How to Convert Your Messy Campaign Notes Into an Organized Digital Wiki

The Great Campaign Note Archaeological Dig

Last month, I needed to find one specific NPC for my campaign.

Her name was... Margaret? Margarine? Definitely started with M. She sold... potions? Poisons? She had crucial information about... something important.

The search began:

• Physical notebook #1: 2019-2020 notes (pre-pandemic)

• Physical notebook #2: The "good" notebook (mostly empty)

• Physical notebook #3: Emergency session notes (illegible)

• Google Drive: 73 documents with names like "Session notes FINAL FINAL v2"

• Phone notes: 234 items including grocery lists mixed with NPC names

• Discord: 1,847 messages in our campaign channel

• Random paper: Stack approximately 3 inches tall

• That one crucial napkin: Missing, presumed dead

Time spent searching: 47 minutes
Margaret found? No
Her actual name: Melody
Where I finally found her: Photo of a whiteboard from 2021

Sound familiar?

The Campaign Note Chaos Spectrum

Where does your campaign fall?

Level 1: "Organized Chaos"

• Everything's in one notebook (that you forgot at home)

• You "know where everything is" (narrator: they don't)

Level 2: "Digital Hoarder"

• 50+ Google Docs with creative names

• "I'll organize them later" (it's been 3 years)

Level 3: "The Archaeologist"

• Multiple notebooks, digital files, and app notes

• Finding anything requires carbon dating

Level 4: "The Overcorrector"

• Tried 5 different organization systems

• Each abandoned after 3 sessions

• More time organizing than playing

Level 5: "Note Nirvana" (Where we're heading)

• Everything searchable in seconds

• Interconnected lore web

• Players can access their view

• Updates itself during play

The 30-Day Campaign Wiki Transformation

Week 1: Excavation and Triage

Day 1-2: The Great Gathering

Collect EVERYTHING:

• Physical notebooks → Stack on desk

• Digital documents → One folder called "CHAOS"

• Photos of notes → Upload to CHAOS folder

• Discord/text notes → Copy to single document

• Napkins/sticky notes → Photo, then trash

Day 3-4: The Brutal Triage

Create three piles (physical or digital):

1. ACTIVE - Currently relevant to campaign

2. ARCHIVE - Good ideas but not current

3. DEAD - Will never use again

Be ruthless. That dungeon from 2019 you never ran? DEAD pile.

Day 5-7: The Quick Scan

For ACTIVE pile only:

• Scan/photograph physical notes

• Create "RAW_NOTES" document

• Dump everything in chronologically

• Don't organize yet, just digitize

Week 1 Result: Everything is digital and roughly sorted.

Week 2: Structure Without Suffering

Day 8-10: Choose Your Wiki Weapon

Option comparison for different DM types:

PlatformBest ForLearning CurveCostNotionVisual thinkersMediumFreeWorld AnvilWorldbuilding focusHigh$5/moObsidianNote connectorsMediumFreeOneNoteSimple/familiarLowFreeGoogle DocsCollaboratorsLowFreeStormScapeIntegrated playLowFree tier

Day 11-12: The Sacred Structure

Create this exact folder/page structure:

📚 Campaign Wiki/
├── 🏠 Dashboard (START HERE)
├── 🗺️ Locations/
│   ├── Cities/
│   ├── Dungeons/
│   └── Regions/
├── 👥 NPCs/
│   ├── Major NPCs/
│   ├── Minor NPCs/
│   └── Dead NPCs/
├── 📖 Lore/
│   ├── History/
│   ├── Religion/
│   └── Politics/
├── 🎭 Player Characters/
│   ├── 
/
│   └── Party Shared/
├── 📜 Session Notes/
│   ├── Summaries/
│   └── Raw Notes/
├── 🎯 Plots & Quests/
│   ├── Active/
│   ├── Completed/
│   └── Abandoned/
└── 🗃️ Archive/

Day 13-14: The Dashboard of Destiny

Your dashboard needs:

markdown

# 
 Dashboard

## Quick Links
- 

- 

- 

- 


## Session Info
**Next Session:** [Date]
**Last Session:** 

**Current Location:** 

**Day in Game:** 


## Active Plots (Top 3)
1. 

2. 

3. 


## Player Goals
- **[Character]:** 

- **[Character]:** 


## DM Quick Reference
- 

- 

- 


## Recent Updates
- 

Week 3: The Great Migration

Day 15-17: Location Liberation

Start with locations (easiest to organize):

The Location Template:

markdown

# 


**Type:** City/Dungeon/Region
**First Appeared:** Session [#]

## Description
[2-3 sentences max]

## Important Features
- 

- 


## NPCs Here
- [
]
- [
]

## Events That Happened Here
- Session [#]: 


## Secrets/DM Notes

] to create automatic links between pages. This creates your web of connections."]

