Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 quickleaf_dup Mar 13, 2009 20:44:58	Is there a great paper product (not digital) out there for a player to record the group's adventures on? Ideally I'm looking for a nicely formatted adventure log book specifically for D&D, or better yet, for 4th edition. Something with a place to write XP, the quest, who attended, campaign date, that sort of stuff. We're starting a new 4e campaign in the summer and we're doing a gift exchange - I give each of them something to help out at the table with, and they bring me a bit of DM tribute. For the cartographer, a mostly blank poster-size map of the kingdom. For the initiative tracker, the Game Mastery Combat Pad. For the rules expert, a bunch of condition tiles and blast/burst templates. For the treasurer, a trading card album (to hold Paizo item cards). For the MCee/host, a couple mixed CDs with gaming music. For the chronicler.... ?? Thank for your input!
#2 Weezoh2 Mar 13, 2009 21:36:10	I'd say get a nice notebook and come up with a template page to do your own format - I don't think there's anything out there specifically for D&D. We have a couple journals similar to these (I think the company that made ours is gone now sadly) and I don't know how much you're spending but perhaps something like these.
#3 quickleaf_dup Mar 13, 2009 21:46:10	Very nice, on the pricey side though. I'm trying to keep each gift no more than $25 or so. (there are six players, so I'm hoping not to bust the $100 mark). I'd say get a nice notebook and come up with a template page to do your own format - I don't think there's anything out there specifically for D&D. Are you suggesting to create my own template and bind it, then cover it with a purchased leather jacket?
#4 Weezoh2 Mar 13, 2009 22:42:53	Very nice, on the pricey side though. I'm trying to keep each gift no more than $25 or so. (there are six players, so I'm hoping not to bust the $100 mark). Are you suggesting to create my own template and bind it, then cover it with a purchased leather jacket? no, i was thinking make a template using a heavy black lined font for your various boxes / lines, then tuck that page behind the page you're writing on and you should be able to see it through the page you're writing on. - useful for keeping your writing straight on unlined paper.
#5 quickleaf_dup Mar 13, 2009 22:48:03	no, i was thinking make a template using a heavy black lined font for your various boxes / lines, then tuck that page behind the page you're writing on and you should be able to see it through the page you're writing on. - useful for keeping your writing straight on unlined paper. Ahhh, I got you. Interesting idea... That might just work, depending on the paper thickness of the journal. On ENworld, someone mentioned www.paperblanks.com which has some nice looking journals. Not like the ones you posted, but good enough for our purposes.
#6 pigknight Mar 16, 2009 12:20:03	I use one of those cow notebooks.
#7 Kerrus Mar 16, 2009 13:51:27	Ah. I have the perfect solution- it's a new technology they only discovered recently* It's called paper, and it's really, really awesome *recent on a scale of billions of years.
#8 gregt_314 Mar 16, 2009 16:19:35	Don't have an answer on where you can find the product you're after, but for the sake of discussion I've got an argument on why you shouldn't bother: http://elevenfootpole.blogspot.com/2009/02/urge-to-document.html I mean, do whatever you have fun doing; just take a moment to think about why you're doing it.
#9 CCS Mar 16, 2009 17:47:27	Is there a great paper product (not digital) out there for a player to record the group's adventures on? For the chronicler.... ?? Yes, I believe it's called a notebook.....
#10 quickleaf_dup Mar 16, 2009 18:53:53	@ Greg, Great points you bring up, but this has little to do with posterity. We get to game once every 2 weeks, sometimes every 3-4, we're all working grad students, so time is sparse and the group needs to be brought up to date at the beginning of the session. Having one player report from a journal improves everyone's grasp of where the story has been and what's next. Also, I tend to run a strong mystery-themed/intrigue game, so there's lots of foreshadowing and clues tucked everywhere. Hence the journal. @ CCS and Kerrus Wow, quality comments you guys. :/ A notebook, the greatest invention on earth. I am looking for something more than a notebook, which I'm pretty sure my first post is clear about. Truth is, from the comments I've gotten at enworld, I'm thinking such a product doesn't exist. Maybe I'll just bind my own!
