How To Take Good Dnd Notes

How does a D&D player or DM take effective notes? Depending on who you lot talk to, you'll get different answers. Here'south how to organize DnD notes: The platonic approach to DnD notation organization is to start with a logical construction that allows for quick notes during the campaign, organize D&D notes in a folder or app (Google Drive, OneNote, etc.), and review before playing again. Whether you're a DM or a player, this will exist highly effective.

Obviously, the in a higher place is a simplification of how to organize DnD notes, so click below to get started:

How to Organize DnD Notes as a Histrion
How to Organize DM Notes in D&D
The Best DnD Note-Taking Tools

How to Organize DnD Notes as a Role player

Permit'southward be honest, note-taking isn't the near sought-after task at the D&D table. Very few players volition take D&D session notes, let alone await forward to information technology. And it makes sense, because it's hard enough to be a good D&D roleplayer without having to keep track of minute details.

Setting up a logical structure, though, makes things much easier. I've carve up out this guide into player and DM organization, likewise every bit popular tools to use.

Start with a solid D&D journal

The classic concrete journal. This is an age-quondam solution to D&D notation. Using the tips above, a physical journal will allow you lot to notate what'due south happening in your campaign. Just picket out for the manus cramps.

Here are some high quality leather journals to consider (that have relevant quotes for your DnD campaign):

ZYWJUGE Dragon Journal Notebook

MITO 2Pcs DND Writing Notebook

Create a categorization system

In D&D, at that place are a lot of types of information that can exist recorded. To make your note-taking process easier, create a prioritized categorization system to add DnD session notes in for each section. Here are a few of the D&D note categories I use:

Goals for electric current session
Main story quest info
Places
Party
NPCs
Items
Full general
Miscellaneous
End with epitomize and goals for adjacent session

Equally yous can meet here, I ever starting time with a few line items of goals for the current session that'due south pulled from the previous section. I so set aside primary bullet points for high priority categories I've identified, ranging from principal story quest information to miscellaneous items. From in that location, I stop each note with a few bullet points to recap plot points and what I know we demand to attempt to accomplish in our adjacent session.

Some D&D adventures are and so interesting, information technology's important to keep rails of all the intricate details!

Write down quick notes

A common error for D&D notation takers is writing as well much information down. If yous write everything down, information technology'south difficult to know what's actually of import. At the finish of the 24-hour interval, too much information is not very useful at all. So, again keeping in listen the categories in a higher place, create a cliff notes-style system where you lot quickly write down bullet points at a time. Here are a few things to proceed in mind hither:

Write down the cliff notes of what happened – specifically, what are the major bullet points of the session (if someone missed the session, what are the 3 things you lot'd tell them if they asked y'all what happened).
Don't worry almost the spelling of anything, only get the note downwardly quickly
Develop an effective autograph that can be used quickly in game – this is an interesting one, and can be highly effective.

Create a symbol organisation for annotation categories, with a reference sheet

Similar to a shorthand, one effective tool is to create a symbol organisation for your notes. This goes beyond categorization and becomes a manner to physically marker your notes with a notation blazon. For example, a star symbol could hateful something specific to your grapheme's backstory, and a mountain could be something related to the world/terrain.

Creating symbols for your d&d session notes makes information technology extremely easy to navigate and find useful data.

Consider note taking every bit a part of your character personality

I interesting concept (that is not necessary whatsoever) is to have your character's personality be the reason you, as a player, take notes. For example, yous could be playing a highly intelligent character who has a sharp retention. You taking notes would go right in line with your character's personality. Yous could even extend it beyond that and roleplay your character referencing physical or mental notes they've taken.

