Mastering The Game: Tools of the Trade

Hey, everyone! Time to get back on my soapbox and talk about running some RPGs!

So, I've been running games on and off for something like 20 years now and I've picked up some habits and opinions about what I need to run a game. Not only does that make this whole thing my opinion but it might seem a bit dated to newer players. That said, I hope people of all stripes find something useful.

Dice:

You can keep your random number generators, I prefer the real thing. I have about two pounds of dice. Yes, you read that right, POUNDS. Some of the games I play require fists full of dice, and I always seem to lose them, so I need a lot. And “dice hording” is a thing...

But, if you're running the same, you want a few sets. I suggest at least two for yourself and another set you can loan out as needed. I suggest making the loaner set something so terribly colored no one would want to claim as their own.

3x5 cards:

This is something you need for some games, but they're useful for just about every game. I use them a lot in it miniature gaming, but they're good for RPGs, too. What do I use them for? Well, they're great for stats and notes for monsters and NPCs. You can record their main stats and then commonly used powers/spells/skills/etc. I also make a note of the page numbers of the important stuff.

Even if you don't use them for characters and monsters, they're good for spells and powers and all that stuff I mentioned earlier. Making a little cheat sheet for the players' abilities is good, too.

If you still don't know what else to use them for, you can write down initiative or tuck them in a book to mark the pages you need. They're useful and they're cheap.

Pencils and erasers:

Since I'm “old school” and still use paper, I find having a large stash of pencils and erasers is a good thing. While some people have moved completely into the digital age (you people scare me, by the way), they'll still need something to write with when they play with me. So I always carry extras. I do prefer mechanical pencils over the old classics, I do use both. Pencil sharpeners are required if you're going really old school. I also buy some good erasers because most of the ones you get on your cheap pencils are cheap as well and make smudges and eventually you have to get a new character sheet... So, invest a bit of money for quality.

Graph paper:

As I've said, I'm old school. Plus, paper and pencil are easier to carry around and don't need an outlet. I draw a lot of maps for games and graph paper is a godsend for me. I recently found a pack of double sized graph paper and it's going to be so much fun to use. Now, the nice thing about graph paper is it's slightly high quality than your usual lined paper, making it a bit more durable.

But, let's say you're totally digital (you monster) and do all of you maps on the computer. Well, you can still use graph paper for rough drafts and the like.

Miniatures:

Some games can be run in the “realm of imagination” but not all of them can. Some, like Savage Worlds and D&D, really need to have things represented on the table. For this, you need to have miniatures or minis. There's a lot of companies that make them and the prices can vary. If you're just getting started, Reaper Miniatures has two excellent lines you can pick up at most stores or order online. The Dark Haven line comes prepainted, for those of you who don't want to paint them yourself. The Bones line comes unpainted but are slightly cheaper and have fantasy and sci-fi minis. I got the first Bones Kickstarter Vampire package and it's given me a ton of miniatures for games.

Even if you don't plan on running games, players can also pick up minis for their characters. It really adds to their investment in the game.

Gaming mat:

Now that we've talked about miniatures, we need to talk about what you use them on. I have a gaming mat I picked up a few years ago and I've gotten a lot of use out of it. They're a bit spendy and come in different sizes, but you'll probably want to buy the biggest one you can afford.

Once you buy the mat, you're going to need the pens. You can't use just any pens, so I have a small set of Vis-A-Vis pens that work perfectly. Most stores that sell mats will also sell pens, too. Just make sure you take good care of your mat, since you spent all that money.

Extra copies of books:

When I have a lot of games that I play regularly, I have a habit of picking up an extra copy of the core book or Player's Guide. Why? So I can have a copy behind the screen and the player's can have another to flip through. Not everyone can afford their own copy, so it's nice to have one provided for the group.

Since a lot of people use PDFs to run things, you might also want to print out some of the important pages (reference pages, commonly used tables, etc) so you don't have to jump around too much. If you have a physical copy of the book, make some photocopies.

I have double copies of the D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook, Deadlands: Weird West Player's Guide, the All Flesh Must Be Eaten core book, Big Eyes, Small Mouth 2^nd edition core book, the Savage Worlds core book and the Hunter: The Reckoning core book as they're very handy to have and I've played them a lot (except Hunter, haven't played that one yet).

Notebooks:

You can buy these for dirt cheap after the Back To School products are put on sale as the season wraps up. Not only can you use them for planning out the adventure between games, you can also use them to take down initiative, status effects, and the like during play.

I know some GM/DMs that will actually hand out notebooks to their players. I don't do this myself, but some of my players will bring their own. I do think it's a good idea in general, but if you're running a mystery or something similar, you should have a notebook someone can write in for the group.

Props and handouts:

I rarely use these. I know some people that love using them, but I've been making some for my Silent Hill game.

There are some who love these things. There are some who hate them. You're really going have to feel out your group before using them. And make sure that they've got a folder or notebook to store all of these things in.

I've never been a fan of props. That said, I do like having player's copies of maps and the like, as it makes it easier for me. Things for character creation, maps, and notes are great and keep things easier for you.

Well, I think that's about all I've got to say on this topic for now. If you want some more things you might find useful, let me know and I can come back to this topic.