I am wondering if you can recommend resources to manage campaign and player sheets. Also should I do an online or in person campaign. Chould I do an short campaign (like to lvl 10) and then use those characters for a different conflict? Thank you for any help! :)
(Edit/reply): Thanks for the help. I am sorry for not explaining things like the difference between campaign and story and like leveling people up from lvl 1 to lvl 10 not a range from lvl 1-10. my bad. I guess I need to find my own style and way. Thank again for the suggestions.
Not gonna lie, I'm old school in my approach and don't use apps or online tools. i have my players manage their character sheets, although i do keep an index card with all of the players vital information (Stats, AC, HP, Xp, Spell slots/feature uses), I trust my players however the threat of breaking out the yellow card keeps them honest. As for managing the campaign i keep a notebook that i scribble notes in. After each session i write a recap, highlighting any npc interactions, story elements, and humorous things that may have occurred. It's fun to start your session with a "Previously on D&D.."
The short campaign idea fits me best, i like the idea of turning the players into NPC's to use in future campaigns. Also, if you can find an in person game, IMHO they are more fun, as if there's a power outage, you don't have to reset the players handbook.
To me, the official character sheets are absolutely fine. For the rest of the campaign management, old and good pen and paper system.
Absolutely, you can move the same party from campaign to campaign.
Just a personal thought, I don't believe a campaign is considered short going from level 1 to 10 (if it is that what you meant). Consider a narrower range of levels for a short campaign.
I am wondering if you can recommend resources to manage campaign and player sheets. Also should I do an online or in person campaign. Chould I do an short campaign (like to lvl 10) and then use those characters for a different conflict? Thank you for any help! :)
Your second question should dictate your first question's answer as well: if you do an online game, the medium you choose to host the online game will have online resources to make you job a lot easier. There is a bit of a learning curve with the format you choose. Roll20 has a good set-up from my limited experience but I stress limited. I learned quickly talking to my laptop is not the same thing as making eye contact with people in the same room. I'd defer to other DM/GMs that have had the online experience more for further suggestions. Obsidian Portal offers a decent service for online campaign management. Some people create a Google Group. There are dozens of applications for iOS and Android too. I use Hero Lab currently for character management, waiting for the D&D Beyond Beta to get truly rolling and show me something worth switching to.
I've tried many digital gaming options but I always find myself going to pen and paper to manage things. I am very fortunate to have players that take detailed notes on everything which I am thankful for as 60% of my game details are created on the spot. I had too many years of wasted time investment preparing a game for the players to make an immediate left turn "off the map". I quickly learned I enjoying that kind of spontaneity in story development so kept my plans to rough outlines allowing the players to dictate the pace and direction of the game based on the inputs I provided them for the setting. This turned my games into a cooperative storytelling event rather than a railroaded script. This took time to get there though and as I got busier with life, I have gone back to more condensed "adventure nodules" with the free-form story advancement going on in-between them.
Campaigns and story arcs are two different things: a campaign is the same characters developing from the first session (usually at Level 1) until you've all decided to stop using those characters. A story arc focuses on premise that comes to a conclusion in a relative short "game time" period; this arc can lead to another similarly themed one continuing the campaign or it could easily be a chunk of game-time after the last arc. After settling down, the PCs have made homes, gotten involved with their communities, then a new threat appears that requires they take the weapons off the hearth and go out and be heroic again. I'd suggest a good story arc to get the PCs to level 7 - 8 with the potential to wrap up or continue onward depending on player interest. Don't plan something for level 20 just yet, games rarely make it that far unless they're played at an highly accelerated pace. Set shorter goals easily achieved that will give you and your players a sense of accomplishment.
To summarize, first time DM is better served in a face-to-face game to cut their teeth, aim for a shorter story arc to start the campaign, and use only those tools that enhance the game with the minimum of distraction so your game pace isn't slowed searching .pdfs/books/apps for information. Good luck!
For planning out the campaign and keeping track of things, I use OneNote. You may want to try something like that or Evernote to help you track various story things. I use it to collect ideas, write out recaps of sessions, and draft the rough outline I make for the next session. I also use it to make note of fluff things or unexpected events that come up so that I can reference them later - either a new enemy the group made, an NPC who was supposed to be a throwaway but has now become a keeper, some weird fact that got thrown out there about the area they are in or an odd quirk with someone, etc. I also use tabletopaudio.com sometimes for sound FX/ so I put a link right in the note so that I can quickly pull it up.
As for adding the characters from this campaign into the next one, I think it's awesome. Our group has an understanding that most anyone or anything from a previous campaign is fair game in a new one. We treat it as like alternate universes all connected kind of thing.
For example, in the campaign I'm running now one of the NPCs is a character from a campaign another player was running previously. The character was a cleric and in this campaign, he is now a borderline demigod in this world who is running around doing the good work of Khord. People reuse city names and little things like that as well. I think as a player it's cool to see your creation live on and have an impact on previous games.
I usually make everything in word, with the monsters being in excel. Basically moving the monster entry stuff around. I have the AC/Movement Speed/HP at the top and below the AC and Movement I have their attacks, followed by their special abilities. At the bottom I have their ability scores because I typically don't need them (as they are already factored into the stats above).
Everything else I prefer to have printouts while playing so that I can take notes on the page or find the info quickly. Granted if you want your laptop around you could also do this in word.
I'm more of a fan of weaving things together and having the world progress. So hints of what is to come at level ten may appear at level one. I'm also okay if players completely ignore what I had planned for the first five levels and do something completely different.
