How do you organize your campaign notes like npcs, places, etc, and make sure they are easily searchable and also organized by categories? Maybe even alphabetical things?
Avery has pretty solid tabbed dividers that do a perfectly fine job of separating different sections of the binder. Initial conditions, different parts of the campaign, maps, NPC descriptions and stats, and so on. Pretty easily to flip between them, and then you’re always close enough to get there quickly.
I just put down notes before the campaign starts to have a general feel of how things are, then note down noteworthy happenings session per session. Between sessions I put down ideas for how things could potentially branch out depending on player actions. All on paper, even if going digital might help for some rare scenarios.What's the software in the pic?
>>98000043https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Decimal_Classificationhttps://udcsummary.info/php/index.php
>>98000078more digital
>>98000091LegendKeeper. $7 a month
>>98000043>>98000144oh, so this is a shill thread
>>98000138Transcribing everything I write before, during, and after sessions into a digital format would probably add another eight hours to my prep time. Doesn't seem worth it.
>>98000165No I rather not use LK. I was curious how people organize their session stuff and lore
>>98000167Im using digital cause its collaborative.
>>98000043Me? I use my palace of the mind
>>98000043>organizeAhahahahaha. Good one, anon. I don't organize jack shit. Sometimes I'll capitalize a file name if I wanna remember that it's what I'm currently working on. Then I end up w/ 5 files that are capitalized and it doesn't help. Or I'll name the latest version of a file "Realsies" and then forget I did it and end up working on an older version. This is the campaign we're currently playing. It contains 522 files in 44 folders.
>>98000191Dude, learn OneNote or Obsidian at that rate geez
>>98000174Man, the best part of collaborative notes is taking them separately and then reconciling them after major milestones in the campaign.
>>98000201Well IN THEORY, once I'm happy with something, I write it down in my campaign book. Course that's currently about 60 pages out of the 544 files so... obviously my organizational system could use some assistance.
I use obsidian, its free and no subscription/account bullshit. Ill go over my structure>Campaign FolderMeta information, House Rules, System tweaks etc>Party FolderDocument for each PC to reference their skills/backgrounds/important events. These are all linked to a master "Party Sheet">Session NotesPre-Game Notes to go over with players, such as rules clarifications we hand-waived to keep a session moving along the week prior.>Session ReportsPost-Game Notes and generally just where I braindump the events of the last session.>Table DocumentsDocuments for use at the table in the next session while we play. Ill build encounters/random tables/magic items etc here and print them for the game. >Attachments FolderAll images/PDFs/etc pasted into Obsidian go here to keep them linkable.
>>98000254holy autisticbut I do like the graphics
>>98000269got an example of the campaign folder stuff?
>>98000277>graphicslol when it's ink on paper we call it a "drawing," but thank you.>autisticEh. Hobbies are good for us. Prolly a little.
>>98000254impressive, very nice, but >block letters and cursives mixed just why? reserve cursives for specific quotes or diary excerpts. it is supposed to be a BOOK, right?
>>98000269I basically only use Obsidian to keep track of characters and their relationships.
>>98000289>all those furries
>>98000285Handwriting is faster
>>98000285Cursive because I write a lot and it's way more comfortable for me to write that way. But I use block letters in drawings as well as text I'm supposed to read out loud (for things like descriptions of set pieces). In drawings, because I want others to be able to read it. In quotes, because I want me to be able to read it and my handwriting can get a little iffy.
>>98000294Birdfolk and shapeshifting (but non-anthro in their true form) foxes is maybe half as furry as most generic fantasy.
>>98000282Just recently started a Nimble RPG campaign, this is my setup for the general structure.
>>98000319At the extent that you have in that picture, that is more than half.
>>98000294>>98000328>Don't like someone else's tableLucky for you? You weren't invited. It's a win/win, but I kinda think other anon got the better end of the bargain.
Im curious how this looks when using a play by post style of rp with friends. How would you keep notes with that kind of environment?
>>98000331it's more concerning youre defending the yiff campaign so strongly
>>98000335Playing TTRPGs is a superior hobby to being a busy-body.
>>98000328>that is more than half.>16 foxes (mostly the result of one player playing a fox and having a big family)>9 birds>out of 89 mortal charactersThat's 28%, and that's me giving you the benefit of not including the 50 or so celestials, fiends, fey, and elementals.
>>98000422Still too many
>>98000427do you even play games or are you here to virtue signal to yourself ?
>>98000437>do you play games with many furries as a core component No.
>>98000427The claim was simply that it was less than the average generic fantasy setting you see these days, which still holds true.
I have a central faction document that lists the various factions at play in my campaign. For each faction, I have a quick blurb about who and where they are, what their goals are, how close they are to achieving those goals, and who the prominent NPCs belonging to that faction are. This document is the "central" document that I'll update based on what the players do or don't do and the time elapsed in the campaign. I'll then have documents for the players as well as any of the prominent NPCs they've already encountered.In another folder, I'll have my prep notes for each individual session. I'll also put my session recaps as well as any ideas I might have for future scenarios in this folder.When it comes to actual game time, I'll consolidate and print out any relevant information from the above two folders to have on hand for when/if the players encounter it. I also have a composition notebook where I'll scratch out events of the game as they're happening. After the session is over, I cross reference this book with my other documents and update them accordingly.
