I'll show you mine, if you show me yours...

It's great seeing other DM's equipment; how we find different solutions for usually the same challenges. I've gone back and forth over whether I should bring my laptop to the gaming table but I usually find it just takes up too much space. I've been using my smartphone instead lately.

I couldn't really find a way to fit all my stuff into one picture, or at least not a picture where everything could be seen. Of course, not pictured is my phone which serves as an ad hoc notes and picture viewer.


A - DM Screen
We bought the Tyranny of Dragons DM Screen because we thought the art looked cool and we were getting tired of the 3.0 DM Screen I've been using since 2001. I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have any useful charts on the backside but between a printer and a bit of tape I managed to fix that. I've been using the margins to track house rules, marching order, perception mods, etc and it's pretty handy.
B - Cards of Catastrophe
I've been finding a stock of index cards is pretty useful. I have some cards I print out with examples of the terrain/places that the party is visiting and I clip those to the outside of the DM Screen. One of my players sometimes has difficulty following the details of where we are at any given time and giving him a visual cue seems to help a lot. I have a homebrew mechanic that I use to give the party Sidequests (short, roughly planned but optional quests that aren't directly related to the main story). When the party accepts one I give them a card with the details so they don't have to remember everything off hand. I also use index cards to pass secret notes and the box has some paper towels for cleaning off the mat.
C - Tea Tankard
There tends to be a lot of talking involved in DMing and it's good to be able to wet the ol' whistle.
D - Ye Olde Dicebag
It's the third generation prototype of the dicebag on the store and it's held together pretty well for the last 3 years or so.
E - Inspiration Tokens
We use these glass beads for a fair bit but lately they're biggest job is tracking inspiration
F - Map Cleaning Kit
We don't have running water where we usually play so I carry a jar with water and an old sponge so we can clean the mat.
G - Notebook
I use this to track our notes in-session. What's happening, hp totals, acquired gear, that sort of thing.
H - Binder of Bane
It's just a cheap 1" binder but I enjoy dressing them up in leather (this is my second or third). The binder has all my adventure notes, maps, reference charts, etc. Essentially everything I need to run the campaign. I usually copy the stat blocks for any spells or monsters into my adventure notes so I don't need to haul around any books.
I - Marker Box
This started as a prototype for a latigo box but for the past few years it's been how I carry around all our markers and things.
J - Mini Chest
Just an old dollar store box I dressed up and use to haul around whatever minis we're using that week.

K - Wall Makers
Sometimes it's handy to just throw down some walls, usually when the rooms are changing quickly, something's likely to break them down, or we can't find the dry erase markers. These are just sliced up bits of craft foam so they're cheap, easy to replace and come in all sorts of colors.
L - Wooden Nickels
These are 1.5" across (give or take) so we use them whenever we either need to "enlarge" a mini (make a Medium mini into a Huge one, for instance). We also use them to show elevation (each disc = 10') whenever that comes up. They also make handy boulders/trees if you just toss them randomly on the map.
M - Extra pencils and eraser
N - Initiative tabs
This was my original set so they've been worn by 3 years of sliding across tables (except for 8 which I don't think has ever been used). They're made from some scrap leather I burned the numbers into. We toss them around the table to track the initiative orders during any given encounter.
O - Oblong Things
I made these to serve as horse/mount tokens but they get more mileage as other things these days. They've been everything from sarcophagi to tents.
P - Stealthy Suede
We slip these under minis whenever someone's Hidden. It's easier than trying to remember who's hidden when half the party decides to go into stealth mode.
Q - Random scrap
I generate lots of bits of scrap and we use them for all manner of things. Familiars, spell effects, traps, buckets of treasure, etc.
R - Wood Markers
These were prototypes that I'd burned letters (A-J) into. The wood was too dark for the letters to show up but they're still useful for tracking mobs or status effects. If we have a number of minis that are all similar I'll sometimes slip these under the mini so I can mark one from the other.

Every week I somehow manage to pack all that (minus the map) into my own Bag of Holding and off we go!

Wow! Jealous over the awesome work tables here. All right, now this newbie have something to aspire to 

Meet my amazing workplace: no miniatures, no maps, not much...



Good thing I have a huge imagination...

Just saving a spot here. I think this is one of the coolest threads on this forum and I will gladly share my kit. Just haven't had time since original post! Hopefully tonight!

Edit: Ok, as promised, da pics. I had to mess around with them to get them to insert; file sizes, ugh. You can click to embiggen.

This is the package I carry to my friends house where we have our sessions. Its a small shoe box, a reusable grocery bag, and my giant oversize hipster backpack.

The contents of the shoe box: pens and pencils, note cards, initiative cards, game pieces for a visual reference as needed, dice in a cigar box. Oh, and a flask of bourbon. 

The contents of the grocery sac: Clip boards for everyone, another note card box (filled with spell cards for the players), player rules reference sheets and character sheets, a folder of scrap paper and sometimes notes...mostly notes that become scrap paper when the party goes off the rails, a dry erase board for quick sketches.

The giant backpack contains my laptop and often the PHB and DMG. Sometimes a larger bottle of whiskey. I use the laptop for a MM, I have a PDF that has the table of contents page referenced. So, click on a monster, jump to that page. Handy.

