No time to take notes while DMing? Try this! // D&D Tips 

Take 40% off any annual World Anvil membership: www.worldanvil.com/w/ginnydi Use code "GINNY" for your discount!

I love stealing my players notes. I let my player give the recap of “what happened last time?” before we start our sessions. What they remember is more important to me than the notes I took because it helps me direct them down the paths they are excited about!

A bit late to the party, but I have another alternative for people: Record the game I play digitally because my friends and I are scattered to the four corners of the UK, and recording the game actually helps me stay in the moment, and to parse bad internet garbles which inevitably happen at the worst possible times. (I use OBS because it's easy for those wondering) The above is only a viable option if the table consents to it, and it has to be unanimous, no ifs ands or buts. It should also be brought up pretty much straight away, as this is something not everyone is comfortable with. For my table, I explained that it was to help me note take and make a better game for the guys and they all agreed, and it is one of the first things that we tell new players when welcoming them to the table. Once it became a normal part of the game we found that we love the fact that I have a digital archive of our shenanigans, and can theoretically look up any of our classic screw-ups to mock each other mercilessly with.

I do a 1 page or less session summary at the end of the session, sometimes the next day, but by doing this, I have volumes of session notes and it works well for me. I then use this summary to craft the next adventure, its worked well for me for 20+ years.

I most times do a short rehash with the players at the end of the session - they talk, I take notes. It quite fun, helps clear up misunderstandings and the players remember stuff a lot better next time.

Great stuff. You're well on your way to becoming a master.

I have a list of names that I can just look at and choose from and the moment I use the name I make a 3 word note of who it was where they where and a one word note of their personality

"The human mind is fallible and D&D sessions are long" This needs to go on a T shirt.

Player: "What was the name of that one NPC?" DM: ***Looks down, realizing he didn't write it down*** DM: "Oh, did you not take notes on them?" Player: "...No" DM: "Oof, darn, guess your character forgot" 👀

In addition to your last point, I like to make my players recap the session before we start next week. Combined with reviewing session notes beforehand, it's saved me a few times when the players mentioned something that I glanced over as being unimportant at the time (evidently not the case for them if they mentioned it).

"If a player comes up with a theory that you like better than your actual plan, write it down" This. A thousand times this. In my experience, if you do this once and a while not only do your players feel smart for being able to put threads together and connect dots, but you can use their characters fears against them! DM, just setting the mood: "The moon is full and the air is still. The silence of the forest is broken only by the occasional distant howl" Player, nervously: "Hey uh... what would I roll to know if werewolves are a thing?" DM, already flipping to the page: "History please" (evil grin)

Oh uhhhhh... I don't I was supposed to see this. Welp! I'm not arguing with some early advice, especially since my notetaking is subpar at best. Alright, post video. Hear me out: give your session a cool title. Seriously. It works, at least for me. For some reason, just reading “Black-Eyed Bastard” instead of “Session 18” helps me recall a lot of what happened.

As a DM with memory problems, I've found that taking voice recordings during sessions ( fairly easy, considering I mostly DM online) and take time to listen to the recordings later at double speed (triple, if it's a long session) and take notes then. I try to do this just before/during my typical prep times. I tend to delete them after a few more sessions to save drive space. Before doing this, though, just make sure to discuss it with your players, since some people aren't comfortable with having their voices recorded!

What really helped me is sitting down after each session and writing a small summary over what happened each session as well. Only keywords, but it works for me when I couldn’t get everything down during the session. Also being honest with your players and agreeing with them that they text me what items they received after the session really helped me as well. I now have a full list who got which item and wether they know the potential special effect it might have. 🤗

Tip of the Day: Something I've done for quite a while is have a quiz at the beginning of the session instead of a review. I would literally go around the table and ask people questions about the previous session/s. It was very effective at opening up the memories of the players and helped get them get their game face on. And the group would get a little bonus XP for good answer and insights. And secretly it helped solidify my own recollection and told me what players may have missed and what they cared about. Bidet

These are some handy tips. What has saved my bacon over the last few years is using my phone to record the audio of the session (with everyone's permission). Obviously, it isn't podcast/livecast quality but it still allows me to re-listen to the session and take notes that I may have missed (like improvised npcs). This also really helps me keep my npc voices straight as well.

