Start a Scabard Account
by Blackrook
Put your entire campaign world online, instead of scattered around your house...
Before Scabard, it was very challenging for me to make a good campaign world. I did it, but things tended to be disorganized. Dungeons were drawn into graph paper pads. Notes were scribbled into note pads. At some point, I put everything I had into binders, and I still have binders because I have not completed the process of computerizing everything in my world. I still do draw dungeons on graph paper and sometimes make drawings and charts on paper, but eventually it will all go into Scabard.Scabard is an online computer product that gives Game Masters the tools they need to organize their campaign world, keep it all in one place, safe on a remote server, and not scattered all over the house on paper, or three-hole punched into binders which can be lost in a move or accidentally thrown away.
I highly recommend using Scabard as a tool to create and organize your campaign world. It is a great tool and they are constantly improving it.
My campaign Gordovia is an example of a world created on Scabard. Because of all the new features of Scabard, I can now place maps online, with pins to mark different locations, and I can track relationships between characters; in particular, royal and noble family trees.
Alternatives
Without Scabard, your campaign will have to be stored another way. You may use graph paper, notepads, or one of the competitors to Scabard. But my personal opinion is that Scabard is the best product of this type on the market.Unlike other computer products, which add time to preparation, it is actually faster to use Scabard than traditional ways. The only thing you may still need to do with paper is draw your dungeon, but you can then scan it and put it on Scabard. But alternatively, you can find a dungeon online and put that on Scabard.
When to put your campaign on Scabard
Now. It is easy to sign up for Scabard, and it is free. However, there is an option to pay for a Hero subscription, which will give you more features.It's never too late to implement this idea, but the sooner the better. The longer you wait, the more work you will have to do putting your entire campaign on Scabard. I still have not completed this task.
It is so much easier to use Scabard than not use Scabard, I would never want to go back to keeping my campaign world in binders or in notepads.
Freeballing
It is actually not that hard to freeball while using Scabard. When the players enter a new town and you start making up names of inns, NPCs, and local features, you can make Scabard entries during play. Your notes don't have to be polished, just put in basic information to help you remember what you have made up while freeballing. You can then go back after the session and polish it up and fill in the details.