>>98000427You people quickly make yourselves out to be more annoying than the furries. Just from your attitude in this thread, it paints you as insufferable.
>>98000043My campaign is a mix of handwritten locations in a dedicated campaign notebook and physical booksI have a separate section for journaling sessions but the main thing is post it notes I place over appropriate paragraphs in the books or in my notebookThat way I will never miss it if the party returns to place X
Having always played and run campaigns with digital tools for the first seven years of my experience with the hobby, I recently ran a campaign with no computers, only handwritten notes and character sheets. It was fucking amazing--from planning to execution, everything flowed much more cleanly from brain to pencil to paper. And it wasn't just me--the players were more engaged, took more notes, and doodled and sketched their characters more than I've ever seen before. You'd think that more time flipping through notes or source books would result in downtime, but that time always ended up filled by someone else in a way that felt organic.
>>98000684Congrats. Yep. The best VTT out there can only be about half as good as a shoddy, in-person game. You lose so much, when you don't have that physical exchange of body language and shared activity that being physically engaged in communication provides. And even the parts that a VTT can "do for you," like keeping track of hit points or providing maps or whatever? It's just better in person, because you're doing it together. The map you doodle on some printer paper is better than the fully-realized 3d model on foundry.I'm just being old and comisserating. I've gone digital since covid, except on the rare occassion when we're actually all together. It's a bummer.
>>98000043Word docs in folders, or google docs. Organised by location. One big document for major NPCs another for session summaries. You can index it using the normal computer’s indexing.
>>98000043I organize everything in the games I design; the rules are written in some form of word processor, and I'll usually make a table of contents with key abbreviations to make the find function pick them out easier.Character creation options and how attributes function are first. Then it's usually how actions, counters, follow-ups, and reactions work, as well as an introduction to how conditions might modify the skills your character uses.I usually like to list things alphabetically, but I'll break that convention with character options, and list them from lowest direct power to highest.After character creation, I'll include the map generation rules, and how to organize maps on the biome/overworld list(s). With map generation usually comes tables for hostiles, objects, etc. and biomes will list the types of entities that can be generated. Plus, I'll include how "danger level" modifies everything generated, and how "oracle" or "sabateur" character options can affect things too.Biome progression and rules for "final maps" will be included last, of course, depending on where the party ends up.
>>98000043>your campaign notes like npcs, places, etcI remember shit like this without notes. I have one player taking notes of his own accord, which I appreciate, not for me but so that I can have someone else recap the last section or have players roll to remember information that they forgot.
>>98000254How the hell you do these pretty color letters on normal note book?
>>98000144>monthly subscriptionA shame. Is there a way to have a lifetime sub or something?
>>98001806No, but $90 a year isnt terrible. But I havent subbed in forever. It was fun to try for a bit, but now I use wiki.js
>>98000514That's a wise course of action, is it a sandbox?
>>98000043I use a Google Docs shared thing for all player facing materials. I usually hand write my session notes out just because I get fatigued of being on a computer all th time. I have a giant notebook where I record setting information, plot development, and concepts. I keep a session notebook solely for use during sessions which I then summarize and keep in a larger campaign journal to track party actions.I also use online stuff in Word + folders for factions, characters, locations and so forth.
>>98000043In my brain. I don't keep notes beyond a few names that I made up the day before.
>>98000254beautiful anon.I'm working on a game that's like Traveller except for floating islands and airships.
>>98000043i just write stuff down in my tablet's notepad anon. it has a search function so whenever i want to look up something specific i can just search it up. Npcs, locations etc all get their own note.for npc stats and monsters i prefer putting things to paper so that they are handy and on the side for when i might need them.
>>98001861We're starting with the Lost Mines module in D&D 5E, but at the conclusion of the module I plan on letting my players go wherever they fancy. I have a few ideas for adventures for them to go on based on their character backstories and will keep an eye on their interests and actions to see if anything else would be worth prepping.
>>98004658Even if you want to keep playing D&D 5e, I suggest you peruse the dungeon masters guides of prior editions for information.The 5e DMG tells you to put a finger up your own ass and just figure it out yourself in a lot of places. I won't get into why I think that is.Prior editions offer more guidance for stocking the map with more dungeons, settlements and other adventure locales.
>>98005570This is why 3.5 and Pathfinder are superior. 5e is slop.
I've tried a bunch of different programs over the years, and ended up sticking with Google Docs. I can open any word/excel file from work/personal laptop/desktop PC even my phone so it's very convenient, I can just open up the file and start writing pretty much anywhere. I've yet to find a free program that does this. Another great alternative is OneNote, but for some reason it does't sync very well and the office's network blocks me from logging into my personal email with it.
