GM's Notebook, pt 1

I'm taking a look at the various resources I've seen for GM's Notebooks and Binders. There are some similarities in what to include, but I need to figure out what's appropriate for me. First, I'll be using a laptop and I'm trying to avoid paper resources. I also don't know a lot about 4e, so writing up NPC and monster stats is going to be right out.

The last link (on http://www.roleplayingtips.com) talks about picking the purpose of your Binder before you begin, and how you plan to use it. I'm planning on using it mostly as a Campaign Reference but also an Idea Generator. I don't need in or out of game references, since I plan on using the SRD, PDFs or just the books themselves for most things.

The "binder" is actually going to be my laptop. It's going to sit on the game table and be my primary resource. I will be taking (short) notes in it, and possibly doing some combat tracking. I'll be using Google Docs (Spreadsheets and Docs to begin with, but I can export local copies if there are problems with it.

The sections that I think I'll start with are:

• Names
• Empire (Germanic) names
• Barbarian humanoid names (i.e. goblins and orcs)
• Nearby countries
• Place Names
• Taverns and Inns
  
• Towns and Cities
  
• Shops and Businesses
  
• Flavor
• Food and drink
• Other "localized" names for items
  
• Germanic Words
• House Rules
• Random Encounters
• Regional Troops
  
• Loot
• Trade Goods
• Art Objects
• Game Log
• Potential Plot Hooks
  
• Random Secrets and Hooks

I'll explain a few of these since they're not obvious.

"Flavor" is all that stuff that makes your world just a little more memorable, like dire boar jerky and Hammerstein Premium Ale. Citizens of the Empire call a greatsword a "zweihander" and a master (as in craftsman) is a "Meister."

Random Encounters is possible random encounters for a particular region. These will be rough outlines until I get 4e. Regional Troops will be sample encounters with a little extra detail, like military dress and ranks.

Loot has been a pet peeve of mine. There are no really good random treasure generators that deal with trade goods and art objects, and those are the two areas that are the most interesting. The random generation probably isn't going to work that well, but I have some lists of items, materials and themes that I already have made up, so I can just pick some at random and try to work them together. I'll just use values from the DMG for the worth of the items, and break it down as I see appropriate.

The Game Log is a log of what the party did, who they met and what they killed.

Potential Plot Hooks should be a list of things I can just throw at the party randomly when they hit a tavern and look for rumors. Hopefully there will be things there that they've instigated or have had foreshadowed previously.

Random Secrets and Hooks is an interesting idea from Nightcloak's GM Notebook. Whenever you design an adventure or NPC, attach a random secret/hook. It's OK if the players don't find it right away, or just get half the hint. The idea is to come back later and turn that secret into a major plot point. It gives the campaign complexity and seeming depth.

I'll start fleshing these out later.