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Message: <blockquote data-quote="timbannock" data-source="post: 4815826" data-attributes="member: 17913">Three comments:1. I make my own DM screen now (at least, the data involved) coz I bought me the <a href="http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/s/studio2Publishing/savageWorlds/v5748btpy7lm6&source=top" target="_blank">Savage Worlds Customizable GM Screen</a>...it's even cheaper <a href="http://www.scifigenre.com/itemDetail.aspx?sid=LP1P01V1LKMT1KO&nItemID=26032" target="_blank">here</a>.  I then found a thread somewhere about building my own that would have been way cheaper and just as durable, but oh well.  Point is, I know which charts/house rules/info I need to reference a lot, so that's what goes on the screen.2. When running my own adventures, I try to boil things down to simple statements.  The Background might be wordy, but I really try to get the adventure down to easily referenced bullet points.  Now that I'm polishing up my PowerPoint skills, I'm thinking of using flowcharts a little more, too.  As for NPCs, monsters, etc., I again try to boil it down to basics as much as possible (which is why I love 4e).  I either fit everything I can on a single side of a single sheet, or use index cards whenever possible, because this frees up a lot of room behind the GM Screen.  Because I like to have my minis already picked out for a battle ahead of time and keep them hidden behind the screen, I need that extra room.  Ultimately, my setup is (from Player side -> DM side) Screen, minis, dice, pen, adventure notes on the right and map/other paper on the left.3. When I run a prewritten adventure, I often make substantial changes, so I try to keep notes even simpler and either use post-it notes to put the changes directly into the book, or I (laboriously) write up my own summary, to the point where I sometimes don't even need to bring the prewritten adventure.  This is something I'm moving a way from a lot now, because my free time has gone down the drain.  My plan now is to just stick with the adventure closely and only add in post-it notes and the occasional index card as needed.Oh, and I type WAY faster than I write now that I've been working at a computer for the better part of 2-1/2 years, so most of my stuff is typed (copy/pasted monster stats w/ whatever changes I make, bullet-point adventures & encounters), and the index cards I use I try to keep VERY brief and written legibly (and somewhat larger than my normal handwriting) so that I can get a lot of info in a quick glance.Even though I have excellent eyesight, the one thing I hate doing is manipulating papers and squinting at notes or charts when I'm DMing.  It totally kills the immersion and pacing for me, because I love hearing myself talk and just want to keep things flowing quickly.  Random aside: a lot of this came from 3.5e, where I had my head buried in books 75% of the session.  It took me a lot of effort to get away from that, and I should've done it a lot sooner.</blockquote>

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