Laptops and rpgs

[deathwombat]

What are the thoughts on a player having their laptop open on the table and typing away during the game not looking at the other players?

[Dominik]

I'd personally ask myself what he is doing at the game as he or she is clearly not participating.
I get that laptops are useful tools for looking up rules and stuff, but they shouldn't be between players (or the gamemaster for that matter) as that gets in the way of actually playing the game.

[Rel Fexive]

Depends on a) if they are doing that instead of paying attention to a scene they are involved in; b) whether this activity distracts the other players or not; c) if they complain about having to stop whatever they are doing to pay attention to a scene they are in.

If one or more of these is causing a problem, ask them to leave the laptop at home/switched off and out of reach.  If they persist or complain, discuss it with the group to see if you can convince them to stop disrupting everyone else's fun.

[Shecky]

At our last D&D session, I had installed the d20 SRD on my wife's netbook and used the SNOT out of it; the DM even quit trying to remember stuff and just asked me (granted, most of the time I remembered it on my own, but it was nice to have textual backup). That being said, I was only on it whenever there was a question about confirming something rule/info-oriented.

[sinker]

b) whether this activity distracts the other players or not;

Seems to me this is the important bit. If they want to be doing something else and it's not messing everyone else up I don't see a problem with it (Although as a GM I might ask them what I can do to interest them more).

They are very useful tools nonetheless. They're really handy to blue book as chatting is less noticeable than handing the GM a note.

[Saedar]

In the games I play in, just about everyone has a laptop. What can I say? We love gadgets. That said, when I am running a game, I don't mind if they play games or chat and such when they are not involved in a given scene. If it becomes problematic, then I address the issue.

I once had a player who insisted on playing Gaia during the game and would not focus. So, I remotely deactivated the internet in my apartment. And she never figured it out. Muahaha.

[Blackblade]

I ran a few Paranoia games this summer, and Laptops were essential in allowing players to privately communicate with each other and with me.

[Amelia Crane]

What are the thoughts on a player having their laptop open on the table and typing away during the game not looking at the other players?

That's a problem.  It makes it hard for you or the other players to engage that player.  And thus it is hard to engage that character.  Which leads to a character that is uninvolved in the story, and thus not invested in it.  Which means less tension when you throw curve balls at the group and less enjoyment when they win.  Plus its distracting.

That said, I run my Dresden files game with a laptop.  I've got lots of resources to pull up on the computer.  Game notes, pictures of NPCs, lists of the PCs' aspects, etc.  Even have an extra monitor for the laptop so I can look at some stuff myself and show some stuff to the players (although the laptop's built-in screen has been on the fritz for a while).

Of course, that said, it's especially important not to be typing at the computer all the time as the GM.  Just know what you need and pull it up quickly then go back to the players.  If the players can't engage you, then they can't interact with the world.

[Todjaeger]

What are the thoughts on a player having their laptop open on the table and typing away during the game not looking at the other players?

The first question, which comes immediately to mind, is what is the player doing on their laptop?  If they're either not involved in the scene in question because their character is doing something "off camera" and what they're doing on their laptop isn't disturbing the other players, that's fine.

Or similarly, if they're using their laptop during the game (rules reference, pictures, mood music, etc) that too is fine.  I myself use my laptop during games to take/make notes and for quick rules lookup.  I also have numerous pictures of area landmarks where my DFRPG scenarios take place.  Having something like that handy makes describing places easier, they can also be used to specifically show things to players.

In the end though, it becomes a question of whether or not the player's behavior is disruptive to the group (GM included) or not.

[Custos]

I think most of the responses here have been on the spot, it's about what the player was doing on the laptop. Having played many characters with "eat-a-dick" memory I've transcribed most of the game play that my character was in.

[devonapple]

I was the note taker for a LONG time in my games when I had my laptop, and I didn't realize how disconnected it made me from everything. I was processing the information, but I was making it all narrative prose, and when the GM was slowing down to make sure I was getting all of the expository bits, it should have been a sign that it was going too far.

I have switched to using a mindmapping program on the iPhone, and now my notes are more organized, far less narrative, and I'm more engaged in the game than I was before the Laptop Years.

That said, it can still be a good tool if not being used as an escape from the game.

[Drashna]

It's definitely *how* you use it.

I personally like having PDFs of books on it, as they're easier to search (but there is nothing like having a hard copy infront of you), have my character sheet (or sheets if i'm running the game), and to record the entire session on the laptop's built in microphones.  Not the greatest quality recordings but makes it easier for writing narrative later or just going back and referencing. 

But then again, one of the guys in my group has been banned from having any electronic device when we play, because he opens up YouTube or the like. Even on his phone. And causes a lot of disruption while playing. 

[Sinister]

We play DnD games on laptops, particularly 4E which is really more tactical than story based.

For Dresden I've really changed things up.  I did away with the gaming table.  It's not important for storytelling. I use D20pro plugged into my laptop and tv to show battlemaps, pictures, etc....  I have a small stand I use to put my GM screen (I made on for dresden) and everyone sits on a chair or couch in a semi circle around me and the TV.  I tell people I understand that real lives are important, but take a text when it's not a critical point in the story.  I bought everyone a clipboard to put their character's on and to have somewhere to roll.  We use the roll a d6 add your skill, subtract a d6 method, so everyone just has one d6.  

I reallly like how my RPG went from table top conventional minis gaming to a storytelling event with plenty of space for me to act out my NPCs reactions in the semi -circle.


One of the cooler things going on right now is one of the players has taken it upon himself to be Aspect Bitch.  He writes down all the aspects in play and his notes on a big dry erase board. And when someone asks about something they can usually see it on the dry erase board.