Top Five Reasons to Use a D&D Campaign Tracker

Fog lazily rolls up from cracks in the hard stone floor, casting a haze over the already dimly lit corridor. A sly smile spreads across the rogue’s face as he turns the corner and comes face to face with a giant iron gate. Finally, the party has found it! The entrance that will lead them to riches and glory beyond their wildest dreams. All they need to do is insert the key… or speak the phrase. Are we supposed to bash our way through? What did Arneas the wise tell us? Or wait, was it Chrondor the Terrible? Wasn’t there a curse?

This is where D&D campaign trackers can really save the day, by giving your campaign a centralized hub for all those little bits and pieces that can easily be forgotten or overlooked.

1.) No worries about losing notes

When I was growing up, there was a guy named Matt who took notes for our campaign. Wonderful notes. Lots of notes. So many notes that it could take him up to 30 minutes to find the small bit of information we needed, wasting our precious game time. Unlike notebooks and papers, which can be easily ruined, lost or just plain frustrating, digital d&d campaign trackers can store your information safely without any extra effort on your part.

2.) It keeps your players connected and engaged

The other problem that came from utilizing Matt as The Keeper of The Secrets, is that he was always more ‘plugged into’ the world than we were. With a campaign tracker, every player in the campaign can login to double check their knowledge, or to get caught up on the story in between sessions. Moreover, players can contribute collaboratively, giving them an opportunity to stay engaged in the world! This is especially helpful as many games have moved to online formats over the pandemic.

3.) You can make it your own

Part of the fun of using a campaign tracker is the freedom you have to organize your campaign the way you want to. There is a spot to keep track of anything you and your party might need. Need to remember the NPC with the talking pigeon from 5 sessions ago? No need to flip through a mess of notes to figure it out, just head over to the character section. With a D&D campaign tracker, you can also do a quick keyword search to locate whatever you need within seconds.

4.) You can show it off!

As anyone in the TTRPG world knows, campaigns aren’t just about fierce battles and shiny loot. They are about collaboratively creating a rich story within a unique, ever-growing world. Entire epics are created in living rooms across the world, and sometimes you just wish others could see it. There are D&D campaign trackers that give you the ability not just to customize the look of your tracker, but allow you to set it to public access so you can invite others to check out what y’all have created.

5.) Centralize your planning

Let’s be real: GM’s deserve A LOT of praise for the blood, sweat and tears they put in. They create the context, setting and pacing of our adventures, a sandbox for the group to play in. For many GMs, this includes hours of prep work- creating scenarios, villains, secret side quests, etc. Not to mention the time making sure you’ve got a lot of options for when your group gets distracted by the NPC with the funny voice for the whole session. D&D campaign trackers give GMs a place, and an organized way to do their prep work. Some campaign trackers (like Obsidian Portal) have places that are only viewable by the GM themselves, giving them a lot of room to keep track of secrets and hidden knowledge.

D&D campaign trackers breathe new life into campaigns, organizing everything you need to know about your campaign to help sessions run smoother. With smoother sessions, more time can be spent on the things that you’re actually there for: friends, fun and storytelling.

Want more? Find out how to get the most out of your campaign tracker or get some tips on how to get your players more engaged!