Before the video starts: As a blooming new DM with ADHD I easily get distracted or is forgetful after a certain milestone of the game like after a battle or encounter. I allow a short/long break in game and real life (if and when eligible) so I can write in notes talk to the other players in group or personal, bathroom/lunch breaks, etc. Then get back into the game which usually is about 15-30 min. To in rare cases (1-2hrs) if things are big or complex. Downside, things can happen and you may loose the atmosphere of the game, completely leave the game and get distracted for you or everyone or loose some players for good, bad or important reasons.

On of the best habits I started doing was saying “one second I need to make a note” . It slows things down a bit giving you time to scratch out a line or two and when used dramatically it can add to the moment. If after your players have done something awesome or awful you pause for just a minute to write a note it really cements that moment as something that will affect the future of the game.

I just thought of a neat idea. A dm character kenku that joins the party and takes notes of everything going on, maybe make him a level 1-3 bard who tells storys of things that have happened. The dm can use this as a way to help newer players who dont pay as much attention as they should or have a hard time with puzzles because you can just use the Kenku to try to help the party if they need it with previous knowledge. Kinda like a hint button. I'd use this idea myself, but I dont actually have anyone to play with

Ginni, as an upcoming DM for my first DND campaign, but also just as a person that‘s going through the usual winter mood swings, your videos are always something that I look forward to and really enjoy to watch start to end. I can only imagine how friggin hard it is to create these high quality, perfectly paced videos. You are truly someone special and combine not only sympathy, and all the awesomeness, but also the competence as a writer, content creator, director, . . . (Dm obviously) I mean, just the awesomeness of your sponsored parts speaks for itself. For me, a benchmark of a great entertainer is, when they achieve, that you enjoy watching what is essentially an ad. The only other person I know, that achieves this is ryan reynolds. 😅 English isn’t my native language, but I hope most of what I wrote made sense haha. I wish you all the best and hopefully Inspired Greetings from Vienna, Austria Ramy

One of my favorite unorthodox note taking tactics is to make memes right after the session. Making stuff funny makes it easier for me to remember it and it gives a quick visual reference for later planning. Plus of you sent the memes to your party not only will it make them laugh there’s also the chance that they make their own memes which you can then use as stolen notes (it also gives you insight into what parts of the game your players enjoy).

I applaud those who took meticulous notes of the session

Regarding the "Give Yourself Time" section, I have noticed that a fantastic way to do this is really simple and effective. Just thoughtfully say "let me just make a quick note" and scribble it down. It can, if delivered correctly, have the same mysterious effect as rolling behind the screen without obvious cause, or spontaneously asking the players for one of their stats/passive scores.

I try to take session notes as well. But I recognize that it’s hard. Two things that I do are: 1. Write a recap at the end of a session 2. I have one good note taker in the party and I will review his notes to see if there is anything that I missed

Thanks for these tips, Ginny! I'm a newbie DM (in theory not in practice yet haha) I also started taking notes ever since Campaign 3 of CR started, I felt sad not remembering some things from Campaign 2, but that's only human lol, so I thought it'd be nice to look back on these new notes, scribbles and doodles! 😊

I just make my players wait. They don’t get it till years later, then they couldn’t be more grateful... Revenge is a dish best served cold!

Ohh, Wisteria is such an adorable disaster.

I’m currently in the process of writing my own campaign and one of my plans is to simply set up an audio recording. After the campaign is over and everyone has left I can take notes from that.

