Keeping Track

A short pencil is better than a long memory.

 

My stepfather Tom says that all the time. He is the one that looks and sounds like a cast member from the Sopranos, so sometimes I listen to what he has to say and sometimes I just walk away. However, that one phrase is something he says so much it stuck in my brain like spit out gum finding its way from the sidewalk to my shoe. Ewww.

 

Yet, the one case where this advice is never more necessary is with gaming. Just when you think that you don’t need to write everything down, write it down and then write some more. A thousand things can interfere with you remembering details from one game to another. Perhaps your gaming group only meets once a month, or perhaps you are playing 2-3 times a week! Either way, your brain can become taxed. Did your character buy a point in charm, or is that your other character? Did you spend your XP on getting loyalty for your organization or did you just think that you did?

Recently, I was talking to a group member about their organization. They said they wanted to buy a trait for it. Next week, they were saying they had that trait even though we had no XP yet. This wasn’t done to be fraudulent, it was done because nothing was written down. I have had similar things, but always default on screwing myself over. Character sheets help keep track of XP spent on your character, but when you have a more complex system such as our Dark Sun system where you can buy things for your organizations, always keep track on paper, because the memory can be a flimsy thing.

 

However, it also pays to take great notes on every game session. Keep track of things your character is doing, things you find interesting, and big events. My advice on this is to not rely on one person to do it. What your teammate finds interesting may not be the same thing you find interesting. I try to keep very even, detailed notes. When I have posted them in the past I have been told they are very based on my character by one person, and told they were far to detailed by another.

The best thing you can do you make your gaming experience a little more smooth is take some notes, and be very sure that you know where you are spending your own XP. Then when the DM asks, you can answer, and when you look back, you know for sure.