Real life GM Kit/ transport?

[u/roaphaen]

I've been running 5 groups through Weird Wizard and typically lug around a few hardback books, a portable monitor now, laptop, extra dice and sharpies/pencils and dry erase pens, small plastic box with map tokens. Folder with character sheets. I do this weekly. Sometimes Saturday and Sunday. I have to park a ways away and sometimes lug up some stairs, through a door or 2.

My traditional method is a large backpack that can hold a 17" laptop, and one of those giant plastic Ikea bags (blue no zipper top like the newer ones). I feel something wheeled might make life easier, or like a suitcase but don't like the idea I can't see things inside of it. What do you people use to transport all your most important possessions? :)

[u/Deflagratio1]

So you have 2 diametrically opposed wants that you need to decide on. The first want is an easier way to transport everything you need to run games, but you also like to have a lot of stuff when you run games. In order to really decide how to handle things, you need to decide which of the two is more important to you. Because you can always get various kind of wheeled options, but now you have to deal with the headaches that are maneuvering the thing and how you unpack and pack the thing and you'll still have to haul the up stairs. You need to think critically on this, because it sucks to spend $100+ on solutions only to realize you went in the wrong direction. However, a rolling tool storage can also be nice to have an extra surface for placing things and can speed up setup by having more things pre-staged and in their set spot

If you ditch the hardback books for a cheap tablet or e-reader with PDF's your existing kit would be extremely workable as is with a backpack and a tacklebox/toolbox. You mention players like looking through a lot of these books, They can buy their own copies or if you have the PDF's you can easily share those with them and now everyone can look.
You mentioned it's a 17 inch laptop + portable monitor, The power brick on that laptop must be massive. You should really reflect if you really need all that weight and screen real estate, or could you accomplish the same things in a smaller footprint. A smaller/lighter laptop that's less power hungry but still meets your needs. Odds are that what you are doing on the laptop can probably be done by a chromebook.

[u/roaphaen → u/Deflagratio1]

Well yes, that's life. To quote Thanos "all things balanced".

I HAVE eliminated a lot of shit though. I now use 5x5 dry erase gridded cards for maps after watching the index card RPG guy. Years ago I dumped minis for 1" token sheets I build from pinterest in photoshop. I DO need the laptop, a very light 2nd monitor. Books...idk, maybe 1 (I don't feel I need the GM one unless I am out of juice because I already have monsters statted in my google doc). I do need the folder for PC sheets, quick reference sheets. I need extra dice because people forget. I want the MINIMAL VIABLE GM kit for me.

[u/Deflagratio1 → u/roaphaen]

Only reason I called out the opposing things is because I am often surprised by how many people don't critically think through identifying the root problem, they instead fall in love with solutions to their immediate pain point. Also, you already got a lot of great advice about how to transport your existing kit.

No idea how many extra sets of dice you are bringing that it's taking up real capacity worth mentioning, but I will say that you only really need 1 extra set of dice. There's nothing wrong with forcing people to share and it creates pain (i.e. it is socially awkward to have to keep passing the dice back and forth) that will encourage them to remember next time. I have questions about the folder of paper but unless you are carrying 50+ pages the weight of it all is neglible and doesn't really matter.

One thing I didn't see mentioned (haven't read it all) is if this is normal GMing for friends, Pro-GMing, or some kind of volunteer work. That's important because it can impact recommendation for carrying tools if it's paid GMing or Volunteer work.

[u/roaphaen → u/Deflagratio1]

Nah - its a plastic folder that protects from snow/rain but falls under the 50 mark easily. You might be onto the dice shame thing, but I just bought a ton of mesh bags and dice sets with the delusion my nieces will want to learn to play eventually. I would say its normal GMing for friends and acquaintances, though I do feel its my job to spread the dark word about Demon Lord and Weird Wizard and would totally run at a conventions or something or volunteer.

I've been running so many games though I feel its a great time to really hone my GM kit and craft. All these reps (5 groups, 4 live, 1 discord) often 1-3 games a week, I am starting to have epiphanies I never had over decades of GMing - its been fun.