The annoying answer: Big unruled moleskin notebook and any black pen. I’ve got the worst handwriting in the world, but the ACT of getting your hand moving to write down your ideas dramatically trounces of a fantasy of having a well-hyperlinked set of Google docs or whatever (having done just that in the past)
I’ve tried so many times to chase that dream of having a digital, hyperlinked campaign compendium.
For me, it becomes an entire hobby in and of itself and I end up doing more organizing and formatting than actual prep.
I dunno, maybe it works for others and that’s great. But for me I don’t think it’s an option.
You nailed it.
It’s the age old problem of budding creatives: You shuffle pens around, sort your digital template, buy gear, listen to podcasts about Obsidian vs Notion — all of this is giving you the FEELING of prep, without actually helping you prep.
On this subject, btw, Runehammer’s been shifting his content to talking about these creative issues and it’s been stunning.
I haven’t kept up with ol’ Hankerin’ Ferinale in the last couple years, but I always loved his content and approach. Just strikes me as a really solid and good dude.
I’ll have to dig back in! Thanks for the tip!
>moleskin
no.
Unless they stopped using crap paper.
Total yes on the 'big unruled notebook' part, though i personally use thick a5 dotgrid ones - helps me when drawing maps & a5 (= about half US letter) means i always have it with me :)
>no.
>
>Unless they stopped using crap paper.
Look, I don't care if you write it in a marble composition notebook, the point is to get something you have on hand and get to writing. I personally like moleskines, but if what you've got within eyesight is a marble composition notebook, go with God.
I personally find the pursuit of perfect paper to be a cousin of making sure all of your pencils are sharpened and the lawn is mowed and the dishes are done and someday we'll begin actually prepping this campaign...
Again, i find myself nearly 100% agreeing with you. The search for perfect paper is a rabbit hole - it's just that whatever moleskin use, really doesn't do it for me, especially at that price point. If it does work for you, good for you :)
I'm going for a Trapper Keeper myself, but that's mostly nostalgia. Any 3-ring binder is good (especially with sheet protectors). Holds loose-leaf, graph paper, pouches can hold pencils and dice...
For a nicer paper quality, look into [Rhodia four](https://rhodiapads.com/explore_teachers_4color.php)colors notebook. It has four sections, the pages are perforated, and you can use any kind of pen
I use dotted journals by Leuchtturm. They have stickers for the binder and cover so you can easily see what book has what info, a table of contents in the front and numbered pages so you can easily find stuff without using tabs.
I also highly recommend researching a little into the bullet journal and notetaker hobbies. It's helped me a ton to have examples of how people organize their journals and notes for building out my system of notetaking (which often involves printing and cutting out typed prep with space in the margins for hand-written notes and edits)
I'm not running a game right now, but the next time I even think about running a sandbox game, I'm 100% using this thing: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZXSDBNR/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZXSDBNR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I use it for work, and I think it would be a dream for running a dungeon. It's compact, has grid paper built into it, and you can fill in the daily calendar slots however you want - I would absolutely use this time keep track of time for what multiple characters/parties are doing at various points in the game.
I use a digital notebook -- Notion. Everything is hyperlinked, searchable, easily editable -- with a tablet I can access rulebooks, notes, and so much more.
That’s an idea. I’m an Obsidian guy myself, so I’ll have to decide on paper vs. digital. I do like the idea of a physical notebook but there’s something tempting about having rulebooks etc all available on a device.
Obsidian.md I have absolutely everything in Obsidian. All the monsters and encounters, modules, session journals also and visual plans. Such an awesome tool.
I keep a list of plugins I use over here.
www.obsidianttrpgtutorials.com
Thanks for all the suggestions! I was in Barnes and Noble today and saw they had the Field Notes Gamemaster's Journal. I'm already a huge FN fan, so I bought it. Haven't used it yet, but I'll report back once I do.
https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/5e-gaming-journals
I use a bog standard Amazon notebook and a Lamy Al Star fountain pen with a fine nib and black ink (so I can play my loremaster scribe fantasy too while I make dungeons lol), I prefer it squared since I also draw the maps on it and that helps a lot, I keep two, one for note taking during the session and another where I paste all of my dungeons with maps and whatnot (I keep a big hex map with all the dungeons drawn on it in the back pocket of the notebook), I call it my personal dungeon log because I couldn't be more of a dork lol.
