A noteworthy detail of pen and paper gaming is that it requires a lot of just that... putting pen to paper. There is a lot to track over a long term campaign, so it is important that those character sheets are detailed and extensive. For this reason I recommend setting aside a block of time during each game session to review and modify these sheets in collaboration with your players. This is in addition to tracking your own DM notes, of course.
Many players are easily confused by the wealth of information that can be contained on a character sheet, and even the most experienced players can make mistakes. That's why I find it useful to "fact-check" the sheets every few sessions, correcting any inconsistencies or errors. While you shouldn't shame players for their mistakes, it doesn't hurt to give them a hand in keeping up with their record-keeping.
Experience point rewards and character advancement are another important kind of book keeping to make time for. While it can be done by players individually before a game session, I recommend doing it at the game table so that the players can collaborate and share their choices when leveling up. You might also handle divvying up loot and other narrative rewards at this point in the game, in order to avoid slowing things down by providing it right in the middle of the adventure.
Paperwork can be a very challenging aspect of tabletop gaming, so it helps if the GM and players are all working together to keep things recorded and organized. All participants should be encouraged to take notes and record details that might be helpful to them or the game master. And certainly don't let them forget to make note of any change in their hit points or condition!
Finally, it is important to address the risk of losing track of a character sheet or having it damaged. It's probably a good idea to take a picture of pages that have been updated a lot recently, so they can be reproduced if this occurs. For my home campaign I keep my own notes and most of the players' character sheets in a binder by my desk between sessions so they don't get lost or forgotten. For digital files, it's best to save copies of the documents to an online file storage service, like Drop Box or Google Drive. That way you can access them from any computer with internet access. After all, it would be very frustrating to see your epic quest fall apart due to a technical malfunction!
Happy ventures!
Experience point rewards and character advancement are another important kind of book keeping to make time for. While it can be done by players individually before a game session, I recommend doing it at the game table so that the players can collaborate and share their choices when leveling up. You might also handle divvying up loot and other narrative rewards at this point in the game, in order to avoid slowing things down by providing it right in the middle of the adventure.
Paperwork can be a very challenging aspect of tabletop gaming, so it helps if the GM and players are all working together to keep things recorded and organized. All participants should be encouraged to take notes and record details that might be helpful to them or the game master. And certainly don't let them forget to make note of any change in their hit points or condition!
Finally, it is important to address the risk of losing track of a character sheet or having it damaged. It's probably a good idea to take a picture of pages that have been updated a lot recently, so they can be reproduced if this occurs. For my home campaign I keep my own notes and most of the players' character sheets in a binder by my desk between sessions so they don't get lost or forgotten. For digital files, it's best to save copies of the documents to an online file storage service, like Drop Box or Google Drive. That way you can access them from any computer with internet access. After all, it would be very frustrating to see your epic quest fall apart due to a technical malfunction!
Happy ventures!
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