I am a huge fan of OneNote for all my planning and game prep. It is hugely searchable I can open it on any of my devices at home or mobile. You can even search for things in other files on one note. SO say you have one folder with Campaign A notes and another with B. You can have OneNote search only files from A or, across both A&B for the info you are looking for. Great tool.
Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. I will protect those who cannot protect themselves, I will protect even those I hate so long as it is right.
Though I notice "5E GM Egaanon" (6d) - made me chuckle. It's 5eg MegaAnon, it's from the 4chan /5eg/, the General thread for Fifth Edition D&D, and the person who mans it is referred to as "MegaAnon" because they are the "Anon" (4chan user) who updates the Mega.
Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. I will protect those who cannot protect themselves, I will protect even those I hate so long as it is right.
Evernote is my hooks, side quests, and notes tool. It's similar to OneNote in most ways (#RunklePlaysGames). I use it on my phone/iPad while taking transit, so I can write campaigns while commuting.
Currently I create a single Note per session. I come up with enough plot hooks/characters for 3-5 "encounters" and write up flavor text for everything in there.
Sometimes I create a single note for an elaborate dungeon that players might return to over multiple sessions.
But now I'm getting into describing HOW I use my tools, not what tools I use.
I use Google Drive for all my ins and outs. I play remote with my players via Discord and Tabletop Simulator, so I've gotta have everything at the ready. Each one of my players' shared character sheets are replicated into my master sheet, so I flip through tabs to see their updated numbers. As for campaign, I have a sheet for each named NPC, with backstory, dialogue options, etc that may come up during interaction.
Under a separate directory, I keep folders for each campaign with maps, traps/puzzles, events.
Whatever helps you stay caught up in the moment is what counts!
I use Realm Works for my campaign management, but it isn't free so that may be a turn-off point for you. The web structure and auto-linking allow me to get from one topic to related topics very quickly, although it is a massive pain to get everything in there to begin with. I also keep a Word document with at-a-glance things I need to keep track of during a session (like durations of things) as well as a brief synopsis of all past sessions so I can refer back to see what has and has not already been done.
Oh!, There's also Obsidian Portal: www.obsidianportal.com It's a web-based campaign management site. Kind of a mash up of a Wiki, Forum, Blog, Calendar, and a few other features. It's intended to be shared with players, but allows the admin to hide DM only content.
I used it for one campaign that had a relatively complex political structure behind the scenes. It helped me get things organized, but I ultimately simplified my process to Evernote. Obsidian Portal it didn't satisfy my need to easily update content on the go. It might be the perfect thing for someone who loves building a Wiki of content as a reference tool.
I use Trello for general campaign notes/ideas that need to be fleshed out/various tidbits I need to hang on to, as well as for my adventure notes. I'll generally have a stack for the main story/encounters, another with a list of the creatures (these used to include stat blocks; since I've started using improved-initiative I no longer bother to include those, just any notes I might have on tactics, etc.), NPCs, random tables, items, and any other various information that I might need.
Here's an example from when I ran MT Black's Temple of the Nightbringers adventure:
I also use Obsidian Portal, mostly to keep track of NPCs and history/lore. So far my players haven't gotten into it though, so I don't know if I'm going to keep up with it. I find it valuable, but it's a lot of work with very little reward if the players aren't interested in using it or helping to keep it updated.
I've looked at Realm Works but it seems a.) super overpowered for what I need, to the point of it seeming overwhelming, and b.) way more than this unemployed graduate student can afford.
If you're down for buying software, Scrivener and Scapple are EXCELLENT for campaign management :)
I will second that Scrivener is amazing, and is an offline solution if you need to not be on wifi.
I actually have Scrivener myself, but at the moment I am largely sorting things through GDocs/GDrive. I have GDocs separately open for things that are session specific and generalised locations/world info etc. GDoc will turn headings into contents links which is helpful for getting around a big one (I have one that is over 50 pages, so thats useful.)
GDocs is less setup time, but Scrivener once you invest in setting it up is great. I just haven't migrated my specific things into it yet.
ETA: Oh! And I second Obsidian Portal being good too, its a great place for posting summaries of sessions and letting players contribute their own character profiles.
I use google docs and have folders within a DnD folder that have a bunch of lore and pdfs in there for ease of access, but I'm usually pretty good with going along with the wacky places the party wants to go and tying that into the larger narrative of the world they're working towards. It helps that I've studied creative writing and can pull that stuff off on the fly, though.