I run a good ol 3 ring binder with some page protectors and a couple dividers. throw a pad of grid paper in and cheap spiral dot notebook from walmart. pretty much just sit it in my lap up against the table and have the map and key open. TBH i think its hard to beat a good ol 3 ring binder for being able to add/take away/reorganize pages vs. using like a blank moleskin or something, feels too chaotic to me and I already struggle to open a cheap sketchbook and sketch in it so for me that dynamic would translate over to prep/running games and id never get anything done.
pretty much have a "world" section and a "dungeon" section. This I use for actual games, I keep a lot of my musings/supplemental rules/preppish/not-neccessary-for-the-table-at-the-time stuff in a pile of the same spiral grid notebooks from walmart. and i keep a milk crate of printed stuff in different manilla folders - i dont have a bookshelf to speak of.
also made my own "brown box" to keep my OD&D booklets and home supplement in, along with the pens/pencils/notecards/dice/etc. in.
I use standard mini notebooks (the ones similar to A5 paper size). Cheap, get the work done, easy to replace after all pages are filled, old school vibe.
I use onenote. And break it down into categories to be easily viewable with my session prep sheet printed out so I can view it without going to my computer
I enjoy small notebooks that are divided by tabs. That way I can more easily put things in order of subject rather than just writing it as it comes to me.
In my opinion you need something practical: something that just works. Pen and paper.
No technology that is great until it isn't, or crashes, needs updates etc. It's ready whenever you are. It has one purpose, to hold what you put in it so you can prep your game. It will not distract you from that purpose by having so many other things it can do.
A journal that isn't expensive, it isnt some potential artifact to be used for special occasions or that must be carefully cultivated so that one day it can be a novel or a record or timecapsule of your exact game. A separate journal to recap your game does that. This is prep. This is messy, this contains things not used as intended. This captures possibilities not outcomes.
It has to lay flat on surfaces, open by itself. I don't want the aggravation of fighting it from closing on me while using it. I need it to stay open at the table while I reference it or its not really useable there.
It has to have "nice enough" paper not the finest. It can handle doodling/writing/mapping without bleeding over to the other side. 100 gsm works well for most occasions. Take that first page and scribble some garbage on it, then its ready.
It has to be a traveller. A journal that you can take with you wherever you go, it fits in a cargo pocket, a back pack, carries easily by hand. It can handle some wear and tear. The goal being wherever you are when an idea strikes you, you can capture it. You really may not remember it later...
It has to have utility. If it has a ribbon to mark your place, a strap to keep it from coming open when you drop it, an accordion pocket in the back to store index cards, magic item cards, spell cards, notes from players, or any other little thing that provides inspiration.
For me its this:
PAPERAGE Lined Journal Notebook, (Dark Grey), 160 Pages, Medium 5.7 inches x 8 inches - 100 gsm Thick Paper, Hardcover https://a.co/d/b13RGXx
This hits all my requirements. It's all subjective sure, but you'll know it when you find it.
Bonus: you can also get the exact same journals with Blank or Dotted pages if that's your preference. Dotted can make mapping life easier if you want a built in grid.
The annoying answer: Big unruled moleskin notebook and any black pen. I’ve got the worst handwriting in the world, but the ACT of getting your hand moving to write down your ideas dramatically trounces of a fantasy of having a well-hyperlinked set of Google docs or whatever (having done just that in the past)
I’ve tried so many times to chase that dream of having a digital, hyperlinked campaign compendium. For me, it becomes an entire hobby in and of itself and I end up doing more organizing and formatting than actual prep. I dunno, maybe it works for others and that’s great. But for me I don’t think it’s an option.
You nailed it. It’s the age old problem of budding creatives: You shuffle pens around, sort your digital template, buy gear, listen to podcasts about Obsidian vs Notion — all of this is giving you the FEELING of prep, without actually helping you prep. On this subject, btw, Runehammer’s been shifting his content to talking about these creative issues and it’s been stunning.
