Campaign Timeline Tracking

[vraad]

Hi.

I'm looking for a way to keep all my story lines and planned campaign events organized. Basically my games have evolved to the point that it's getting very hard to keep everything in my head and I need some way to record and organize it other than pen and paper.

Being married and not having a lot of money, I'd prefer to find some kind of cheep solution. Even so, if there is a really good product that costs more but works well, I might be willing to get it.

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

THANKS

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

I use MS-Excel.

But any spreadsheet program would work.

I use it to make flow charts of everything that is going on.

(If you have a copy of MS-Office Professional, I think, there is a program called MS-Project that is specifically made for project management & timelines. It might be sold seperate, though. But it's made specifically for what you are doing).

 

[vraad]

MS Project is QUITE expensive. Though we use it here at work and I have thought about maybe using it for this. It's just a bit out of my price range.

Would you be agreeable to letting me see a copy of your spreadsheet? I use excel quite a bit, but I haven't come up with a format that lends itself to this function very well.

THANKS

 

[cmanos]

get yourself a copy of a calendar. This year's are on sale for cheap cheap cheap. Alternatively, print out a calendar format from Word

 

[Hand of Evil]

look below my sig...

 

[IronWolf]

When I was running a campaign earlier this year I used a combination of WikidPad and an Excel spreadsheet. I had a calendar setup in Excel so I could mark the time off with between sessions. I also tended to use it for loot lists, xp tracking, etc. Then WikidPad kept track of most of my text notes allowing me to cross-reference between sections rather easily. I could also link from within WikidPad to the excel doc where needed. This combination worked out pretty well for me.

WikidPad is now free and if you don't have Excel you can download Open Office.

 

[Crothian]

I use a notebook, as in a bound collection of paper. And a pencil, cost me like 2 bucks

 

[megamania]

Using basic word type programs I created a calendar. I give the year and month then there is a section for the independent campaigns. 1= Creation Schema 2= Pathfinders 3 will eual Infernalcide (the next campaign).

Then under the day I put a number for the campaign and a quick reference to the Segment (with my Storyhours I number each entry with a Segment #) and a one sentence thing about the event from mundane (battled a Landshark today) to important (reached Drogan's Trap). Deaths are hilighted in red.


My Darksun one is even more complicated. I included all of their novels also into my calendar. That I would not recommend (crazy figureing it all out).

 

[NCSUCodeMonkey]

MS Project is QUITE expensive. Though we use it here at work and I have thought about maybe using it for this. It's just a bit out of my price range.

Would you be agreeable to letting me see a copy of your spreadsheet? I use excel quite a bit, but I haven't come up with a format that lends itself to this function very well.

THANKS

http://www.openoffice.org/ <-- 100% Free office suite that's (almost) as good as Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

MS Project is QUITE expensive.

Would you be agreeable to letting me see a copy of your spreadsheet? I use excel quite a bit, but I haven't come up with a format that lends itself to this function very well.

THANKS

We use Project here at work too, wasn't sure whether it got bundled into Office Professional or was an add-on option.

I'm not sure I have a spreadsheet right now (& not sure where my old ones went too). I jsut started a new game & all the plot-lines are currently in my head. Although the time to put them down on paper is fast approaching.

I just have enough time to devote to DM preperation anymore.