How to write good GM notes

[pjrake]

From Wulf's Laws of Gamemastering:

When preparing ahead of time, if you don't think you've prepared enough, you're right; you'll be unprepared.

When you feel you've prepared just barely enough, you'll have twice as much ready as you need.

For those of us who come from the school of "winging it" would this be a bad thing? I've read once that if you prepare too much then you won't have a good session.

PJ

 

[Nightcloak]

For those of us who come from the school of "winging it" would this be a bad thing? I've read once that if you prepare too much then you won't have a good session.

PJ

I come from the "winging it" school also, but preparing a notebook is still a key compontent. I do use a heavily fortified notebook in my games.

The best GMs travel through this board so what better place than to post this question to all of you: How do you write good GM notes? In other words, what do you use to keep track of your game notes. Here's a list of choices one can expand on:

1. What do you use to keep your notes organized (laptop, notebook, index cards, loose sheets of paper, etc.)

2. What method is best to use DURING game session? In other words, what's the easiest and fastest way to look over notes during the game?

3. Do you have examples of your game session (practical, actual game session notes)?

I'll just take the easy way out and pimp my sig. for my notebook thread

 

[TheGM]

I have a three-step system. In-game, detailed notes, and overviews.

Here's how I do it. I run a lot of games (5 pretty regular ones), so I had to get efficient

Using 3x5 sticky notes and notepads, I track happenings in the game - things that I thought up along the way, and things that changed during play due to player interaction. Some of these go into folders that I gather up once a month and...
I take those notes and enter them into documents and spreadsheets on my network using folders for world, kingdom, subdivision (duchy, et al), and important personalities/locations/etc...
I then summarize the games (every few weeks) in the website for that world.

The website is general, public info, the network holds the detailed info, and the notes get thrown away or filed in a folder somewhere. Though these days I rarely go back to folders.

I don't know if a similar system could help you, but it works pretty well for me.

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I have fairly detailed notes typed up before a session. If I'm running a published adventure, there will be less notes than if it's my own creation (doh!), but I'll still write some stuff down on NPC/monster combat abilities, changes to the adventure etc.

During the game I scribble on scrap paper and afterwards I write up the key things that happened including anything I need to remember for next session in my campaign journal.

I tend to overprepare on the whole.

Cheers


Richard

 

[MonsterMash]

Hi,

I have fairly detailed notes typed up before a session. If I'm running a published adventure, there will be less notes than if it's my own creation (doh!), but I'll still write some stuff down on NPC/monster combat abilities, changes to the adventure etc.

During the game I scribble on scrap paper and afterwards I write up the key things that happened including anything I need to remember for next session in my campaign journal.

I tend to overprepare on the whole.

That is very similar to the approach that I take with my D&D game, particularly as I have lots of possible plots arising from interrelationships between PCs, NPCs and events that have already happened.

 

[Gold Roger]

I feel that I prepare enough these days. Usually I prepare the NPCs I'll need on sheets (multiple not so complex NPCs that appear in the same encounter together on one sheet). Also for every session I've got One sheet of paper for every encounter that could end in a fight where I have the HPs and pre-rolled initiative for every NPC and Monster involved and some sheets with general notes.
I do however have a huge problem with making notes and keeping my stuff organized both during and after each session. I loose a huge amount of time and player attention every session because I can't find the right reference sheet, EVERY DAMNED TIME! I also will forget to take notes during sessions or loose them directly afterwards or have to search for them through my, at that point, mess of paper sheets that are thrown all over the place.
My players know I'm far from an genious at organizing myself and tend to enjoy my sessions anyway, but it's still becoming a huge problem for me. I thought about using index cards for my notes, with different colors, for different kinds of notes, to help at least the worst problems, but I have the feeling that won't be enough.
If you've got any tips for me, that would be great.

 

[Hand of Evil]

See link in sig...

 

[Henry]

I use Microsoft Word. My notes consist of four sections:

1. Prominent NPCs: A table with columns for Name, important stats, and relation to PCs
Ex: Marilyn of Manson --- m 1/2elf Brd 4 Ch 14 --- owns "the skimpy strumpet" bar; trash-talks the PCs when they come in; has bad brit. accent

2. Past notes: This is a list of notable events from past sessions (who they killed, who they pissed off, successes, failures)
Ex:

• Myrtul 19 - Traveled Spider Pass - assassin attacked, chased him, he escaped, Darmoc lost Tenagra XXI over gorge, found Prophecy Scroll in ogre cave
• Myrtul 29 - Arrived in Shadowdale - search for clues on assassin, Darmoc buys Tenagra XXII, meets with old army buddies, get invited on a dung. raid

3. Plot hooks - this is the stuff they left unfinished, or ideas for me to drop into a session.
Ex:

• Ikhara (Lich Wiz14) wants PCs to run errand to pay back favor she did them in Zhentil Keep
• Family Curse Demon that PCs trapped in box gets free, starts hounding Westin again

4.Resources: generic NPC stats, a list of pregenned names, the Calendar (so I can track time), etc.