Campaign notes

A campaign runs on memory, and memory is the first thing a table loses. By session twelve nobody remembers the innkeeper's name, who carries the silver dagger, or which hook the party promised to follow up. Good notes have two layers: a short note per session, written soon after play, and a running log (who, where, what, and what is still open) that each session updates.

A GM's notes hold what the players know and, kept apart, what they do not; a player's hold only what their character knows. Either way they record what happened at the table, never invented lore, names, or numbers, because a made-up detail in the log becomes canon.

When to use it

• Writing up a session from scribbles, a voice memo, or memory.
• Starting a campaign log, or rebuilding one from old session notes.
• Tracking NPCs, quests, loot, and experience or milestones over time.
• Preparing the recap to read at the start of next session.