Good session notes are the difference between a campaign that builds momentum and one that loses continuity. But most DMs either take too many notes (and burn out) or too few (and forget critical details). The sweet spot is a structured template that captures exactly what you need in 10 minutes or less.

The Session Notes Template

Here's the template. Copy it, adapt it, and use it after every session:

Session Header

Session #	[Number]
Date (real)	[Date played]
Date (in-game)	[Calendar date in your world]
Players present	[Names]
Location	[Where the session took place in-world]

What Happened (5 bullets max)

The core events of the session. Not a transcript — a summary. If you can't summarize the session in five bullets, you're including too much detail.

NPCs Encountered

List every NPC the party interacted with meaningfully. For each: name, attitude, and any new information revealed. Mark new NPCs with [NEW].

Decisions Made

The choices the party made that will have consequences. These are the most valuable notes because they drive future sessions. "The party chose to side with the rebels over the crown" shapes the next ten sessions.

Open Threads

Unresolved questions, pending quests, and hooks the party hasn't followed up on yet. Review this section before every session — it's your prep cheat sheet.

Loot & Resources

Items gained, gold spent, resources consumed. Keep this section factual and brief.

Next Session Seed

One sentence about what's likely to happen next. Not a plan — a prediction. "The party will probably investigate the ruins" or "The merchant's deadline is tomorrow in-game."

How to Use the Template

Fill It Immediately After the Session

Your memory degrades fast. Notes written the next day are 50% as useful as notes written within an hour of the session ending. Build it into your routine: session ends, players leave, you spend 10 minutes with the template.

Be Ruthlessly Brief

The goal is not to capture everything — it's to capture enough. A brief note like "Explored the cave. Found the artifact. Goblins ambushed on exit. Kira almost died." is more useful than a 500-word narrative because you'll actually read it next week.

Separate Player-Facing and DM-Only Notes

If you share notes with players (recommended), keep a second layer for DM-only information: hidden NPC motivations, upcoming plot developments, and notes about player engagement ("Marcus seemed bored during the dungeon crawl — more roleplay next session").

Digital vs. Physical Notes

Format	Pros	Cons
Digital (Notion, Anima, Google Docs)	Searchable, linkable, shareable, backed up	Requires device, can be distracting
Physical notebook	No distractions, tactile, always works	Not searchable, can be lost, hard to share
Hybrid	Best of both — handwrite during session, digitize after	Double the work

Common Note-Taking Mistakes

Writing too much — If your notes for one session are longer than a page, you're over-documenting. Cut the narrative, keep the facts.
Writing too little — "Had fun, fought stuff" helps no one. Capture names, decisions, and open threads at minimum.
Not reviewing before sessions — Notes you never re-read are wasted effort. The 5-minute pre-session review is mandatory.
Only recording what happened — What happened matters less than what it means. "The party killed the bandit chief" is less useful than "The party killed the bandit chief — his lieutenant will want revenge."

This template works best as part of a broader campaign tracking system. For the full campaign organization framework, explore our Ultimate Guide to Campaign Management.

Session Notes Template (Free Download)