I've found it very useful to record my side of the discord call, that way I can refer back to lore dumps easily, and just mute myself to talk into my phone's mike

Roleplay POV: you’re blackmailing Wisteria for academic fraud

In my experience, I've learend ways to tag the parts of my prepared notes that actually get touched on to give specific details based on what actually happened, and I would LOVE to get better about writing in the moment. Luckily the parts where the Party doesn't deviate - or at least not by much - are easier to remember for me. The hardest stuff to make sure I write down is the entire scenes I have to birth on the spot because I didn't expect that route. I usually try to stay at the table after we end the session to jot down everything I can remember that's worth holding onto, but I still can't shake wanting to be better about jotting down notes throughout the session. In my last session, I had an entire NPC from the previous session get mentioned and the Party ended up hiding contraband in her workshop. Based on their previous discussion at the end of the last session, I didn't expect them to do that. But based on my roleplay in the moment and their questions along the way I have entire plot thread to chase now. That note was top priority for me, but it was at the top of the session. I managed to write down "Where is ?" Then after the session, I spitballed some ideas on my tablet. Do you have a video for helping DMs trust their gut on an angle? My Party started speculating about this NPC because she wasn't there and I left clues of a struggle, but idk where exactly she went myself. Is there any advice for that?

I think it's very telling that I NEVER hear anyone making fun of the "Note taker player". NO ONE touches them. For the same reason you do not hurt your healer, you DO NOT hurt your note taker, regardless of how good they are at it.

All my stuff is in various spreadsheets and documents so when I take notes mid session I usually jot down a couple of important facts right where they belong and anything I've told the party that I can't take back. So I take all my notes about NPCs in my NPC spreadsheet and info on what the party has discovered and what info they know in my adventure document.

I'll start a new campaign in just 2 days, and i was going absolutely mad trying to organize myself and make my notes. THAT's fantastic. Thank you Ginny Di, as a disorganized person, every single time i come to your channel i get at least 55% better at existing.

I've found that for me, a great way to make accurate notes about conversation and situations quickly, though granted perhaps only ones you can read without explanation is to use the system of communication similar to what's shown in the book Congo by Michael Crichton... The book is pretty good and so you get used to reading the shorthand messages, which then translates to being able to write them that way with a little practice... I was actually able to take word for word dictation in real time for over an hour using the same system, though, granted somewhat adapted to my own style. It might not work for everyone, but it's worked for me, to the point that at one point, back in the day for work, (VERY long story) I was able to transcribe an entire two hour session of a court hearing that I'd later end up testifying at, and while my notes were challenged, when I read them back they matched word for word with what the court stenographer had taken down to the point where the judged admitted them as evidence. Basic idea is you're looking for an accurate, decodable sentence by leaving out any unnecessary letters, and shortening words with abbreviations leaving out any information you know you'll 100% remember or abbreviating it severely. Remember, you're the only one who has to be able to read it, so use things that work in your head. For example, Let's say the sentences in question are "Tinky, Winky, and Blinky went to the Tube Tavern, met Prince Rex The Fifth, of Clan Congo. The Prince indicated that he was unhappy with mistreatment of the people and that he might be willing to help their quest to overthrow his Uncle" I might scrawl it down as "T W B mt @ Tbe Tvrn w/ PrncRx5, Cln Cngo.... PrncR sd ws unhpy w/ pple cond +mght hlp w/qst, tss hs unc." It might be meaningless to anyone who wasn't in the game or doesn't know the format, but it's enough detail that if I was the one taking the notes and was there, my brain can fill in the missing information pretty much instantly. It may not be an ideal system for everyone, but it's worked for me, so I hope it helps someone out there.

I've also found that recording my game sessions has been really helpful! I just use a basic free voice recording app on my phone and listen back to the session whenever I do the session write up for my players and I've found it helps me out a lot with remembering smaller details. :)

Brand new DM here. I've taken a real liking to recoding the sessions so I can be solely in the game and then note take with prep while listening to the recordings during the weeks.

