What software to use for everything not on the map?
What do you all recommend for storing/organizing/brainstorming everything that isn't on the map? Things like what each nation is like, info on each important city, world calendar, weather info, etc. Are there some tools that help with this? Or is it just a word document, word doc with a template, wiki, etc?
My head. Pen-and-paper for anything that needs maths or sketches, and anything else I feel like doing that way. Text editor for most shorter things. Word processor if I'm writing something longer. Spreadsheet if I've got something really mathematically heavy (like when I was working out the possible size and position range for a moon given that I didn't want significant tides on the planet).
I am a geology nerd.
My ViewingDale app can link all of that stuff onto the map itself so you can click a person and get their stats etc. Obviously my preferred solution. But if you didnt like that idea then I would definitely look at a Wiki. You dont have to run the wiki online, you can host it locally which is what I do as well. So I keep all my internet bookmarks, things to do, peoples phone numbers and what not in a local wiki which means I can click about from topic to topic and then edit the page and add / change anything I like.
If you want an example of that then the guilds community driven mapping world is the CWBP (look at the main forum topics) and click into the wiki for it. Its a little hap hazard and it didnt get the en mass community input and editing that might have expanded it to something fully fledged but it does stand as a good example of an RPG world on wiki.
BTW, my personal (non RPG stuff) wiki runs on the Usemod wiki type which is free but doesn't have any images but you can browser link to images of course. I run the Tiny web server to host it. The two together are an awesome combo.
You might also check at http://www.nbos.com for an application called The Keep. Not sure if that will have all the functionality you are looking for, but it might be a step in the right direction. Sadly, however, I don't think it is free.
GW
GW
One's worth is not measured by stature, alone. By heart and honor is One's true value weighed.
Current Non-challenge WIP : Beyond Sosnasib
Current Lite Challenge WIP : None
Current Main Challenge WIP : None
Completed Maps : Various Challenges
A few suggestions that are in related veins are MS OneNote (included with most Office bundles), various Wiki software, and my favorite, DEVONthink. Each of them allow you to store bits of information in separate packs, while linking to and from other bits of information. I believe OneNote even allows you to put together image maps so you can link from the image to bits of info. I believe Evernote is in the same universe, but I haven't used it. This is what I do. DEVONthink lets me do wiki-style links between items, and it has a pretty sophisticated "See Also" feature that uses an AI engine to guess that other notes are related. I've heard rave reviews from GMs who use OneNote, and a lot of people use the wikis available standalone or in sites like Obsidian Portal to good effect. The main value in this kind of system is that you can hook from any note to any other note, rather than being a straight top-down method.
Another type of option is outlining software. MS Word does this of course, but there are also dedicated outlining tools like OmniOutliner. If you think well in hierarchal outline fashion, this can be a good way of doing it.
I use NoteCase. Basically, on the left side of the screen, you have an outline view of all the notes you've made. You click on the title of a particular note, and it comes up on the right side of the screen where you can read it or edit it. It's free and available on multiple platforms, though the open source version is no longer being improved.
If you want a wiki, tiddlywiki is a great local, single file wiki. Just put it on a memory stick and open it in any browser to access and edit.
-Rob A>
My tutorials: Using GIMP to Create an Artistic Regional Map ~ All My Tutorials
My GIMP Scripts: Rotating Brush ~ Gradient from Image ~ Mosaic Tile Helper ~ Random Density Map ~ Subterranean Map Prettier ~ Tapered Stroke Path ~ Random Rotate Floating Layer ~ Batch Image to Pattern ~ Better Seamless Tiles ~ Tile Shuffle ~ Scale Pattern ~ Grid of Guides ~ Fractalize path ~ Label Points
My Maps: Finished Maps ~ Challenge Entries ~ My Portfolio: www.cartocopia.com
I use a napkin and a pencil since I do most of my thinking at work drawing and making stained glass windows. When I have too many napkins I organize things in Word. Anything else works just as good.
If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)
My Maps ~ My Brushes ~ My Tutorials ~ My Challenge Maps
Over the years I have tried all kinds of systems, techniques and software (and even some smart phone apps on my DroidX most recently), but at the end of the day I always come back to my old tried-and-true standbys: a stack of index cards and quad ruled graph paper steno notebooks.
jaerdaph
JUST ADD HEROES An ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game Blog by Joe "jaerdaph" Bardales
But I will add that this software really impressed me at the time when I started to use it (but it is a bit dated now):
The Literary Machine
Come to think of it, I'm not sure why I stopped using it...
jaerdaph
JUST ADD HEROES An ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game Blog by Joe "jaerdaph" Bardales
Reply With Quote
