocketbook app to scan the page.
"X" on the bell marks the spot
In the app, you associate each icon with a particular storage destination/folder (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, an email address, etc.). You can get as granular as you'd like (e.g., direct to a particular subfolder in Google Drive).
Rocketbook destinations aplenty
Destinations in the app
Once you're good with the page being stored as you want it, you wipe the paper clean with a damp rag, let it dry, and bang, Bob's your uncle, you can reuse the page.
I have a separate Google Drive destination for my C&C campaign, a Through Sunken Lands episodic "campaign" (i.e., periodic, loosely connected one-shot games), a personal journal (which I really should use more), and one for general gaming notes.
The Pro model lets you swap out different insert Page Packs. For example, you can get one already set up like a planner. There is special D&D Page Pack that I did splurge for (because it was on sale). It has pre-set pages for campaign notes, PCs, NPCs, random tables that you develop, etc. I probably would not get it again (well, maybe I would at the sale price), but you really don't need it. Obviously, a lot of the pages are D&D-specific. It's not horrible, but you can also design your own permanent pages for any Rocketbook with a Sharpie. If you're really curious about the D&D Page Pack, there is good review here (and embedded below): link
Here are a few assorted shots of my Rocketbook for good measure.
If you're looking for great art to inspire RPGing / TTRPGing, check out the Meanwhile Back in Dungeon Tumblr site. I've been following the site for ages. It's amazing.
Just a small sample below (that will update periodically if I coded this right!).
I have been RPGing for decades. I love it. My big brother taught me how to play AD&D back in the 80s and I haven't stopped. Hiatuses, sure, but never really stopped.
More often than not, I'm Dungeon Mastering, Game Mastering, Castle Keepering, etc. I enjoy figuring out the "perfect" DM tool kit. Back in the day, it was a quest for the most kick-ass Trapper Keeper, the sweetest dice bag, and the most thorough DM screen. In the next handful of posts, I'll share my current tools of the trade.
Today, I'll focus on containers for that most treasured gaming commodity - DICE.
Over the years (like a lot gamers) I have amassed quite a lot of dice. I love 'em. Never quite pleased with a humble dice bag, here is what I use at the moment and what I've used in the past.
In an effort to put out some usable content, I figure I’ll give the d30 some love. Yeah, I know, the d12 is the true red-headed step child of the dice world, but Al at Beyond the Black Gate has a lock on that die already. Besides, we all know how fun the d30 can be....
The next time your party is in a tavern or inn looking for adventure and you're drawing a blank, give your d30 a roll and see what you get. Hopefully it will serve as an adventure hook or at least a mild chuckle. (I've opted to provide names for people and places because that is the stuff I myself tend to need to make up on the fly. Adjust to taste.)
30 Things Overheard in a Tavern
Roper? I don’t even know her!
Black Raker’s Cove has been swallowing up sailors. Methinks something from the deep is hungry!
As sure as I know anything, orcs are ticklish behind their ears.
I'm telling ye, the cemetery walls are hollow! Back in the old days, they used to entomb criminals in there... alive.
Last week, Jacob of Gutter Lane found some kind of idol or statue underneath that ol' willow tree outside town. I haven't seen him since.
I'm telling you, Daisy McFran isn't dead! She ran off with that sorceress, Lilly of the Lake.
Francis, listen; this is the truth. The city watch has been paying money to a band of goblins to keep 'em from attacking! The watch ran out of money and is now in debt to the thieves' guild!
Hyperion Ale for everyone! Except you, Angus.
At midnight, the beets in old Lady Bervert's garden get up and dance around!
[first speaker] By St. Cuthbert, I heard all sorts of strange moaning coming from that old shack on Blackbird Lane. [second speaker] It's a brothel, you jackass.
That moonshine Old Man Snakebite sells is so strong it drove that poison right out of my system.
I've seen it with my own eyes! Last night, as I was stumbling home, I saw Brother Ardor let a strange lady with dark hair into the temple.
[first speaker] This place serves the best apple pie. I wonder where they find green apples in these parts? [second speaker] Those aren't apples, those are goblin scrotums.
Those weird markings around the town's well? I heard those were some kind of ward keeping something wicked locked at the bottom. You won't catch me drinking from that, by Cuthbert's Cudgel!
Did you get the coffin I sent you?
Something has moved into the abandoned mill down at Wide Rock Creek... and whatever it is is evil, I tell you, evil!
Something covered Farmer Wakely's cows with slime. They seem to be all right, but damn if that wasn't odd. I think I'll be getting my milk elsewhere.
[first speaker] You know what's odd? I haven't seen a stray dog in months.[second speaker] I haven't seen any dog in months.