I’m on my sixth straight year long campaign running exclusively with RU-vid prepared playlist music and copious iPhone notes. It makes every next game easier forever.

Double or triple space your Session Prep notes. When something comes up, write it down in the available space under the associated bullet point.

Yes to players taking notes! When my group was playing over Discord, we had a channel specifically for player notes. We would keep track of all NPC names, locations, ongoing quests and clues. It saved the DM from remembering every single NPC name and helped him keep track of what we'd already done

I record all my games. Phone goes on record, sits on the table. The players even assist by putting *their* phones on record as well, and sending me the audio files afterwards. Spending 2 minutes to merge them all together in an audio editing program means everybodys voice sounds like the microphone is in front of them. It doesn't have to be podcast level, it just needs to be something you can put on your phone and listen to while you're doing other stuff. I listen back through most of my games so often I actually don't take any notes at all now. I have the entire campaign committed to memory and can tell players things they did better than they remember it, or things they've said to NPCs word for word. And because I can say it with such confidence, nobody questions it. It's liberating. Even better is when the players want to listen as well so they can remember what they needed or wanted to do, or pick up hints that I drop that they might have missed before. So now I keep them on a google drive for the players to go through as well. They love this.

As a person with ADHD, Dyslexia, and Dysgraphia, I have the problem of not being able to take notes on something and pay attention to it at the same time, witch kind of negates the point of taking notes in the first place.

Finally a Ginny D&D where I already do everything she recommends ... My recommendation is - DO IT! It definitely Works!

This was much needed. Love your content. It really helps as a newer DM/being a better player as well! Thanks!

I wanted to thank you, Ms. Di, for making these DM tips videos. I'm a first time GM, and this series has really been helping me break down challenges I'm facing and how to engage with them. I really appreciate the help. Thank you.

I’m also an audio recorder. I started doing this with the campaign that I started last month and I’ve noticed a huge increase in my organization as well as my players enjoyment. I can focus entirely on the game in the moment secure in the understanding that everything is ready for review during my game prep time. I will, however note that this works well for me because the sessions are only 2-3 hours long. A recording over 4 hours or even more might be harder to find time to review.

Before watching the vid I'd like to say, i notetake a tad strangely, i doodle character positions and what npcs r doing, write down names and key facts and rolls and what my mute npc says

Another option, if you're really looking for clarity: record your sessions. You don't need a high quality mic setup for each player (though if you're playing digitally, investing in something better than your laptop's mic is very worthwhile, your friends will appreciate it), just something that can record audio in all directions. Or, if you're playing digitally, something that can record your mic input and audio from Discord or whatever at the same time. There's lots of options here - physically, your phone is probably the easy option; digitally OBS is overkill (since we don't need video) but it gets the job done and is pretty easy to set up. That way the only session notes you need to take are notes that are relevant later that session. Like if you're forgetful with names, and you name a guard Benny, you'll want to jot down something like "Benny=guard" so when the party decides they want to talk to Benny 3 hours later, you have a clue what they're talking about. Then you listen to the session after the fact and take your notes.

I'm the player who takes notes for everyone. I have a google sheets page that I use to keep track of everything, because meeting once a week means there's 7 days for me to forget things. It's gotten to the point where the DM can usually start the session with, "What happened last time?" and I can see the "anonymous walrus" icons pop in as another player reads a quick summary from the notes. Now to revise and automate things before our next campaign (probably mid-January?). So many new ideas and improvements I want to add. :D Another great video that gave me a number of new ideas. :)

As an exclusively-online DM, I am blessed with session recordings that I can review later while making my refined notes. Meanwhile, I have scrap paper I use each session for in session notes, which are a combo of combat tracking, rules I need to research, and quick notes of what happens. Those are on top of my formal session prep notes...it's a lot of notes.

