A question I come across a lot is, “What do you use when running games? What’s in your GM bag?” Many of us love to peek at the doodads and fiddly bits other GMs bring to the table, so rather than continuing to answer the question over and over, I thought I would post the exhaustive, near-fetishistic, guide to my GM kit (including links to where I bought the items, when applicable. There is also a follow-up to this post with some extra goodies).
Naturally, things get swapped out here and there, but for the most part I’m really happy with my current satchel of GM-goodness — I can grab it and scurry off to a game at a moment’s notice, secure in the knowledge that I’ll have everything I need when I get there.
First, the case itself.
This thing is roomy and tough. According to my bathroom scale, the whole bag weighs in at 33 pounds when fully loaded! But the handle hasn’t pulled off (though I do try to be careful, just in case), and it has an extending handle so you can roll it on its wheels whenever possible.
Inside lurks a cornucopia of useful tabletop gear and doohickeys. It’s a pretty tight fit, kind of a Tetris puzzle sometimes, but everything does fit nice and snug.
Disgorging the contents onto my table, this is where we get to the good stuff.
Starting at the upper left corner and working in a rough clockwise circle, this is the stuff I gear up with before games like Schwarzenegger in “Commando.”
Whew. So, that’s it — that’s the GMing case I’ve slowly put together over the years. I love it because it feels like a gaming bug out bag… I never have to worry where anything is, come game day I just grab it out of the closet and hit the road (or the living room).
I’m always looking for new ideas of things to add or tweak, though, so I’d love to hear about what’s in your own GM bag of tricks!
Hmm…Small dry erase boards. That’s an awesome idea. And I never thought of a glasses case for holding pencils and such. Love it.
The Tascam is nice. I have a DR-40 that I use for remote podcasting interviews.
Wow. Most impressive. I am a long time GURPS player, since ’92, and GM, since ’92 as well, but not regularly until 2003. I am the MIB cell leader for San Francisco. you may have seen my posts on the forums under flyingwombat.
I use a collapsible cart that you can find at OFFICE MAX/DEPOT. (They are the same). I like the use of dry erase boards. I only started doing that last year.
Heya, flyingwombat /wave I’ve looked at carts like those, a solid alternative.
And, I leave out words when I type. Ugh
Fixed!
I bought the OSCOOL fan like the one in your GM kit in time for my con. The Duracel batteries gave me trouble. At first it wouldn’t start. i cleaned the contacts and it worked, slowly. Offering no breeze. Fortunately, I didn’t need it.
A few weeks ago I switched out the batteries with the another set of Duracel and wow! It’s stronger now.
Meanwhile, I saw an alternative. A rechargeable USB fan. The one I bought was on sale. It has four settings, a timer, and it can go on for hours. It’s smaller too.
Here’s the url: http://www.amazon.com/D-FantiX-Portable-Rechargeable-Personal-Handheld/dp/B01DLQLV5C?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00.
I received a message from Alea tools. She has been out due to back surgery, so no glass tokens for a while. Bummer.
Ooh, sweet fan, Tom 🙂 Having used both, would you say the USB one blows as much air, and is as quiet? I kind of like knowing that if it ‘dies’ in the middle of a game I could just throw in fresh batteries, but a rechargeable fan means one less thing to carry (extra batteries).
Yeah, I’ve noticed Alea’s glass tokens have been unavailable for quite some time — I frequently recommend them to people with a link. Hopefully they return to full health and start offering them again (though I can’t imagine I would ever need more than what I have myself!).
At full power the USB fan is so strong it pushes the fan! There is some noise. I found the lowest setting is the most quiet. According to specs it should lasts up to 8 hours. I haven’t checked to see this is true.
By the way, I ordered one of these fans and brought it to the last convention — perfect upgrade! Thanks for the link, Tom.
Glad you like it.
So that’s the case? Quite a reivlateon that is.
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I've heard really great things about this one, but your review actually makes me want to pick it up. And I will. I know my library has it, so I'm going to attempt to pick it up very soon. Wonderful review, Candace.
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The Campaign Coins link: http://dnserrorassist.att.net/search/?q=http%3A//campaigncoins.mybigcommerce.com/coins/fate/&r=http%3A//www.themook.net/gamegeekery/my-gm-kit/&bc=
is dead.
This link is still good: https://campaigncoins.com/
Thanks, Tom! I’ve updated the link in the post.
Tabletote, the company that makes the portable table, has upgraded the table by adding a cup and PDA holder
Indeed. My first one didn’t come with one. I never used it at a convention. Fortunately, I had plenty of table space. That table is currently used by my wife. She is confined to a bed in our living room while she recovers from surgery. I decided to buy the upgraded table. I plan to use either or both for gaming at some point. Or maybe just to put my lunch on.