I'm rolling a new character in one of my campaigns. Before I rarely took notes with my old character besides some NPCs and would forget everything else, but I want to take really good notes now. Just not sure how to organize it. Any tips?
Think about how we as humans remember details in our lives. The important things we can find easily. The things that were not quite as important at the time we, either, remember eventually or resort to Google.
Your notes can be as detailed and organized as you like. But hear this out. If you just scrawl down note fast and furious in the order they happen, they will be in a random pidge-podge like our human brains can be. If you want to 'remember' something in-game, then just riffle through your notes and find it or forget where it was written down. Sometimes that happens with us IRL. And, your fellow adventurers will respond to things around them differently, remember them differently. Things you might have 'forgotten' will be easily accessible by another member of the group.
I think this lends a little more realism to the game. If you look askance to the DM, he may either remind you or, if it is pivotal to the story, he might have you roll a check before he offers the information. Your DM might even impose a mental timer and decide that you have taken too long to 'think' about it and move the story along, leaving you to have to think on it at a later point. Or, you may go back your notes and finally find it jotted over in the margin and, at long last, 'remember' that forgotten detail.
Doing it in this fashion is kind of a self-imposed penalty kind of thing. We as people generally cannot remember every single detail on the spot. Why not carry this over to your character as well?
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Thank you. ChrisW
Ones are righteous. And one day, we just might believe it.
Think about how we as humans remember details in our lives. The important things we can find easily. The things that were not quite as important at the time we, either, remember eventually or resort to Google.
Your notes can be as detailed and organized as you like. But hear this out. If you just scrawl down note fast and furious in the order they happen, they will be in a random pidge-podge like our human brains can be. If you want to 'remember' something in-game, then just riffle through your notes and find it or forget where it was written down. Sometimes that happens with us IRL. And, your fellow adventurers will respond to things around them differently, remember them differently. Things you might have 'forgotten' will be easily accessible by another member of the group.
I think this lends a little more realism to the game. If you look askance to the DM, he may either remind you or, if it is pivotal to the story, he might have you roll a check before he offers the information. Your DM might even impose a mental timer and decide that you have taken too long to 'think' about it and move the story along, leaving you to have to think on it at a later point. Or, you may go back your notes and finally find it jotted over in the margin and, at long last, 'remember' that forgotten detail.
Doing it in this fashion is kind of a self-imposed penalty kind of thing. We as people generally cannot remember every single detail on the spot. Why not carry this over to your character as well?
That's fair enough. I balance it out with the notion that, for my character, this is real life. In my real life I don't struggle to remember the name of my boss, or the guy who saved my life pulling me out of the river :) For my character, these things are super important, and are happening back to back. For me, they are a thing I pay attention to once a week for a few hours, and then often don't think about until same time next week.
I mean, if my friends and I were taking a trip to Vancouver for work, and we were halfway there, I wouldn't be turning to them and asking "what's the name of the city we're going to again?" :) Or if I met a woman on the road, talked to her about a mutual friend for an hour and learned important information, and then I went to sleep for the night, I wouldn't struggle to remember her name the next morning. But for me the player, 'next morning' is a week later. What was her name again?
I see notes as just balancing that out. Otherwise, my D&D characters all have about the worst memories of anyone alive.
I'm rolling a new character in one of my campaigns. Before I rarely took notes with my old character besides some NPCs and would forget everything else, but I want to take really good notes now. Just not sure how to organize it. Any tips?
This topic came up about a month ago or so. Here's the link:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/tips-tactics/15431-how-to-take-notes-efficiently-as-a-player
Some thoughts about notes and realism...
Think about how we as humans remember details in our lives. The important things we can find easily. The things that were not quite as important at the time we, either, remember eventually or resort to Google.
Your notes can be as detailed and organized as you like. But hear this out. If you just scrawl down note fast and furious in the order they happen, they will be in a random pidge-podge like our human brains can be. If you want to 'remember' something in-game, then just riffle through your notes and find it or forget where it was written down. Sometimes that happens with us IRL. And, your fellow adventurers will respond to things around them differently, remember them differently. Things you might have 'forgotten' will be easily accessible by another member of the group.
I think this lends a little more realism to the game. If you look askance to the DM, he may either remind you or, if it is pivotal to the story, he might have you roll a check before he offers the information. Your DM might even impose a mental timer and decide that you have taken too long to 'think' about it and move the story along, leaving you to have to think on it at a later point. Or, you may go back your notes and finally find it jotted over in the margin and, at long last, 'remember' that forgotten detail.
Doing it in this fashion is kind of a self-imposed penalty kind of thing. We as people generally cannot remember every single detail on the spot. Why not carry this over to your character as well?
Thank you.
ChrisW
Ones are righteous. And one day, we just might believe it.
That's fair enough. I balance it out with the notion that, for my character, this is real life. In my real life I don't struggle to remember the name of my boss, or the guy who saved my life pulling me out of the river :) For my character, these things are super important, and are happening back to back. For me, they are a thing I pay attention to once a week for a few hours, and then often don't think about until same time next week.
I mean, if my friends and I were taking a trip to Vancouver for work, and we were halfway there, I wouldn't be turning to them and asking "what's the name of the city we're going to again?" :) Or if I met a woman on the road, talked to her about a mutual friend for an hour and learned important information, and then I went to sleep for the night, I wouldn't struggle to remember her name the next morning. But for me the player, 'next morning' is a week later. What was her name again?
I see notes as just balancing that out. Otherwise, my D&D characters all have about the worst memories of anyone alive.
Looking for new subclasses, spells, magic items, feats, and races? Opinions welcome :)