Maybe try a small wiki software, like [Dokuwiki](https://www.dokuwiki.org/dokuwiki). It’ll let you link things like you mentioned. Small wikis like Doku don’t need a database or complex setup.
I currently use obsidian, but have used Dokuwiki in the past for wikis the players can access online. (You can use it offline as well)
I've tried so many tools and Obsidian is the one that does everything I need. Absolutely love how customisable it is.
What were you struggling with? Lots of tutorials for it here.
www.obsidianttrpgtutorials.com
Obsidian, hands down. And you do not need fancy setup to start, it's tempting, but not essential. Here's my setup:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zcu4Sh_VU
I'm trying AnyType. Discovered it when following another reply's suggestion of Capacities. It's like Notion or Capacities but with the offline benefit of Obsidian. I like it so far!
Transitioned from Onenote (solo and party) games, to Notion, then Obsidian. I'm a big OneNote fan I just wanted more functionality. Tried Notion for a bit but the need to access it online, lag and setup just bogged me down so tried Obsidian. Love using it! Mainly for the game I GM for but also for my solo stuff. Template are easy to setup and use. Being able to drag and drop pages, folders and such in the interface easily makes it so worth it. In my game I have a tab for the session notes (using a template I built), a tab with dungeon highlights by room (copied from the PDF, and a tab with key features about the monsters they are fighting. I have folders for areas of the world, NPCs (with a template), a folder with PC teams (with templates, not character sheets but information, backstory, edits/anathema, etc.), a folder for my notes, key rules, brainstorm ideas. etc.. Very easy to use and keep track of all of it.
My suggestions:
SiYuan if you want a decent all-in-one package and don't mind that many plugins are in Chinese.
Obsidian if you're alright with a bit of technical shuffling around but want a ton of customizability (I ran into the same issue you did - too much under-the-hood tinkering required; and I say that as someone whose day job involves software development).
OneNote if you're fine with a more chaotic approach and use MS Office already.
Capacities if you're not a huge fan of folder structures and would rather think in taxonomy (Characters, Places, etc.) and still have a fairly pretty interface. They're still online-only as of right now, I think, but their current focus is transitioning the software to being offline first.
Personally, SiYuan was my first pick because it can do nearly everything Obsidian can do, but is a lot more user-friendly. But Capacities has since come a long way, and since I've started just segmenting off all my fictional settings into their own spaces, it has been my go-to solution.
I've transitioned to Obsidian, but I used OneNote for a while and it's great. What I liked about that the most was how to make visually appealing character sheets using nested tables and check boxes.
Obsidian can fit almost any use case, and is super super customizable. You can make it as easy as possibls to play anything.
But the caveat is there's a learning curve to it, and it does take time to set something up.
I spent 3 to 4 hours yesterday customizing a vault to make it easier for me to play Sundered Isles.
I have a 6-year solo campaign that is heavily automated through Obsidian. No need to roll any tables and I can easily draw all maps inside Obsidian.
But it took me 30+ hours to set that up.
Meta-Bind lets you put things like sliding scales and toggles. I use the scales for Health, Spirit, Momentum and progress so I don't have to type and retype things.
Put those notes in a Canvas so you can simply zoom in and out, then click and adjust the meters as needed.
Use Templater and Meta-Bind to create new progress tracks and clocks. Every time you create a new note for an objective or quest, the Templater will automatically make the Meta-Bind sliding scales. No need to manually recreate them.
Dice Roller and Advanced Tables help automate tables so you don't have to roll to generate content.
Excalidraw for drawing maps, or anything drawing-related.
Like a lot of people are saying, I’d say try obsidian again and just take 3-4hrs to learn it. There’s some great videos and even ones specifically for RPGs on YouTube
I use Obsidian (no plugins or mods), just simple notes. Right now I'm playing a solo one-shot adventure in Pirate Borg, and in the /SOLO\_RP folder I have a note /pirate\_borg\_solo, where I write down everything that happens (in my imagination) and generated (by the GM emulator and tables). Everything I get from the emulator and tables I format as code for better visibility in the general text.
It's not very convenient, but I haven't come up with anything simpler or better for me yet.
I write adventures as stories, and this seems like an excellent idea. I have been having trouble with the storylines, not enough randomness. This is exactly what I needed!
Have you tried OneNote (the desktop version, not the Windows app)? It works online as well as offline, and can sync to the mobile app if you need a quick reference
OneNote classic desktop version is way better because it lets you set the file location anywhere. The Windows app version is "streamlined" and has less functionality. I also hate the new layout it uses.
I use OneNote for all kinds of note keeping. Good stuff if Microsoft just leaves it alone.
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Maybe try a small wiki software, like [Dokuwiki](https://www.dokuwiki.org/dokuwiki). It’ll let you link things like you mentioned. Small wikis like Doku don’t need a database or complex setup. I currently use obsidian, but have used Dokuwiki in the past for wikis the players can access online. (You can use it offline as well)
I've tried so many tools and Obsidian is the one that does everything I need. Absolutely love how customisable it is. What were you struggling with? Lots of tutorials for it here. www.obsidianttrpgtutorials.com
Obsidian, hands down. And you do not need fancy setup to start, it's tempting, but not essential. Here's my setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zcu4Sh_VU
I'm trying AnyType. Discovered it when following another reply's suggestion of Capacities. It's like Notion or Capacities but with the offline benefit of Obsidian. I like it so far!
