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Ozreth
2010-09-18, 03:51 AM
My methods of preparing for games are constantly changing and I often switch between taking notes in notebooks or with a laptop.

While preparing to run a new game I have decided to go back to the notebook. I'll be going through the module and taking notes on all of the places, NPC's, plot hooks, side quests etc. Quick summaries of everything in the book without all the fluff always keeps a game runnin smooth : )

I've got one of those black and white speckled composition notebooks sitting around somewhere and was about to start writing in that when I thought "hm, a spiral notebook would take up so much less space at the table, and possibly be easier to manage..." It wouldn't look nearly as nice or feel as solid though, but utility should probably come first...

Seems like a mundane thing to discuss, but somebody out there has to be a preparation junkie like myself.

So what kind of notebook, if at all, do you use when you DM? An 89 cent spiral? A moleskin? Composition? One of those new Mead spirals with the material over the spirals?

grimbold
2010-09-18, 04:01 AM
i actually prefer a 3 ring binder with lots of loose leaf. You can print out one shot and stick them in and you can put in maps easily. Also if your handwriting sucks (like mine) you can type up notes and stick them in instead of writing them out.
My laptop is also a handy tool, however it is usually good to have a hard copy as well as a copy on your computer. The advantage of the laptop is that you can make better cleaner faster fixes to notes and you can also make better cleaner faster notes.

Ozreth
2010-09-18, 04:14 AM
i actually prefer a 3 ring binder with lots of loose leaf. You can print out one shot and stick them in and you can put in maps easily. Also if your handwriting sucks (like mine) you can type up notes and stick them in instead of writing them out.
My laptop is also a handy tool, however it is usually good to have a hard copy as well as a copy on your computer. The advantage of the laptop is that you can make better cleaner faster fixes to notes and you can also make better cleaner faster notes.

I definitely agree with this as far as home brewed games go. You can add and take away things whenever you want and keep things SUPER organized. You can even print out all sorts of tables, charts, and maps and just hole punch em and stick em in : )

Gan The Grey
2010-09-18, 04:19 AM
I've got ALOT of permanent stuff in my 3 ring binder, so I invested in a whole mess of those page protector thingies (technical term alert!), you know, those plastic sheets that you can slip pages into. Its really nice because they last longer than paper when you flip through your binder alot, your fingers don't smudge the pages, and, should you accidentally rip one out, you didn't hurt the important part.

Dust
2010-09-18, 05:59 AM
I'm a stickler for this sort of thing too.

I have this gorgeous leather-bound three ring binder with pockets for pens, dice, and the PC's miniature figures. The pages are all sealed in those translucent thin page protectors, until I rip one open to scribble all over the day's campaign notes, keeping track of boss hit points and so on.

shadow_archmagi
2010-09-18, 07:10 AM
As someone who plays Artificers, a 3-ring is essential. (After all, you need to have the list of every infusion, the list of every enchantment, the list of common helpful spells, the list of common helpful items...)

As a DM I tend to just wing things and rarely print anything out except for the stats of the monster of the day

Ichneumon
2010-09-18, 07:17 AM
For me it's mostly a laptop or iPad. Internet access and most of your files are available in an easy accessible way. It also works as a dungeon screen and secret diceroller.

valadil
2010-09-18, 08:17 AM
So what kind of notebook, if at all, do you use when you DM? An 89 cent spiral? A moleskin? Composition? One of those new Mead spirals with the material over the spirals?

I usually go for a cheap spiral but upgraded to the 3 ring when I ran out of pages. It's uglier and bulkier, but I had extra table space to spare, so that's okay. I *really* like being able to insert pages anywhere.

I organize my notes as follows. Sessions in front, plots in back. Each plot has a title and paragraph long summary. Every time the plot updates I add a line to it. Ideally plots will update every session, but I'm lazy. In a shorter game (where short is defined as a game where the session notes and plot notes don't converge in the middle of the notebook) I could get away with plots only taking up one page.

Each session is several pages long. I aim for 1 page/hour of play but obviously that can vary depending on the kind of play. In a spiral notebook I paperclip all the old sessions together. That way I'm never searching for the current place in the game.

Inside cover also gets a brief description of the events. They're labeled by days in game, not necessarily sessions. This helps a ton when they find out that something happened a week ago and they want to know exactly where they were at the time.

This doesn't leave a lot of room for NPCs. I suck at those guys. The interesting NPCs live in my head and no amount of notes will adequately capture them. The crappy NPCs aren't even noteworthy. I'd love to improve my NPC playing ability, but whenever I try the players lose interest in the game. Instead I keep NPC notes on computer and stick to what I'm good at.

AslanCross
2010-09-18, 08:20 AM
I've been using a laptop with Microsoft OneNote for a while now. It's really useful for keeping stuff I can go back to later, saves automatically, and is far easier to navigate than standard word processors or text editors.

LibraryOgre
2010-09-18, 09:32 AM
I have a text file on my netbook's desktop, along with a bunch of scrap paper for HP and envelope calculations.

BobVosh
2010-09-18, 11:24 AM
Lets see. I have my laptop that holds various NPC names and a quick one line on who they are to refresh my memory.

Stat blocks for encounters are saved as an encounter to a word document. Updated for current HPs etc.

Everything else I keep track of mentally.

kyoryu
2010-09-18, 12:23 PM
I've been using a laptop with Microsoft OneNote for a while now. It's really useful for keeping stuff I can go back to later, saves automatically, and is far easier to navigate than standard word processors or text editors.

Came here to say this.

Combine with a tablet PC FTW.

valadil
2010-09-18, 12:31 PM
Forgot to mention this before, but I also print up sheets for combat and attach those to a clipboard. The content comes from DDI and I have a script to color code them for me. I like this method because 4e includes enough abilities that I can't possibly remember them all nor do I want to write them out in my notebook. I couldn't deal with running combats out of the MM though because I kept flipping pages and had to take notes on a separate page. Here's a sample combat (http://files.sagotsky.com/shadowspinner.pdf).

Galdor
2010-09-18, 12:39 PM
As long as it has grid paper in it i'm good. :smalltongue:
That usually means 3 ring binder, or just a large pad of paper and a folder.

Seffbasilisk
2010-09-18, 01:43 PM
I don't use my moleskin for gaming, because I go through too much to waste it on that.

Go for a three-ring, or a spiral. Ideally something you can tear pages out of. (To pass notes, rough maps, or what have you.)

I personally use a little notebook I can fit in my pocket, but that's because I keep most of my campaign data in my head. You'll likely want a bigger notebook.

If you go with a binder idea, you can use that as a screen as well.