Help me up my Craft: DMing tools

[lordmarcoos]

I enjoy DMing, and particularly the roleplaying aspect of taking the form of dozens of characters at once. I think I've got a good head for improvisation, so that's not a problem.

What is a problem is that I'm incredibly disorganized. The talks with the shady character at the bar goes well, but when his evil plans unravel and the the PCs draw swords, it takes me 5 minutes to dig through the stack of papers I have to find the BBEG and his minions (or worse, try and make some up on the fly), and then I have to re-look up spells he has, what they do, etc.

Basically, I'm incomprehensively disorganized, and need to know some good ways to fix that. What kind of things do some of the other DMs here do to keep everything together and easy to access? I don't have a laptop, which limits options, but for instance; do people use folders? Notebooks? how do you seperate things? how do you catalog NPCs (alphabetically? By organization? Something else?)? What about when you need some on the spot characters? Do you just keep a stack of NPCs in the level range of the players (On a side note, I think my first step would be oganizing things in something other than stacks)? Do have a list of generic NPC names? Any other friendly advice? Thanks in advance!

[Oeryn]

When I start a new campaign (if I expect it to last a while), I go out and buy a notebook. Somebody makes a spiral notebook about half the size of an standard piece of paper. It's got about 200-300 sheets in it, with dividers and pockets. I usually play less than 2 bucks for one. This becomes what my players refer to as my "game bible".

The first section is usually any maps I wanna sketch out, drawings of any symbols or objects I might need, stuff like that. Then I'll have a couple pages detailing main "set pieces" or locations, long-term NPCs, things like that. Also, since most everything I do is homebrewed, I put a lot of the notes about houserules and stuff in here. This is also where I'll put a list of names, so that I can have 'em if I need 'em. Leave enough space to write notes about the person the name eventually goes with.

The second section revolves mainly about plot. Detailed stuff for the major plot points, and an outline for the rest. I usually skip a page in between each page, and keep notes here for "what actually happened", so I have a record of it. That way, I don't prepare for next week based on what was supposed to have happened.

Last section is for the characters, and their different storylines. I make my players get pretty deep into character creation, and I try to work all the backstories and plothooks into the story (not just "Oh, we're going to stop for a week, and go rescue the Fighter's castle!"). This part is usually cross-referenced with the plot section. Sometimes I use a colored marker to darken the side of a page, so I know what goes together. Other times I just write "See X" in the margin, and have to dig around for it.

Also, I do a lot of brainstorming at work. When I get inspired, I'll jot it down on a Post-It note, and stick it in my money clip. When I get home, I stick the Post-It on the page I need it (whether it's a plot point, an item, or a character). I also tend to type a lot of the stuff (makes it look like I'm workin'), so I'll print it out, fold it in half, and stick it in the little folders in the notebook.

It's not all THAT organized, but at least everything's reasonably together. Clip a pencil to the spiral part, and I can usually manage a game session with just my "bible" and dice bag.

[bosssmiley]

Index cards in an indexing box.
I know it's old school, but I've been doing it for quite a while now. Salient details on recurring NPCs (by class, then level - name, race and affiliation can be changed easily enough), potted descriptions of major locations, plot point flow charts for non-dungeon bash adventures, cheatsheets (houserules, special circumstances and conditions, and the like), and the all important PC initiative cards. Imagine a comprehensively cross-referenced website but composed of tatty, dog-eared cards, with a perverse filing order that only makes sense in my head.

"Yes, you can try to find the plot while I'm out of the room. I'll just reshuffle the cards on you though." :smallwink:

Another good GMing tool: Post-It index tags in your sourcebooks. Tag the combat section. Tag the NPC caster's fave spells. Tag the environmental conditions section of the DMG. Tag the monsters. Tag anything that you'll need to refer too and that stands still too long.

Final good GMing tool: the capacity for extemporaneous bulls***ting. The players need never know it's all going horribly wrong behind your screen. You can oft-times con your fellow-gamers into rationalizing your semi-logical plot twists for you with the aid of a timely double-cross, and really good players will almost unconsciously help you out of an "Errrrrrm" moment or a plot dead end. Keep the story rolling and the clutter will take care of itself.

And remember, if the worst comes to the worst: "Suddenly, a mook squad kicks in the door and attacks!"

[valadil]

One notebook is enough for me. The front of it is where I write about plots and sessions and it grows inward, with a bookmark on the most recent session. Organizations start in the back and grow toward the front. Each organization includes all its NPCs. I usually put in 2 or 3 named NPCs plus light and strong mooks. Most organizations fit on a page, big ones fit on two. As long as NPCs aren't casters their stats don't take up much space. If I have to wing it I can usually adapt existing mooks into appropriately leveled thugs.

On my DM screen I have attached an index card full of male and female first names as well as house surnames. I cross these off as I use them.

I should point out that while they don't take up much space my notes are incredibly dense. I can usually get a whole session down to two pages. I don't write campaign settings where someone else can run the game from my notes, I write outlines to guide me on what already exists in my head. That and stats. I don't expect to memorize all my NPCs stats.

