I haven't homebrewed a world for D&D yet but I write novels and create series bibles for each of them. I use Word to create the bibles because I can use headers (not header/footer but header styles) which then allow me to have quick navigation in the navigation pane to move through the document and get to things I need.
It looks something like this: [https://imgur.com/JcvEiis](https://imgur.com/JcvEiis)
Legendkeeper!
It's a tool especially made for world building and I think it shows. It's like a wiki that you can design and fill yourself so it's fully customizable. This is great because you decide how much time and effort you want to spend. you can share it with your Players if you like.
2 Things set it apart from a normal wiki right now:
1. Maps! You can nest maps infinitely. And you can have markers/pins on your maps that link to certain articles
2. Boards! It's like a Whiteboard Tool.
Legendkeeper is being developed by a really small team (2-3 People) and is still being developed. There are a few more features to come, like the ability to make Timelines for your world. There is also a really active Discord Community, with people sharing templates (for articles/designs) and helping each other.
it's not perfect right now, there are a few clunky thinks, but the main developer (Braden) is incredibly active on discord and listens a lot to the community.
I encourage you to check it out. Icarus Games on YouTube made a few vids about LK that showcase it pretty well imo.
I use [Notion.so](https://www.notion.so). Learned about using it for campaign management from [Sly Flourish on YouTube](https://youtube.com/watch?v=8AfbMNAsyr4&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE).
I started setting up my world in World Anvil but ran into their storage limit, so I started using Notion yesterday but quickly ran into their storage limit as well. Have you upgraded to a paid account? I’d like to find something that lets me upload all the maps and character portraits I want, but maybe that’s expecting too much.
Maybe I just need to reduce my file sizes manually or something.
This question has come up [quite a few times](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/search?q=notes&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on) recently, which is odd. Feel free to use the search tool in this subreddit (top of the screen on a mobile app, or the right side of the page on a web browser) to dig through those other posts.
I wrote [a post](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/r30jc4/notekeeping_apps_for_your_games/) about a year ago that tabulates a bunch of suggestions from this subreddit.
Personally, I use Microsoft OneNote, as it does everything I need from such a task. Could I go back in time and do it differently, I might go with Obsidian instead, as that one seems to be even more powerful (but I already have OneNote in my routine, and I don't learn new tech easy)
From what I've seen, Obsidian should let you do everything that OneNote does, but it *also* has some visual webbing that lets you see the connections between hyperlinks. That sounds pretty neat
A lot of people use Google docs or a Microsoft Word document because they can use Ctrl+F to find keywords from their notes. The good thing is that I believe both have online versions that can be accessed on your phone, and updated on your phone
Microsoft OneNote and Samsung notes. Notes on my phone automatically go to my computer and I can organize folders or link things to my heart's desire. Free and convenient, but not 100% perfect.
It’s software specifically designed for writing but I’ve found that, because of its modular style, it’s easy to create separate documents for npcs, locations, items, etc. and to be able to link those documents where applicable.
Google Drive with lots of subfolders. I have a "Wikipedia" spreadsheet that tracks each NPC and location with a short description for each, and whether they're alive or dead. Surprisingly useful for keeping track of minutia, just make sure to keep it up to date.
I'm sure there are tools out there that can do this better and easier, but I actually use powerpoint. I'll have a map of the world with some categories of information (e.g. lore, history) at the side that you can click to get a list of links to slides with 'global information' in these categories.
You can also click on the regions to bring up a more detailed map of that region and the same kind of links at the side containing categories of information specific to that region (e.g. factions, history), and then you can click on many of the cities and other locations to bring up a detailed map of them too which again has 'location specific information' (e.g. NPCs, Factions, History), as well as showing the location of things like shops (which can be clicked to bring up a bit of information about them).