Day 18-20: NPC Navigation

The NPC system that changes everything:

The FAST+ Template:

markdown

# 


**Role:** [Title/Job]
**Location:** [
]
**Status:** Active/Dead/Missing

## Quick Reference
- **Appearance:** 

- **Voice:** 

- **Motivation:** 


## Relationships
- [
]: [Relationship]
- [
]: [Relationship]

## History with Party
- Session [#]: 

- Session [#]: 


## Secrets


## DM Notes

Day 21: The Session Note Revolution

Create two types of session notes:

1. Player-Facing Summary:

markdown

# Session [#]: 

*Date: 
 | Day [#] in game*

## What Happened
[3-5 bullet points, player perspective]

## Important Discoveries
- 


## Loot Gained
- [Items]

## Next Steps
- 

2. DM Full Notes:

markdown

# Session [#] - DM Notes

## What Actually Happened


## Behind the Scenes


## Threads to Remember
- 


## NPCs Met
- [
]: 


## Rules Questions


## Post-Session Thoughts

Week 4: The Living Wiki

Day 22-24: The Great Linking

Go through and create connections:

• Every NPC mentions → Link to NPC page

• Every location mentioned → Link to location page

• Every event → Link to session note

This creates your knowledge web.

Day 25-26: Player Access Revolution

Create player-safe versions:

Player Wiki Sections:

markdown

📚 Player Campaign Wiki/
├── 🗺️ Known World/
│   └── 

├── 👥 People You've Met/
│   └── 

├── 📖 Common Knowledge/
│   └── 

├── 📜 Session Recaps/
└── 🎯 Quest Log/

Day 27-28: The Search Revolution

Set up your search system:

• Tags: #important #secret #player-known #location #npc

• Naming Convention: Consistent formatting

• Quick Codes: NPC-, LOC-, PLOT-, SES-

Now you can search "NPC-M" to find all NPCs starting with M.

Day 29: The Automation Layer

Set up templates for future content:

Quick Add Templates:

• New NPC → Auto-formatted page

• New Location → Pre-structured

• Session Notes → Ready to fill

• Quest → Status tracking built-in

Day 30: The Victory Lap

• Test your search (find anything in <10 seconds)

• Share player wiki with your group

• Run a session using only your wiki

• Delete the CHAOS folder (or archive it)

• Celebrate your organization!

• Real Example: My Shattered Crown Transformation

  Let me show you the actual transformation:

  Before (Actual Note)

  Tavern guy - Gerald? Jerald? - knows about thing
    - scared of someone
    - purple hat???
    - wants $$ for info
  blacksmith's daughter - connection somehow
  REMEMBER: Clock tower at midnight
  Duke = bad probably

  After (Wiki Entry)

  markdown

  # Geralt the Whisper
  
  **Role:** Information Broker
  **Location:** [
  ]
  **Status:** Active
  
  ## Quick Reference
  - **Appearance:** Nervous, distinctive purple hat
  - **Voice:** Whispers, looks over shoulder
  - **Motivation:** Gather money to leave city
  
  ## Relationships
  - [
  ]: Owes gambling debt
  - [
  ]: Secret romantic interest
  - [
  ]: Selling information about
  
  ## History with Party
  - Session 12: First meeting, sold info about warehouse
  - Session 15: Revealed clock tower meeting location
  - Session 18: Asked party for protection
  
  ## Secrets
  - Actually works for [
  ]
  - Feeding false information to multiple parties
  - Planning to frame Lyra for theft
  
  ## DM Notes
  - Clock tower meeting is a trap
  - Will betray party if threatened
  - Knows location of missing prince

  The difference is staggering.

  The Psychology of Sustainable Organization

  Why do most campaign wikis fail? They're built for perfection, not for play.

  The Sustainable Wiki Habits

  During Session:

  • One device open to wiki

  • Add names to "NEW THIS SESSION" page

  • Don't organize while playing

  After Session (10 minutes max):

  • Create pages for new NPCs/locations

  • Update session summary

  • Link new pages to existing ones

  • Move completed quests to archive

  Weekly (15 minutes):

  • Review dashboard

  • Update player goals

  • Archive inactive content

  • Check for broken links

  Common Wiki Pitfalls (And Solutions)

  Pitfall 1: The Perfectionism Trap

  Problem: Spending 3 hours formatting one NPC page
  Solution: Use templates, fill minimum required info

  Pitfall 2: The Never-Ending Migration

  Problem: Still moving notes after 6 months
  Solution: Only migrate ACTIVE content, archive the rest