Absolutely recommend Realm Works. I've used almost every product mentioned above and this is the tool I stuck with. It's designed specifically for DM's and thus has functionality that tools like Scrivener and OneNote don't offer.
The huge benefit comes from the way it makes all the content you enter work together. As you enter topics the text you enter will start to automatically generate links to the topics you have created. This is super handy as a simple textual reference to a town, npc, item, etc automatically becomes a link you can click. This way the information all starts to connect and work together and you only need to document something once in the same spot and all the other information will just reference and link you to that information.
It is a big tool, and it can be overwhelming where to start. It doesn't have to be though. You can enter as little or as much information as you like. With the content market coming and free content already being shared by users you can cut out a heap of work by simply importing pre-made content. This is cool because something you enter in your current campaign can be exported and used in your next campaign. I reuse towns, cities, npcs, items, etc.
Thanks for this post! That looks like a great application and Hero Lab does a pretty good job with there other stuff. I really was hoping DDB was going to have some functionality that DM's could use for campaign management, more than just what they threw in.
Thanks again.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Supreme Chancellor
I'm like Indiana Jones meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, only browner.
I typically use Google Docs for campaign notes, wikia for all the setting info I want my players to see - gods, countries, etc (it used to be a Google Doc, but a wiki was requested), and kobold fight club for crafting combat encounters.
Hopefully DDB will have some nice toys for us DMs in a reasonable amount of time.
Thanks for this post! That looks like a great application and Hero Lab does a pretty good job with there other stuff. I really was hoping DDB was going to have some functionality that DM's could use for campaign management, more than just what they threw in.
Thanks again.
More campaign management features are coming with the official release, and I'm sure there are others on the roadmap. If there are specific things you want to see, open up a feedback thread on it. This will let the staff know how to prioritize features, as if there are a lot of people who say they want campaign management feature X, then feature X is likely to come sooner rather than later.
That being said, I don't see DDB offering anything close to Realm Works for the time being; the amount of time it would take to duplicate even half of those features would be massive.
World Anvil has a new campaign manager that I've been using for my homebrew campaign. I really love how it organizes my information into a "DM screen." I totally recommend checking them out!
“In Anger Management,' he said,'we had to do all this role-playing stuff. You know, to get used to handling things in a less volatile way.' 'You role-played,' I said, trying to picture this. 'I had to. It was court-ordered.” ― Sarah Dessen, Just Listen
What do you use to plan out your campaign?
I've currently got a list of hooks, side quests, notes and the like all in Word Docs, but the more I add, the more unwieldy it's getting.
The other option is pen and paper, of course, but that's harder to edit as new ideas appear and new interactions and loot and the like.
Anyone knowing any good ways to combine it all?
I am a huge fan of OneNote for all my planning and game prep. It is hugely searchable I can open it on any of my devices at home or mobile. You can even search for things in other files on one note. SO say you have one folder with Campaign A notes and another with B. You can have OneNote search only files from A or, across both A&B for the info you are looking for. Great tool.
List of all the tools I have found over the years:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KueQNqIVAGRRFKuqsxckRYbpDSzd2HUcOPEvdxfHKk8/
Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. I will protect those who cannot protect themselves, I will protect even those I hate so long as it is right.
lol will update that thanks :)
Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. I will protect those who cannot protect themselves, I will protect even those I hate so long as it is right.
This is great, I try to keep on the lookout for handy resources for world/campaign building.
Thanks for sharing!
Evernote is my hooks, side quests, and notes tool. It's similar to OneNote in most ways (#RunklePlaysGames). I use it on my phone/iPad while taking transit, so I can write campaigns while commuting.
Currently I create a single Note per session. I come up with enough plot hooks/characters for 3-5 "encounters" and write up flavor text for everything in there.
Sometimes I create a single note for an elaborate dungeon that players might return to over multiple sessions.
But now I'm getting into describing HOW I use my tools, not what tools I use.
I co-host a Podcast with my friend Robert. We call it...
Dungeons & Tangents
(iTunes / GooglePlay / RSS )
I use Google Drive for all my ins and outs. I play remote with my players via Discord and Tabletop Simulator, so I've gotta have everything at the ready. Each one of my players' shared character sheets are replicated into my master sheet, so I flip through tabs to see their updated numbers. As for campaign, I have a sheet for each named NPC, with backstory, dialogue options, etc that may come up during interaction.
Under a separate directory, I keep folders for each campaign with maps, traps/puzzles, events.
Whatever helps you stay caught up in the moment is what counts!
