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Prodigal
 
Group: Eos Staff
Last Login: Yesterday @ 9:56 AM
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| In a recent webchat, Adam Jury (Shadowrun art editor/developer type for CGL) said: "I think PDFs have a lot of benefits and are only getting more useful as more and more people are bringing laptops and other portable computing devices to the gaming table." Now, I was pondering this. A couple of players in my weekly Shadowrun game (one of whom posts here semi-regularly) bring laptops to the game. I sometimes worry that they can serve as a bit of a distraction (although they can also be really useful, as I use Google Maps and a wiki to track information). I'd feel the same if people were reading a book during a session, you know?
I was wondering what you fine people thought, really.
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Joe Rooney, the Enemy Of Fun
Insurrection LRP: high fantasy in a dystopian setting. First event: 24-26 October 2008, in Leicestershire. Book online!
Bladelands: Raoul Ortez - heretic, medium, bodyguard and scumbag
EOS: staff (probably the best job in LRP!)
Joe R's LARPCard
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Knight
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 4:48 PM
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I would say that it would depend on the game and the group you were playing with. For example I know my girlfriend often takes her knitting to a game, and I will almost always have a book at hand when playing D&D. And I can see the benefit of having a laptop, though I would say that that is one more for the GM than the players. As long as what you are doing doesn't interfere with the game being played then I can't see the harm in it.
Don't hug me I'm British, we only show affection to dogs and horses.
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Prodigal
Group: Eos Staff
Last Login: Yesterday @ 9:56 AM
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Particularly as a GM, but also as a player, I'd find it quite off-putting if someone was reading a book or knitting during a session. As a GM, it's a bit of a snub -- isn't this game, which I put time and effort into running, interesting enough for you? -- and as both a GM and a player, I find it inevitably slows things down. Say if you're reading during other people's turns in a combat, you will generally need to be caught up on what's happened, and will then take extra time to make your decision about what to do. So I guess I think it's a bit rude -- without wanting to be rude to you, cos your gaming group and its norms may well be radically different to mine!
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Joe Rooney, the Enemy Of Fun
Insurrection LRP: high fantasy in a dystopian setting. First event: 24-26 October 2008, in Leicestershire. Book online!
Bladelands: Raoul Ortez - heretic, medium, bodyguard and scumbag
EOS: staff (probably the best job in LRP!)
Joe R's LARPCard
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Prodigal
Group: Basic Members
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| I think it depeneds what they are doing with it. Reading an unrelated book is bit poor. Looking up the mechanics for the grapple attack your D&D character is going to do next round isn't. Using a laptop to Ctrl-F to the grapple section more quickly is probably a good thing. In some RPGs, a laptop might actually be a useful prop. I can also see other benefits. Storing clipart and showing it as part of describing a location or NPC ('you see a halfing on the corner who looks like this'). Using it to play atmospheric music to set a scene. I've also seen experiments with using a ceiling mounted projector connected to laptop, projecting a dungeon floorplan onto a tabletop (which can be revealed or marked in realtime) with real minis usedto move across the projected surface.
------ <insert really amusing sig here>
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Champion
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I read books at my L5R game all the time. Our group has become fragmented because of multiple story lines. I might be an hour or two of real time before the GM gets back to my character. However going online to do stuff is really bad form.
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EOS: Azameer: Argen Pathfinder
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Prodigal
Group: Eos Staff
Last Login: Yesterday @ 9:56 AM
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Nath (2/24/2008)
I think it depeneds what they are doing with it.Absolutely! Obviously players looking up rules to speed things up is actually really handy, but most of the other uses you mention are more from a GM's point of view than a player's. I did hear of one Cyberpunk game that was going to be played with everyone in the room having their laptops connected into a workgroup, although I'm not entirely sure why. White Balance (2/24/2008)
I read books at my L5R game all the time. Our group has become fragmented because of multiple story lines. I might be an hour or two of real time before the GM gets back to my character. However going online to do stuff is really bad form.That's fair enough, and I'd probably do exactly the same thing -- but that totally illustrates my point that when players are reading books, the game's not entertaining enough!
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Joe Rooney, the Enemy Of Fun
Insurrection LRP: high fantasy in a dystopian setting. First event: 24-26 October 2008, in Leicestershire. Book online!
Bladelands: Raoul Ortez - heretic, medium, bodyguard and scumbag
EOS: staff (probably the best job in LRP!)
Joe R's LARPCard
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Prodigal
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Yesterday @ 1:48 PM
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I take paper and pens and doodle extensively when doing tabletop RPGs. It soaks up enough of my attention that I don't get bored and impatient while other people are speaking (LARP has really spoiled me for tabletop - in LARP I have screen time all the time, in tabletop I have to wait for a chance to speak to animate my character), but not enough of my attention that I wasn't listening to what's going on and need to be brought up to speed when I do get a chance to do something.
Maelstrom: Jessily the Wemic, previously Tourmaline of Weaver
CUTT: Kerriville the Ninth, previously Ref 07/08
EOS: Study the Venin
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Heroic Knight
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I frequently take bits of sewing/kit I'm working on with me to tabletop games, and don't find it distracts me particularly - more likely is that I get caught up in the game and forget about the sewing. Gives me an extra 6 or 7 hours a week to work on projects...
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Varas II - This time it's personal
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