Finally got my DMing filing system!

[blargney the second]

I've finally figured out how to file information for an upcoming campaign where I'll be DMing for the first time. In the interest of giving back to the community that has helped me the most, I thought I'd share it with you here.

What I wanted was a system that would allow me to plan ahead in a non-linear fashion. In a story sense, it is virtually impossible to predict what players will want to do once at the game table. However, it is not difficult to shape what options they perceive as available to them.

In fact, everything they will experience through their characters' eyes must be as definite as possible in my mind, such that I can transmit that information as accurately as possible to them. So that means I need to have people, places, and organizations that are very clearly defined.

The next issue that I wanted to address is: What makes a compelling story? The answer that resonates the most in me is interesting encounters and appealing (or appalling!) scenes. An encounter is comprised of the classic questions - who, where, when, what, why, how. The neat thing about writing up encounters this way is that I start with an idea, and then ask myself "what would make this meeting even cooler?"

The filing system itself revolves around index cards and categorizing and associating various parts of the game. There are a few different categories that I've come up with so far: Characters/Creatures, Locations, Encounters, Organizations. (PCs will have character cards as well.) I use a simple code in the top right corner of each card: the first encounter I write is E001. The first character/creature is C001, etc.

An encounter is simply a grouping of several of the other elements. Hook up the appropriate character cards with a location card, figure out what will bring the PCs into the encounter, and what possible routes they will have out of it. Include information such as when it occurs, what will happen, how it will happen, and the motivations of all the characters.

When a character is used in an encounter, the encounter number should be written on his card, along with any repercussions for him. This will become useful for later cross-referencing. I haven't written up any organizations yet, but the gist of it will be to describe the group's goals and methods, and list the characters that it is comprised of.

Session planning becomes as simple as pulling out the relevant encounter cards and paperclipping the associated cards to it. As the story unfolds, I'll then keep notes linearly in a notebook.

That's about it.. it's pretty simple, but I think that's why I like it!
-blarg

 

[Munin]

Though I've used index cards for npc's and creatures since I first started dming, I never thought of adding encounters and such to the list.
Munin will have to think on this, he will.

On a somewhat related note, I recently discovered the value of making a flowchart for your adventures. This seems to work especially well for complex, non-linear plots. I've started using it in my modern campaign, and so far it was worked very well.

I place each encounter into a box and thus break down the entire adventure into a series of interconnected encounters. This does 2 things for me:
1, it helps me to focus on the possible outcomes of each encounter and see how they relate better, and
2, it helps me to anticipate the party's responses to these encounters. It gives them more freedom to explore, and it makes it easier for me to move important clues that they will inevitably miss since everything is broken down for me on a single sheet of paper.

 

[Piratecat]

So, you're saying that piles of paper in stacks and stuck into three different notebooks isn't ideal?

Huh.

Showoff.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

That's pretty organised.

I suggest typing everything onto a computer during the planning stage - I like using a spreadsheet...

Then break the modem. Then the Disk drive. Next up - the printer. Try to do all of this while moving house!

Then try to paraphrase it onto some scrappy bits of paper an hour before the session.

Next scrawl all over them while playing.

Well, enough about my attempt to organise my latest campaign!

 

[nopantsyet]

I really like the idea of being organized...In reality I come out somewhere in the middle. I have separate sections, but they're not labeled or even completely consistent. But it's a step up from the stack o'papers I was using. I guess now it's 5 stacks o'papers.

Hmmm...

 

[Len]

So, you're saying that piles of paper in stacks and stuck into three different notebooks isn't ideal?

Huh.

I don't see how you could keep a campaign running for more than a few months with such a slapdash system.

 

[Piratecat]

Tell me about it.

I have about 12 manilla folders stuffed with notes from 12 years of the campaign, all in mostly chronological order. Most of the notes are obscure jottings, but all my maps are stuck in there as well. Nowadays, I have about a third of my notes on my PC, a third sitting around in my DM pile in the game room, and two thirds spread out over a couple of notebooks. It's a little haphazard, but it works.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Nowadays, I have about a third of my notes on my PC, a third sitting around in my DM pile in the game room, and two thirds spread out over a couple of notebooks. It's a little haphazard, but it works.

So THAT's your campaign secret: having 4 thirds of one!

I can't say that I'm that organized. I've tried putting everything relevant to a campaign in the same 3-ring binder, which helped me a lot. I have a lot of random stuff randomly stored on my PC. I have hand-written notes for when I became nostalgic of handwriting. I have various ideas carefully stored in my brain. Now if I could just remember were I left my brain...

An effective filing system would be a boon, but it's just not my kind of thing

AR

 

[Mac Callum]

I keep everything on my laptop. Each campaign has a folder, each adventure a sub-folder. Groups & plots also have a folder. NPCs have a character sheet in the folder in the adventure they were introduced in.

The secret is the master-record document in the campaign folder. It keeps track of NPCs, Groups and their machinations, etc.

However, I start out doing it by hand. I need that for the creativity.

PS - I've been thinking about collapsing all of the folders down to just one and using embedded links in the documents to navigate around. NPC character sheet would have links leading to the adventure logs they were encountered in, Groups they're members of, etc.

 

[Morpheus]

Nowadays, I mostly use index cards and maps. I color code the index cards for the NPCs based on alignment and then I organize the rest of the cards for the current adventure. I used to write/type everything, but I am finding that less-is-more. It also has the added benefit of allowing me more time to make or play with maps-which I have just recently discovered is one of the true joys of DMing for me.