Gaming Tools - Google Sites and Docs

Campaign planning and documentation is something I've always struggled with.   Writing anything down was a horrible idea, I either scribble or doodle.    I've tried many different gaming tools for RPG campaign planning, Obsidian Portal, Realmworks, OneNote, and The Keep to name a few.

Recently, I've decided to try a new approach, in part because I'm tired of spending money on the tools, and I want to ensure I don't have to work to hard to get the data out of the tool.   Then I discovered Google Sites (new sites) and their integration with Google Docs.

I created a folder structure:

• Campaign 
• Shared with Players
• Everyone
• Character 1
• Character 2
• ...
• Session Prep
• Session Notes
• NPCs
• Locations
• History

The sharing allowed me to give granular control to the folders under Shared with players so I can share documents with specific players or all.

The other folders are predominately for campaign planning, and I can drag files to the Shared folder easily when I want to share it with the players.

The new Google sites also allows me to limit access to the players.  I keep it simple, two column, one a simple Google form for players to enter write ups, and the other side is a display of the Shared with Players folder.

I no longer have to maintain that web page, and I can do everything in documents.   Best of all, the content is easily available to me without having to worry about exporting, etc.   Via Google sync, I can edit files locally or online, and technically, I can use any office tool (MS Office, Libre Office, etc) to create content and store online.

We'll see how this works out, but I feel immensely better about it...