[lordmarcoos]

Thanks for the replies. So far I'm thinking i like both of your ideas and may incorporate them and see how it does. I like the idea of NPC stat cards on 3x5s in an index box, maybe seperated by level and then by name or title? Or the other way maybe? Or by organization first, so seperate spots for Karrnath, Thrane, House Lyander (sp? I don't have the book around right now. I'm playing Eberron, btw, in case you haven't noticed). A question on that then though; are there any good print outtable 3x5 NPC sheets? I just did a little fishing around and couldn't find anything useful, does anyone have a link?

On the notebook, one of the problems I have is with my tendancy to write too hard and tear out pages, or just rip them, or generally abuse whatever notebook I'm using. Maybe a composition notebook then (ooh, I could get one with graph paper).

So, first section maps and drawings, i like that. NPC names, though. about how much space do you tend to leave for info? just like 2 lines for appearence/race/class? Should I leave open a few more?

Second section plot, I like the idea of having each page be "what's going to happen without PC involvement/likely changes if the PCs are working in the box" (which they generally don't, but I can hope, right?), and then save the back of the pages for writing down their cockamamy and what I do to them in response. Sounds solid to me.

Third section, character related stuff- who they know, who they don't, who likes them, who doesn't. Well, my players tend to like splitting up a lot, which I enjoy well enough, since that way I can force someone besides the changeling urban ranger party face(s) to do some fast-talking. Maybe I should subdivide that section for each character, which would also give me the ability to plop in their character sheets for easy referencing.

Now I'm trying to think of anything else I might need to keep track of... maybe a seperate section for grand overall plot points with possible hooks to get them involved. My general strategy as a DM has so far been to throw dozens of subtle hooks at them at one time and see which ones they take, and then go for there.

Another thing I'd like advice on; me and my friends are all in various parts of the country when in school, so our playing times tend to be weekend crunches where we stockpile several meals and lots of beer and see way too much of each other. This means I can't reliably plan for what's going to happen in the next X-hour adventure, since last time, X was about 20 hours in 3 days. Any helpful advice for planning my next such adventure, since that's more than enough time to complete multiple story-arcs in a row (and after they finish one, I'm loathe to railroad them straight into another one. I'd rather give them enough options that they feel real control over what's happening). Thanks again.

[Mephibosheth]

I usually use my laptop intensely when DM'ing, but that's only because I have many PDF files of books instead of physical copies. Plus I make heavy use of the SRD whenever I can. However, I do have some non-computer tricks I use.

First, I use a binder instead of a notebook. That way I can move things around and add them where I need to instead of being straight-jacketed by the number of pages in a notebook or a section. My binder has about 5 sections: maps & campaign information, session summaries, important NPC's, character info, and notes. In the first section, I have my campaign world maps (drawn by hand usually) and some useful information about the setting and the overarching plot. In the second section, I make outlines of what I want to happen in each session. I detail the combats and how I want them to play out (usually including stat blocks for NPC's), I make a note of special rules that I don't have memorized or house rules I'm using, I describe roleplaying encounters I want to take place, and I have maps of the dungeons/cities/buildings/etc that I've drawn. In the 3rd section I have character sheets for major NPC's that are important for the whole campaign. In the 4th section I keep copies of my players character sheets (for HP totals and spot/listen scores and the like). In the final section, I make notes about what happened when I ran the session and what I need to remember for future sessions. This binder helps me keep everything in one place and organized. And yeah, I'm kinda obsessive about preparation. Meh.

[Fax Celestis]

Redblade (http://redblade.org) is an excellent tool, albeit limited. Spellgen (http://pigmentia.net/spellgen/) is another good one, but really only worthwhile if you have a lot of casters.

[lordmarcoos]

Responses while I write! Yay!

Valadil: you bring up a good point about needing a section in the notebook for the organizations themselves. I think that'd be good to fit as a seperate section, and do it in a fashion like you said, with names and traits of some of the important people, and names for the mooks, all coupled with references to where their stats are in the index card box. That should work.

Oh, and Bossmiley, my bulls***ting capabilities are getting sharper by the session. I had actually considered a double-cross when I felt like I was getting backed into the corner of my idea box, but then half the group decided to jump off the train (literally; they were on the lightning rail), and the level 4 sorc I had sitting in front of me would've eaten the 2 remaining level 2's if I had done that. So what did I do? ZOMG B4NDITZZ!!11! The people off the train now got to lure some of them away from the train they were no longer riding on, while the other 2 and the sorc (who I decided had used up all his best spells, just to make sure he didn't steal any spotlights), had to fight them as they jumped aboard the train. It was good fun, and a nice closure of events (we were running out of time anyways. Though the scene after, with the human artificer trying to convince the warfoged to carry him the rest of the way, was an even more excellent close).

