Taking notes

I suspect that anyone who wants to become at least a LITTLE more organized in their approach to larping ought to begin by taking notes. Because If you don’t take notes, you forget. 

I mean like, “Jesus...What did we DO last game session?”

This advice may seem like it’s veering into “Well DUH!” territory. But bear with me.

There are lots of ways one can take notes. You can dictate to Siri. You can text to your Email.  For a while there I even had a pocket tape recorder like reporters use.  I kept trying to find ways to use it, but it was like carrying a camera. Unless you make it habitual, it won’t be the thing you automatically go for when something happens.  

Personally, I found that I gravitate to having a little book for taking notes in.  I bought myself a Filofax and loaded it with little pages.  A day runner might work just as well, but I wanted something stylish and if stashed in my jacket pocket, wouldn’t ruin the line of my suit. I splurged and got one made of black leather and I haven’t looked back.

If there was one organizational fillip that I might consider, it would be to get one of those pens with multiple colors of ink.  One of the major problems that I, personally, run into is trying to keep things straight.

For example I might consider using one color of ink solely for things my character knows. (I.E. Has experienced directly.)

I might consider another color of ink for things that I know Out Of Character. Hopefully, this would keep me from confusing the two.  It’s bad enough that sometimes people deliberately blur the line between the two kinds of information, but it’s worse I think when you literally cannot remember if you heard that bit of gossip IC or OOC.  I have trouble with this on occasion

I might consider yet another color of ink for anything classified as Speculation/Gossip and maybe a further delineation between MY speculations and someone else's.  Or it may be enough to write the notes down and go over them with highlighters later at the end of the evening.  Think of this as “Informational Triage”.  It’s especially important for you to make your notes either after the game session, while they are still fresh in your mind, or failing that, right before bed.  That way, your subconscious mind can chew them over while you sleep.   Many Game Masters have been somewhat flummoxed at conventions by yours truly, because I took notes, woke up early, made more notes while eating an enormous breakfast, and then had a scary -ass list of actions prepared at the opening of the next days gaming.

I prefer written notes, simply because the act of writing it down tends to make it stick in the memory.  I’ve read that the act of writing something is the equivalent of reading it seven times. I can’t speak to that, but I suspect it is true.  Also, you can occasionally draw lines between thoughts and connect them. Maybe even make a jack-leg diagram from it.

Notes eventually become one of two things in the course of play.

1) Notes become part of your In-Character Journal. Such a journal can be an invaluable guide to keeping the narrative of your character and the game straight in your head.   It can also help you develop your character’s “Voice” as it were.   Some games I play, the character I’m playing just flat doesn’t spend his time writing a journal. Some characters just don’t go that way.  But others, will not shut up and each game session will be new grist for his or her mill.  Lean into it.

2) Notes can also become a sort of De-facto “Dossier” It’s important that you keep an eye on your fellow players. Learn their strengths and weaknesses. Figure them out like Batman would, with an eye towards putting them on the deck should they flip out or get mind controlled.  I have always found that if you are patient and pay attention, your enemies will inevitably HAND you the means of their destruction.