Goblin Notebook
Forever the GM! never the bard! Using Goblin Notepad to run my campaign.
After my 2+ year self-inflicted hiatus from RPG's I decided to start a new campaign for my gaming clan mates. After running a number of Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games we decided on a return to DND, mostly as there are a number of players who prefer the fantasy settings over others. To be honest I am happy regardless of what setting I am playing.
Over the last decade, I like to think that I have developed a good sense of improv that allows me and my players to craft something unique, memorable and fun. My game table is not a serious place and is filled with laughs. Of course, this means any planned session often goes out of the window as the hilarity ensues.
I am in no way calling myself great at GMing, but improv can benefit everyone playing if used in the right way even if your players often run off into the woods, ever to return.
Sly Flourish's Lazy Dungeon Master series of books is a brilliant resource for GMs that want to step away from trying to prepare every facet of the game and embrace a more improv focused approach. These are covered in this excellent post 8 Steps of the Lazy DM that focuses on game setup and creation https://slyflourish.com/eight_steps_2023.html
Additionally if you are wanting more reading for improv as a GM or player, then the folks over at Evil Hat also have a great improv book that you can get from their website or pickup on Itch https://evilhat.itch.io/improv-for-gamers-second-edition
World Building Tools
As I said earlier, I wanted to build a new campaign and was hunting for any new tools on the market that would help with building it in a way that matched my own light touch approach, but that could also deal with last minute additions and alterations without forcing a long process to achieve that.
Then I found The Goblin's Notebook - https://www.the-goblin.net
I was immediately shown some of the benefits the site can give, after adding in some of the basic information I had for the game, I feel in love with this tool and pretty much joined their patron straight away. £2 (+tax) per month for the top level, which given how much benefit I get, feels like a steal.
Here are the main features that I needed that a tool to deliver on, which Gobline notebook did:
- you can link element content together like you would with Wiki pages,
- you can arrange items them in the main interface so that linked/related pages can be quickly found,
- easily mark entries as on-ging or completed
- quickly add new entries when you need improv a scene
- builds up a good picture of what elements have been encountered, which may need to go back to the drawing board.
- Single page view that allows for quick lookup or references with having to navigate around other things.