I want to start a long-term campaign but I'm having a bit of trouble organizing all of the information that I've made.
Though I've played the game quite a bit, I've only been the DM with this system a few times. Normally I have ran a series of short games that would rarely take the players beyond 3 or 4 levels from where they started. This, however, will be my first attempt at making a story that will build up to a significant ending that spans many levels.
The main issue that I came across is all of the notes I have written. First off, I don't really have too much trouble with coming up with ideas or building encounters. It takes me a while, but I enjoy the process. Keeping track of everything that I've done is the problem. I'm trying to make a main plot line, alternate paths, and even sub-adventures for the PCs to keep the story dynamic (and not too linear). I know I can't account for all of the players decisions, but I would like to be as prepared as I can possibly be.
I started with a notebook, but it quickly became a mess of scribbled notes and sporatic information. (like maps, stats, backgound, etc. on different pages). Even with my computer, I find it a challenge to keep the information that I created handy.
I'm curious to see how other DMs have organized all the work they have made for their long-term games. I'm looking for any kind of advice I can get, whether it be templates, worksheets, or even programs.
Maps: I use Campaign Cartographer 3 to make maps and also to use as reference during play. I export for use in Fantasy Grounds or upload to GoogleDocs or EpicWords.com for maps I want to show my players.
Premade maps I collect in modules for use in Fantasy Grounds.
Stats: Either in bought modules or entered into Fantasy Grounds.
Background, story, etc.: EpicWords and now that I've acquired OneNote I'll be using that extensively. The free online version also works if you don't have/can't access the offline program.
I'll be moving more to OneNote to keep most of the stuff in one place, but I only got it so it'll take a while. For material I want the players to access I use EpicWords or GoogleDocs.
Note: I only play online as the friends I play with are somewhat scattered around the globe at the moment.
You might want to check out LoneWolf's upcoming RealmWorks @ www.wolflair.com
There's also a program called the Keep sold here at Paizo.com, however I didn't like the 1990s interface and lack of Unicode, so for me it was wasted money. :/
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Though I've played the game quite a bit, I've only been the DM with this system a few times. Normally I have ran a series of short games that would rarely take the players beyond 3 or 4 levels from where they started. This, however, will be my first attempt at making a story that will build up to a significant ending that spans many levels.
Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!
If this is your first long term campaign, I would suggest taking a more sandbox approach. Writing out an entire campaign for levels 1 through 20 is extremely difficult (it takes paizo months and an entire team of designers and writers to do one, so consider that), and unless your players are down with playing the campaign as you've written it can turn into a giant nightmare of player vs DM conflict, as the players can feel very railroaded.
I suggest making sure you know your setting, have some vague ideas of plotlines you can throw at your players, and a solid starting adventure that drops some major hooks on them. Then see if they bite, and develop the story as it goes along. You'll find it easier if you just try to stay a few sessions ahead of your players, rather than months ahead of them. It will also prevent you from feeling that burning DM rage that comes with realizing the players have zigged when they were supposed to zag and left you with tons of developed material that will never be used.
I'm about to run my first AP, Kingmaker, and while I bought the first three books (mostly for the kingdom rules, just to see what paizo came up with), I have no intention of buying 4, 5 and 6 until my players are starting 3. I don't mind buying 2 and 3 if they veer off at 1, since I wanted the kingdom rules anyways, but I see no reason to drop $60 on adventure I may never use.
Those are some interesting sources. I never seriously thought about using a map creator, but the Campaign Cartographer 3 looks pretty solid. Thanks Leonal.
Making a detailed campaign from 1 to 20 would definitely be rough. You're right, Gailbraithe, I need to make sure to keep much of the future ideas vague. It's just that the games that I have run were all done with a sandbox approach. It felt like I was making up one story after another on the fly, even though the players thought it was all intentional (hope they're not reading this...). The stories never felt that they lead anywhere. Another problem was I felt as though I suck at improvising with this system. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the system, but I just seem to always have trouble creating an unexpected encounter on the fly. I simply hate the feeling of being totally unprepared.
For this reason, I want to be as prepared as I possibly can. Now, I'm no novice when it comes to running games, I've just not had too much experience with this system. The plot-points beyond the the initial encounters are vague ideas that I have. There are, however, many key elements that I want to present in this game, namely developed villains, widespread events, and unique “dungeons.” Even though I don't know when or where they may pop up, the players may think they were intended there the entire time when they do. If I make them ahead of time, I don't have to scramble to make them up when a good moment arrives for their appearance. They could simply be tweaked to be made appropriate for the situation.
