DM Organization Methods

[i3oomz]

Hey guys,

I DM for a small group of 3.5e players. I don't buy any adventures so the campaign, sessions, and battles are all custom made. At first creativity and rules was the major issue, but by now I have finally gotten a decent handle on that side of things.

Now the biggest issue I face is how do I organize what I've prepared so that I'm not slowing down sessions while I hunt through notes? I can prepare my world top to bottom with riveting plots, quests, and NPCs; that's all garbage though if my information is all over the place.

So a question for all the DMs in the playground, how do you like to keep yourself organized, but more importantly is it effective?

I myself start with a world map. I made a folder on my PC named Starren which is the name of my world. Within the folder is folders for each region Starren is divided into, as well as a small text document that contains ideas I've thought up for the world. Within each region I have again, a text document, and all of the cities. Then quests. Then the NPCs/monsters that pertain to those quests.

Anyway you get the idea. (I hope you do anyway)

I keep my maps in a grid-paper notebook, and draw them onto our homemade plexiglass grid as they are needed.

The idea is that as my players enter a new area I can just navigate to where they are and have all the information that pertains to their city, region, or whatever.

My method isn't really smooth as ice though. The system I am using for combat maps is ineffective. And I've always hated having my laptop at meetings, but being a sole paper guy is kind of a bitch. I'm still working towards finding a method that I actually really like that's for sure.

[GilesTheCleric]

It sounds like you're pretty organized. To improve on what you've already got with the least amount of effort, you might consider consolidating your files into a database. That way you can search all of them at once, or just specific ones without having to navigate through folders and open up a ton of different files.

If a database isn't your thing, then a spreadsheet could work in a similar, if less streamlined, way.

Another technique to make it easier on yourself is more meta - rather than having everything incredibly organized, figure out what you're going to need ahead of time. My DM runs an incredibly open-world game, but he doesn't need to worry too much about keeping track of everything because we decide between the two of us what's going to happen during the session before we play.

If you have a player in your group who is consistently the 'leader' or who decides where the party goes and they are fairly trustworthy, just ask them a few days before the game what they plan to do that session. Queue up and review your notes, and you're set.

[Lafaellar]

For every Adventure I make a loose leaf binder so stuff doesn't fly around.

[i3oomz]

It sounds like you're pretty organized. To improve on what you've already got with the least amount of effort, you might consider consolidating your files into a database. That way you can search all of them at once, or just specific ones without having to navigate through folders and open up a ton of different files.

If you have a player in your group who is consistently the 'leader' or who decides where the party goes and they are fairly trustworthy, just ask them a few days before the game what they plan to do that session. Queue up and review your notes, and you're set.

Fantastic work man. Your suggestions have been heard and greatly appreciated.

[ericp65]

I've always used 3-ring binders (and folders, when I didn't have binders). Keep one that's organized more-or-less like the DMG, including NPC sheets. Keep a separate binder for your campaign setting notes. Clear plastic sheet protectors are invaluable for the binders, and you can assemble all this for (relatively) cheap, and cheap is good :smallwink:

[Enguebert]

An easy solution to keep track of NPC : use an address book !
(an access DB is easy and ideal)

Just record name, profession, approximative level and city where they live.
Add NPC after each quest
So when later they want to find a cleric or a wizard, just look in the DB
Or if they go back to a town, you can quickly find who lives there

[nedz]

I create almost all of my documents in Word so that I have a back up; because:

I once had all my DMing notes stolen from a friends car :smallfurious: and so had to recreate all my maps. I ended up writing an MFC Appl so that I can whizz around though I rarely use PCs during a game. The Appl sits on a memory stick, along with my other files, just in case I need to access them when "on the road".

I keep everything relevant to the current game in a slim box file, with papers grouped inside transparent folders. This also holds some of my floorplans.

[AKA_Bait]

I'm a big fan of post-its to flag any source books I need and index cards, prepared in advance, with the critical stats of any monsters I expect to have in combat with the PCS and with the critical stats of the PCs. That way I can just slide them into initiative order and flip from one to the next as the rounds progress.

[nedz]

Oh yes, I use old business cards as initiative cards.

I generally type out the monsters I'm going to use to avoid having to access the MMs during the game. This also stops inadvertant metagaming.