I run good old "in person" Campaigns, I Do use online source materials for reference. Some of the online stuff can be a bit much as a lot of it conflicts with other material... In those cases.. I usually go to the DMG or Player Handbook. Absolutely bring The Group into other Campaign settings , a good way to transfer realms (I have found) is to use something like a Ravenloft adventure then have the Characters egress into the new campaign setting/World Setting... I.E. A group I DM went from Krynn to Ravenloft to The Forgotten Realms. That Way you can have Continuity in the Game flow. There are other ways to incorporate Moving from one World to another into an adventure.. use your imagination, talk to your players, but remember you are the Master of the Story, They are your assistants. Set the stage and see where it goes....
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There are 3 sides to every Argument, Your point of view, Their point of view, and The Truth..... Be careful how you wield it, because the Truth cuts 3 Ways....
I don't know about how running a campaign on it would work, but I have been using https://www.worldanvil.com/ for development. It seems like a reasonable way to organize a world, and there is a lot I still need to learn about it. It would probably be possible to use it as a digital campaign notebook for in-person gaming (which is probably how I will use it IF I use it during a session). There is also https://www.campfiretechnology.com/, but I don't have any experience worth mentioning for it.
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Just a old, crazy Dungeon Master building a realm one brick at a time...
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I am wondering if you can recommend resources to manage campaign and player sheets. Also should I do an online or in person campaign. Chould I do an short campaign (like to lvl 10) and then use those characters for a different conflict? Thank you for any help! :)
(Edit/reply): Thanks for the help. I am sorry for not explaining things like the difference between campaign and story and like leveling people up from lvl 1 to lvl 10 not a range from lvl 1-10. my bad. I guess I need to find my own style and way. Thank again for the suggestions.
I heard one time at band camp
Not gonna lie, I'm old school in my approach and don't use apps or online tools. i have my players manage their character sheets, although i do keep an index card with all of the players vital information (Stats, AC, HP, Xp, Spell slots/feature uses), I trust my players however the threat of breaking out the yellow card keeps them honest. As for managing the campaign i keep a notebook that i scribble notes in. After each session i write a recap, highlighting any npc interactions, story elements, and humorous things that may have occurred. It's fun to start your session with a "Previously on D&D.."
The short campaign idea fits me best, i like the idea of turning the players into NPC's to use in future campaigns. Also, if you can find an in person game, IMHO they are more fun, as if there's a power outage, you don't have to reset the players handbook.
To me, the official character sheets are absolutely fine. For the rest of the campaign management, old and good pen and paper system.
Absolutely, you can move the same party from campaign to campaign.
Just a personal thought, I don't believe a campaign is considered short going from level 1 to 10 (if it is that what you meant). Consider a narrower range of levels for a short campaign.
We all leave footprints in the sands of time.
For planning out the campaign and keeping track of things, I use OneNote. You may want to try something like that or Evernote to help you track various story things. I use it to collect ideas, write out recaps of sessions, and draft the rough outline I make for the next session. I also use it to make note of fluff things or unexpected events that come up so that I can reference them later - either a new enemy the group made, an NPC who was supposed to be a throwaway but has now become a keeper, some weird fact that got thrown out there about the area they are in or an odd quirk with someone, etc. I also use tabletopaudio.com sometimes for sound FX/ so I put a link right in the note so that I can quickly pull it up.
As for adding the characters from this campaign into the next one, I think it's awesome. Our group has an understanding that most anyone or anything from a previous campaign is fair game in a new one. We treat it as like alternate universes all connected kind of thing.
For example, in the campaign I'm running now one of the NPCs is a character from a campaign another player was running previously. The character was a cleric and in this campaign, he is now a borderline demigod in this world who is running around doing the good work of Khord. People reuse city names and little things like that as well. I think as a player it's cool to see your creation live on and have an impact on previous games.
I usually make everything in word, with the monsters being in excel. Basically moving the monster entry stuff around. I have the AC/Movement Speed/HP at the top and below the AC and Movement I have their attacks, followed by their special abilities. At the bottom I have their ability scores because I typically don't need them (as they are already factored into the stats above).
Everything else I prefer to have printouts while playing so that I can take notes on the page or find the info quickly. Granted if you want your laptop around you could also do this in word.
I'm more of a fan of weaving things together and having the world progress. So hints of what is to come at level ten may appear at level one. I'm also okay if players completely ignore what I had planned for the first five levels and do something completely different.
I run good old "in person" Campaigns, I Do use online source materials for reference. Some of the online stuff can be a bit much as a lot of it conflicts with other material... In those cases.. I usually go to the DMG or Player Handbook. Absolutely bring The Group into other Campaign settings , a good way to transfer realms (I have found) is to use something like a Ravenloft adventure then have the Characters egress into the new campaign setting/World Setting... I.E. A group I DM went from Krynn to Ravenloft to The Forgotten Realms. That Way you can have Continuity in the Game flow. There are other ways to incorporate Moving from one World to another into an adventure.. use your imagination, talk to your players, but remember you are the Master of the Story, They are your assistants. Set the stage and see where it goes....
There are 3 sides to every Argument, Your point of view, Their point of view, and The Truth..... Be careful how you wield it, because the Truth cuts 3 Ways....
I don't know about how running a campaign on it would work, but I have been using https://www.worldanvil.com/ for development. It seems like a reasonable way to organize a world, and there is a lot I still need to learn about it. It would probably be possible to use it as a digital campaign notebook for in-person gaming (which is probably how I will use it IF I use it during a session). There is also https://www.campfiretechnology.com/, but I don't have any experience worth mentioning for it.
Just a old, crazy Dungeon Master building a realm one brick at a time...