Writing Coherent Session Notes

Who here takes bad notes?

It's okay. It's not like taking unclear notes (or none at all) is unusual. It's a shame because accurate, detailed notes are an invaluable tool for tabletop. They're vital for games that happen rarely (say, on a monthly schedule) or for DMs to keep track of what happened several sessions back. (Because how often do your planning notes reflect what actually happened?)

Getting in the habit of taking useful notes is absolutely worth the effort involved. Here's what I do when creating my notes as a player and as a DM:

1) Do everything in hardcopy

I use a legal pad or spiral notebook and rollerball pen. (Uniball Eye, UB-157. All the colors are good, but light blue is my favorite.) A liquid ink lets you write quickly/smoothly to avoid hand cramps; and writing on paper lets you arrange notes, extra details, and addendums wherever you want on the page. Ink also forces you to move on and not try to correct spelling/detail errors in the moment. At best you can cross out the incorrect data and rewrite. It keeps you moving, which is important. It also cuts out electronic distractions at the table.

2) Work in multiple drafts

For really useful notes you'll have at least two drafts. Sometimes three. It's important to keep in mind because knowing that you're not creating a final draft frees you from worrying about style. It doesn't matter if the first draft is ugly, and that lets you record information fast while still focusing on playing and enjoying the game.

Here's how the drafts break down:

First draft - This gets written during the game and will be recopied. It's disposable, so don't worry about how it looks. Your only concern should be recording all the relevant data of who did what and making sure your handwriting will be legible to you later.

When I'm writing my first drafts I only use one side of each page and number the pages. It uses more paper, but it also ensures I can lay the pages out and see everything I've written at once. That way I don't miss anything later when I'm recopying it for my second draft. (Try to recycle the paper from first drafts and get your office supplies from thrift shops/garage sales. It helps to reduce waste and save money.)

The relevant info to record is mostly names and actions. Locations and setting details are important, but you can ask your DM for clarification about them later (or consult your notes if you're the DM). Remembering who did what in a situation is more fluid and difficult to recapture once the moment is passed, so it's what you need to focus on. Make sure every action has a name attached to it. Use abbreviations and write fast. You're recording all this data in real time.


Second draft - This is where you copy and refine your collected info. Do it as soon after the game as you can, so the memory is still clear, and take your time. For most people this will be the final draft, so style is important. You need to be able to look back and say "yep, that's what happened", not "I know I wrote that down, where is it?"

I use hardcopy for my second draft too. Basically the same format of 8.5" x 11.75" legal pad (for uniformity when storing) and ink, written on only one side of the page and numbered.

This is where you fix spelling errors, add descriptions, and flesh out details (of items, NPCs, locations, etc) that there wasn't time for during the initial recording. Now that you have time you can also spell words in their entirety, so replace your abbreviations with the actual words and full names.

One of the major things I do in my second drafts is condense combats. Instead of listing each round of a fight I pare it down to general actions: Group tactics, kills, spells, dire injuries. The big stuff. Exact damage dealt at any one point isn't important and it's assumed that party members will be making attacks. It's not necessary to write "Character X attacked! Character Y attacked! Character Z attacked!" when you can shorten it to "Characters X, Y, and Z ganged up on the goblins and beat them to paste." The shortened, more narrative version is usually more fun to read too.

Another thing to consider when writing your second draft is the balance between technical writing and creative writing in your notes. The technical part is important for clarity and ease of referencing. (You know, the reason you're writing the document at all.) You're not writing a novel, so long passages and paragraphs of description are out, but that doesn't mean your notes have to be dry after-action reports. This is a record of your campaign, and even if you're the only one who will ever read them, throw a little creative writing in to commemorate the fun you had. It's entirely possible to make an outline of events entertaining through word choice and bombasticity.


Third draft - This isn't really necessary if you're happy with your second draft, but I have two types of third draft that I make depending on my role in the game.

If I'm the DM, I use my second draft notes to refer to while planning and at the table for a few sessions. When I have enough (usually 7 sessions worth) I recopy them into a composition notebook for long-term storage and give the second draft notes to my players. The composition notebook serves as a campaign bible with the final versions of all my planning and session notes. (In my current campaign we're at 28 sessions and I've filled 1.5 notebooks.)

If I'm a player, I type up my second draft notes and share them with the other players and DM. Because I'm nice. I usually only do this if it's a long time between sessions and it's really necessary, like for the monthly game I'm in. For weekly games folks are on their own.

3) Record the important info

Earlier I mentioned that names and actions are the most important things to catch, and that's true, but you should still try your best to write down everything you can. I rely on abbreviations and basic stenography to speed my writing up. If you want to learn shorthand, awesome. Proud of you. If not, the basic tricks that will help are:

• Shorten names. Write a character/place/spell name out fully the first time you encounter it, then use the first initial or a short combo every time after. (Ex: Magic missile = MM)
• Use abbreviations for common words (Ex: dmg, not damage) and choose the shortest words possible that will still capture the situation. You can improve your word choice later when you're copying the second draft.
• Fill margins. If new info comes to light or you missed a detail, cram it into the margins or between lines. Any empty space is good. If you want, treat it like a footnote and give it a symbol (like an asterisk or double cross) to link it to related info.
• Ignore errors in grammar, style, and spelling. Your first draft will be sloppy and ugly, that's fine.
• Don't edit. If something you wrote is factually wrong, just cross it out and move on. Don't try to erase it or spend time correcting it, you'll fall behind and miss something. Just put the correct info wherever it'll fit.

4) Have consistent organization

Presenting info in a way that it can be accessed and absorbed efficiently is just as important as having the info at all. You're going to end up with lots of notes and want to be able to reference them fast, so it's important to decide on an organization method and stick with it. When I write my notes I do them in outline format with bullet points for events and sub-bullet points for details. If there are multiple lines I use a hanging indent to keep each section visually distinct.

The most helpful things you can do for yourself are:

• Have a clear structure. Decide on a style of layout and stick with it. Be consistent with whatever you decide to do.
• Maintain visual separation. Make facts and details stand out from each other. You should be able to quickly scan a page of your notes and pick out the important info at a glance. Avoid paragraphs and dense chunks of text if you can.
• Make sure it makes sense to you. Those notes are for you. If they're not in a format that's useful to you, then there's no point in having them.

It takes practice to get to the point where all this is second nature, but once you do it's definitely worth the time and effort you put in. Practice filtering for important data. Practice writing as fast as possible (while still being legible) and develop your own shorthand abbreviations. You'll get there and your notes will be incredible.