I don't take notes and I'm better at remembering what happens during a session than my players who do take notes. Why? Because DnD is the only thing that's ever on my mind

My DM usually takes notes during our breaks, and right after the game so she can get everything. Also one of our players takes extensive notes so we have back up

I needed this video! It helped me realize that while I was already doing (or trying) steps 1 and 2, I wasn't giving myself enough time. Jason Carl from L.A. by Night helped me realize this as he always takes a pause and says 'Let me write a note' when he needs to.

I prefer writing down my notes in the wind down time we always have after the session. My players love to hang around and chat after the session is over, drink tea and discuss things and this is where I often sit in the back organising the notes. It also helps me catch things that the players have taken note of as they often discuss it after the session.

All of this info is great. I'll add one more tip. On your sheet of paper, put sections ahead of time. This can vary by preference, but mine are: Top 4th: PC names as columns, where I jot down specific things they did or received or learned Second 4th: plot hooks/threads, where I put clues I've given Third 4th: loot, where I jot down items I gave players, Magical or otherwise (as sometimes a "weird dagger" can be a macguffin later) Last 4th: NPCs and world info, where I put names, voice cues, relationships, etc

As someone who growing up, required teacher-aide assistance in school to help me take notes as I listened to the teacher speaking & also during exams so I could get through them completely, having to do my own note-taking is the one thing that makes me hesitant about playing D&D.

Helpful tip for me. I keep a game calendar and update it with DM notes that will occur in the future. '17 Ches - Alatar's Carpet of Flying ready for pickup, still owes 8000 gp' or '6 Hammer - Dumar escapes captivity and goes to report to the king on 28 Hammer'

Great advice! I struggle *SO HARD* with taking notes. It doesn't help that we can go up to 3 months between sessions, because schedules. 😭 Also... Where did you get your Cad shirt? I love it!

My DMing style is heavily dependant on improv, which means I probably would benefit from taking notes, but whenever I do, I lose my flow and I'm not able to think as quickly. I have two solutions. One, I am lucky enough to have a player that takes literally verbatim notes, so I steal those. Two, I will sometimes record sessions (With the player's permissions) so I can go back and see what it was I said.

I've been needing this video for SO LONG!! I love note-taking as a player but as I've started DMing, note-taking is out the window!

I try to take session notes as well. But I recognize that it’s hard. Two things that I do are: 1. Write a recap at the end of a session 2. I have one good note taker in the party and I will review his notes to see if there is anything that I missed

Uni lectures have prepped me for dm notes. The quick short hand needed to keep up in a 300 person lecture where you can’t ask the professor to slow down or repeat things in has made it very easy. Here’s my tips: Turn words to symbols if you can. “/“ means (ex: party/hunters guild means “the party is with the hunter guild) with for me and & @ # are big uses too for and, at, and number respectively If your handwriting; get a pen that writes smoothly. Something that doesn’t stutter or skip. I recommend a fountain pen if you can get one. Bit of a learning curve but when they write they’re buttery smooth Have your dm note book or folder open at the top of the game with the date and anything you know you need off the top of your head Rewrite them post game. Panic writing something fast is great, but if you can’t read it later that’s no good. Take the half hour after game to rewrite down your notes in a way that is clearer and more easy for you to read.

The upside of my players taking almost no notes at all is that sometimes it's okay for me to take crappy notes and not remember certains things right, because they won't know better anyway xD Seriously though, I have a really hard time taking notes during a session (I'll definitely try to implement these tips!) but I try very hard at least to take notes as soon as possible after a session when I can still remember things. And I put them in two categories: Stuff that happened (most of which I would probably remember anyway, so these aren't as important) and "Things to remember" which is information about the current state that we ended the session at (e.g. "late afternoon, it's raining, just finished fighting the carnivorous plants, this character still has Alter Self on, another one is still covered in goop") and all kinds of details such as names, items etc. that may be relevant for the future. When I get around to it shortly after the session, that's half my prep for the next one already done. When I don't... well, see above 😄

Another option is making an audio recording. Whenever something you want to remember comes up, say a specific word or phrase. Then, when you go through it, listen for those markers. That way, you can do whatever chores you need to do while reviewing. It's weird, I know. I used to do it when I played more often. I plan to do it when I have the time to get back into it too. I'm not a GM though.

