Obsidian for Game Masters (Plus DEVONthink)

I used to keep a binder full of notes: player characters, homebrew rules, the lot. One problem — I’m a mess. As someone with ADHD, that one scrap of paper with the scribbled note that’s key to the next game has a good chance of being lost or damaged before the session. I’ve spent money on binders, books, notebooks and stationery trying to stay organised, and they all failed. Then I found Obsidian, paired with DEVONthink, and it’s been a real help. Here’s why I think Obsidian for game masters is the best organising tool I’ve tried.

An Analogue GM Who Found the Right Tech

I’m one of those people who dislikes tech at the gaming table. I don’t like Discord or virtual tabletops, and I don’t like digital dice. I want everything analogue, and I prefer physical books to PDFs (although, more and more, the PDF versions have become the core of my RPG collection).

As someone who runs a computer shop in Lithgow, I’m always trying new software and tech. I’ve often used Keynote, Pages and Numbers (Apple’s answer to Microsoft Office) to keep my games organised — but even that became a problem when it came to keeping my notes together. Even for someone who teaches people how to keep their computers organised, “Untitled Document 3033” becomes a problem. That changed when I started using my old MacBook as a dedicated GM tool.

It’s a 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM. It’s too old for most of my everyday computing, but as a GM tool it’s fantastic. It does what I need, when I need it, and not much more — and it’s mostly reserved for game nights.

The two apps I use the most are DEVONthink and Obsidian.

DEVONthink: Offline Search for Your Whole RPG PDF Library

I use DEVONthink for research. You import documents into a database, and it makes them all searchable. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but even the basic features are great for tracking down that hard-to-find rule.

Where DEVONthink really shines is as an offline search tool for every PDF you own. If I’m looking for “Fireball”, it doesn’t just search the open PDF — it searches all of them, and shows a few words before and after each result. That way you can tell the difference between a bit of flavour text and the actual rule you’re hunting for.

Tip: when you set up a DEVONthink database, take the time to sort your PDFs into groups and add tags. It makes everything much easier to find later.

The best part is that it all works offline. Everything lives on your computer, and you can even set DEVONthink to search your Obsidian notes as well. I’m still working out the best way to use it, so expect a follow-up post.

Obsidian for Game Masters: Why It’s Amazing

The first thing to know about Obsidian is that it’s free to use. Think of it as Evernote on steroids. Your notes are stored on your own computer as plain text (Markdown) files, so if Obsidian ever fell off the face of the earth, all your data would still be easy to open — even for people who aren’t very tech-savvy.

I first wrote about it back in 2023 in Obsidian RPG Notes, and it’s only become more central to my prep since.

How I Use Obsidian to Run My Games

Linked Notes for Every NPC

First, I write an overview of the adventure. Whenever I name an NPC, I highlight the name and wrap it in double square brackets. Obsidian turns it into a link, and clicking it creates a new note with that character’s name — so every NPC is one click away.

Backlinks: Instant Recall of Old Missions

Obsidian has plenty of other clever features, like the backlinks panel, which shows every note that links to the one you’re viewing. I use it when a player brings up an old mission: one click and I can see every NPC who was involved (assuming I took the time to add them to my notes).

Canvas: A Relationship Web for Your Campaign

The Canvas feature is a mind map mixed with a flowchart, and I use it as a relationship web. Those punks the Shadowrun group beat up last month? Turns out they’re a gang that holds a grudge. Sure, they’re not much of a threat, but they know people. Maybe an NPC is happy the players did it — or maybe the fixer they’re trying to sell their loot to is their uncle. Who knows? The point is that I can map it all out.

Sync With iCloud and Run the Game From Your Phone

I keep my Obsidian vault in iCloud, which means my Shadowrun notes are with me wherever I go. When an adventure idea hits, or if my MacBook decides not to cooperate (yes, I can fix it — but I also have backups), I can still run the game from my phone.

Getting Started With Obsidian for Game Masters

The best way to learn Obsidian for game masters’ prep is to play with it. Create a few notes and try linking them together. You should also explore the community plugins — there are lots that are very useful for game masters. I’m definitely not the first GM to think, “Wow, this is amazing!”

My Favourite Obsidian Plugins for GMs

• Auto Note Mover — automatically moves a note into a folder when you add a tag. I use tags like #NPC, #Subplot and #Monster.
• Dice Roller — I don’t like digital dice, but there are times you need them, and it’s fun watching the dice roll across the screen.
• Colored Tags — gives each tag its own colour, so they’re easy to spot and keep track of at a glance.

Your Turn

How do you keep your campaign notes organised? Let us know in the comments. For more ideas, check out using software to enhance your RPG game, or read what to do when players ruin your plans — because no amount of notes survives contact with the players.