Author Topic: How do you compile game notes?  (Read 11150 times)

Mckma

  • President of the Apparatus of Kwalish fan club
  • *****
  • Posts: 1538
  • Sometimes Murphy's Law needs to be enforced
    • View Profile
How do you compile game notes?
« on: January 20, 2015, 10:08:58 PM »
So I was thinking about this the other day.  What do you use to put together campaign/game notes?  Word documents?  Notebooks?  What helps keep you organized?  Looking for ideas for planning a potential game....

D6xD6 - Chris

  • I dream in graph paper lines
  • ****
  • Posts: 310
    • View Profile
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2015, 10:15:17 PM »
I use Google Docs/Drive.  I have my Chromebook as my GM "screen," and if I am at work on a different computer or on the elliptical on the gym listening to podcasts (HAI RPPR) on my phone and I have an idea for the game/campaign, I can log it right there.

You can also setup a Wiki or Wordpress "blog" if you want your players to be able to put in their own notes/thoughts/ravings/etc..

Tadanori Oyama

  • Extreme XP CEO
  • *******
  • Posts: 3897
  • The Full Time GM
    • View Profile
    • Full Time GM
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2015, 11:07:43 AM »
Post-it notes stuck to folded sheets of paper collected in folders with tons of note cards.

Kamen

  • I dream in graph paper lines
  • ****
  • Posts: 334
    • View Profile
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2015, 11:16:11 AM »
Usually some sort of notebook/notepad/legal pad and note cards/unused price signs from work thrown into a pile that I frantically rifle through as I run the game. From player side I usually just have a legal pad and the group whiteboard.

trinite

  • I dream in graph paper lines
  • ****
  • Posts: 474
    • View Profile
    • Technical Difficulties Gaming Podcast
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2015, 11:57:04 AM »
Depends on the game. Generally: just a legal pad or a  notebook, though I've typed up notes before on occasion.

For Call of Cthulhu, the legal pad is pretty much it, though I'll print out character sheets for NPCs if it's super important. If there are props and handouts and stuff, I'll have those prepped, too.

For Pathfinder, I almost always print out stat sheets for monsters and enemy NPCs. But lately, I've preferred to use my hand little netbook for it, with the stat pages from d20pfsrd.com pulled up (since it has spells and spell-likes hyperlinked; Yay, OGL!).

One thing I do try to do is to save everything from every game in a filing box, in case I ever want to reuse it or just look through old stuff to kindle some ideas. And any digital documents that I create get saved in my Dropbox.

One more thing I will recommend: if you're playing over the internet, set up a shared Dropbox or Google Drive folder that all of the players can access and add to, so that you can easily share any handouts, character sheets, equipment lists, notes, etc.
Check out the Technical Difficulties Gaming Podcast!
http://www.technicaldifficultiespod.com/

Tim

  • I dream in graph paper lines
  • ****
  • Posts: 455
    • View Profile
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2015, 02:48:02 PM »
Depends a bit on game as noted above but I tend to start high level notes on paper than move to Evernote. I feel like a tool for saying this but Evernote changed my life.

I am not actually a very organized person in general and keep it all 'in my head' and Evernote sort of lets me to do that with a few more things written down. I know plenty of people use Dropbox or other tools to make that work but for me Evernote solves a lot of problems.

clockworkjoe

  • BUY MY BOOK
  • Administrator
  • Extreme XP CEO
  • *****
  • Posts: 6517
    • View Profile
    • BUY MY BOOK
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2015, 06:29:00 PM »
the blood knows

Tadanori Oyama

  • Extreme XP CEO
  • *******
  • Posts: 3897
  • The Full Time GM
    • View Profile
    • Full Time GM
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2015, 06:51:16 PM »
the blood knows

I now imagine Ross sitting at the head of a table with blood slowly leaking out from under a GM screen.

Jace911

  • I am worth 100 points in GURPS...ladies
  • ***
  • Posts: 160
  • The President of Burp Head
    • View Profile
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2015, 07:31:23 PM »
Far, far too many notebooks.

Tim

  • I dream in graph paper lines
  • ****
  • Posts: 455
    • View Profile
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2015, 08:14:34 PM »
the blood knows

I now imagine Ross sitting at the head of a table with blood slowly leaking out from under a GM screen.

I imagine it more as Ross lifts the GM screen and a torrent of blood similar to the elevator in The Shinning comes gushing forth.

Atlas

  • Zombie Apocalypse Survivor
  • **
  • Posts: 77
    • View Profile
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2015, 08:46:31 AM »
An unreasonably long Word Document.

BishopSansPants

  • Slayer of the Dread Gazebo
  • *
  • Posts: 43
    • View Profile
Re: How do you compile game notes?
« Reply #11 on: January 27, 2015, 08:28:22 PM »
If I'm using my laptop, OneNote.

The rest of the time, a few pages of notes in a notebook, mostly just outlining the major plot points.