phil

to my fellow DMs/GMs/MCs/whatever your #TTRPG noun of choice is: what does your notetaking setup look like, if you keep notes? Pen and paper? Tablet? Specific software? Other?

Also, keeping info available for your players: do you have a website for them, or just remind them of things when they ask, or something else?

Feb 1, 2023 at 6:04pmWeb
Show threadSnarky (he/him/his)Feb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce I usually use Google Docs or a Word doc for taking notes; for players we use Discord between sessions to save information and make downtime decisions. And I usually answer any questions they ask that they would reasonably know. Occasionally I'll be mean and require a WIS or INT check on something random (not always important) to remind them to take their own notes (they never do, though).
Show threadRakuno ๐Ÿ€Feb 1, 2023

@stoppableforce Since our group uses FoundryVTT to play I just keep my GM notes in a journal there, for convenience's sake.

For any info they need it is usually a recap of last session which I just narrate at the start. Anything else is again a journal in FoundryVTT that they can access or they can ask me about it.

Show threadPetterOfCatsFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce I use pen(cil) and paper in a "moleskin" (or some cheap knockoff) notebook. If it's something I want more permenant, I write it up in as a .md doc using Typora or VS Code, if I'm feeling lazy.
Show threadAction Jay ๐Ÿพ Feb 1, 2023

@stoppableforce in my homebrew game I handed out 'farspeech notebooks' for the players to keep notes in character, represented by a shared Google Doc. Worked well, and I was able to make their existence and how they work into part the plot.

In Curse of Strahd, I'm making extensive use of Monk's Enhanced Journals in Foundry to create a big interlinked system of prewritten entries they'll be unlocking

Show threadYoraFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce I'm supposed to take notes?!
Show threadphilFeb 1, 2023
@Yora I have to since I can't bribe my players to do it ๐Ÿ˜‚
Show threadSatchel ๐ŸŽฒ๐Ÿ’ผFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce I started out using hyperlinked Tomboy Notes on my laptop, and my heart still aches with nostalgia for those sessions. I eventually came to an analog sensibility, and until the pandemic ran out of a tabbed three-ring binder of adventure worksheets filled out by hand. Probably still my favorite way to run D&D, although I've been using #ObsidianMD since 2020 to run Star Trek, Star Wars, and D&D. It's miles ahead of Tomboy circa 2001.
Show threadSatchel ๐ŸŽฒ๐Ÿ’ผFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce I was, for a minute, using folios for a lightweight solution, but neither of those campaigns got off the ground, so I don't know how the setup would hold up under repeat game time loads.
Show threadphilFeb 1, 2023
@satchel Folios?
Show threadSatchel ๐ŸŽฒ๐Ÿ’ผFeb 1, 2023

@stoppableforce Oops, forgot to link to the post with pictures. Basically it's a lined notepad with big and little pockets for handouts, character sheets, etc. all wrapped in [faux] leather.

https://dice.camp/@satchel/109396880852876322

Satchel ๐ŸŽฒ๐Ÿ’ผ (@[email protected])

Attached: 3 images @mcruentatus I'm going through a minimalist phase and plan on running my next game with just a folio of a) handouts and b) blank notepad.

Dice.camp
Show threadBartosz Wyspiaล„skiFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce pen, paper and Obsidian.MD
Show threadDeetlebeeFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce I've done wikis in the past, but honestly channels in Discord works the best IMO. Each character gets their own channel for notes/writing/etc.
Also a recap channel with what happened for anyone to review.
I've also done an NPC channel with descriptions of people they meet.
I tend to write my own notes on the PC and either print or use the iPad to read them as I go.
iOS Notes app is useful for something I can easily jot down notes then read/edit on iPad or PC.
Show threadphilFeb 1, 2023
@deetlebee honestly the biggest issue with discord in this case is that literally none of them are on discord and that's unlikely to change
Show threadDeetlebeeFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce Oooh, yea. I was thinking it was better than a wiki because it was something they already use. (lot of my games for the last X years have been online-only by necessity so we use Discord for voice-chat).
PBWiki is what I use for my world-building notes for over a decade because it's free. Though getting folks to sign up for accounts to edit their character notes can be a big ask when I've used it for campaigns. http://ryrin.pbworks.com/
ryrin / FrontPage

Show threadDeetlebeeFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce Example of the time I used it for a campaign. http://khasos.pbworks.com/w/page/143107863/FrontPage
khasos [licensed for non-commercial use only] / FrontPage

Show threadDeetlebeeFeb 1, 2023
@stoppableforce okay wow I didn't fill out a lot of those links lol. Hedrim Empire has a page!
Show threadNeverFeb 2, 2023
@stoppableforce I used to use Google docs, but I started using OneNote and prefer the organization there. And our group uses a discord and someone always writes a session recap in a dedicated area.