Power Point as a Game Aid?

[Piperdog]

As I put my Power Point together for work, I couldn't help but wonder if it would be a cool addition to a game table. I was thinking it would be cool to incorporate a projector for as a game aid, but also wonder if it would be more of a distraction. Aside from Power Point, the laptop and projector could serve a lot of functions. Heres some things that come to mind:

1. As a simple tone setter: throw up a map, some artwork, maybe in a slow moving slideshow with the ambient music down low. (think of games like Call of Cthulhu where you could have pics of 1920's towns, gothic New England homes, Model T's, and so on changing in the background with music from the 20's playing subtley in the background....or change it to a Midnight Syndicate creepy music on the fly)

2. As a cool means of handling player handouts and illustrations...pop it up on the screen and leave it, or open multiple windows depicting more than one handout or illustration. Monsters, puzzles, castle ruins, flavor pics, whatever

3. Initiative Tracker- have something like the Combat Pad, but digital, so you can drag names in order of initiative so everyone can see it.

4. Using my drawing pad, I can sketch out details on a whiteboard, maybe even use an online gaming map tool or whiteboard tool.

Just thinking outloud again. Anybody use a projector at all? Does using tech like this defeat the purpose of an old school game? Wondering what your thoughts are on this.
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When in doubt as to who is in charge on the battlefield, listen to the man with the bloodiest sword.

[koralas]

Piperdog wrote:
As I put my Power Point together for work, I couldn't help but wonder if it would be a cool addition to a game table. I was thinking it would be cool to incorporate a projector for as a game aid, but also wonder if it would be more of a distraction. Aside from Power Point, the laptop and projector could serve a lot of functions. Heres some things that come to mind:

1. As a simple tone setter: throw up a map, some artwork, maybe in a slow moving slideshow with the ambient music down low. (think of games like Call of Cthulhu where you could have pics of 1920's towns, gothic New England homes, Model T's, and so on changing in the background with music from the 20's playing subtley in the background....or change it to a Midnight Syndicate creepy music on the fly)

2. As a cool means of handling player handouts and illustrations...pop it up on the screen and leave it, or open multiple windows depicting more than one handout or illustration. Monsters, puzzles, castle ruins, flavor pics, whatever

3. Initiative Tracker- have something like the Combat Pad, but digital, so you can drag names in order of initiative so everyone can see it.

4. Using my drawing pad, I can sketch out details on a whiteboard, maybe even use an online gaming map tool or whiteboard tool.

Just thinking outloud again. Anybody use a projector at all? Does using tech like this defeat the purpose of an old school game? Wondering what your thoughts are on this.

1. Using music and such is a great tone setter, and if you can coordinate it right, especially in a horror game, can really enhance the feel you are looking for.

2. Yes a good use, except for player handouts that are meant to actually be some thing have acquired, stick to hard copies for those.

3. Initiative, would still be faster to keep on paper, and not having the ordered list visible makes the characters pay more attention to what is going on, especially if you use real time limits on a character to call their action. Always need to assess the situation to determine their action and be prepared when it is their turn. Plus I've never let the characters know what the init of their opponents are...

4. Again, not bad in the least, when describing an odd shaped room, it was often much easier to draw it free hand, that is no graph paper, and not trying to force the scale to be exact. Save that for the characters pacing out a room. To that, note, I don't let the players use graph paper for their mapping either. Someone must have the proper supplies on their character in order to make a map, and unless they have some sort of cartography in their background (which requires a hefty explanation since most people would not), they can do little other than make rudimentary maps, that is maps that are no where near to scale.

And no, old school gaming has nothing to do with technology used to enjoy the game. With old school you use what ever you get your hands on to increase the enjoyment of the game. Old school is a feel, a style, a sense of real danger, and such props as you propose can be used to enhance that. Now if you were using the computer to run half the game because of the complexity of the game, skills, feats, having to play on a battle grid, "balancing" everything, etc. That would be killing old school, a la 3.x/d20, and way overkill in 4e.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I had been using my laptop to run games for a while. I reverted back to old-fashioned pencil & paper during the game, then transferred it into a campaign manager program afterward. It got to be too much of a pain having so many windows open.

[Joe]

I use it quite often but I warn you, only use it for general visual aids, and maps.

It can be a great tool, but can also be a distraction from the game when used too much.

I already find it distracting when GMs stare into laptops while we play a game of paper and pencil.

When I first used PP and overhead projection it was too much and I suspect one will be tempted to overuse it.

It works great as a map referecne so the players can plan strategies, or as a visual aid, "You turn around the corner to see...that!" and a big polar bear covered in blood appears on the screen.

Any more than the occasional use morphs it into a different game with a different feel.
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