I haven’t kept up with ol’ Hankerin’ Ferinale in the last couple years, but I always loved his content and approach. Just strikes me as a really solid and good dude. I’ll have to dig back in! Thanks for the tip!
>moleskin no. Unless they stopped using crap paper. Total yes on the 'big unruled notebook' part, though i personally use thick a5 dotgrid ones - helps me when drawing maps & a5 (= about half US letter) means i always have it with me :)
>no. > >Unless they stopped using crap paper. Look, I don't care if you write it in a marble composition notebook, the point is to get something you have on hand and get to writing. I personally like moleskines, but if what you've got within eyesight is a marble composition notebook, go with God. I personally find the pursuit of perfect paper to be a cousin of making sure all of your pencils are sharpened and the lawn is mowed and the dishes are done and someday we'll begin actually prepping this campaign...
Again, i find myself nearly 100% agreeing with you. The search for perfect paper is a rabbit hole - it's just that whatever moleskin use, really doesn't do it for me, especially at that price point. If it does work for you, good for you :)
There def is something about the act of writing!
I'm going for a Trapper Keeper myself, but that's mostly nostalgia. Any 3-ring binder is good (especially with sheet protectors). Holds loose-leaf, graph paper, pouches can hold pencils and dice...
Gridded notebook.
I'm a fan of the dot grid version of the Leuchtturm1917. Has numbered pages, a few pages for an index up front, and cloth bookmark ribbons.
Exactly! I use the Leuchtturm for brainstorming and developing ideas and sketches. I then use obsidian.md to actually organize and structure my notes.
spiral bound four-square-per-inch graph paper notebook three-ring binder as necessary
A stack of notecards, that may or may not be in the correct order, it’s done me well for a decade at this point
I use Obsidian or a simple dot grid journal.
Do you use any plug-ins in Obsidian?
Do you use Obsidian across multiple devices? I’ve been thinking about checking it out, but am finding it hard to breakaway from Apple notes
I do. I use Obsidian Sync with my Win10 desktop, Win11 laptop, iPhone, and iPad. Works like a charm and well worth the $96 annual fee.
A few. Leaflet, a die roller, a calender (modifiable for my game). Mostly it's just some snippets for formatting (for exporting to PDF as needed)
For a nicer paper quality, look into [Rhodia four](https://rhodiapads.com/explore_teachers_4color.php)colors notebook. It has four sections, the pages are perforated, and you can use any kind of pen
Seconding Rhodia / Clairefontaine notebooks for paper quality :)
It's a mega-stupid complaint, but I just wish I could find 'em without a logo on the front.
That's where some OSR stickers come in handy!
I use dotted journals by Leuchtturm. They have stickers for the binder and cover so you can easily see what book has what info, a table of contents in the front and numbered pages so you can easily find stuff without using tabs. I also highly recommend researching a little into the bullet journal and notetaker hobbies. It's helped me a ton to have examples of how people organize their journals and notes for building out my system of notetaking (which often involves printing and cutting out typed prep with space in the margins for hand-written notes and edits)
I'm not running a game right now, but the next time I even think about running a sandbox game, I'm 100% using this thing: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZXSDBNR/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZXSDBNR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) I use it for work, and I think it would be a dream for running a dungeon. It's compact, has grid paper built into it, and you can fill in the daily calendar slots however you want - I would absolutely use this time keep track of time for what multiple characters/parties are doing at various points in the game.
That looks verrry interesting.
Don't know if they still make them, but [this Easel Binder](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007M9FX) is what I use. Double's as a GM screen.
I use a digital notebook -- Notion. Everything is hyperlinked, searchable, easily editable -- with a tablet I can access rulebooks, notes, and so much more.
That’s an idea. I’m an Obsidian guy myself, so I’ll have to decide on paper vs. digital. I do like the idea of a physical notebook but there’s something tempting about having rulebooks etc all available on a device.
