What's your GM toolkit?

[Tinkerer]

Good day all!

I was updating (and restocking) my GM toolkit the other day and between that and a recent discussion about terrain it reminded me of a question that I had for the board. Do you have a GM toolkit and if so what do you populate it with?

Personally I love my toolkit. The case is an old briefcase which I had kicking around. I installed a number of sub-dividers in the base and additional folders and holders in the lid. As I usually run one of three different systems I have two small drawers at home which I keep the contents of the two other systems in.

The case contains:

1) The three most required books for the system
2) Around 15 mechanical pencils (because people keep walking away with them)
3) A row of asst. poker chips (I've used tokens for over 20 years in all systems, their effects vary)
4) Dice based on system, currently it contains 6 of d4, d8, d10, d12, 8 of d6, and 2 d20s (Savage Worlds with enough spares for a couple of people)
5) 50 Encounter maps (small scale, double sided)
6) 10 Encounter maps (full scale, 2 blank, folded)
7) Customizable GM screen
8) Several inserts for the GM screen (I currently have about 10 different pages I can swap out)
9) Templates for both size of map
10) Blank Character Sheets
11) Duo-tang(s) containing information on the section of the world the players are currently in
12) Ruler
13) Compass
14) Extra foolscap
15) Campaign Notebook
16) Highlighters
17) My scratchy pens (seriously the sound that these pens make on paper is fantastic)
18) Dry erase markers
19) Index cards. Some blank, some with xp sheets, and some with NPC templates

And that's most of my mobile setup. Then when I'm at home I also have a full size laminated blank map with grids on one side and hexes on the other. I had to make an easy to transport and quick to go setup since when I'm not gaming at home I normally only have about 15 minutes to get home from work, change, pack up my things, and go.

[RazorChain]

I have mostly gone digital so I need to pack less.

But I have my man cave, a study with a large desk and assorted equipment for my planning needs but mostly I use my PC with 2 monitors, 1 for the PDF and the other for writing. There I keep my RPG collection of 200+ books. My wife is very happy that I mostly buy PDFs now :)

For the road I have a backpack where I keep the core rulebooks of what I'm running, a customizable GM screen, cardboard heroes and my pennholder whick looks like a sheep and contains my dice as well. Also I have "fatepoints" or red glasspearls which I use as metacurrency. I have a notebook to scribble things but most I use my microsoft surface for my notes and pdfs and easy access to the internet if I need some info

Last I have my scrollcase with 2 chessex vinyl battlemats, one large and one small and markers to draw on them.

[Jama7301]

I have a backpack (that I should probably replace, now that I think about it) that acts as my Mobile RPG Station. I usually carry...

A folder filled with copies of the players sheets, spare character sheets, and scratch paper
A fist-full of pencils.
A copy of the PHB and DMG
Dice bags with a set for me and each player, should anyone need a set.
Miniatures, if needed.
Whiteboard grid tileset I bought so I can quickly sketch maps.
Dry erase markers
Laptop with my prep/maps/monster quick reference, as well as a spreadsheet I use for my version of scratch paper, for initiative, HP totals, and important numbers.

I don't get to deploy this much, since my friends' schedules and mine haven't aligned for 5 months, but one day we'll get to play some more.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I've got a bag with dice (a big one pound assortment), a folding dry erase map, a bunch of random wet/dry erase markers and pencils, a pile of change to use for hero points and such, and a bag of little bathroom tiles to use for tokens. Throw in whatever books we're playing with and a binder of campaign notes/custom monsters/NPCs/random names/scrap paper and I'm good to go.

[Airk]

You guys are packing heavy.

I have a bag that has room for my All-rolled-up, my tablet, one RPG book (not one of the bigassed D&D-size ones, but the smaller format you get from most indie RPGs) and some folded character sheets.

The All-rolled-up contains:
Half a dozen mechanical pencils
Dice appropriate to the game - usually either like 24d6 or 3 sets of 4/6/8/10/12/20 and some extra 6s.
Three dry erase markers
Some dry erase "index cards"
A couple of erasers.

That's it.

[Tinkerer]

I can't believe that I left off:

20) My list of NPC names appropriate for the setting

Then again it sometimes falls under possible GM screen inserts.

You guys are packing heavy.

Eh, it all fits into a briefcase. Considering I used to use a duffel bag I definitely consider it a step towards lightening the load. I hate looking things up on a tablet in the middle of a session, except for 2nd edition D&D where the search function comes in handy but I play 2nd not GM it. So I use my tablet as a jukebox, soundboard, and for character creation sessions a secondary players handbook.

I guess I should include the items my backpack in my GM toolkit but I always carry those around with me so I think of them separately.

