# How do you "capture" your story hour?



## WSmith (Feb 7, 2002)

I was wondering, when you are playing and need details to post here, do you take notes, tape record, go off of memory? How do you turn your gaming session into what we see here?


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## RangerWickett (Feb 7, 2002)

For the more recent games, it's memory, but for the older ones, I mostly just remember the really important stuff, ask all my players what they recall, and then check my old notes about the session (which invariably can't predict what the players would do).  Then I pretty it up and type it out.

For instance, in Savannah Knights, everything was pretty much as it happened, except for some of the dialogue being polished to make us sound like better roleplayers.    I wrote SK only a few months after we played the game, so it was still fresh.

For Tides of Homeland, my other storyhour, I played the game back about 3 years ago, so I'm having to scour everyone who played in the game to put together a coherent picture of what happened.  A couple of times it's been like, wait, _why_ did they go there?  I know they fought the benevolent death cultists, but how did they figure out where they were?  I thought the PCs were in _this_ part of the country at that time.

Eventually, though, we figure it out, and it all makes a bizarre sort of nostalgic sense.


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## Old One (Feb 7, 2002)

*Notes and Memory...*

I try to take notes in session and several players also keep logs (which get sent to me with varying regularity).  I usually try to get the write-ups done as soon after the session as possible, while everything is fresh, but, sometimes, RL intervenes!

~ Old One


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## Talindra (Feb 8, 2002)

Our group plays over mIRC, so I just log the main room, so that I have something to go by later.  Makes it very easy to quote dialogue too.


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## el-remmen (Feb 8, 2002)

Well, I have a general outline of every session prepared ahead of time (which only helps when the players actually do what you expect).

One player keeps a quote log. . . and another keeps a record of major event and round by round combat. . .

Recently, for long conversations and tactical planning I break out the mini-recorder.

In addition,  I work with two of my players - so I just ask them for clarification sometimes - on things I do not remember clearly.


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## drnuncheon (Feb 8, 2002)

Note-taking.

I may steal the ideas here and split the duties to my players so I can concentrate on running the game a litle more - I fear there have been some times when my hasty scribblings have slowed things down!

I may have to pick up a mini-recorder to help me out.  Hmmm...


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## Zad (Feb 8, 2002)

During the game session I have a laptop. This lets me take notes and capture important info (as well as having the spreadsheet add up my bonuses to relieve my addled mind)

These notes are sketchy usually. Then on Monday morning, I take the notes and type up the journal entry, filling in with memory of course.

I have done sessions completely from memory. But often times details get lost.


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## Tokiwong (Feb 8, 2002)

Talindra said:
			
		

> *Our group plays over mIRC, so I just log the main room, so that I have something to go by later.  Makes it very easy to quote dialogue too. *




Coool mIRC can log sweeeeeet.... gonna have to use that...

usually memory here... but now I log so much easier


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## Altalazar (Feb 10, 2002)

For my Just Jesus SH, I kept detailed notes not just of conversations and events, but even of actions and damage each round of combat... so when Just Jesus with his power lunge charged into combat in the first combat in the first round and did 40 points in one hit, it needed  a particularly gruesome description... (Critical hit Great sword, 18 str outch!)_


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## Ruined (Feb 11, 2002)

One or two days after the game occurs, I'll usually go into my campaign log (Microsoft Word), and write down short sentences of important details.

Slim buys dinner, speaks with Mandragora at Aurora.
Killian works with Klit'chak, teaching faction abilities.

Then, when I get the desire to write, I'll go back and flesh the notes out, usually turning one or two lines into a paragraph of material. The rest comes from memory of an enjoyable campaign.


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## Viking Bastard (Feb 11, 2002)

I just write it down by memory.


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