For DM's: How long or detailed are your adventure notes?

[Shallown]

For each session All I evry really write up is the encounter. IE a stat block of the creature/person they might fight.

For dungeons I usually have a room and maybe a sentence description and anything I must not forget to tell them.

Mostly I wing everything, though winging it may be misleading as I have walked through encounters in my head several many times before they get there. I have pictured in my head what each room looks like etc. Even though that may change as I tend to have my best ideas in the middle of running a session. I have learned to trust my instinct when it comes to running.

However I do not reccomend this for novice Dm's As someone said above. Make notes better to have and not need then need and not have.

Organize them in whatever way works for you. I tend to highlight/bold things I forget for encounters. Its wierd what things you will consistantly forget. For me its always something like DR for a monster or an important piece of paper for dungeons. Don't nkow why but I just block thos ethings out so In my notes I bold them so I don't miss it.

This is a matter of paying attention while you run a session and even asking players. "Hey when did I stumble for aminute" Just to see what it is that you are not as strong as. Its a matter of experience and awareness.

Also my only advice for most Gm's that always proves true. You are gonna screw up but your still gonna have fun. I always say this becuse even after 20 years I still do screw up but I still have fun.

later

 

[Liolel]

Lets see the adventure I'm writing now which is not finished:

has a 10 page main body (this part has a good deal of growing left)

7 pages of statistics and new rules (could be 6 but I was going for ease of use, not space when I organized it)

2 pages detailing new ships using the seafarers handbook rules (will eventually go into the main campaign text, use is greater than just this this adventure) (It's for an island world.)

and 2 maps (at least 2 more need to be made.)

Edit begins here: Also for the ships I made up the deck plans to print out to use when the ship to ship combat begins.

The new rules created is one new template, one new monster, one new spell, and one new magic item