You know that tabby cat that hangs around this tavern? The other night, when I was coming back from the privy, I saw it change into something! It was a little imp or devil, or some accursed thing! I... I think it saw me....
You're full of horse dung! Rose is a sweet girl. Why would she be eating a dead rat?
Have you ever seen anyone go down to the cellar of this place? Me neither....
You know, I've never noticed that doorway under the bridge near the south gate before. What's it for?
[first speaker] My sister may be brazen, but she's no strumpet! [second speaker] That's not what I heard.
For some reason, the only chickens Hans will eat are black roosters.
[first speaker] Arthur Willings swears he heard screams coming from the temple cellar. [second speaker] Arthur Willings hasn't been sober in 10 years! I'm sure he hears all kinds of voices.
[first speaker] I saw Bernhard Stonesmith bring flowers to a lady in the forest. [second speaker] Oh, was she a cutie? [first speaker] I think she was an ogre.
[first speaker] I don't know what Arnulf feeds his hogs, but they're the biggest pigs in these parts.[second speaker] It must be the same things your wife eats, because she is huge!
That merchant at the end of the bar has a mighty fat purse. Methinks it needs to be lightened.
Who's that stranger in the corner?
Just one more drink and then we'll go get that vampire!
(#15 was actually a line uttered by Dave's character in my RARE campaign. Sort of a long story....)
A while back I talked about Tact-Tiles, both the kinds you can buy and do-it-yourself ways to make them. For my Lazy Homemade Tact-Tiles #2 idea, I suggested buying a very cheap dry erase kit from LTD Commodities. Well, it no longer appears to be available at LTD, but I did pick up a set myself before they pulled it. I poked around a bit and, man, the kit is hard to find now, but I did find one set on eBay here: link. So, obviously, right out of the gate, this option now has one strike against it. I figured I’d go ahead and post my thoughts on this kit as a gaming tool anyhow. Hopefully someone out there has better Google-Fu than I do and can locate a retailer if they’re interested.
Here is what you get:
The panels are paper-thin, but they are basically big stickers after all.
Each panel is 12 inch x 12 inch and you get 8 panels total. That is a pretty good sized gaming area.
I put the panels down on my gaming table and they covered a large chunk.
I doodled a bit of a dungeon on them and they worked fairly well. Understandably, I had to hold down the panel so it wouldn’t move, but it wasn’t a problem.
So here is the skinny:
If you want a grid, you’ve got some work to do. I know from personal experience,
there really is no way to permanently mark this kind of surface apart from scoring it. These panels are going to turn into confetti if you score them. One possibility would be to mount the panels onto sections of poster board and then score them.
A quick note regarding a grid, keep in mind games like D&D 3.5 and 4e work on a one-inch grid, so you can really just use a tape measure without much trouble (well, I’m assuming that is true for 4e. I haven’t played it). Savage Worlds operates on this grid too and, despite the emphasis on a battle map in the Savage Worlds rule book, the official demo I played at Origins used a tape measure.
The panels stay in place reasonably well.I bumped the table a bit to test this and the panels more or less stayed in place. I’m guessing inadvertent bumps by players might be more problematic. Having not played with the interlocking Tact-Tiles, I’m not sure how much of an advantage they offer.
The panels were covered with a clear film that came off. I initially wasn’t certain if this was suppose to happen. I’m still not sure, but the panels were still erasable after I removed the film (although shadowing did increase noticeably).
The Verdict
You get what you pay for. These panels aren’t as snazzy as the original Tact-Tiles or the current Battlegraph Boards. However, if you can find a set, this kit is a hell of a lot cheaper, especially if you consider the amount of playing surface you get. You get 8 panels for a 2 foot by 4 foot playing area. In comparison, the Battlegraph Boards are $7.00 per 12 inch piece and a set of Tact-Tiles will run you several hundred dollars on eBay (no joke, check the ENWorld forums).
If nothing else, these panels would be handy for those times combat spills off your regular battle mat.
Since I am fine with my homemade battle mat, I didn’t keep the kit for myself. I hung it up in two sections in our kitchen, thinking it would be fun for my daughters. They really liked it, but, whoa boy, was it a bad idea. My girls are six and three and, well, their marker control is still rather suspect. Suffice it to say, they didn’t always stay on the dry erase area. Word to the wise, dry erase markers don’t wash off non-dry erase walls… our kitchen is a bit more colorful now. I certainly do not recommend the kit for its intended purpose unless you have a wall you probably be ok with your kids drawing on to begin with.
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A while back I talked about Tact-Tiles, both the kinds you can buy and do-it-yourself ways to make them.
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