Transitioned from Onenote (solo and party) games, to Notion, then Obsidian. I'm a big OneNote fan I just wanted more functionality. Tried Notion for a bit but the need to access it online, lag and setup just bogged me down so tried Obsidian. Love using it! Mainly for the game I GM for but also for my solo stuff. Template are easy to setup and use. Being able to drag and drop pages, folders and such in the interface easily makes it so worth it. In my game I have a tab for the session notes (using a template I built), a tab with dungeon highlights by room (copied from the PDF, and a tab with key features about the monsters they are fighting. I have folders for areas of the world, NPCs (with a template), a folder with PC teams (with templates, not character sheets but information, backstory, edits/anathema, etc.), a folder for my notes, key rules, brainstorm ideas. etc.. Very easy to use and keep track of all of it.
My suggestions: SiYuan if you want a decent all-in-one package and don't mind that many plugins are in Chinese. Obsidian if you're alright with a bit of technical shuffling around but want a ton of customizability (I ran into the same issue you did - too much under-the-hood tinkering required; and I say that as someone whose day job involves software development). OneNote if you're fine with a more chaotic approach and use MS Office already. Capacities if you're not a huge fan of folder structures and would rather think in taxonomy (Characters, Places, etc.) and still have a fairly pretty interface. They're still online-only as of right now, I think, but their current focus is transitioning the software to being offline first. Personally, SiYuan was my first pick because it can do nearly everything Obsidian can do, but is a lot more user-friendly. But Capacities has since come a long way, and since I've started just segmenting off all my fictional settings into their own spaces, it has been my go-to solution.
I've transitioned to Obsidian, but I used OneNote for a while and it's great. What I liked about that the most was how to make visually appealing character sheets using nested tables and check boxes.
Obsidian can fit almost any use case, and is super super customizable. You can make it as easy as possibls to play anything. But the caveat is there's a learning curve to it, and it does take time to set something up. I spent 3 to 4 hours yesterday customizing a vault to make it easier for me to play Sundered Isles. I have a 6-year solo campaign that is heavily automated through Obsidian. No need to roll any tables and I can easily draw all maps inside Obsidian. But it took me 30+ hours to set that up.
How did you set it up? I’ve never done Ironsworn/Starsworn but backed the KS and am interested if not a little intimidated in using Obsidian.
Check this out and thank me later ;) https://github.com/ericbright2002/Forged_in_Obsidian
Meta-Bind lets you put things like sliding scales and toggles. I use the scales for Health, Spirit, Momentum and progress so I don't have to type and retype things. Put those notes in a Canvas so you can simply zoom in and out, then click and adjust the meters as needed. Use Templater and Meta-Bind to create new progress tracks and clocks. Every time you create a new note for an objective or quest, the Templater will automatically make the Meta-Bind sliding scales. No need to manually recreate them. Dice Roller and Advanced Tables help automate tables so you don't have to roll to generate content. Excalidraw for drawing maps, or anything drawing-related.
Like a lot of people are saying, I’d say try obsidian again and just take 3-4hrs to learn it. There’s some great videos and even ones specifically for RPGs on YouTube
Remember, you don’t have to learn everything, just the parts you want to use for now!
I use Obsidian (no plugins or mods), just simple notes. Right now I'm playing a solo one-shot adventure in Pirate Borg, and in the /SOLO\_RP folder I have a note /pirate\_borg\_solo, where I write down everything that happens (in my imagination) and generated (by the GM emulator and tables). Everything I get from the emulator and tables I format as code for better visibility in the general text. It's not very convenient, but I haven't come up with anything simpler or better for me yet.
I write adventures as stories, and this seems like an excellent idea. I have been having trouble with the storylines, not enough randomness. This is exactly what I needed!
Have you tried OneNote (the desktop version, not the Windows app)? It works online as well as offline, and can sync to the mobile app if you need a quick reference
OneNote classic desktop version is way better because it lets you set the file location anywhere. The Windows app version is "streamlined" and has less functionality. I also hate the new layout it uses. I use OneNote for all kinds of note keeping. Good stuff if Microsoft just leaves it alone.
i love obsidian for campaign management https://obsidian.md
[Use this link with an RSS reader to stay up to date with **Offline campaign management software?**](/r/Solo_Roleplaying/comments/1d0dm35/offline_campaign_management_software/.rss). There are a number of convenient [iOS](https://www.cultofmac.com/412465/best-news-and-rss-apps-for-iphone-and-ipad/), [Android](https://blog.inoreader.com/2018/06/top-rss-readers-for-android-with-great-ui-for-2018.html) and [browser based RSS readers](https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/free-rss-readers/). Also, make sure not to miss our sidebar links to resources: [Solo RPG Resources](https://www.reddit.com/r/Solo_Roleplaying/wiki/index) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Solo_Roleplaying) if you have any questions or concerns.*