Today, we announce the completion of a new feature: a Guide to 4e Accessories, for DMs and players who just want more stuff at their table. You’ll find 3rd party options for tracking conditions, power cards, mapping, iPhones, and electronic aids.
This joins our other features:
As always, let me know here what you think, if I missed anything you think should be included, and so forth and I’ll do my best to comply (and stay on top of new entries).
I wanted to share my modifications I did to the Alea Tools, to make tracking conditions a little easier.
http://newbiedm.com/2009/03/02/modifying-the-way-i-mark/
It’s working great for us.
.-= newbiedm´s last blog ..On 4th Ed.’s simplified skill list =-.
Ok you missed some of the best stuff:
For status tracking: Pipe cleaners. Far cheaper than any of the producs you listed, just them down to inch long segments, fold and hang on the mini. 3mm works better then the 5mm. Its better then most of them as you don’t have to lift up the mini to get them, and they don’t stick together if you put the minis too close like the magnetic tiles.
In your section on mapping you mention a couple of products but not the flipmats! Originally by Steel Squire (I have one that still has their name!) there now put out by pazio: http://paizo.com/store/gameAids/gamingMats/steelSqwire/v5748btpy7l5e
The same guys also have a great magnetic initiative pad. Some friends and I talked our FLGS into stocking both and they have been selling well enough to be standard stock now.
In the software section I’d add the various tools found at http://www.rptools.net/
Is Mach Dice or any of the others actually physics based? I have yet to find a dice roller that satisfies, because they use random number generation, which on a computer just isn’t quite random enough for my tastes. My dream is to find one that’s physics based and actually reads the numbers off the virtual dice when they come to rest.
Canageek: I left off commonly available items that weren’t designed for RPG playing- so no pipe cleaners, plastic rings, dry erase boards, etc. I have one of the flip mats, and will probably add it. Mostly I tried to focus on ones that people were less likely to have heard of.
Sian: As far as I know, they all use physics to roll the dice only and then randomly generate the number.
You might know the answer, Dave, so I’ll ask you: what happened to the Anubis Encounter Manager that e was pimping out on her site for a while? Seems to have fallen off the face of the earth, which I think is a damn shame.
@ Xero – Anubis and his wife are going through a very nasty separation/divorce. So nasty that I cannot in good conscience promote anything that he produces. I am sorry that it inconveniences people, but if you knew the whole story, you’d have no doubt as to why I had to pull references to him from my site.
.-= Geek’s Dream Girl´s last blog ..Divine Power: E’s Top Five Fun Ways to Roleplay a Paladin =-.
Personally I am a big fan of the Power cards. My husband found them online a while ago but the site was taken down because Wizards of the Coast decided to sell them. I still think they are way too price so I would recommend making your own.
I think they are especially helpful for first time players and young gamers! (Or if you don’t have a copy of the player’s handbook for each person there).
@Dice_Girl –
Actually, the site was taken down long after WotC decided to sell power cards. It was taken down because it was distributing copyrighted WotC material for free.
There are still a number of free power card solutions out there, but they don’t have the text already included in them, or tend to be forum creations rather than public websites.
But yeah, power cards are incredibly useful. I had considered using them for characters in 3.5, but only one of my players ever did (a Psion).
Under the condition tracking section, I would also like to recommend Litko Aerosystems (www.litkoaero.com/page/LAI/CTGY/TS_4E) . Litko has player, GM, effects, and bloodied token sets. The player set contains eleven double-sided condition tokens. The effects token set contains 12 tokens (flying, invisible, diseased, move effects, etc.) The GM tokes are three of the player token sets in one package. The bloodied set contains 10 bloodied tokens. Litko also has other token sets you might find useful for your 4e game, such as obviously dead, blood splatter, or acid splatter tokens.
I have the set from Dragonfire Lasercrafts, and the Litko set is more comprehensive. The edge of the Litko tokens are colored, so you can get an idea of the effect; the Dragonfire tokens have white edges and are thin. The downside of the Litko tokens is that printing is hard to see; you need to color the printing with a crayon.
@e: ’nuff said.
Under the IPhone dice utilities, thought I’d add QuickRoll, which I really like. I have Mach Dice, which is very pretty and “cool”, but find QuickRoll to be much more flexible and useful overall, for any RPG. (I also have occasional funky memory issues with Mach Dice as well.)