Gaming Gear?

[Evil Steve]

The idea for this came in a moment's inspiration whilst browsing Beowolf's 'Computers Face to Face Games" thread.

What gear to you take to gaming other than dice, paper, writing implements and character hardcopies?

What gear would you like to add to your gaming experience, and why?


I'll go first. For what I take, I add rulebooks and supliments that are relevant to the game or character. These books may have nothing to do with the actual game system I'm using.


I'd like to add an overhead projector to my games for mapping and displaying images.
Miniature that actually fit the characters for display and explaining the situation.
Good pictures of everyone and everything that the charaters meet and handle.

[nblade]

hmm, I have to say minatures and some sort of battle mat. For me it seems to solve all kinds of issues regarding postion and where people are. Even if you don't want to use it for exact ranges, a blank area with no hexes or grid squares can help one get an idea where things are in relationship to each other. I'm amazed how often this prevents arguments not to mention a player doesn't have to ask if he is near something or not, he can see if he is. (ok time to get off my high horse)

What would I like to game with is a different story. Actually an overhead video project for my laptop would be cool.(sadly that is not really an options due to $$$) Hell I'd like my gaming table to be in place, but that will be quite some time from now.

[Supreme]

Well, the game's always held at my Citadel Supreme, so it's not what I bring, but what I put on the table.

Paper miniatures of my own design (I paste appropriate Word clip art images and names into a table with borders that define where to cut the paper)
Snacks or Coffee for everyone (usually coffee)
My write-ups and characters always have an image generated from my computer using Poser and Photodeluxe.
I also always wear a super-hero emblem t-shirt. I don't have a particularly good reason why, I just do.
The games are also always faithfully attended by Krypto and Asta, my Dogs Supreme!

Idiosyncratic enough for ya?

[OneSmallGod]

Whiteboard. Wish I had a permanent gaming lair so I could have a really mucking large whiteboard...

Battlemat, appropriate markers, counters or paper mini's for everyone, transparency 'Explosion' templates. (I found several websites with cardboard fold-together minis of cars, tanks, busses, etc so we have "traffic" on the board to squash minis with...)

A sack of Hershey Kisses(tm), with which I reward anyone who makes an especially brilliant play, or comes up with a highly appropriate line. Bonus points for making people snarf Pepsi through their nose! (Juvenile, but essential! - and no one in my group is younger than 33...)

I once played with a group whose GM enforced END & Stun with poker chips. (Apparently, they'd had problems with people who fudged their bookkeeping to become indestructible...)

[JohnTaber]

Neat question.

I GM so I bring this stuff...

Megamatt with Pens. My players are really tactical and like that aspect of Hero so this is a must. I predraw the maps so when the combat comes the unveiling of the latest map is always full of the essential...ohhhs...ahhhs... :)

Chits. We use flat chits. I have numbered chits for agents and such. The heroes and villains get spiffy drawn chits.

Big Spongy D12 (~4" in size). I got a huge D12 from some set long ago that we use for tracking phases. Works great. ;)

Engineering Pad With Clipboard. I jot notes on NPC I create on the fly or stuff I want to detail offline. The engineering pad is nice for the squares on the back.

Clear Plastic Custom GM Screen. I got three stiff sheet protectors and taped the edges together with clear tape. Gives me 6 sides of info that I can swap out when I change genre/campaigns/game systems. With Hero I use one pane for the speed chart. ;)

[Agent X]

Originally posted by nblade
hmm, I have to say minatures and some sort of battle mat. For me it seems to solve all kinds of issues regarding postion and where people are. Even if you don't want to use it for exact ranges, a blank area with no hexes or grid squares can help one get an idea where things are in relationship to each other. I'm amazed how often this prevents arguments not to mention a player doesn't have to ask if he is near something or not, he can see if he is. (ok time to get off my high horse)

What would I like to game with is a different story. Actually an overhead video project for my laptop would be cool.(sadly that is not really an options due to $$$) Hell I'd like my gaming table to be in place, but that will be quite some time from now. There are some SAS miniatures out if you hadn't noticed. Sure would be nice if some miniatures line would hook up with Hero.