EDIT: I clearly write too slow to keep up with all these comments. I've tried Redblade before, but was finding it more annoying than useful for me. Creating NPCs isnt that hard for me, I just need a good 3X5 template, either somewhere online or just someone's suggestions for a good way to cram all the stuff I need onto a nice 3x5. I hadn't seen spellgen before, though, and that looks like a much better recipe for success. Spellbooks tend to be the one part of character creation I'm really bad at, or at least indecisive about, maybe It'll help me out

And binders are good and all, but I'd rather have something less-- destroyable, which is why I'm thinking a comp notebook might be a better solution for me personally.

[bosssmiley]

+1 vote for redblade. I still use the old (almost totally intuitive) version as an insta-chargen tool.


Oh, and Bossmiley, my bulls***ting capabilities are getting sharper by the session.

"Well done. You've taken your first steps into a wider universe."</obi-wan>


<trim>

Creating NPCs isnt that hard for me, I just need a good 3X5 template, either somewhere online or just someone's suggestions for a good way to cram all the stuff I need onto a nice 3x5.

I can unreservedly recommend The Game Mechanics Initiative Cards (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=645). They are basically mini charsheets that you flip through one at a time in combat. Take a couple of minutes to fill them out for the NPCs and monsters before the session (or spring a few $$$s for the pre-printed ones TGM offer), and maintain your effortless mastery of the situation with aplomb. :smallcool:

[Oeryn]

On the notebook, one of the problems I have is with my tendancy to write too hard and tear out pages, or just rip them, or generally abuse whatever notebook I'm using. Maybe a composition notebook then (ooh, I could get one with graph paper).

That's actually a pretty good idea. Being out of college for a while, I haven't seen a composition book for a while, and it never crossed my mind. But it'd be pretty sturdy, and the graph paper would certainly come in handy.


So, first section maps and drawings, i like that. NPC names, though. about how much space do you tend to leave for info? just like 2 lines for appearence/race/class? Should I leave open a few more?

It depends. I use homebrewed worlds, usually a different one for each big campaign I've done. So I use a lot of NPCs, so that I can give the players a feel for how things work. Some of them stick around a while, and others are just around for a little bit. I also don't tend to use your basic "Orcs have been attacking your town, go find their lair and stop them" kinds of adventures. Pretty much all my bad guys are NPCs, and any NPC can be a bad guy.

So, the major ones (good guy OR bad), usually get more room, for description, accent, appearance, and relevant combat/spell abilities. Since they're generally part of the plot, I know ahead of time, and can leave a lot of room (and if I run out, I usually just stick a couple Post-Its on their page with the extra info).

Less important characters get a few lines, or even less, sometimes. If they don't really have a bearing on the plot, you can generally get away with something like "Blacksmith = Gervin. Dwarf, covered in soot"


Now I'm trying to think of anything else I might need to keep track of... maybe a seperate section for grand overall plot points with possible hooks to get them involved. My general strategy as a DM has so far been to throw dozens of subtle hooks at them at one time and see which ones they take, and then go for there.

I usually leave a few pages blank in the "plot" section, to jot down a few ideas. My inspiration can be pretty random, so I like to be able to just scratch out something that sounds cool, and re-visit it later. I like throwing out a ton of hooks, too, so that they feel more like they're doing something independent, as opposed to just having one option.

Something like that even works for major plot points, too. Sometimes, I'll have a bad guy all planned out, but not necessarily have decided what his lair will be like. So I can jot things down on those pages, too. It usually starts off as little notes, then I go back and have a ton of stuff to pick from. Some of it gets rejected, but sometimes I can look at it with a fresh eye, and actually get a good idea. But I've got a ton of pages that look like this in my notebook:

Mayor actually a spy? <- No! Helped too much, wouldn't have connections. Innkeeper better positioned!

or

Bad guy's lair: Monastery taken over by vampires? <- WAY too hard <-make it a BIG fight - NPC militia (mob?) helps PCs, party only needs to kill BBEG.

Having a place like that to scratch things out helps me out a lot, and even jotting down things that sound a little silly at the time can sometimes give you a really great idea later. If you decide to use one of them, you can just flip forward a few pages, and start fleshing it out.

[Bassetking]

+1 vote for redblade. I still use the old (almost totally intuitive) version as an insta-chargen tool.



"Well done. You've taken your first steps into a wider universe."</obi-wan>



I can unreservedly recommend The Game Mechanics Initiative Cards (http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=645). They are basically mini charsheets that you flip through one at a time in combat. Take a couple of minutes to fill them out for the NPCs and monsters before the session (or spring a few $$$s for the pre-printed ones TGM offer), and maintain your effortless mastery of the situation with aplomb. :smallcool:



Seconded. Wholeheartedly. With these cards, you've got your players HP, AC, Saves, Initiatives, and relevant skill-checks at your fingertips. A simple stack of these cards can save all the asking "What's your reflex save? Were you flatfooted? Are you taking any negatives or bonuses currently?" And let you just run the combat. With the addition of counter-rocks or dice, you can also monitor buff-duration on a per-character basis,