How to stay somewhat organized

It’s difficult to stay organized as a player or a Game Master. Typically, I’m a slapdash GM. I don’t know where we’re going or how we’re gonna get there, but I’ll be sure to keep the ship held together with duct tape and WD-40. This is obviously not the best way to GM. Some folks can’t stand a haphazard prep, while others could be even less prepared. Each method of GMing has its pros and cons, but staying organized during a session can help you as a player and GM!

So what can you do as a player to stay organized at the table or computer during your session? Just as the GM has prep work, you kind of do too. It’s not as in depth as the GM’s, thankfully, but I highly recommend it for the sake of yourself and the GM. If you are a spell caster in 5e, go over your spells. Make sure you have a basic idea of what each of them do, ie melee/ranged, concentration, damage type, saving throw, extra effects.

You can find good examples on how to make your breakdown, and DnD Beyond does a great job for 5e. For martial classes and other systems like Cypher or Alien RPG, make a cheat sheet for your skills and abilities that you can quickly reference. Once you’re comfortable with some abilities, you won’t need these kind of references often, but especially as a new player (or even a veteran), it can be a valuable resource. You may also want a reference for what you can do in combat, especially for more combat related games. One thing my Cypher players use all the time is a reference sheet that tells them what they can do outside of combat.

Another thing to help you stay organized and on task, notes. I can’t stress that enough. Take notes. It doesn’t even have to be detailed notes. It can be a couple words, pictures, or even a dumb reference that reminds you of the game. As long as it jogs your memory, it’s notes.

Now for GMs. We have a lot of prep work, or not depending on how you go about things. First things first. Combat. Knowing what your baddies can do. I’m the worst about it. I’ve read books on 5e tactics, the monster manual, the source books, but that means nothing if I don’t have the actual monster stat block in front of my face. I used to make little cards for 5e monsters, but as I migrate from 5e to other systems, I’m relying on index cards with basic information on my baddies. Recently I ran a session of Alien RPG and completely forgot what my Bodyburster could do in combat. It didn’t help that the module wanted the party to fight the woman who would become it first and then have her transform into an alien monstrosity. I really needed her stats on a card or something so I could have the scenario in front of me.

What about outside of combat? If you have some wonderful players who take notes, even silly ones, that can be enough to bring the memories flowing back. If your players give the ok, you could record your sessions and have a personal podcast. What if you can’t do either of those? Mark up your books or notes. Highlight the crap out of your modules. My Storm King’s Thunder and Tyranny of Dragon books are highlighted and have notes written in the margins or on sticky notes stuck in the pages. You can’t stomach writing in your books, use sticky notes or smaller pieces of paper to help remind yourself.

Random tables are a Godsend. I utilize them all the time for 5e and Cypher. Keeping them within reach has been a hassle though. One of my absolute favorites has been randomizer made by one of our Archmages, Patrick (Temozarela). It doesn’t have everything, but the combat crits and fumbles, along with the wild magic table, are extremely useful. I’m considering using them for Cypher as well as the difficulty scales are fairly similar.

What else can you use? Well, sadly that up to you. Sometimes there won’t always be a resource you need and you’ll have to make it yourself. Don’t let that deter you from actually making it. If it’ll help you, it’s more than worth it. I used a campaign journal for homebrew but found that it didn’t cover everything I wanted. Others find that they’re fantastic! Some of our other GMs use a collection of spreadsheets and google docs to keep track of their campaigns. One solution most certainly does not fit all, and that’s fine! Do what works for you. You’ll learn as you go along and find shortcuts to keep yourself on track.

Have more questions on GMing? Join our Discord and check out the DMs Hall channel. We have plenty of GMs who are willing to help.

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