Influential villains and NPCs could be murdered upon the first meeting, and certain dungeons may be completely unusable based upon the circumstances. This will always be a possibility in gaming. I just like the idea that there are tailored people and places that are ready to be thrown in or thrown out at a moments notice that help along the main concept of the campaign.
Another reason I'm making a ton of notes is because I'm attempting to use *breathe* material from several different sources. I'll be using the Pathfinder's updated rules, the Forgotten Realms setting, and tech from various other sources. The tech is integral to the themes and plot of the game, while the location is due to the fact that the players seem to be a bit reluctant to try anywhere new.
This all leads me back to my main issue: organization. I heard some people use note cards with not just creature stats, but also events and locations. I've also heard that some DMs simply use a small notebooks, like a moleskines, where they jot down all of their notes. There's also using a laptops but I'm not sure if they are truly effective during a game. What are some effective methods organization?
I'd duggest going out to Probards and make yourself a message board. It's free and one of the best tools I have ever found to organize not only your notes but the entire game.
Now, aside from that I'll pass along the advice I got from Ed Greenwood in a seminar I attended at Gencon several years ago about "World Building and runnign a campaign"....
"Let your players run your game. As a Gm you lay out the guideline and provide optiosn but most groups will flesh out the world and the game for you as it moves forard".
I adopted this advice and it works great for me. Considering this is your first campaign do everything you can to avoid the temptation to "Script" your campaign. If your players are anything like me and my players being lead around by the nose with no real options is a huge pet peeve.
Just some friendly advice.
I'd duggest going out to Probards and make yourself a message board. It's free and one of the best tools I have ever found to organize not only your notes but the entire game.
Now, aside from that I'll pass along the advice I got from Ed Greenwood in a seminar I attended at Gencon several years ago about "World Building and runnign a campaign"....
"Let your players run your game. As a Gm you lay out the guideline and provide optiosn but most groups will flesh out the world and the game for you as it moves forard".
I adopted this advice and it works great for me. Considering this is your first campaign do everything you can to avoid the temptation to "Script" your campaign. If your players are anything like me and my players being lead around by the nose with no real options is a huge pet peeve.
Just some friendly advice.
+1
Also if your group is non-English speaking I'd recommend something other than Proboards as they only allow you to use English on their forums for some reason... (freeforums.org is an alternative)
Check out Obsidian Portal. It's great for organizing your campaign, makes it easy to reference everything you've created, and it's basic form is free.
As to campaign building itself, create the framework. If you write down a few quick sentences about the major places, the major NPCs, the major plot lines, etc... then you can reference those whenever your players encounter them. You would only have to make up the details on the fly.
Give this essay a read. You might not agree with everything the author has to say, but it's good advice to start out with.
That Obsidian Portal looks pretty nifty, but the idea of having all my material available for the world to see feels a bit weird. Nonetheless I'll probably fiddle around with it.
Unfortunately, I don't think posting my campaign work on an online message board would be all that beneficial to the group I game with. We're lucky enough to be able to meet for a game about once a week in our busy schedules, but that means that the players don't have a whole lot of time to go online or check their emails for the gaming information during the rest of the week. If there is a lot of information that the players need, I tend to make a printout as a kind of “campaign player's journal” for them to have on-hand during the game. It doesn't have all of the information about people and places, just from what they discovered so far.
While I appreciate the valuable advice on campaign building, it's not really the issue that I'm trying to resolve. I seriously want to know the physical methods that other GMs use for their sessions on organizing their material. What do you actually use during the game? Notebooks, note cards, laptop, filing folders, binders, loose-leaf paper, or do you simply go by memory? I don't care if this sounds like a stupid, simple question. I just want to know what methods are being used. If everyone uses scribbled notes on a pad, at least I know that the system works for some people.
Eel, you mentioned how you write down a few sentences and worry about the details during the game. How do you organize those notes while playing? Do you use note cards, or do you simply use a notebook? Do you have them separated or put in any specific order?
Hey you. Ya you, the guy or gal reading reading this. Have you ever ran a game? Yes?! Please tell me, what did you have in front of you on the table behind the GM screen? What is that you say? Never ran a game but you know someone who has? What do they have behind that screen? Forget what they're snacking on. What are they reading back there? Go on, tell me. I can keep a secret.
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I guess I'm old fashioned. I do everything on paper. I have a 3-ring binder and put in lined sheets and graph paper to keep things organized. My prep is just writing down as things come to me, I usually always have paper/pencil nearby and then I just move my thoughts into the binder as they become more concrete.
...Ah yes, one additional reason I stick with paper myself is electronic devices are forbidden at my table, and if I expect my players to abide by my rules then so should I.
