What's your favorite GM accessory ?

[Ezri's Toy]

As a companion to the "What's Your Favorite book of published GM advice ?" thread, this thread asks "What's your favorite GM accessory?"

Now, we're not talking reading material but actual tools you use to help prep for a game or actually use at the game table -- battlemats, white erase boards, 3D terrain, etc.

For me, the most useful GM tools are:

Pre-adventure prep:
•Brainforest (a now defunct outlining software for desktops & Palm Pilots)

At the table:
•MasterScreen - Customizable GM Screen
•The Game Masters Collection sound effects CDs.
•Chessex Battlemats; Their dice are cool too.

[RaconteurX]

For Star Trek, my favorite accessory without a doubt is Star Trek Star Charts. And my collection of electronic cereal-box toys which make neat sounds...

[Phantom]

The only extras I've ever used was the Songs in the Tune of X for a Conspiracy X game and the Gladiator sound track for the battle scenes in a couple of L5R games.

[krijger]

I cant go without my binders..

I also use a special item (bought by my sister for me, so dont know brand or anything) that stands on table with plastic sheets (that contain usualy printed graphics by me), that can be flipped over (sortof like this master GM screen but with flippable pages).

[Questor]

The complete program: maps, counter´s, music, detailed description, the "right mood" etc.

If you are lucky and got players who are also that enthusiastical then you have (almost) won.

[Dan Gurden]

Me?

I just use my brain, a large back catalogue of music (several soundtrack albums and even some downloads). After that its a simple matter of my eyes, an evil laugh and a healthy appreciacion of irony and paranoia.

But no actual tools as such.

[Owen E Oulton]

I don't use many game accessories as such, but having all my game notes etc... in html on my laptop certainly makes it easier to keep on top of things.

[First of Two]

Mountain Dew and/or Jolt cola. The more wired my players are, the more fun I have.

[StyroFoam Man]

This message has been removed on request by the
poster

[Owen E Oulton]

From 8,000 years in the future, right?

[Ezri's Toy]

Originally posted by RaconteurX
For Star Trek, my favorite accessory without a doubt is Star Trek Star Charts. And my collection of electronic cereal-box toys which make neat sounds...

Well, I suppose if you're going to go there, I would add the Star Trek Encyclopedia and the Star Trek Chronology. And, I suppose to a lesser extent, there's also the STTNG & STDS9 technical manuals; David Mack's "Starfleet Survival Guide" looks like it could add some IC texture to the game but I've not read it to be sure.

[C5]

Nothing apart from my books, screen, dices, pen and paper. We also use slates to easily draw maps of scenes and fights.
Sometimes, I print something on the computer to give to the players, otherwise, my most used GM accessory is my pen... I take note of everything that the players do and later copy it on the computer and print it for the next game (since my writing can lack of clarity, especially when I try to write fast not to slow the game). Always useful when sometimes gaming sessions are two months apart.

[Aldaron]

Cool thread...

I think it would have to be Campaign Cartographer Pro...I use it all the time, even for really simple stuff like quick battles...

I can move counters around, quickly calculate exact distances, print out a copy if I need it.

Plus there's the millions of maps I love to make and give to my players - including the long-term project of mapping out a complete Intrepid class ship (I've done 3 decks, now! )

[Owen E Oulton]

" David Mack's "Starfleet Survival Guide" looks like it could add some IC texture to the game but I've not read it to be sure."

Great little book! One nice thing is that it goes into procedures for all those one-shot emergency solutions you see on the shows - it's really quite easy to assign task rolls.

[Ezri's Toy]

Originally posted by First of Two
Mountain Dew and/or Jolt cola. The more wired my players are, the more fun I have.

I used to drink a cola called Nitro. Jolt's tag line was "All the sugar and twice the caffeine." Well, Nitro was twice the sugar and three times the caffeine. Two bottles of that stuff in 30 minutes and you were wired!

It was bottled in St. Louis and I don't know if it is still made anymore.

Anyway, back to topic. . . .