I never thought office supplies would be exciting

General
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… but here we are

Even with all of the digital tools available, there’s something satisfying about finding the perfect mix of office supplies to enhance a game

Here’s some of my all-time favorites:

  • Drafting pencils. They’re mechanical pencils with an extended barrel-tip that lets you get right up against the edge of a ruler or straight-edge for super-precise lines. I’m partial to Rotring pencils for their heft and the knurled grips
  • Graph paper - literally all of it, from letter-size notebooks up to easel pads. These are great for drawing encounter maps, and bonus points if you cut the map into modular pieces and lay it down room-by-room
  • Lamination sheets/transparent sheet protectors. Combine these with dry-erase markers and you’ve got a low-mess way to track moving values like HP and spell usage, while also keeping your paper clean and dry
  • Index cards. I write common reminders on them and paste them to the inside of my (homemade) GM screen, but then there’s also entire games like Index Card RPG that looks like loads of fun

What are some of your office/art supply indulgences?

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Whiteboards! Best brainstorming tool ever for mind mapping, flows, user story drafting, etc. There are great online versions (lucid spark, Miro, etc.) but nothing is faster than a good physical whiteboard. Plus sometimes you walk in and your kids left you some beautiful art of a unicorn… but usually a drawing of poop.

Graph paper is great. I didn’t like it at first, but ever since engineering classes, it’s amazing.

Fidgets - I heavily put this in the office supply category. Otherwise I’ll be looking out the nearest window with no regard for what’s going on in the actual meeting.

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omg the whiteboard!

I have a huge one in the basement that I’m forever forgetting about (because I don’t work in the basement anymore)

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Yeah, I wish I had a giant whiteboard sometimes. I’m a visual person but an unorganized one, so I have notebooks and tabs, spreadsheets, and doodles everywhere.

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If you have a section of wall you can always paint it with whiteboard paint and that way you get a plain white wall that you can write with dry erase makers anytime you want!

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Old single-pane windows from ReStore work great, too!

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Sooo… you all probably know this. But there is a secret teachers love to share about large whiteboards. The shower panels at Home Depot stores work well as whiteboards! They run ~$20 and mine have lasted about 6 years.

I use a wet cloth to clean them, and every year use car wax to make them last. They’re still going strong!

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My shower just became a whiteboard!

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Lolz. Have you checked that out with anyone in your home, ray? :joy:

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You give us too much credit and yourself too little.
That’s a bloody brilliant idea!

The car wax thing is really great

Oh! Expanded PVC can be ordered cut to fit up to 4x8 sheets, and I think there’s a supplier in Summit county

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I have some long-haired individuals in my household.
I have found hair can be an excellent artistic and expressive medium on my shower whiteboard :joy::joy:

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“long-haired” in this case being a significant understatement

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It’s also me! :rofl: So many times my own hair startles me

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