  Pitfall 3: The Player Ghost Town

  Problem: Players never check the wiki
  Solution: Put something they need there (treasure, their notes)

  Pitfall 4: The Update Paralysis

  Problem: Wiki gets outdated after 3 sessions
  Solution: Update in-session, not after

  Pitfall 5: The Tool Obsession

  Problem: Switching platforms every month
  Solution: Pick one, commit for 6 months minimum

  Advanced Wiki Techniques

  The Relationship Web Method

  Instead of linear notes, create relationship webs:

  markdown

  # The Court Conspiracy Web
  
  ## Center: [
  ]
  
  ### Inner Circle (Direct Contact)
  - [
  ] - Chief conspirator
  - [
  ] - Military support
  - [
  ] - Spy network
  
  ### Outer Circle (Unknowing Pawns)
  - [
  ] - Fed false information
  - [
  ] - Economic pressure
  - [
  ] - Convenient scapegoats
  
  ### Opposition
  - [
  ] - Target
  - [
  ] - Loyal to crown
  - [
  ] - Playing all sides

  The Time Tracking System

  Add temporal context to everything:

  markdown

  # Timeline Tracker
  
  ## Current Date: 15th of Harvestmoon, 1247
  
  ### Recent Events
  - **Day -3**: Party arrived in city
  - **Day -1**: Discovered conspiracy
  - **Day 0 (Today)**: Confronting duke
  
  ### Upcoming Events
  - **Day +2**: Royal wedding
  - **Day +5**: Trade delegation arrives
  - **Day +7**: Full moon (werewolf activity)
  
  ### Background Events (Happening Without Party)
  - Thieves Guild war escalating
  - Plague spreading in lower district
  - Prince's army approaching

  The Secret Layer System

  Keep DM information separated:

  markdown

  # 
  
  
  ## Public Information
  
  
  <!--SECRET_START-->
  ## DM Secrets
  
  <!--SECRET_END-->
  
  ## Player Discoveries
  - Session 12: Learned [fact]
  - Session 15: Discovered [secret]

  Your 30-Day Challenge

  Week 1: Gather and triage all notes
  Week 2: Build structure and dashboard
  Week 3: Migrate active content
  Week 4: Create living system

  Share your progress with #30DayWikiChallenge

  Prizes for completion:

  • Best transformation: 1 year StormScape Legend

  • Most creative organization: Custom wiki template pack

  • Random winner: DM care package

  Free Wiki Starter Pack

  Download everything you need:

  Templates Included:

  • Dashboard layouts (5 styles)

  • NPC templates (Quick, Detailed, Relationship-focused)

  • Location templates (City, Dungeon, Wilderness)

  • Session note formats

  • Quest trackers

  • Timeline templates

  • Player handout formats

  Bonus Tools:

  • Migration checklist

  • Naming convention guide

  • Tag taxonomy system

  • Search optimization tips

  • Player wiki rules

  The AI-Powered Wiki Revolution

  Here's where modern tools shine:

  Auto-Organization with AI

  Prompt: "I have these session notes: 
  . 
  Extract all NPCs, locations, and plot points. 
  Format as wiki entries with connections shown."

  Instant Wiki Generation

  Prompt: "Turn this into a wiki entry for [NPC/Location]:
  
  Include: Description, history with party, 
  relationships, secrets, and quick reference."

  The Transformation Results

  My Shattered Crown campaign after wiki transformation:

  Before:

  • 47 minutes to find one NPC

  • Forgot major plot points

  • Players kept own notes (all different)

  • Constant "wait, who was that?"

  After:

  • Any info in <10 seconds

  • Plots naturally interconnect

  • Players reference wiki constantly

  • "Remember that guy from session 3?" YES, I DO!

  Time Invested: 30 days, ~30 minutes/day
  Time Saved: 2-3 hours per month
  Sanity Restored: Priceless

  The Truth About Campaign Wikis

  Your wiki doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be:

  • Searchable

  • Current

  • Accessible

  • Sustainable

  That's it.

  Start with the minimum viable wiki. Build as you play. Let it grow organically.

  Your campaign is a living story, not a published novel. Your wiki should reflect that—messy in places, detailed where it matters, and always evolving.

  Your Notes Deserve Better

  Those notebooks full of amazing ideas, those NPCs your players loved, those intricate plots you crafted—they deserve better than being lost in the chaos.

  Your future self (preparing next session) deserves better than frantic searching.

  Your players deserve access to the rich world you've created.

  And you deserve to DM without information anxiety.

  The transformation starts with one decision: Commit to 30 days.

  Not perfection. Not completion. Just progress.

  30 days from now, you'll have a living campaign wiki.

  Or you'll still be searching for that NPC from session 2.

  Your choice.