[Law Dog]

I'd love to have something I could display a Powerpoint presentation on, but who has the time to design something like that for every game? Sure would be nice, though.

[Agent X]

Originally posted by Law Dog
I'd love to have something I could display a Powerpoint presentation on, but who has the time to design something like that for every game? Sure would be nice, though. What kind of powerpoint presentation? Maps? Illos? Something else?

[Law Dog]

Originally posted by Agent X
What kind of powerpoint presentation? Maps? Illos? Something else?

All of the above.

For dungeon maps, it'd really be nice to be able to reveal things piece-by-piece.

With something like this, you're only limited to your creativity and your time in putting it together.

[Koshka]

If I'm GMing, I bring along an assortment of glass nuggets and use them as chits for the generic thugs/NPCs. You know, the sort of thing sold to track stuff in CCGs -- but don't buy them at the game store! One of my other hobbies is stained glass, and they're cheaper bought through a stained glass supplier. (I think my last batch was 1 pound of nuggets for under $4.50, plus shipping of course but I was ordering more than the nuggets.)

[nblade]

Originally posted by Agent X
There are some SAS miniatures out if you hadn't noticed. Sure would be nice if some miniatures line would hook up with Hero.


I've heard that. I'll have to look into that just for fun, but with a limited budget I tend to get figures that can be used in several games. For example, The Foundry (http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/) has a line called Street Violence. It includes some Police, Swat, and several other minis, that I can use for a supers, modern, cyberpunk, and same SF as well. The onlly problem have with minis these days, is the lack of useful ones. Too many of them are either too High fantasy for my Fantasy games or Powered Armor figures which I can't use in my SF games. If you don't believe me, try to find a fiqure that is just a guy in a vaccum suit.

[JohnTaber]

If you are looking for figures to use for Champs try HeroClix. They are painted, light, have stable bases, and can be obtained cheaply. I have not tried them yet as my group uses chits...but I might give it a go...

[Tasha]

I usually bring my Laptop- it has come in handy so many times when I forgot my Adventure notes, A Villian writeup, Character Writeup. I have also started to bring my Newton to take notes. It is really handy to have something that I can just write on in plain english and then have the device change what I have written into plain text that I can later import into a wordprocessor

A megamat, with Pens. We have been gaming in a conference room so we have 2 walls that are at least 8'x 12' white boards that are also iron, so you can use magnets on the board. Our FH GM always brings magnets so that he can post the campaign maps to the board. No more fumbling around for the right map.

I always bring miniatures, even fantasy minis will sometimes work depending on the character being represented. I find that minis from GW's 40k line along with other lead superhero minis that have collected through the years, I have just picked up sets of Hero Clix, some of them can be easially converted to different characters with a different paint job and some simple sculpting changes using an x-acto knife.

Tasha :)

[nblade]

Originally posted by JohnTaber
If you are looking for figures to use for Champs try HeroClix. They are painted, light, have stable bases, and can be obtained cheaply. I have not tried them yet as my group uses chits...but I might give it a go...

Actually the game chits reminds me to ask if anyone knows anywhere to get blank die cut counters? I know a long time ago the Armory use to produce some.

[Evil Steve]

Tasha, how'd you manage to get a conferance room?

Sounds sweet.

[CourtFool]

Llama uses a bag of army dudes for minis. Too damn cheap to put down money for metal.

[Syberdwarf2]

Besides the standard trappings, I usually bring;

-2 or 3 bags of chips
-a case of soda
-a 12-pack of Diet Coke (nobody but me ever seems to drink this stuff)
-Pizza coupons
-Box dinners (like rice-a-roni) for those LONG nights where we eat dinner 'on-site'
-Non-aspirin pain reliever / Ibuprofen; for those really-long-up-all-night-drinking-coffee-until-I-start-shaking marathon sessions.

[keithcurtis]

We game at my house, so most of the stuff is already there.

