Completed · Session 18
SavedThe Bell Below
Thoughts for Next Session
Orin was more afraid of the bell than the tunnel. Decide whether Mara notices the missing wax fragment.
Write less during the game. Remember more next week.
This free D&D session notes template uses a two-pass habit: shorthand while everyone is playing, then a five-minute cleanup that keeps decisions, clues, consequences, and the next move easy to find.
No account. No setup. Paste it anywhere.
Worked example · the two-pass log
The Bell Below
Pass one · during play
Catch fragments.
Do not transcribe the table. Mark only the things the future version of you cannot recreate.
N
Names: Mara · Orin · Chancellor Vey
D
Decision: Trusted Mara and took the lower route
!
Consequence: Promised Orin 200 gold
?
Clue: Black wax carries Vey’s crest
Pass two · after the game
Make it findable.
Five minutes. Separate what happened from what you suspect, and end with the next decision.
- Quick recap
- We followed Mara beneath the drowned chapel and found Vey’s crest on the warning seal.
- Open thread
- Why is Orin afraid of the bell?
- Next decision
- Find a dry route or bargain with Orin.
The habit matters more than the format
Capture. Clarify. Continue.
A good session note hands tonight’s game to the next session. Preserve the facts, open questions, and next decision that make that handoff possible.
01
Capture fragments
During play, mark names, decisions, clues, promises, and consequences. Let everything else stay at the table.
02
Clarify in five minutes
Afterwards, separate facts from guesses and write a two-to-four sentence recap while context is still warm.
03
End at the next move
Write the first decision facing the party next time. That single line becomes the start of prep.
The session workspace
Notes. Sharing. Attendance.
The core stays put. The rest follows your table.
Add prep modules, player notes, DM notes, session content, and the next-session handoff. Reorder, hide, collapse, or disable anything your campaign does not use.
The Ashen Accord · Session 18
The Bell Below
17 Emberwane
From Previous Session
Orin was more afraid of the bell than the tunnel. Decide whether Mara notices the missing wax fragment.
Carried from “Thoughts for Next Session”
Prep Notes
Mara opens with the drowned-chapel map. Keep Orin’s price flexible if the party offers information instead of gold.
Add the tools you actually use
Modules with content rise to the top. Collapse or reorder them at any time.
Secrets & Clues
3 prepared · 1 carried forward
Random Tables
Quick roll + notes
Checklist
3 of 4 complete
Quick References
NPCs, places, rules
Session Goals
Keep the session focused
Key NPCs
Motivations at hand
Session Opener
Your first scene or hook
Music & Ambiance
Playlists by scene
Secrets & Clues
The black wax bears Vey’s crest.
Orin heard the bell once as a child.
Unused items carry forward to the next session.
Random Tables
Quick rollDrowned chapel omens · Tunnel complications · Orin’s price
Open your table collection without leaving session prep.
The handoff between sessions
Prep begins where the last game stopped.
Prep · Session 19
Carried forwardThe Empty Tower
From Previous Session
Orin was more afraid of the bell than the tunnel. Decide whether Mara notices the missing wax fragment.
Prep and post-session phasesReorder or hide optional sectionsPlayer notes only when openedDM notes stay privateNext-session handoff
Keep what changes. Leave the transcript.
Ask one thing of every detail: will it help the table recover a decision, understand a consequence, or begin the next game?
Write these down
Names and places
Write the exact name once, especially when spelling matters.
Decisions and promises
Record what the party chose, refused, owed, or agreed to do.
Confirmed clues
Keep facts separate from theories so guesses do not become accidental canon.
Consequences
Note who reacted, what changed, and which resource or relationship moved.
Open questions
Preserve the unresolved question, not every conversation that produced it.
The next decision
End with the choice most likely to begin the next session.
Usually leave these behind
- Turn-by-turn combat unless a moment changes the story
- Dialogue you can reconstruct from the outcome
- Rules text that is easier to look up than maintain
- Description with no decision, clue, or consequence attached
- Polished prose while everyone else is still playing
What you write during play
“Mara knows the bell”
“north tunnel flooded”
“promised Orin 200g”
“black wax = Vey?”
What you keep afterwards
The party trusted Mara and entered the flooded chapel. They promised Orin 200 gold for a dry route. A black wax seal may connect the warning bell to Chancellor Vey.
- Confirmed
- The north tunnel is flooded.
- Still a theory
- The wax belongs to Vey.
Keep the boundaries clear
One session, several perspectives, clear boundaries.
Session access controls whether players can view or contribute. The recap-sharing control then determines whether permitted players see the Quick Recap and Detailed Notes. Private DM material remains outside that boundary.
Session access
Who can view or contribute right now
PrivateOpen for player notesLocked
Visible to players with recap permission when sharing is enabled
Share this session recap with players
The session state and campaign permissions still apply.
Quick Recap
The party followed Mara below the chapel and found Vey's crest pressed into the warning seal.
Detailed Notes
- Trusted Mara and took the lower route.
- Promised Orin 200 gold for a dry passage.
Player Notes
Separate notes per attending character, with their own draft and sharing choices.
DM Notes · never shared
Private follow-up, hidden motives, and player observations.
Thoughts for Next · never shared
A private handoff into the next session's preparation.
Inside a session workspace
Create a session workspace when one page stops being enough.
Multiloop keeps Quick Recap, Detailed Notes, player perspectives, sharing controls, and private preparation attached to the same session.
A free Multiloop account and campaign are required. This two-pass template is not imported automatically.
Where a notepad works
A notepad may be all you need.
For a reliable memory jog, copy the template and stop here. It works in any notes app.
Choose a session workspace once different player perspectives matter, a clue needs an NPC connection, or prep should begin from the consequences of the last session.
See the connected campaign workflowFrequently asked questions
Session notes FAQ
How detailed should D&D session notes be?
Detailed enough to recover the next important decision. Record exact names, decisions, promises, confirmed clues, consequences, and unresolved questions. Skip turn-by-turn transcription unless a particular moment changes the campaign.
Should I take notes during the session or afterwards?
Use both moments for different jobs. During play, capture short fragments without leaving the conversation. Immediately afterwards, spend five minutes separating facts from suspicions and writing a short recap plus the next open decision.
What is the difference between a quick recap and detailed notes?
A quick recap is the two-to-four sentence version someone can skim before the next game. Detailed notes preserve the decisions, clues, character changes, promises, and open threads that would otherwise lose their context.
Should players keep their own session notes?
They can, but they do not need to duplicate the DM. Player notes are most useful when they preserve what a particular character noticed, believed, concealed, or cared about. Different perspectives are valuable precisely because they are not identical.
Can I use this session notes template without Multiloop?
Yes. Copy it into any notes app. Multiloop becomes useful when your table wants optional prep tools, separate player perspectives, private DM notes, sharing controls, and a handoff into the next session.
Keep the story.
Lose the paperwork.
Start with the free template. When the campaign outgrows the page, Multiloop keeps each perspective and consequence in context.