Backpack Items
1) Tablet
2) Rechargeable Speaker

Because yes I'm one of those heathens who says that gaming is way better with mood music.

[Kaptin Keen]

List:
- My brain
- www.d20srd.org
EOL

[Potato_Priest]

I bring the required books, a calculator, pencils, a box of chess pieces to use as extra battle map markers, and 2 3 ring binders that I keep stuff in and can stand up to make a DM screen.

[tomato]

• Kobold Fight Club for encounter building
• Donjon.bin.sh for loot, vendor, and world population
• The Grimoire for a beautifully managed spell list
• Google Docs for file sharing among friends
• Microsoft Office OneNote for creating and maintaining campaign information, notes, and logs.

[Tinkerer]

• Kobold Fight Club for encounter building
• Donjon.bin.sh for loot, vendor, and world population
• The Grimoire for a beautifully managed spell list
• Google Docs for file sharing among friends
• Microsoft Office OneNote for creating and maintaining campaign information, notes, and logs.

Haha, I spend 10-12 hours a day staring at a screen. While I extensively use such resources during prep time, when I'm sitting at the table no screens except for the odd picture and music. Besides that I've found that being on a computer tends to encourage players to be on their phones for some reason and that is just the worst. Phones can come out during the breaks but when we are at the table they stay in pockets.

[Airk]

Eh, it all fits into a briefcase. Considering I used to use a duffel bag I definitely consider it a step towards lightening the load.

The bag I use is like 10x8x2. :P You're packing heavy. ;)

I hate looking things up on a tablet in the middle of a session, except for 2nd edition D&D where the search function comes in handy but I play 2nd not GM it.

Play games that require less looking up. :P I need to reference rules/charts on average MAYBE 3 times a session, and if it's charts, it's often the same ones and I have them bookmarked.

[Tinkerer]

Play games that require less looking up. :P I need to reference rules/charts on average MAYBE 3 times a session, and if it's charts, it's often the same ones and I have them bookmarked.

It's mainly spells and magic items that I need as in item #8 from my kit I've generally got all of the rules/charts lookups that I'll ever need. I've got a few "read everything in the most beneficial way to me" players at the table though so when something seems a little off to me I'll double check their ability/item.

And yes, 3 times a session is more than I would like to spend looking at a tablet. I need to exit the standby screen, enter my password, try and flip through with the loading time for a screen (I know it's less than a second but it still bugs me), etc... I read much faster from a page. But I definitely know that it's just a quirk of mine and for a lot of people the tablet makes a lot more sense.

[Airk]

It's mainly spells and magic items that I need as in item #8 from my kit I've generally got all of the rules/charts lookups that I'll ever need. I've got a few "read everything in the most beneficial way to me" players at the table though so when something seems a little off to me I'll double check their ability/item.

And yes, 3 times a session is more than I would like to spend looking at a tablet. I need to exit the standby screen, enter my password, try and flip through with the loading time for a screen (I know it's less than a second but it still bugs me), etc... I read much faster from a page. But I definitely know that it's just a quirk of mine and for a lot of people the tablet makes a lot more sense.

Ever actually time it vs flipping through a book? Books feel faster sometimes, but I don't think they are. It's just that you can see what is happening.

[Tinkerer]

Ever actually time it vs flipping through a book? Books feel faster sometimes, but I don't think they are. It's just that you can see what is happening.

Does it matter? But yeah I have, and they do come out close enough to be almost identical but usually the book is slightly faster (assuming I'm familiar with the system). Maybe if I had a laptop rather than a tablet that would be different but tablet definitely lost to book. When I was trying to pack more gaming into a small amount of time I recorded entire sessions quite frequently and broke it into time segments to see where I could try and cut out the fat.

[Knaight]

The bag I use is like 10x8x2. :P You're packing heavy. ;)

I use a much larger bag, but that's because I bike everywhere and the form factor of a backpack is so convenient (and also because I haven't actually gotten around to getting saddlebags). The contents? Bag of pencils, pencil sharpener (this is a larger item, but it works so much better than the small ones), dice bag, note cards, character sheet folder, notebook, rules book.

There's nothing digital there, largely because I have nothing portable that fits and don't particularly want to.

[Shackled Slayer]

It's hard to tell where my DM toolkit begins and where my personal affects end, lol. When i do plan to go to my friends apartment every weekend I bring my backpack loaded both with RPG stuff and random useful things, and then my trapper-keeper which i carry with me absolutely E V E R Y W H E R E because i never know when inspiration for a story or campaign may strike me like a bolt of lightning. So i will include elements from both;

Backpack:
1. My complete array of pathfinder pocket books, including;
I) the core rule book
II) the advanced player guide
III) the complete equipment
IV) bestiary one
V) bestiary two

2. The starfinder core book i bought on a whim and love.

3. The D&D 4th. Edition monster manual and chromatic draconomicon. They both have material i regularly draw from & help in a pinch when my go-to set lacks stats for a particular encounter like generic bandits or some of D&D's copyrighted critters.