[list=1]
Laptop (runs combat and generates characters, holds notes, maps, etc. - Essential
Game Table. Multiple colors of Butcher paper (green for forest, blue for water, etc).Over this is a clear 3' x 4' numbered hex grid. Over this is a sheet of glass. Overhead pens for same.
The game room is also the library, so all the necessary books are available.
As many physical props as we can. Mini's, scenery, etc. When running Champions, we use "flight sticks" -- weighted vertical rods with inch-marks and notches to hold the minis at any altitude.
Much Coffee
[/list=1]

As for what I bring to a game on the rare times we game elsewhere:
Laptop, character sheet, rulebooks, dice, pencil, sketchbook and gift snack.

Keith "Oh, my aching back" Curtis

[Law Dog]

I'm thinking a bag of scorpions might be a nice way to motivate indecisive gamers. Nobody argues with a man with a bag of scorpions!

[Tasha]

Originally posted by Evil Steve
Tasha, how'd you manage to get a conferance room?

Sounds sweet.

My girlfriend works at the place. They allow their employees to use the conference rooms after hours. It is extremely nice. The table is big with more than enough chairs for everyone. The Megamat is both close enough so that everyone can move their minis and far enough away that books and notes don't dominate the playing area. As long as we clean up our messes they don't care if we bring in food.

I agree that it is a real cool setup. Also, there is a whole pool of gamers in the building that we have been trying to recruit. She works for a software developer for computer and console games.

Tasha :)

[Tasha]

Originally posted by Law Dog
I'm thinking a bag of scorpions might be a nice way to motivate indecisive gamers. Nobody argues with a man with a bag of scorpions!

I know how your feel :P I have been gaming for over 20 years. It is so mindboggling that I have gotten so old.

Tasha :)

[nblade]

Originally posted by CourtFool
Llama uses a bag of army dudes for minis. Too damn cheap to put down money for metal.

Actually I have a few of those in my minatures case as well. I'm always looking at things to see if I can use them for gaming purposes.

[JSenecal]

Let's see....

I bring a laptop, rule books, over a dozen battle mats (3 blank, the rest stock settings), pens, dice, paper, 6 qt. popcorn popper, at least 2 lbs. of popcorn, and money for the guy who brings the pizza.

I also bring 18 decks of Magic the Gathering, and about a half dozen board games and another half dozen card games. These are for in case the roleplaying doesn't happen, to play while waiting for players, or to loan to other gamers who aren't in a roleplaying game that night.

By the way, it's a 15 minute hike from my car to the campus building where the game group meets each week. :)

Things I'd like to have are a Game Moderator program (Herosphere is too slow and limited), and a Character design program I can run (Hero Designer isn't available on Macs yet).

[Graviton]

Originally posted by keithcurtis
When running Champions, we use "flight sticks" -- weighted vertical rods with inch-marks and notches to hold the minis at any altitude.
Keith "Oh, my aching back" Curtis

Flight sticks!!!! How did you make 'em? I've wanted something like that forever. I went to the local craft store and found small 1"-high spools. Glued them to small wooden bases, and stacked 'em. They work well up to about 6". I really wish they were transparent but I've yet to find clear plastic spools, or something like them. I plan to find some thin dowel rods I can run down the center of the spools to keep 'em straight but I haven't got around to it yet. &@#%! real life...

[Tetsuyama]

We actually also use a conference room, mostly because the players all live in fairly far-flung places, and a lot of us are married so work is the only place we can meet. It's handy 'cause it's got a sizeable table and loads (and loads) of whiteboard space. Unfortunately, it's not magnetic, but that's okay. We usually wind up playing from 7:30 - 10:30 Tuesday mornings. :)

As for what I bring, it's usually just the rulebooks which affect my character, dice, sketchbook, and masses of paper. I also bring the mat, and another player brings all the minis and my pens. We get free pop and coffee at work, and most folks bring their own breakfast or munchies. Some people would think it's stealing from the company, but given that most of us work 60+ hours per week, we suspect that the company is stealing more from our families than we're taking by playing at work, so we mostly don't feel *too* bad about it.