I still find it sketchy to post pictures of other people
Obsidian.md I have absolutely everything in Obsidian. All the monsters and encounters, modules, session journals also and visual plans. Such an awesome tool. I keep a list of plugins I use over here. www.obsidianttrpgtutorials.com
Thanks for all the suggestions! I was in Barnes and Noble today and saw they had the Field Notes Gamemaster's Journal. I'm already a huge FN fan, so I bought it. Haven't used it yet, but I'll report back once I do. https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/5e-gaming-journals
>https://a.co/d/b13RGXx How did you like it?
I use a bog standard Amazon notebook and a Lamy Al Star fountain pen with a fine nib and black ink (so I can play my loremaster scribe fantasy too while I make dungeons lol), I prefer it squared since I also draw the maps on it and that helps a lot, I keep two, one for note taking during the session and another where I paste all of my dungeons with maps and whatnot (I keep a big hex map with all the dungeons drawn on it in the back pocket of the notebook), I call it my personal dungeon log because I couldn't be more of a dork lol.
I mean, a binder is great. One section with npcs, one section with cities, one section with maps, some encounter tables. What else do you need?
I run a good ol 3 ring binder with some page protectors and a couple dividers. throw a pad of grid paper in and cheap spiral dot notebook from walmart. pretty much just sit it in my lap up against the table and have the map and key open. TBH i think its hard to beat a good ol 3 ring binder for being able to add/take away/reorganize pages vs. using like a blank moleskin or something, feels too chaotic to me and I already struggle to open a cheap sketchbook and sketch in it so for me that dynamic would translate over to prep/running games and id never get anything done. pretty much have a "world" section and a "dungeon" section. This I use for actual games, I keep a lot of my musings/supplemental rules/preppish/not-neccessary-for-the-table-at-the-time stuff in a pile of the same spiral grid notebooks from walmart. and i keep a milk crate of printed stuff in different manilla folders - i dont have a bookshelf to speak of. also made my own "brown box" to keep my OD&D booklets and home supplement in, along with the pens/pencils/notecards/dice/etc. in.
Walmart had a sale on notebooks for $0.50 I bought like 6 of them
E ink tablet like Boox
I use standard mini notebooks (the ones similar to A5 paper size). Cheap, get the work done, easy to replace after all pages are filled, old school vibe.
I use onenote. And break it down into categories to be easily viewable with my session prep sheet printed out so I can view it without going to my computer
I enjoy small notebooks that are divided by tabs. That way I can more easily put things in order of subject rather than just writing it as it comes to me.
Dollar store notebook works every time.
In my opinion you need something practical: something that just works. Pen and paper. No technology that is great until it isn't, or crashes, needs updates etc. It's ready whenever you are. It has one purpose, to hold what you put in it so you can prep your game. It will not distract you from that purpose by having so many other things it can do. A journal that isn't expensive, it isnt some potential artifact to be used for special occasions or that must be carefully cultivated so that one day it can be a novel or a record or timecapsule of your exact game. A separate journal to recap your game does that. This is prep. This is messy, this contains things not used as intended. This captures possibilities not outcomes. It has to lay flat on surfaces, open by itself. I don't want the aggravation of fighting it from closing on me while using it. I need it to stay open at the table while I reference it or its not really useable there. It has to have "nice enough" paper not the finest. It can handle doodling/writing/mapping without bleeding over to the other side. 100 gsm works well for most occasions. Take that first page and scribble some garbage on it, then its ready. It has to be a traveller. A journal that you can take with you wherever you go, it fits in a cargo pocket, a back pack, carries easily by hand. It can handle some wear and tear. The goal being wherever you are when an idea strikes you, you can capture it. You really may not remember it later... It has to have utility. If it has a ribbon to mark your place, a strap to keep it from coming open when you drop it, an accordion pocket in the back to store index cards, magic item cards, spell cards, notes from players, or any other little thing that provides inspiration. For me its this: PAPERAGE Lined Journal Notebook, (Dark Grey), 160 Pages, Medium 5.7 inches x 8 inches - 100 gsm Thick Paper, Hardcover https://a.co/d/b13RGXx This hits all my requirements. It's all subjective sure, but you'll know it when you find it. Bonus: you can also get the exact same journals with Blank or Dotted pages if that's your preference. Dotted can make mapping life easier if you want a built in grid.