Sword of Spirit
Legend
Hi everyone! I've determined that it might be useful for me to try out some good campaign management software. I'm not sure what's out there, but I'm pretty sure many of you are well aware of your favorite offerings. For any who wouldn't mind sharing, I'll list what my needs are in the software in rough order of importance.
Desirable:
D1) Visually appealing and immersive. This is essential. I don't want to feel like I'm looking at a spreadsheet; I don't want a feed scrolling by; I don't want any ads, etc. If it breaks me out of the mood I'm trying to create while running the session, I don't want to look at it. As an example, I actually liked the visual appearance of Dungeonscape, but Realm Works is iffy (though I'd give it a shot if it were free).
D2) Intuitive design. I ought to be able to figure out how to do all the basic functionality just by playing with the software for a few minutes, and maybe reading some quick start info. I'm fine with reading a manual for more detailed functionality, but after reading said manual the additional functionality should also seem intuitive, rather than something I have to keep looking up when I want to use it. A great example of software that falls within the right level of intuitiveness is Hexographer. It's not campaign management software, but it is an example of the sort of learning curve I find acceptable (though I'd love an even easier learning curve).
D3) Well-designed organization. I think this goes without saying, but it should not only be easy to use the software itself, the software should also either place information and functionality in an obvious and convenient organization system--or allow me to customize how it is organized.
D4) Easy-info entry. I'm not expecting perfection here, but if entering new information (such as details about an NPC I'm creating on the fly) directly into the software is significantly slower than just jotting it down on a notebook in front of me or typing it up into a document, I'm probably going to have a problem with the software. I'm a very improvisational GM, and I don't want to have to spend 30 minutes after every session entering the stuff I made up into the manager. I'd like to be able to do something like click "New Character" and then immediately start entering the info that I'm thinking. Of course, there might not be any software that pulls this off exactly to my expectations, but close does count.
D5) GM Restricted info. This is pretty standard, but I need to be able to keep some info where players can get to it and some where they can't. I like the fancy versions of this where you can just use a single click to select what is and isn't available for players to see, but that isn't required for me.
D6) Free. Right now I can't afford new software, so this is desirable. I may have to wait for a while until I can afford software in the likely event that I can't find what I want for free, so paid suggestions are still appreciated. The less expensive the software is the more upfront work I'm willing to do on layout and and organization to get it to do what I want, provided I can still get what I want out of it, and provided it doesn't involve scripting or designing my own website.
Undesirable:
U1) Subscription-based. I won't pay for an ongoing subscription. If there is an option for a one-time lifetime purchase on a normally subscription-based tool, that's a different case.
U2) Players required to pay. If everyone in the group has to buy their own client to play, it's off the consideration list.
U3) Inescapable complexity. I don't mind reading a simple manual, but it shouldn't require me to feel like I'm designing software when I'm using it or setting it up.
U4) Inescapable system-integration. I want something system-neutral. If there were something that does everything I want but is designed for 5e D&D, I could use it for my D&D games, so it would be worth knowing about. But I also need something that is more general; something that can support information management with no reference to any system whatsoever.
That's basically what I'm looking for. Is it out there? Anything close?
Desirable:
D1) Visually appealing and immersive. This is essential. I don't want to feel like I'm looking at a spreadsheet; I don't want a feed scrolling by; I don't want any ads, etc. If it breaks me out of the mood I'm trying to create while running the session, I don't want to look at it. As an example, I actually liked the visual appearance of Dungeonscape, but Realm Works is iffy (though I'd give it a shot if it were free).
D2) Intuitive design. I ought to be able to figure out how to do all the basic functionality just by playing with the software for a few minutes, and maybe reading some quick start info. I'm fine with reading a manual for more detailed functionality, but after reading said manual the additional functionality should also seem intuitive, rather than something I have to keep looking up when I want to use it. A great example of software that falls within the right level of intuitiveness is Hexographer. It's not campaign management software, but it is an example of the sort of learning curve I find acceptable (though I'd love an even easier learning curve).
D3) Well-designed organization. I think this goes without saying, but it should not only be easy to use the software itself, the software should also either place information and functionality in an obvious and convenient organization system--or allow me to customize how it is organized.
D4) Easy-info entry. I'm not expecting perfection here, but if entering new information (such as details about an NPC I'm creating on the fly) directly into the software is significantly slower than just jotting it down on a notebook in front of me or typing it up into a document, I'm probably going to have a problem with the software. I'm a very improvisational GM, and I don't want to have to spend 30 minutes after every session entering the stuff I made up into the manager. I'd like to be able to do something like click "New Character" and then immediately start entering the info that I'm thinking. Of course, there might not be any software that pulls this off exactly to my expectations, but close does count.
D5) GM Restricted info. This is pretty standard, but I need to be able to keep some info where players can get to it and some where they can't. I like the fancy versions of this where you can just use a single click to select what is and isn't available for players to see, but that isn't required for me.
D6) Free. Right now I can't afford new software, so this is desirable. I may have to wait for a while until I can afford software in the likely event that I can't find what I want for free, so paid suggestions are still appreciated. The less expensive the software is the more upfront work I'm willing to do on layout and and organization to get it to do what I want, provided I can still get what I want out of it, and provided it doesn't involve scripting or designing my own website.
Undesirable:
U1) Subscription-based. I won't pay for an ongoing subscription. If there is an option for a one-time lifetime purchase on a normally subscription-based tool, that's a different case.
U2) Players required to pay. If everyone in the group has to buy their own client to play, it's off the consideration list.
U3) Inescapable complexity. I don't mind reading a simple manual, but it shouldn't require me to feel like I'm designing software when I'm using it or setting it up.
U4) Inescapable system-integration. I want something system-neutral. If there were something that does everything I want but is designed for 5e D&D, I could use it for my D&D games, so it would be worth knowing about. But I also need something that is more general; something that can support information management with no reference to any system whatsoever.
That's basically what I'm looking for. Is it out there? Anything close?