Typically I use pen and paper, but I’ve been interested in a tablet or similar device for a while and am interested in what other people are using.
The reMarkable 2 seems like a really cool option to play with, but also pretty pricey for trying it out to see if it would even work well.
While it’s not directly related, when playing in games, I usually use a paper character sheet for reference, a notepad for consumables, story notes, and HP, and Pathbuilder on my phone for spells.
I’ll keep the iPad in mind; I usually eschew Apple Devices just because I don’t need to add another ecosystem to my brain, but I do admire how well they work for things.
Wanted to add that if you’re looking at the Remarkable for the “feels like paper” feature, there are screen protectors you can get for tablets that replicate a similar effect. I use one of them with an iPad + Apple Pencil for digital art and I’m pretty happy with the feel.
It sounds like you could probably get by with an older, cheaper tablet to start if you’re not sure about the price or if you’ll really use it. Most notetaking and organizing tools don’t need that much processing power.
I actually generally run in person with a hardcopy of the PDF. I was considering making the switch to a tablet of some sort, but wanted something that I could mark up and make notes in the margins. That does make me think that I would probably lose my color-coding highlighting.
Hm, I think most tablets could probably do margin notes and color coding somehow? I’m not sure if it’s a specific program, but one of my players has her character sheet on an iPad and she colors all over it and erases it throughout the session to keep her hands busy. As a last resort you could open up the pdf in an art program and draw on top of it (which is where my mind goes since I use my tablet for art), but I would bet there are a lot of a dedicated notetaking or organizing apps that would allow it.