The Art of Memorization

By Juan Rodriguez

Dungeons and Dragons is filled with some great stories. It takes a Dungeon Master (DM) and the Players (PC – Player Characters) time to get into the storyline, and understand the plot.

Some games I’ve played in, the DM would ask players to roll their intelligence, to remember a part of the story, an image, or an item they have come across in their journey. I recommend to PC’s the Art of Memorization. To exercise memorization, think of it as though you’re in school, and you’re taking notes from your teacher. The Dungeon Master is like a teacher. The DM, if a great story teller, leaves clues, images, or items for the PC’s to remember. Keep a journal of it all. There is no need to “roll your intelligence” if you already seen or experienced it in the game.

By practicing memorization, a player becomes fully invested in his or her character, appreciates the content of the story, and becomes faithful to the Campaign.

I can tell you that many times, the practice of memorization helped me and players, beat the DM in his or her chess like game. Let me give you some tips:

1.      Have a notebook to journal in those parts of the stories that you feel make a connections to the story. You can even draw it out. A binder can be useful as well, because it has pockets to important images, documents, or maps the DM hands you.

2.      Read your journal before, during, and after the game session.

3.      Talk with your team of Player Characters to get clarification. Reviewing your notes together helps you to beat the scenario.

4.      Journaling helps to visualize the story, even the character you play. Sometimes, it encourages your imagination to stretch as far as envisioning the way your character looks, and how other NPC’s (Non Player Character played by the DM) appear to be.

5.      After practicing it for so long, you’ll stop using the notebook and use your memory to remember things that the DM said within adventure. You wouldn't need to "roll for intelligence."

With journaling, the PC’s can handle situations and circumstances that could affect the team. It can even get you out of pretty nasty situations.

In the end, you’ll have a great adventure, and a content Dungeon Master, who will also exercise his or her gift imagination.

What are your thoughts? Do you use a journal when playing Role Playing games? As Dungeon Master, do you encourage your players to take notes?