Track THESE types of Notes if you're DM-ing | DM Tips

[@elliotlim4823]

Man your channel is such a hidden gem! This was really useful for me, who tends to overprepare stuff 😄 I'm DMing my first campaign too, which happens to be my first ever time! This helps a lot :D

[@CantripsMedia]

Awe I'm so glad!!! I hope it goes well! Good luck

[@jodhsingh8288]

For timeline tracking i use powerpoint. The timline smart art is shaped line an arrow you can label. So for each session I just list of scenes or events that happened in order. One slide for each session. This is especially useful for running dense urban fantasy where all the characters split up all the time.

[@CantripsMedia]

That's a smart way to do it too!

[@thethan302]

For live play the best piece of kit I've ever bought is a dry erase board. This is an excellent piece of kit for tracking initiative, monster hp, combat rounds, names you thought up off the cuff etc. it’s reusable, doesn’t require batteries or charging, doesn’t make a mess, is inexpensive and completely fixes the issues of “how do i track things”. Heck buy a pack of different colored dry erase markers and you can color code what you write down.

[@CantripsMedia]

Definitely useful! It would be redundant for me since my journal comes dry erase sheets for the initiative and HP tracker pages but a great suggestion for anyone looking for a cheap way to track that stuff. You could probably do that for like less than $10

[@hildissent]

I love taking notes on an iPad with an Apple Pencil and a notes app (currently GoodNotes). Handwriting feels more intuitive to me, but I can copy/paste to reorganize and I can electronically search the notes. You can even import a PDF as a page in a notebook, so I have time tracking sheets I can use to track turns, hours, days, etc.

[@CantripsMedia]

I have used goodnotes too! In fact on my website I made a digital version of my notebooks for goodnotes.

[@TonytheCapeGuy]

I keep a running tally of different "Rapport" scores. They increase by 1-4, and I roll a percentile any time I want to see if someone has heard of them. Once above 50, it'll be whether someone recognizes them. So they gain Rapport any time they help a faction, which for my world is Rulers Merchants Religious orgs Adventurers Commoners It's a fun way to keep track of how they influence the world, and reminds them that no action goes without helping someone else get closer to their goals.

[@CantripsMedia]

This is interesting. It reminds me of pathfinder 2e, though I'm sure other systems have influence systems. In pathfinder certain people don't offer quests or work with you until you build rapport. (And your rapport can lead to discounts and special items etc)

[@TonytheCapeGuy]

@@CantripsMedia That's something I was thinking of incorporating. Whenever I tell people about my campaign I describe it as "my own world using D&D as a starting point" due to how much is not D&D. :P

[@TonytheCapeGuy]

@@CantripsMedia I had planned on discounts, but I really like the idea of Rapport minimums.

[@CantripsMedia]

Glad to pass you some ideas!

[@Hallinwar]

plz more fps and less dark video I take notes on the session using Rocketbook analog, and after session I input 'em in Simplenote (multi-platform, markdown support, ability to put a note online and access read-only version via direct link)

[@MagiofAsura]

I TRY to make notes during my sessions for analytics purposes, mainly for combat. Encounter start time, player turn times, GM turn times etc. see where opportunities to fix pacing if they are on my side. See which player may need help with how to run their characters. The barbarian seemingly takes forever and a day to just decide to rage, move forward and attack. More often than not, I forget to😢 As of late, I've been trying to rush my monster turns in under 10 seconds and I hate it. Personally, my favorite part is RPing the monsters and trying to make it more like a narrative than a random encounter in a jrpg.

[@CantripsMedia]

What would you use those analytics for? If you're worried about players taking too long you can always introduce a timer method. Set a timer for their turn and when it's up you move on, whether or not they go. It's a bit harsh, if you ask me, but I've heard that it helps with that. D&D 5e combat wasn't designed to be quick, at least I don't think so. I'd much rather play it out with roleplaying. You can even introduce a "cinematic finish" when you feel like the battle is going to end anyways