#11 gregt_314 Mar 16, 2009 19:03:28	@ Greg, Great points you bring up, but this has little to do with posterity. ... I am looking for something more than a notebook, which I'm pretty sure my first post is clear about. Okay, I get it. I do this stuff digitally, and the Character Builder has a certain amount of support for it, but I hear that you want a dead tree solution. L5R, 7th Sea, and World of Darkness all used to sell dedicated game-journal and character-journal products, which were a bit like the back end of a DM's screen mixed with a regular paper notebook, helpfully divided into sections for you. I'm not sure if this is what you're after, but I'm not aware of a D&D specific one although I'm sure if you give WoTC time they'll get around to it. There are also several digital spreadsheets etcetera that could be printed out and bound, but as I understand it you're looking for something "nice" to match the quality of the other supplements you're giving out (which is kind of a cool idea, I approve).
#12 Heros_Backpack Mar 17, 2009 15:38:54	I suppose you might try a petty cash book in a nice cover. I've had the occasional player turn one of those into a journal - date, xp, names, quest in the columns at one end of the book, then flip it over and write and date clues in the other end. Otherwise, have you looked at the Campaign Workbook? It was originally designed for DMs to use as a campaign planner/journal, but you might be able put it to use on the other side of the screen too.
#13 m4kitsu Mar 17, 2009 17:44:47	Another wonderful notebook option is a Moleskine notebook. Attractive, durable and available in many different varieties, and fairly inexpensive for as nice as they are. Remember the old journal from the last Indiana Jones movie? That was a Monleskine. I use a blank 5x7 for a campaign journal and planner, and it works wonderfully without getting in my way. It cost me about $16 at Borders, though most major book stores should have them in their stationary section. I chose the blank because it granted me greater freedom in formatting, adding the ability to sketch diagrams, items or maps if need be, but they are also available in lined and gridded varieties. I recommend them to anyone who needs a notebook, planner or journal.
#14 quickleaf_dup Mar 19, 2009 13:45:20	@ GregT Thanks for the lead. Are those WoD/L5R/7th Sea journals system-independent? @ Heros Backpack I actually just ordered the Game Mastery treasure chest which has the workbook included. I think it'll be cool for me as a DM, but the gift I'm coming up with is for a player. @ M4kitsu Love moleskins too. I've used them for nature sketch books, martial arts lesson books, river logs, personal journals. They're just great! Not the same quality that I'm looking for as a gift, but thanks anyhow.
#15 gregt_314 Mar 20, 2009 0:25:48	@ GregT Thanks for the lead. Are those WoD/L5R/7th Sea journals system-independent? Sadly, I don't think so. I know the L5R ones had the various clan emblems on the cover, and you were supposed to buy a clan-appropriate one, and then it had spaces for you to explain the flavour reason that your skills had improved when you spent XP on them and stuff like that, with a character sheet at the back. The World of Darkness ones went down a similar path, if I remember correctly. I have absolutely no recollection of the 7th Sea ones and I'm beginning to suspect I made them up but given the closesness of the the 7th Sea / L5R systems if they existed I'd guess they'd be in the same vein as the L5R ones. I assume you've considered buying your chronicler an Insider subscription? I know we were talking not digital, but the Character Builder has an extensive section dedicated to exactly what you're describing, which can be printed out and so forth.
#16 quickleaf_dup Mar 20, 2009 20:13:52	I've been using DDi for a while and I think it's a great deal, though I'd prefer to see the software not require web-access to run since it tends to lag for me. But for the gift, since she takes notes during the game it would be nice to have a hardcopy that she doesn't need to transcribe. While I haven't been able to find anything gaming related that fits the bill, I did find this attractive notebook:
#17 gregt_314 Mar 20, 2009 23:56:26	While I haven't been able to find anything gaming related that fits the bill, I did find this attractive notebook: *Gasp!* It must be mine! I ready my treasure sack!
#18 quickleaf_dup Mar 21, 2009 2:21:07	Yeah the whole paperblanks line is really attractive - someone at ENWorld pointed them out to me. There are 4 different celtic designs, this one is the chi-ro of course, and they run about $20-35 depending on which design you prefer. They're 7 x 9 which seems about moleskin size to me, maybe slightly bigger. Don't know how it'll work for gaming, but I'll let you know.