Gosh, these are getting tricky.
I'm a bit stumped, because I don't think I really use gadgets*, nor have I played in games where others do.
One thing I wish I did do, is use music. Some kind of music playing device and a playlist, but I've never been organised enough, and there always seems to be something more important to prep. I'm not sure what I'd play, I'm not short of Medieval music for tavern scenes and banquets, but for background? I'd suggest video game music, for atmosphere (I'm a big fan of how well Nintendo did this in many of the Legend of Zelda series), but it can be a distraction if the players recognise the source.
So I'm reaching back to the 4E campaign again. As the characters grew more powerful and gained more abilities (and the monsters did too), combat could take ages. In an attempt to speed up the decision making I used a small egg timer. If a player completed their turn before the sand ran out, they gained a bonus. What it was varied from an Action Point to a draw from a deck of boons. I'm pretty sure that the last piece of cake was once claimed.
We also used the coloured plastic rings from soft drinks bottles to show the various conditions, and there were a lot of conditions in 4E. We even experimented with flight stands, but not very successfully I'm afraid (I repurposed the clix bases from WizKids Heroclix minis with a raised platform for the mini, but they were overlarge on the floor plans and fiddly to use).
But, if I think a bit harder I do use gadgets now. I have metal or plastic gadgets to represent where the PCs and their adversaries are. I also use other gadgets to represent the area the heroes are exploring.
I have a whole series of card and paper gadgets that I refer to for the rules, and even plastic gadgets to generate random numbers.
What I don't use much of is electronic gadgets, but we'll talk about apps tomorrow.
*Thinking more about this, I don't currently play face to face. My desk is crowded enough with PC, keyboard, phone and notes. There certainly isn't enough room for anything else.
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