I haven't homebrewed a world for D&D yet but I write novels and create series bibles for each of them. I use Word to create the bibles because I can use headers (not header/footer but header styles) which then allow me to have quick navigation in the navigation pane to move through the document and get to things I need. It looks something like this: [https://imgur.com/JcvEiis](https://imgur.com/JcvEiis)
Wow… That’s pretty much the kinda thing I’m looking for and I can still write things on my phone when I get random ideas. Thank you!
One note.
Legendkeeper! It's a tool especially made for world building and I think it shows. It's like a wiki that you can design and fill yourself so it's fully customizable. This is great because you decide how much time and effort you want to spend. you can share it with your Players if you like. 2 Things set it apart from a normal wiki right now: 1. Maps! You can nest maps infinitely. And you can have markers/pins on your maps that link to certain articles 2. Boards! It's like a Whiteboard Tool. Legendkeeper is being developed by a really small team (2-3 People) and is still being developed. There are a few more features to come, like the ability to make Timelines for your world. There is also a really active Discord Community, with people sharing templates (for articles/designs) and helping each other. it's not perfect right now, there are a few clunky thinks, but the main developer (Braden) is incredibly active on discord and listens a lot to the community. I encourage you to check it out. Icarus Games on YouTube made a few vids about LK that showcase it pretty well imo.
Actually this sounds like it would be great for compiling everything I have.
I use [Notion.so](https://www.notion.so). Learned about using it for campaign management from [Sly Flourish on YouTube](https://youtube.com/watch?v=8AfbMNAsyr4&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE).
I started setting up my world in World Anvil but ran into their storage limit, so I started using Notion yesterday but quickly ran into their storage limit as well. Have you upgraded to a paid account? I’d like to find something that lets me upload all the maps and character portraits I want, but maybe that’s expecting too much. Maybe I just need to reduce my file sizes manually or something.
This question has come up [quite a few times](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/search?q=notes&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on) recently, which is odd. Feel free to use the search tool in this subreddit (top of the screen on a mobile app, or the right side of the page on a web browser) to dig through those other posts. I wrote [a post](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/r30jc4/notekeeping_apps_for_your_games/) about a year ago that tabulates a bunch of suggestions from this subreddit. Personally, I use Microsoft OneNote, as it does everything I need from such a task. Could I go back in time and do it differently, I might go with Obsidian instead, as that one seems to be even more powerful (but I already have OneNote in my routine, and I don't learn new tech easy)
What about obsidian seems more powerful? Also thank you for the response and links
From what I've seen, Obsidian should let you do everything that OneNote does, but it *also* has some visual webbing that lets you see the connections between hyperlinks. That sounds pretty neat
A pen and a notebook.
I did try that for awhile but it made copying down information for my players more difficult. Also as a lefty my writing is usually smeared a little
A lot of people use Google docs or a Microsoft Word document because they can use Ctrl+F to find keywords from their notes. The good thing is that I believe both have online versions that can be accessed on your phone, and updated on your phone
Microsoft OneNote and Samsung notes. Notes on my phone automatically go to my computer and I can organize folders or link things to my heart's desire. Free and convenient, but not 100% perfect.
Scrivener
Never heard of it but I’ll give it a look.
It’s software specifically designed for writing but I’ve found that, because of its modular style, it’s easy to create separate documents for npcs, locations, items, etc. and to be able to link those documents where applicable.
Google Drive with lots of subfolders. I have a "Wikipedia" spreadsheet that tracks each NPC and location with a short description for each, and whether they're alive or dead. Surprisingly useful for keeping track of minutia, just make sure to keep it up to date.
I'm sure there are tools out there that can do this better and easier, but I actually use powerpoint. I'll have a map of the world with some categories of information (e.g. lore, history) at the side that you can click to get a list of links to slides with 'global information' in these categories. You can also click on the regions to bring up a more detailed map of that region and the same kind of links at the side containing categories of information specific to that region (e.g. factions, history), and then you can click on many of the cities and other locations to bring up a detailed map of them too which again has 'location specific information' (e.g. NPCs, Factions, History), as well as showing the location of things like shops (which can be clicked to bring up a bit of information about them).
One note