Free template · Games & Tabletop
D&D Campaign Tracker Template
A D&D campaign tracker is a dungeon master's record of what has happened in a campaign: each session, the NPCs the party has met, open plot threads, loot and promises made. It helps a DM keep continuity across months of play and prepare the next session quickly.
Who it's for: Dungeon masters and game masters running D&D or other tabletop role-playing campaigns.
Free, no email needed. Google Sheets: download the .xlsx, then File > Import > Upload.
Preview
These are the real columns with example rows. Click Try it here to type your own rows and download them.
| Session | Type | Name | Details | Party knows? | Status | Next time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S14, 2026-09-20 | Session | Night at the Yawning Portal | Party won the brawl, owes Durnan 50 gp | Yes | Resolved | Durnan asks for the gold |
| S14, 2026-09-20 | NPC | Vess, fence | Tiefling fence, knows about the seal | Partly | Open | She wants a favour |
| S12, 2026-09-06 | Plot thread | The missing heir | Heir fled Waterdeep with a stolen seal | Partly | Open | Seal shows up at the auction |
| S13, 2026-09-13 | Loot | Cloak of the Manta Ray | Taken from the sunken ship | Yes | Resolved |
What goes in each column
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Session | Session number and date | S14, 2026-09-20 |
| Type | Session, NPC, Plot thread, Location, Loot | Plot thread |
| Name | What or who | The missing heir |
| Details | What the party knows | Heir fled Waterdeep with a stolen seal |
| Party knows? | Yes, Partly, No | Partly |
| Status | Open, Resolved, Dropped | Open |
| Next time | What to prepare or pay off | Seal shows up at the auction |
Why these columns: The hardest part of long campaigns is remembering what the players know and what you promised. Party knows? and Next time track exactly that.
How to use it in 5 steps
- After every session, spend five minutes adding a Session row and any new NPCs or threads.
- Mark Party knows? honestly. It stops you revealing secrets twice or forgetting to reveal them.
- Filter Status to Open before prep. Those are your hooks for the next session.
- Use Next time to plant payoffs for things players care about.
- Every few sessions, move threads you have abandoned to Dropped so the Open list stays useful.
Spreadsheet, dedicated software, or Notion?
| Option | Best for | Falls short when |
|---|---|---|
| This spreadsheet | Fast notes after each session | No NPC pages, maps or images |
| A paper notebook | Notes during play | Hard to search months later |
| Notion version | NPCs, sessions, lore and plot threads linked, with session prep | Needs Notion |
If the free spreadsheet does everything you need, stick with it. The Notion version is for when you want the pieces connected.
Want it connected? Ultimate DnD Campaign Manager & DM Session Prep
The spreadsheet is one table. The Notion system links it to everything around it:
- NPCs, locations, sessions and plot threads linked
- Session prep page that pulls open threads automatically
- Player-facing wiki you can share without spoilers
- Encounter and loot tracking
See Ultimate DnD Campaign Manager & DM Session Prep
Instant duplicate link after purchase.
Questions
What should a DM track between sessions?
What happened, who the party met, open plot threads, loot, and anything promised to players.
Does this work for Pathfinder or other systems?
Yes. Nothing in it is specific to D&D rules.
Can players see the tracker?
Keep your own copy private. Share a filtered version with only rows where Party knows? is Yes.
How long does it take to update?
About five minutes after each session if you do it the same night.