The whole package unpacked:


Not depicted: The end of a roll of large format printer/plotter paper. I get this from work. Its usually about 2-5 feet of 30 or 36 inch paper and is useful for quick sketch maps. I just started using this. I also have a DM screen I sometimes use. I've been phasing it out though; I do most of my monster stat tracking on the computer now, and its kinda fun and exciting rolling the dice in the open. When I would normally make a fake roll and fudge it, I just verbal what's happening instead.

Also not depicted: MY NEW MINIATURES! Between Ebay, Amazon, and Dark Sword Miniatures I have amassed a small collection of pewter minis. Now that the Tony DiTerlizzi kickstarter is done (and they have WAY too much of my money), I expect more to arrive this fall. I will post pics when I get the new ones assembled. Never had to assemble minis before; they were always just solid casts when I was a kid. I forgot how much I love the little things! Tiny little bits of RPG art.

Alright, friends. I need some help.

I'm getting ready to start my first campaign as DM. I've got the game ready, with the setting fleshed out enough and the story intro sketched. But, now I'm a little nervous about preparing myself to actually run a session with my players.

I'm hoping y'all'll give me some advice about my DM setup that would help me feel a little more prepared about the practicalities of running my first session.

A little detail about the setup:
I have my DMG, PHB, and other relevant rulebooks on my laptop, and mostly use digital organizational tools (mind maps, evernote, maps, dropbox, etc.) in life. However, I won't have an effective method of sharing my screen at our table, so anything that my players need to see/use must be physical. Also, my budget for props and tools is quite limited, but I do have the ability to print stuff off.

Two of my players are first-timers, one has limited experience, and one is a TTRPG veteran. None of them have played 5e before. We're meeting this Saturday for character creation and setting description.

To keep it digestible, maybe give me your top three tips (or just top one)? I'm especially looking for useful components to bring with me.

1. Dollar Store is a great idea. I'll be able to find all sorts of baubles.

2. I probably wasn't clear. We aren't going to be playing in the same place each time, and right now, it looks like none of our locations will have a television present.

3. But pasting maps onto foam board is brilliant.


Thanks, KJ!

I'll get to posting my 3 tips in a minute, but before that... For your first time getting together, I'd focus more on making sure the players and their characters mesh well, rather than worrying about running the game. In fact, the entire first meet up for many groups is what's come to be known as "Session 0." There are many reasons for doing it, but one effect is that players will become invested with their own characters, the other players' characters, and your world, and this investment will help them overlook any noob DM stuff that pops up in those early sessions. If your veteran TRPG player comes with a finished character sheet, ask him to keep his options open in terms of making changes.

Anyway, my top 3 items (that haven't been listed already)...

1) Food/drinks. Have a plan in place for consumables. This doesn't mean you pay for everything, or that you don't pay anything at all. Just figure out who's doing what. Not obligatory for shorter sessions (under 2 hours).
2) Aside from specific spells, the text I most often consult when DMing (even after running 5e continuously for a year) is the table of conditions. Wouldn't hurt to print it out so you don't need to crack open the PHB when a condition occurs. More broadly speaking, catcharlie has the right idea. Spell cards are nice, but expensive. For running combats, I'd keep the list of main action types in front of the table for everyone to see (Attack, Cast a Spell, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Ready, Search, Use an Object) I think a lot of new players feel like Attack/Cast a Spell are the only two actions. Might want to include Move on that list, though distinguish it from actions.
3) Find a way to track initiative that everyone can see. I use those tiles, as shown in the image in the first post. Some people hang cards over the edge of their DM screen. I think Mitch and Chris mentioned a whiteboard or something with magnets? Whichever format you use, if players can see the next turn in combat, they can plan their actions accordingly, which expedites the process.

Though I've offered suggestions on running smoother combats, that may or may not be the focus of your first few sessions. When it comes to non combat stuff, don't stress the rules too much! Actually, don't stress the rules too much even for combat. If something questionable comes up and you aren't sure how to resolve it, or you can't find the rule in less than a minute, make a spot ruling, take a note on the question, and figure out the "right" answer later.

p.s. Don't start inventing house rules based on the first few sessions.

I'm kind of a jumble:



1) Wooden Dice Cup; once a coffee thermos but the mug part must've fallen out before I rescued it from the trash (plans to distress and varnish it.



2) Dice; a mix from starter sets and old campaigns in college.



3) Ye Olde Grubby Notebooke; Used to record session events, plot ideas, npc motivation, etc.



4) Roll of Brown Paper; Fished from recycling at work, it makes for great 'authentic' letter and wanted poster props.



5) Vinyl Grid Roll; Brand new, haven't tried it out yet, am hopeful.



6) Old Minis; The wife and I collected 3.5 sets in college.



7) Laptop; Great for map references and storing NPC pages, also name generators.



8) Music; Working on getting together a collection of mood/fight music. Have seen this in action and can't wait to try it for myself.



9)Books; Need I say more about the core 3 (PM, DMG, & MM)?



10) Misc.; Pens, mechanical pencils, and wet erase markers.





We're only on our 8th session so I may (read 'probably will') refine this as I go. Oh! Also a big damn picnic basket to carry it all in (metal framed).