Ah yes, I fully understand.
I'm still building my 'no laptop' rig (getting close!), but I incorporate a BomeBox running MTPro with some rather complex scripts (complex for me, that is) to route MIDI data that changes depending on what 'song' I call up to play.
I mean, I select a Sequence on a Pyramid (hardware sequencer) and it sends a PgmChg msg to the BomeBox which configures/reconfigures Translators and Routings dynamically.
Sort of like a "Meta Patch".
All without a laptop, except that I use a laptop to program and test the MTPro scripts. Then they get uploaded to the BomeBox and I forget all about it.
If you're in the Toronto (Canada) area, I'd be happy to show you, but I understand avoiding certain techniques for comfort.