[ Site Rules & Guidelines ] --- [ Homebrew Rules & Guidelines ]
Send me a message with any questions or concerns
I use Realm Works for my campaign management, but it isn't free so that may be a turn-off point for you. The web structure and auto-linking allow me to get from one topic to related topics very quickly, although it is a massive pain to get everything in there to begin with. I also keep a Word document with at-a-glance things I need to keep track of during a session (like durations of things) as well as a brief synopsis of all past sessions so I can refer back to see what has and has not already been done.
Oh!, There's also Obsidian Portal: www.obsidianportal.com
It's a web-based campaign management site. Kind of a mash up of a Wiki, Forum, Blog, Calendar, and a few other features.
It's intended to be shared with players, but allows the admin to hide DM only content.
I used it for one campaign that had a relatively complex political structure behind the scenes. It helped me get things organized, but I ultimately simplified my process to Evernote. Obsidian Portal it didn't satisfy my need to easily update content on the go. It might be the perfect thing for someone who loves building a Wiki of content as a reference tool.
I co-host a Podcast with my friend Robert. We call it...
Dungeons & Tangents
(iTunes / GooglePlay / RSS )
If you're down for buying software, Scrivener and Scapple are EXCELLENT for campaign management :)
I use Trello for general campaign notes/ideas that need to be fleshed out/various tidbits I need to hang on to, as well as for my adventure notes. I'll generally have a stack for the main story/encounters, another with a list of the creatures (these used to include stat blocks; since I've started using improved-initiative I no longer bother to include those, just any notes I might have on tactics, etc.), NPCs, random tables, items, and any other various information that I might need.
Here's an example from when I ran MT Black's Temple of the Nightbringers adventure:
I also use Obsidian Portal, mostly to keep track of NPCs and history/lore. So far my players haven't gotten into it though, so I don't know if I'm going to keep up with it. I find it valuable, but it's a lot of work with very little reward if the players aren't interested in using it or helping to keep it updated.
I've looked at Realm Works but it seems a.) super overpowered for what I need, to the point of it seeming overwhelming, and b.) way more than this unemployed graduate student can afford.
DM: The Cult of the Crystal Spider (Currently playing Storm King's Thunder)
Player: The Knuckles of Arth - Lemire (Tiefling Rogue 5/Fighter 1)
I use google docs and have folders within a DnD folder that have a bunch of lore and pdfs in there for ease of access, but I'm usually pretty good with going along with the wacky places the party wants to go and tying that into the larger narrative of the world they're working towards. It helps that I've studied creative writing and can pull that stuff off on the fly, though.
Absolutely recommend Realm Works. I've used almost every product mentioned above and this is the tool I stuck with. It's designed specifically for DM's and thus has functionality that tools like Scrivener and OneNote don't offer.
The huge benefit comes from the way it makes all the content you enter work together. As you enter topics the text you enter will start to automatically generate links to the topics you have created. This is super handy as a simple textual reference to a town, npc, item, etc automatically becomes a link you can click. This way the information all starts to connect and work together and you only need to document something once in the same spot and all the other information will just reference and link you to that information.
It is a big tool, and it can be overwhelming where to start. It doesn't have to be though. You can enter as little or as much information as you like. With the content market coming and free content already being shared by users you can cut out a heap of work by simply importing pre-made content. This is cool because something you enter in your current campaign can be exported and used in your next campaign. I reuse towns, cities, npcs, items, etc.
Here's a TOUR showing the tool in use.
Better Resolution Pictures
Daplunk's YouTube Channel: Realm Works and Hero Lab Videos / Campaign Cartographer 3+ Videos
Realm Works Facebook User Group
Thanks for this post! That looks like a great application and Hero Lab does a pretty good job with there other stuff. I really was hoping DDB was going to have some functionality that DM's could use for campaign management, more than just what they threw in.
Thanks again.
The Supreme Chancellor
I typically use Google Docs for campaign notes, wikia for all the setting info I want my players to see - gods, countries, etc (it used to be a Google Doc, but a wiki was requested), and kobold fight club for crafting combat encounters.
Hopefully DDB will have some nice toys for us DMs in a reasonable amount of time.
World Anvil has a new campaign manager that I've been using for my homebrew campaign. I really love how it organizes my information into a "DM screen." I totally recommend checking them out!
https://www.worldanvil.com/community/
“In Anger Management,' he said,'we had to do all this role-playing stuff. You know, to get used to handling things in a less volatile way.'
'You role-played,' I said, trying to picture this.
'I had to. It was court-ordered.”
― Sarah Dessen, Just Listen
Just added a few more tools myself.