Definitely make a note for the voice/mannerisms you use for each of your NPCs. You never know when a one-time NPC turns out to be a regular (ex. Victor on Critical Role, campaign 1).

DM: Could you take notes for me? Me: Sure!

I love the advice about taking notes based on your players and their ideas. I killed my party’s Rogue last session, with them sacrificing themselves as a distraction for the party to flee. He was decapitated visibly by a major bad guy villain and they saw the body being dragged away. My Cleric is paranoid that a necromancer is going to reanimate the Rogue and use him against us now. Now the party has an undead pistol wielding zombie hunting them down for the villain.

I am the note taking player in the two campaigns I'm currently in, but my note taking is the same when I do DM. I actually record all of our sessions. So, during session I jot down names of NPCs and locations, and maybe a few word bullet points for important events. But in the time between sessions, I make the session audio available for everyone through our shared Google Drive. Half of the party listens to the session again to prep for the next session. But then I also listen through it all and take detailed notes for recaps that are put into a shared campaign recap Google Doc. So the DM and all the players have access to everything that has happened throughout the session. My DMs have told me how useful this has been for them when it comes to planning for future sessions and arcs. And the bonus for me is that I have a nice outline for once the campaign ends so I can turn the adventures into a book or series of books. My party has already approved of my hopes to publish our campaigns as fantasy novels in future. So the audio recordings and shared recap notes are helpful for everyone.

I was wondering what your thoughts were on religion, or rather how to make it more compelling? To me I’ve noticed many of my players will either only bother with faith if they play a faith based character. Or sometimes they gravitate to a deity simply based on class like “oh I am a bard so I worship the Bard God”. Do you have any tips for like implementing monotheism in certain areas of the world? Or how to encourage players to include it into their characters in a more fluid manner? And how do I make it more engaging?

I usually take notes of the important things RIGHT AFTER the session. I add them to my session prep notes and then later in the week when I come back to prep I use what I wrote to build

I am a lucky, lucky DM because my friend is a wonderful note-taker. She takes meticulous notes and I can steal them (consensually, she shares them) after session ends.

I don't take notes during the session, but I generally spend 15-20min either the same session or the following day putting together notes (what the party did vs what I thought they'd do, any notable loot/NPCs/encounters, player questions or requests, how party actions affect the rest of the world, etc.) and starting to prep for the next session. Helps me to piece together where the party is going (compared to my plans or expectations) and to adjust future plans accordingly.

As a player I take very detailed notes and my notes have become the main "official" point of reference for what happened in sessions and so I always do our session recaps (obviously the DM is the actual official authority on her world, but my notes serve as a written reference for what the party has encountered, when, and how we responded to it). (Edit because I just got to the end of the video: yes! make your players take session notes! I was going to be doing it anyway it just made sense for our party and our DM to rely on it lol) I have much less experience as a DM but my session notes for that are not even close to as thorough! One thing that I've found helpful though is using the same note-taking philosophy I used in college: print out the lecture slides before class and only write down anything new or important that comes up in class directly onto those slides. The only difference here is instead of printing lecture slides it's session prep. You could do this online too, but I like to easily distinguish between what was in the original plan that's printed on the page and what was obviously added later because it's handwritten.

Great tips, thank you so much! I'm a trained interpreter, and the first two tips were suprisingly similar to stuff I was taught for consecutive interpreting.