I also am old fashioned (started playing with the old blue box set with no dice in '78) and do everything on paper, but thats mostly for my comfort level. I do use Hero Lab because its convenient to build monsters with class levels, etc, but I print out the results and run them from paper copies also. And yes, at my table, electronic devices, other than a phone for the one player who is on call for weekend work, are banned also due to my ADD players (as opposed to AD&D).
However, about half my group live 90% of their lives on the computer or inside their electronic devices, so for me, its a lost opportunity if I don't engage them in their element for activities happening in between our 2x a month game sessions. Thats what the Obsidian Portal website is for, keeping things interesting in between games, and taking care of offline conversations, DM/single player interactions, etc. This is especially important since we have a large group (9-10 players) so 1-on-1 time is very hard to do when we get together.
I find that no matter how easy computers and their software make things, I like doing at least the preliminary work by hand in a notebook. It's just the way I've always done it and I find it easier to scribble and jot. Part of that may be that though I am not a horrendous typer, I still find myself having to fix too many typos when I enter data on my computer, so it always feels a lot slower.
I use Levenger.com's Circa notebooks. Spiral and three-ring binders always got too bent out of shape for me. Circa stuff is more expensive, but it carries like a spiral notebook and allows moving pages around like a three-ring binder. They have a special punch so you can add resources you print out yourself or find other places. So that when I do create word processing documents, I can print them out and then add them to my notebook. Likewise with maps if I want to steal, er, borrow them from somewhere.
Also, I use folders, especially one that holds the information for the current adventure/story/module. Published adventures sometimes have maps and descriptions that cause flipping back and forth, so copying the map onto its own page can help. 5x7 cards are good for holding necessary stats for foes, and together with cards for each PC, can be put into initiative order and shuffled through for combat. (Also good for initiative tracking, Paizo's Combat Pad -- lets the players see who's turn is coming up.)
As for campaign organzation, I admit to not having a solid, consistent system for myself. I tend to put NPC's in their own section in my notebooks, adding to them as the PC's interact with them, and I try to keep them separated by campaign location (these NPC's in this city, these NPC's in that area). I have write-ups of each major country or political entity in their own section. I guess it would be better to put each NPC in their own political entity section, but like I said, I haven't found my own system yet.
I tend to organize with a thought to what I am running the next time we play, which can make my campaign notebook sometimes jumbled.
AJ
My nearly 30 year old campaign world is currently a mix of paper in three ring binders and files on my computer.
Most of the history and geopolitical information is still on paper. I just haven't had the energy to type it all into a word processor. A large number of NPCs are also still mostly on paper.
I have, however, scanned the original maps and reproduced and expanded them on the computer using "Gimp" and "Inkster", two free programs that are basically open source versions of Photoshop and Illustrator.
On my computer I have a folder called "RPG Stuff" and inside that folder I have a folder for my campaign world. Inside that folder I have a folder for maps, a folder for NPCs, a folder for backstory info, a folder for custom monsters and spells and a folder for miscellaneous stuff (PC character sheets, notes, etc..)
I write up a recap of every session and store that in a folder for history.
I save the folder periodically on a flash drive and have copies of it on my home desktop, my home laptop, my work laptop and my smartphone. (Although it's getting pretty big to store on my smartphone...)
My still useful paper material is just carried around in the three ring binders.
I'm curious to see how other DMs have organized all the work they have made for their long-term games. I'm looking for any kind of advice I can get, whether it be templates, worksheets, or even programs.
Here is what I have done:
1) get a pocket folder with several manilla folders
2) Label the folders i.e. magic weapons, traps, NPCs, cities and places, story line/arc, pictures/jpgs, maps, and notes
3) create side quests and places of interest other than the main storyline
4) Sometimes I "wing it" and create new story lines on the fly.
5) Scour the Internet for pcitures of monsters, npcs, places like castles and dungeons, and advice from this cool website
6) I carry my folder with me and have a pad of paper because inspiration for new npc's monsters come at all times of the day
I hope this helps you get organized and good luck!
I forgot to mention that my group plays over Skype. I have pre made maps, pictures, and like things ready to email my players. All of my folders exist on paper and on spread sheets I created on windows office.
That Obsidian Portal looks pretty nifty, but the idea of having all my material available for the world to see feels a bit weird. Nonetheless I'll probably fiddle around with it.
Like someone said above, if you pay ($40 a year), you can hide your entire campaign. Otherwise, you can always make the page GM only until it's needed. No one can see it that way, either. I write up a page about a place, or a person, and click GM only. Then when my players actually encounter said place/person, later I can make it public and they can see it.
