In a perfect world, you have clear, concise information at your fingertips. But official campaign modules for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition are often written in a free-flowing, narrative style that’s difficult to quickly reference. Read tips from master DM DragnaCarta for preparing your sessions for adventure modules.

DMs running social encounters must often rely on paragraphs of bullet-pointed notes, creating a loop of forgetfulness, cross-referencing, and clumsy adjudication that can leave any DM frustrated. By contrast, while combat encounters also include many moving parts, the combat statblock helps organize our ability to operate enemies in combat, streamlining our efforts and reducing the mental load. How might we do the same for social encounters in D&D 5e?