"just make your players do it" YEP i offer inspiration for players who recap at the start of each session, it totally helps (and it tells me what they thought was important)

One thing I usually do is have my session outline pulled up, and i'll highlight it in green as they accomplish stuff I still have to add in notes when my players do something crazy, but it really helps me save time

I can't even take notes as a player... I always have to rely on other players bc I can EITHER listen, comprehend, & generally engage in what's going on, OR I can write down some sentences words for word without putting those words together as actual cogent thoughts in my head 😅 here's to hoping this has helpful tips to make it less painful to try to take notes! ("Hoping" bc I haven't actually watched the vid yet lmao)

To the third part - if your players are talking to each other, you can use some of the time to write down notes. My players often overthink a little, so I have time to do stuff

Record your sessions! Or have a player record and put it in a google drive folder you can all access! Its not only amazing for notes but also to refresh accents and other smaller things you missed!

Hmm I feel wierd. I take no notes but I know more details than my players. xD

i wonder if worldanvil has real world works. like interactive map of the HRE.

Ask your players if you can record the session. If you are a player ask the table if its ok to record the session

That witch hat looks sooooo nice! The material, the bow, the silluete... that makes a great art reference!

Great timing! I'm starting my first time as a dm tomorrow, and I wanted to try taking notes.

I plug in a microphone, turn on my phone and just record the session. I write the notes afterwards.

Great video! I actually use some of these tips when I am taking notes as a player. I write bulletin points with as little info needed to remember what I'm talking about and I go back later to add them to my journal in more detail. Even when transferring these notes, I try to only focus on the important stuff. Loot gained, stuff sold, NPC names and locations, anything that stood out for some reason, etc. Thanks for the vid!

I just record my sessions and listen back to them (albeit skimming through a lot or looking for specific things) on a routine bases. Works wonders.

Fantastic video. Like you describe here, I find names to be the hardest thing to remember. I still suck at taking notes but these ideas are great. I also find, as a player, taking notes is the number one way for me to stay engaged in the game and offer some good value to the DM and the other players. If you’re a player, take the time and effort to journal your session. It pays a ton of dividends.

Note: if you’re living off player notes, you must write your lies/misdirections down or player assumptions will erase your plots.

“Why many words when few do trick?”

As an Ex-DM, I record all my games and campaigns. I take little notes when I can in session when needed. I listen and make notes after the sessions are over for the week. This way I can have things ready for the next Sessions.

I just record session and listen to it when I prep the next

As someone who isn't a DM, I still found this helpful. I tend to overwrite, so learning to trim the fat is something I really have to get better at.

I've taken to recording my sessions with a simple phone app, then playing them back later to take notes. It can be really rewarding to re-experience the session as a third-party observer, and there's plenty of time to go back and review important parts for notes. Since I lived it once, it's no trouble to go through it at 2x speed the second time around. The recordings aren't high quality at all; it's just a phone sitting in the center of the table. But it captures more than enough to review. At your discretion, you can also upload the recordings into a shared drive or some other location your players can access if they're the type that would also like to go back and review or relive things at a later time. I had a minor bit of time travel in a recent episode (party went back about a week), and honestly without all the recordings of past sessions, I probably wouldn't have been able to accomplish that. By re-listening to the week-ago-game-time recordings from a few sessions ago, I was able to go in and portray things as they actually were. There were parts that I hadn't taken notes on, but with the high-fidelity of the audio itself it didn't matter.

One of my friends just started GMing, and he knows I take killer notes, so I actually share my session notes with him AND I make a condensed version of all events within a session (sort of Lore Keeping) based on those notes. It helps him fill in the dm note blanks and it helps me remember everything that happens in sessions and have easy-to-search notes.

The game Ryuutamma is also pretty good at teaching how to do notes before and after sessions.

My uncle was my first DM and he lucked out. His wife takes meticulous notes, and I have a great memory for stuff that happens while we play. Unfortunately I don't have that steel trap when I DM. Lol

Need an option for, "I want to but if I stop talking for 5 seconds or more (even after asking the group to give me a moment), they will start panicking as if the world is on fire."

noot noot

The one thing I'm worst at remembering is character voices. Unless I planned them ahead of time, I am guaranteed to forget a random character voice.