Hail Adventurers! As a DM, I always notice that I seem to forget to mention something about something or someplace. It could just be the absent-minded wizard in me, or the short-term memory with added salt. In any case! For any Dungeon Master, I propose a small note-card worth of things to explain about a certain thing or place!
-Who?
-What?
-Where?
-When?
-Why/How?
These are the basic questions I always ask myself before I write anything about the world's history. Sometimes the weather, time of day, (dates if your camp. has any), [city/town's] alignment, etc.; these are a few things to consider right-off-the-bat when speaking with players. It's to simplify those questions players barrage you with while playing when that time could be well spent productively. 'What time is it?' 'How big is the city?' 'How far away are we from the next village?'.
Sorry for the long page, but this to me is a fairly decent question for all DM's to ponder over. If you were given a note card/piece of paper, what would you write on it to remember what to tell your players when stumbling across a village/town?
Let me know what you believe! Game on!!!
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When I write out an adventure I usually do it in 2 phases. The first is to write the story/descriptions/events as I see them in my head and as the adventure will unfold. Then I go back and write on post-it notes (Essentially like your cards) The names and locations of the most important 3-4 people and what this particular "thing" bottom lines to the player. basically, one of these notes would look like this (And I'm copying from one, so it's been in use already):
"Library Encounter:
Thaddus St-Alma: Librarian, behind the counter.
The Caliphors: Mother and Son, at a table.
Sedgewick Nicklenime: Gnome Thief, In the basement.
Assorted Guards: At positions around the library.
Bottom Line: You need the map in the basement, the Gnome is stealing it."
My players are usually all about the metagame though, so I can get away with explaining it like that if they don't pick up on the ingame clues and everyone still has fun. I don't usually get questions like the ones you proposed, with the most complicated usually being "what's the average pickpocketing value in this city?" Otherwise, I just handle my city descriptions the same way. No more then 5 important people or families that might interest my players and 2-3 lines of adventure seeds if they ask for them (I sort of assume at least one of them passes their knowledge: local check). Then I'll just describe things as the players ask for them. Of course, I cam to this process after years of managing the same 2 groups and learning that the bottom line is all they really care about. They don't want florid descriptions, and they don't really care about metagaming. So telling them "the library is haunted, go there" is perfectly fine and they'll still roleplay it.
Hope I answered your questions after all that...
This is an interesting subject you have come up with. I am experimenting with my own system to add atmosphere to the campaign, since I am DM-ing the Savage Tide, where atmosphere is very important. Now when I prepare the next session, I make a short list of all the scenes and locations, and write down 2 or 3 short words or phrases per location. They all have to do with atmosphere.
It looks something like this:
1) Crypt
- Walls moist
- Floor is wet and slippery
- Sound of water dripping in the distance
It is meant as a reference list where I can see at once what I wanted to tell about a specific location, so that I do not have to remember everything and do not have to read through lengthy descriptions while DM-ing.
I have now tried this out for 2 playing sessions. During the first session it did not go smoothly yet, but during the second one it worked very well. It actually made the PCs change their tactics once, because they considered details of the environment.
I plan to use the system for cities, dungeon, wilderness, etc.
Thank you for the input. In terms of atmosphere, I've been tempted to buy this basic black, square, lantern from the store and only have that lit with the lights out when traveling in the Underdark or at least dim the lights so the players don't see much. Perhaps some dark-lights for those with dark-vision. This is the first campaign for my lovely girlfriend so I want this to be a fluid as it can be, though her timing could be better. (It's been a year or so since I've DMed and I'm a bit rusty.)
The hardest part of describing what players see is when they are walking through a dungeon or a maze. This is very difficult when trying to remember where they are and how they will leave.
Your instincts are good, your heart is pure, and you will shake off the rust quickly.
A couple things I have learned from long experience:
If there is a creature in the room, describe it first, not the ornate carvings on the walls that everyone ignores until the encounter - be it roleplaying or combat - has ended.
Consider including two of the five senses in every description: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. I have seen smell and touch in particular really bother players far more than descriptions.*
*Though entrails stretched out from a living (bound) captive to create a door alarm with his screams did creep everyone out.