The hardest part of change isn't accepting a new idea, it's admitting that our old systems and techniques have become antiquated. We spend so much time learning and perfecting them, perhaps even gaining some prestige or notoriety for our efforts, only to find the world has moved on and our methods have become obsolete. I started playing RPGs in 1982, so I am no stranger to this phenomenon. But as the old cliche goes, 'some things never change.' Here are some tried and true low-tech tools that will stand the test of time. They will speed up and enhance your player's game without the learning curve that comes with new tech.
Double-Sided Initiative Tracker - An online initiative tracker doesn't draw everyone to the same space around the table and if you simply make a sheet and lay it flat, the DM/GM and maybe some of the players, are forced to read it upside down. When people ask me how to increase the speed of combat, this one tool has proven to be the most effective solution. Everyone knows who is up next and as a result, choose their actions more quickly. I find that players tend to use the hold action option more often, waiting for other supportive party members to act in order to produce more coordinated combat results. When players know where they stand in the initiative order, it enhances their ability to act as a team.
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| Here is the DM/GM's view from my laptop. The clothes pins don't fit around the edge so I used a small piece of cardboard and packing tape to make a clip-edge. I've seen them made with a 12" dowel and base from a craft store. This can be painted and decorated with little plastic skulls, etc. What a great gift idea for your favorite DM/GM!!! |
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| Here is the tracker from the players' view. Everyone is on the same page now! |
Dry Erase Map boards - These are relatively cheap but I prefer the blank ones over the pre-printed dungeons. With a few color markers, you can make blue water, green bushes and giant bloody spots on the ground. With a ruler to designate inches/distance, you can use a simple dry erase board as well.
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| These are from Paizo's Pathfinder Flip Maps. We use the pre-printed one as a 'base of operations' for the party, but players get bored if you have to use the same printed map again and again for different encounter locations. |
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| Took five minutes to create this scene. Simple forest stream, bridge, stone circle and hills with elevation designations. |
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| The best part about the color markers is when you defeat a monster or enemy, you can mark the location on the ground in red gore. It's fun to look back over a dungeon crawl and see the path of bloody carnage left by your characters! Smudge and smear it if they like to hide bodies. Red dotted lines are good for drag marks. |
Cardboard Counters - I know this is heresy but as awesome as miniatures are, I just don't use them. The number one complaint from players is that they can become considerably expensive but my issue is that they railroad your game. What encounter will you play tonight? What if the party decides to forgo the Caves of the Gorgon and go to the Giant's Citadel instead? You've already spent the thirty bucks on a pair of gorgons and the hill giants are still unpainted... Can you lure the party to the caves instead? Will they feel unfairly compelled or aren't they just chasing the prepared minis too?
A simple google image search provides an inexhaustible source of monsters or characters to draw upon. The digital age makes it hard to observe copyright laws but you are not making money off the image in the privacy of your home so 'fair use' applies. I cut and paste the images onto a Word document, crop them, then size them using the rulers provided at the top of the page, (one inch square for medium, two inches square for large, etc.) Backing them with a bit of cardboard and glue, I have ready-made monsters to go at a moments notice. I save them in sandwich baggies labeled by monster type or by encounter area, (Undead, Giants, Gnolls, Swamp, Isle of Dread, etc.)
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| Crop and size your images on Word documents for easy printing. |
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| Frost Giants! I could use the same image again and again but there are so many to pick from... I choose them all and the players love the variety! |
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| Write names on the back! Especially NPCs that you will be using again and again. A quick flip and peek to job your memory. Believable NPCs are the foundation of any campaign. You need to remember their names. |
NPC Relationship Boards - Nothing beats a 'Game-of-Thrones-style' game dripping with political intrigue, but it is easy for players to get lost in all the new NPCs and the important relationships they have with each other. Many parties won't be able to pick up on the clues and other subtle hints you are dropping without seeing a schematic or diagram of some kind. Murder mysteries are another passion of mine. Shows like the BBC's 'Father Brown' or 'Downton Abbey' produce usable hooks, twists and NPC motivations for a mere one-hour investment. Get your suspects on the board! Oh, and use the same images as your cardboard backed tiles.
NPC List of Names - This is the oldest trick in the book. I was going to leave it out until I visited two new gaming groups in my area and I was shocked to see the DM was the only one who had bothered to keep a (partial) NPC list. My players love NPCs, and by the arc's conclusion, (around 16th level), we have over three pages of NPCs with single line descriptions, usually organized by where they were met by the party.
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| Each session I jot new names into the margin and then print the updated version every couple of games for the players. |
Change is good. Try the next edition and use the new app. Ride the waves of progress or get left behind to drown, but rest assured, the above five low-tech tools will remain effective and be around for a very long, long time.
High axe friends,
I go!