Related –> How to roleplay in DnD

Draw or take pictures

A actually powerful visual tool is drawing things out. Because D&D session notes can exist easy to go disorganized and hard to read, pictures are much easier to read. Here are a few examples of where drawings, or even pictures, can be helpful references in your D&D campaign:

Drawing out what the boondocks looks similar to aid visualize the area
Taking a picture at the stop of a session – particularly helpful if y'all cease a session in the heart of a combat

I would pair your drawing with D&D campaign notes as well. Going along with the last bullet point to a higher place, if you've concluded your D&D session in the centre of combat, a picture reference with some of your D&D entrada notes can be especially useful. For example, information technology tin can be difficult to dictate vertical height, so having a movie with a notation that says "John 20 feet in the air" is helpful. It's always a hurting trying to retrieve where everyone was situated in a combat that hasn't been played for a week or ii.

Create a scatter plot

Going along with the point above, drawing a besprinkle plot can be a very unique and interesting style to visually stand for what'south happening in the earth. This combines categorization and visual representation to show main ideas/themes and how they are related to sub-ideas.

Creating a besprinkle plot is great if y'all have a lot of space to draw out notes. Start with a principal thought and branch out to similar sub-ideas as they become relevant. For case, you could arrive to a new city, which would be a primary plot point. You lot could and so besprinkle that out to NPCs, events, monsters, and high bear upon story events.

Sync with other players

A highly under-utilized tactic is syncing with other players in the campaign at the stop of a session or earlier a session. Doing this tin assist you organize your notes even better and helps anybody get on the same page.

There'due south nothing worse than sitting downwardly for a new D&D session only to struggle to retrieve what happened. Information technology'due south especially frustrating for the DM, who now has to fully explain everything that happened the previous session.

How to Organize DM Notes in D&D

If you're a DM, yous've probably got a system in place already and aren't wondering how to organize DM notes. Regardless, there'due south always a tweak that can assistance make that system a niggling better. For new DMs, the bullet points below will help you finer sort out the campaign you lot've created.

Journal or DM Folder

The all-time way to organize DnD notes every bit a DM would be with a Journal or DM Binder. What do you put in a DM binder and how do I keep my DnD periodical, y'all ask? Here are the absolute necessities when it comes to session references and notes:

Game rules/tables
House rules
Bollix/crit charts
Spells, items, weapons
Monsters
Prices for items, goods, services, etc.
Primary plot points
Globe calendar and time of twelvemonth
Quick reference of potential NPC names, classes, etc.

We've mentioned a few primary D&D note taking tips. At present, let'southward dive into the well-nigh common and highest recommended tools for note-taking in D&D.

Google Drive

Google Bulldoze is, potentially, the best program for DM notes. Really, it'southward a swell solution for players and DMs. Personally, I create a primary binder for the overarching entrada. Inside that binder, I create individual folders for the primary story arc and lore, locations, items, NPCs, session notes, monsters, and more. Breaking out information into different folders like this allows for quick and easy access to what I demand.

Hither are a few reasons why Google Drive is a great solution for taking notes in D&D:

Information technology's 100% free (unless you lot pay for more storage)
A lot of storage is included
Word processor
Organizational tools
Can be shared with all players or individual players
Spreadsheets and presentations
Selection to create headings that appear every bit navigation elements on the left hand sidebar

Microsoft OneNote

Using OneNote for DnD is highly recommended every bit a D&D annotation taking tool. It contains a lot of the features Google docs take, likewise as some additional features that brand it stand out.

Hear are a few reasons why OneNote makes sense when it comes to notation-taking in D&D:

Similar functionality every bit Google
Includes the ability to depict out interesting locations or notes
Searchable
Custom sections
Organize past appointment
Mobile app included
Work remote and upload to Cloud
Colour lawmaking tabs
Sidebars

Mail-information technology Notes

Postal service-its are a nifty way to take quick notes. You can have a mail-it for different types of events and then transfer those over to a more permanent journal of events.

While this is a bit messy, it tin can work extremely well for certain players.

Audio Recording

Although it tin can take some time to filter through what's useful, there's no way to more accurately take notes than to accept an bodily audio recording of what happened. There's no way to dispute a historical event if y'all have the receipts! The Rev app is a peachy audio recording tool that's easy to utilize.

Additional D&D Guides to Consider:

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