4. The 3.5 draconomicon, which really put my feet on the course of Roleplaying games and started me off. Aah, the nostalgia!

5. Simple cheap folders that contain my array of blank character sheets, campaign notes, the NPCs i have on notecards, my array of notecard racial varients and homebrew races, my current lone homebrew class, and a smattering of other things that would otherwise float loose-leaf.

6. My "map book" and my "project: housing market" book, which contains my world maps in the former and PC purchasable properties in the latter. It's sort of a pet project because they dont care much to buy property from what i've seen, but it makes me happy and gives me one helpful reference.

7. My other pet project, a pair of spiral notebooks, one dedicated to villians & B.B.E.Gs and the other dedicated to stock N.P.Cs & familiar friends/allies

8. My dice hoard in a craft supply case, totalling nine D4-D20 sets, four small 36D6 sets, three standard size 12D6 sets, and three 10D10 sets.

9. Another craft supply case (smaller) containing the party favor space ships which i use for ship combat miniatures in starfinder. I keep a simple homemade hex grid map at my friend's house (and one at mine) so that i dont have to transport it back and forth.

10. A Cheap little bluetooth speaker which i use for when i PC a bard or need to add some auditory ambiance to the session.

11. Chargers for my electronics and an extension cord

12. Small high powered flashlight for emergencies or finding lost dice that roll away from me or (more often) the players.

13. Telescopic bear claw back scratcher for those hard to reach itches and forementioned runaway dice, when they REALLY get away from us.

14. Two plastic boxes with blank index cards

Then there's my trapper keeper that has lots of line paper, printer paper, pens, mech pencils, a protractor, stories in progress, and the rules for "lasers & feelings" as well as it's fantasy equivalent "swords & scrolls" which i would strongly reccomend for players looking for more fluff and less crunch.

It's a heck of allot, but i dont usually have to carry it far except for in and out of my vehicle between trips to and from.

[MrZJunior]

That is a lot of stuff. I usually just have a rule book, some dice, a few pencils, some printouts, and that's about it. Maybe a dungeon map if it's that kind of game.

1) The three most required books for the system

How many games require more than one book?

3) A row of asst. poker chips (I've used tokens for over 20 years in all systems, their effects vary)

What do you use these for?

5) 50 Encounter maps (small scale, double sided)
6) 10 Encounter maps (full scale, 2 blank, folded)

What are encounter maps?

11) Duo-tang(s) containing information on the section of the world the players are currently in

What is a duo-tang?

19) Index cards. Some blank, some with xp sheets, and some with NPC templates

What is an xp sheet?

[Tinkerer]

How many games require more than one book?

A fair number. Usually the player's book, the GM book, and a book of adversaries. Or the core book, the setting book, and an expansion book. In some cases the number of books may vary. The systems which I normally run I usually have a fair number of books available.

What do you use these for?

Tokens vary by system, I always use them. In Savage Worlds they are referred to as Bennies and they can be used for rerolls, soaking damage, and a few additional effects. In other systems they can be used for interrupting actions, or a bunch of additional effects ranging from narrative to mechanical consequences. I started using them when I realized that in most systems it is difficult if not impossible to say... dive in front of a fire bolt which an enemy threw at a nearby orphan. They've worked out quite well and having an actual physical object to interact with adds a sensory kick to the action.

What are encounter maps?

Combat/exploration maps. I found that entirely too many GMs were abusing the properties of the theatre of the mind and players were getting used to it so I tend not to use that as much any more. For instance we were rushing to stop a lichpire from performing an action and the GM said "You will all reach the vampire in two rounds" Me: "Uh, do you recall that I move twice as fast as the rest of the party?" GM: "Oh, well in that case you will reach him in two rounds and the rest will reach in four rounds."

What is a duo-tang?

A flat binder which uses tabs to hold in the pages so it takes up much less space.

What is an xp sheet?

A record of where the players experience points come from. Helps to double as a mini campaign journal.

[martixy]

A collection of dice (duh).

Various bits and bobs that can be used as tokens and props. Whatever else I can find around me. I've had ships made of chips. Made for a good destructible(and tasty) prop, when a beastie came over to rampage.

A laptop. Ideally an additional screen.

Even digitally I'm unsophisticated - I keep all material in text files.
Well, mostly, I do have a decent collection of misc excel tables.
Oh, but I do have a massive library of character and environment art.