Tech at the Table

Technology has (and will continue to advance) at exponential rates. This has brought us phones and devices that are always connected to the internet and allow us access to every distraction known to man.

So how do you handle tech at the table? These devices can simplify our lives greatly as far as gaming goes, but they can also provide endless and frustrating distraction.

Back when I gamed in college, we had a simple rule: you paid attention to what was going on. Gaming books were to supposed to be kept closed unless you were looking something up. You were respectful of what the GM was doing so you paid attention to it.

However, things are more complicated now. The aforementioned tech allows us access to books on PDFs, dice rollers, or digital character sheets. Laptops also do the same. They also provide access to Facebook, e-mail, and other digital distractions. Also, family and jobs are more of a responsibility than they were in college. Players may be on call during the game or family members may need to check in with them.

So how do you deal with it? Personally, we use a lot of tech when we game. Dice rollers make life easier when you need to roll many d10s for a White Wolf game, or the number of d6s needed for my homebrew system TROPE. Laptops allow us to use spreadsheets to automatically update characters as they take damage or level up.

Tech needs to be used responsibly though. It can't be excised completely because emergencies come up and need to be responded to appropriately. However, whether you are player or GM; you need to pay respect to the people who are playing with you. You've all decided to spend time together enjoying a hobby, so do that. Pay attention so you can act when it is your turn without slowing the game down. Use tech responsibly to speed up the process even more; but use it to play the game not to be distracted from it.