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Tips for Paper Character Sheets

by Mike on 1 July 2024

Though the technology is 5,000 years old, there are new tricks we can learn to more effectively use paper character sheets in our TTRPGs. Using paper character sheets gives us a degree of flexibility and resilience we lose when relying on digital tools. Get used to using paper-based tools and find ways to make them as easy and fun as possible to use.

Why Use Paper?

With all of the awesome technology we have these days, why would we ever consider using paper-based character sheets? Here are some reasons:

Flexibility. Paper character sheets don't lock you into whatever a digital tool wants you to fill in. You can write anything you want, any way you want, on your paper sheet. It fits core rules, rules published by other publishers, or your own house rules. Nothing is locked in.

Disconnection. In our always-on digital world, sometimes it's nice to set our electronics aside and live in the moment with our friends and our physical character sheets. Even for the roughly half of surveyed DMs and players who play online, you can still enjoy using a paper-based character sheet and keep your online tools focused on communication instead of game management.

Resilience. Paper-based sheets can last a long time – far longer than electronic records, tools, services, or devices. If you care for them, your character sheets can last your whole life. You can also take pictures of them if you want online versions.

Independence. Removing your reliance on digital tools means you never need to worry what direction a particular digital tool takes. If you're comfortable using physical books and paper-based character sheets – nothing can change that situation. No one can remove or edit your existing physical books. If you rely on remotely managed digital tools, you must live with whatever the company running that tool wants to do with it.

Nostalgia. There's something fun about playing these games we love the same way people played them fifty years ago. Regardless of the technological advances in that time, we can still enjoy the game the same way it was enjoyed half a century ago.

Top Tips for Paper-Based Character Sheets

Here are some top tips for using paper-based character sheets.

Write Down Page Numbers. Write down page numbers of spells and class features on your sheet. Use your character sheet like a custom index of the rules in your RPG sourcebook you need to run your character.

Use Index Cards. Use index cards to track continually changing features like hit points, damage, short rests, luck points, spell slots, and other consumables. GMs can write down magic items and their effects on index cards or print them out on small pieces of paper you can hand out to players when they're acquired. Use paper clips to keep index cards organized.

Use Sheet Protectors and Dry-Erase Markers. Some players use sheet protectors to make their entire character sheet a dry-erasable white board. Others put pieces of packing tape or dry-erase tape over key areas of their character sheet like the hit point box.

Use Quality Paper. Print character sheets on good quality 32 pound paper. It's more durable and feels great.

Other Quick Tips

Here's a selection of other quick tips from players and GMs on EN World and YouTube:

Write lightly with a pencil so it's easy to erase.
Use a kneaded eraser so you don't wear out your sheets.
Transfer character info over to a new character sheet when your current one gets too messy but keep your old ones.
Use different colored pencils or highlighters to note different features, abilities, or action types.
Use a pen to draw boxes for limited abilities like long rests, short rests, or spell slots. Use a pencil to mark them off so you can erase only the checks.
Track damage received, not hit points remaining. It's faster to add than subtract.
Organize actions by action type – actions, bonus actions, reactions, etc. Note action types next to abilities (Action, Bonus, Reaction, Move, etc.)
Make quick-reference sheets or cards to remind you of your character's primary actions during the game.
Draw pictures of your character. Let yourself be a kid again.
Enjoy the soda stains, scribbles, and other bits of wear and tear. These marks make your sheet unique in the world.

Enjoy Your Analog Game

Tabletop roleplaying games are so different from the digital entertainment that surrounds us. We control our games. We run our games. No one but us and our group decides what game to run or how to run it.

Embrace pencils, papers, and books. Enjoy the game using tools humankind has used for thousands of years and keep your game flexible, resilient, and fun.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Last week I posted a couple of YouTube videos on the Two Different Games at our RPG Table and War on Nighthaven – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 34 Lazy GM Prep.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs. Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video:

Patreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers:

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Know your players’ tolerance for tales of horror and gore.
Ask yourself what worked well in your last game. What can be improved?
Draw small maps on a dry-erase mat as players explore a dungeon.
Shake up your ideas with random tables.
Print and collect your favorite random tables from your most valued sources of such tables.
Write down notes at the end of the game you know you’ll need in your next game’s prep.
State clearly the goal and reward for the characters’ exploration.