Unfortunately, I don't think posting my campaign work on an online message board would be all that beneficial to the group I game with. We're lucky enough to be able to meet for a game about once a week in our busy schedules, but that means that the players don't have a whole lot of time to go online or check their emails for the gaming information during the rest of the week. If there is a lot of information that the players need, I tend to make a printout as a kind of “campaign player's journal” for them to have on-hand during the game. It doesn't have all of the information about people and places, just from what they discovered so far.
This is a good practice, as well. Let them add to it as the game goes on.
While I appreciate the valuable advice on campaign building, it's not really the issue that I'm trying to resolve. I seriously want to know the physical methods that other GMs use for their sessions on organizing their material. What do you actually use during the game? Notebooks, note cards, laptop, filing folders, binders, loose-leaf paper, or do you simply go by memory? I don't care if this sounds like a stupid, simple question. I just want to know what methods are being used. If everyone uses scribbled notes on a pad, at least I know that the system works for some people.
Sorry, I guess I misinterpreted your question. While Obsidian Portal is great for overall organization, unless you play with a laptop on the table, it doesn't do squat during the game.
Personally, I have a binder that holds those plastic sleeves you slide your papers into. It also has a built in accordion folder on the inside of the front, separated into sections. I'm semi-old school as well. I write everything out on paper, map everything on graph paper, jot down short hand stat blocks for the monsters/npcs, etc. When I write up an adventure/encounter/scenario it all goes into a sleeve. Major NPCs get full write ups, stat block style, and that goes into the sleeve, as well. In the side folders I keep maps I've used in the campaign (in case they want to go back), random un-keyed maps (for when the players go off the reservation), npcs, monster stat blocks... everything that was once in an adventure sleeve that I think I may use again. I also have multiple smallish (8x10ish) spiral bound sketchbooks. These get campaign ideas, notes, etc. Another one I use for writing the adventures out.
At the table it's the adventure sleeve, the sketchbook to check notes and to make more notes (I feel like I'm always taking notes) and a cheap spiral bound notebook of lined paper from the dollar store. That's for tracking combat, buffs and debuffs, secret rolls, etc. Maps and stat blocks and notes and multiple notebooks and rulebooks and dice and a bottle of Full Sail LTD. and my smokes all get piled behind my GM screen, while I shuffle through them madly, trying to trick my players into thinking I'm doing a good job.
Eel, you mentioned how you write down a few sentences and worry about the details during the game. How do you organize those notes while playing? Do you use note cards, or do you simply use a notebook? Do you have them separated or put in any specific order?
I do this in my notes. For example, if I know the party is going to a small town, and will most likely hit the local general store, I'll write down that the shop keep is a surly little halfling named Shorty McBarefootguy. He has a birthmark on his face and he will try to cheat the characters. I wing it from there, unless I know he's involved in something greater. In that case all he might get added is that he's connected to the bandits who have been robbing people on the road to Genericfantasyville. I'm not terribly organized, which is why I try to get down most of the bones of the things, and get the world fleshed out as much as possible. That way I can wing the immediate stuff.
While I appreciate the valuable advice on campaign building, it's not really the issue that I'm trying to resolve. I seriously want to know the physical methods that other GMs use for their sessions on organizing their material. What do you actually use during the game? Notebooks, note cards, laptop, filing folders, binders, loose-leaf paper, or do you simply go by memory? I don't care if this sounds like a stupid, simple question. I just want to know what methods are being used. If everyone uses scribbled notes on a pad, at least I know that the system works for some people.Eel, you mentioned how you write down a few sentences and worry about the details during the game. How do you organize those notes while playing? Do you use note cards, or do you simply use a notebook? Do you have them separated or put in any specific order?
Hey you. Ya you, the guy or gal reading reading this. Have you ever ran a game? Yes?! Please tell me, what did you have in front of you on the table behind the GM screen? What is that you say? Never ran a game but you know someone who has? What do they have behind that screen? Forget what they're snacking on. What are they reading back there? ...
Flow Charts my friend, flow charts. I use a sort of situational design and stick very close to the 3 clue rule (if you want your players to know something or do something, give them 3 opportunities to see it). So i have a flow chart with various clues and situations I expect. I usually have these indexed to pages in my note book for reference.
So in front of me I have A flow chart with situations that are going on in the world and where they might lead, and the note sheet for the specific situation currently being dealt with.
Wow, just wow. That's A LOT of good material that I'm going to use. Some of the stuff I never thought about, like cliga mentioning relying on a strong theme. I've always tried to maintain reoccurring themes, but I've never really thought about a whole campaign or storyline devoted to powerful theme. Very interesting. Also, I've never really tried using flowcharts, as Kolokotroni mentioned. Gotta try that.
Using a binder to organize my notes and stats seems to be the way to go as I start out. I'll probably at least try out many of the different ideas that were presented to see which would really fit my style.
