# Obsidian - Lets Talk Learning Curve ![[images/Obsidian-Lets-Talk-Learning-Curve.webp]] [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUVXf0DDCE8) · 35:27 · Josh Plunkett · 2024-10-26 ## Outline ### 00:00 Obsidian for TTRPGs - Wherever Josh goes on social media, people ask what to use for notes and campaign management, and his answer is always Obsidian. In the last six months he's noticed it's no longer just him: lots of people now use it for TTRPG campaigns, largely because it's free and good at the job. - Whenever it's recommended, someone says it's too complex because they "can't code." Josh's point: at ground level Obsidian is just a Markdown editor, and **Markdown is not coding**. - Markdown is a syntax that applies consistent formatting. Instead of selecting text and picking bold, blue and a box (as in Word, OneNote or Google Docs), you mark something as a callout or a heading with `#` and every callout or heading across your notes looks the same. ### 02:56 Markdown basics - He opens a nicely formatted adventure note in reading view: heading, body text, bold, links, images, callout boxes, a banner, left and right images, a tag, encounter blocks and a map. ![[images/Obsidian-Lets-Talk-Learning-Curve-t0310.webp]] - Switched to source mode, it's just text. An underscore makes italics, double stars make bold, but you don't have to learn those: `Ctrl+B` works, and keyboard users get speed from the syntax. - Callouts use `>` and a `[!type]+` header, which Josh admits he'll never remember. In live preview you can right-click, insert a callout, then right-click again to change its type, colour or icon. ![[images/Obsidian-Lets-Talk-Learning-Curve-t0610.webp]] - Right-click also inserts a **table**, and you grow it with plus buttons. Source mode shows the table syntax, but the UI means he doesn't use source mode for tables any more. - Images are `![[name.ext]]`. The extra left/200 sizing comes from a CSS snippet bundled with his theme. Pasting an image from the web with `Ctrl+V` just works; removing the `!` turns it into a link. ### 09:11 Complexity and customization - The real question is what you're using Obsidian *for* at the table. Some people want it to do everything: character sheets, a DM's triangle tabs, trackers, random tables. You can go very deep down the rabbit hole. - Example: community member Dave's character sheet (a bit broken after an Obsidian table change) with checkboxes, input fields, dropdowns, sliders and linked inventory. In edit mode this *is* code-like, using **Meta Bind** syntax plus some JavaScript. ![[images/Obsidian-Lets-Talk-Learning-Curve-t1050.webp]] - If that sends you running for the hills, fine: you don't need any of it. Josh would rather pay for D&D Beyond content than build his own character sheet, but likes that Obsidian *allows* it. - Another user added party health bars to images, with buttons to reset and track health and status effects. Cool, but not something Josh would use. - Most of what a DM does is write campaign information and present it readably, and basic Markdown handles that. You could learn most of what he showed in a night. ### 13:53 Using plugins effectively - In his 5e vault he shows a **Dataview** table that scans the current note for linked monsters (icons come from another plugin). It's his "get the minis off the shelf" list at session start. A second query lists linked magic items by a `source type` property. ![[images/Obsidian-Lets-Talk-Learning-Curve-t1530.webp]] - He doesn't know Dataview syntax and never will. Someone on Discord shared code for "all links in the current note"; he changed the filters and saved it as a **template** he inserts with `Alt+T`. Another template lists every orc or goblin he owns, which he uses to build more varied encounters. - For new queries he sends users to the **Obsidian TTRPG Community Discord** (linked at obsidianttrpgtutorials.com). Typing `!dataview` in beginner chat brings up help text, docs and a **query builder wizard**: pick list or table, filter by tag such as `NPC`, copy, paste. ![[images/Obsidian-Lets-Talk-Learning-Curve-t1840.webp]] - In his Pathfinder vault, **Initiative Tracker** encounter blocks come from a template (`Alt+T`, insert encounter, change it to six orcs). **Leaflet** maps also come from a template; he just sets the map name, zoom levels and image bounds. - Links are typed inline (here's a link to an orc), and headings are just more or fewer `#`s. At base level it's a simple tool to start a campaign manager with. ### 21:48 Practical DM workflows - The Discord has beginner chat, an "ask a question" forum, vault chat and an **advanced chat** tucked in a corner for the JavaScript tinkerers (Dave is famous for pulling people in). You don't need JavaScript to get the best out of the tool. - The deep tinkerers enjoy proving something can be done as a hobby; Josh doesn't see much of it used constantly in actual games. - Another TTRPG tool (unnamed) published an article calling Obsidian too complex, claiming it takes weeks or months and singling out Leaflet and **GeoJSON**. Josh has met one person who uses GeoJSON: **Anna** (the creator of well-known Greyhawk maps), an experienced cartographer. Everyone else drops in an image, sets dimensions and adds pins. - Against "you need heaps of plugins," he points to his **starter vault** on Patreon (about $2.50 a month), which ships folders, plugins, settings and theme so you're running in about ten minutes. He'd still rather you learn the parts, but it suits people who learn by example. - His rule: when making notes, think about what you need at the table to deliver information to the party. If you have to stop and check whether the code works, you've gone too far. ### 27:17 The Obsidian journey - Why he uses it: it's local and free, needs no internet or anyone else's service, and has no subscription to reach your own notes. Basic notes cover 90 to 95 percent of what a session needs. - Nearly three years in, he went from trying every toy to a settled kit: **Leaflet** for maps, **Initiative Tracker** for combat, **Fantasy Statblocks** for stat blocks, and linked spells now that he's moved to **Pathfinder 2e**. A little AI for templated notes and some dice rollers, rarely used; he rolls physical dice. - Players never see Leaflet; it lets him jump to the right room in his notes. Obsidian is "as complex as you make it." ### 30:10 Community and support - A tour of the Discord channels: beginner chat, ask-a-question posts with category tags to find already-solved issues (for example themes), vault chat, advanced chat (keep code there), and showcase (someone made pie charts). - To people who call Obsidian too complex: it's either fear of learning something new or the strangeness of Markdown with no format bar. Spend the time to learn it; it's a faster way to take notes. - Obsidian's weakness is no native sync, because it's local-first, which is exactly why Josh uses it. A student on public transport might be better off with OneNote's sync across devices. Pick the tool that helps you deliver information to your players. - Outro: like and subscribe, and visit obsidianttrpgtutorials.com for tutorials, the community and the starter vault. ## Things mentioned ### Obsidian core features - **Markdown** basics: headings (`#`), bold, italics, links, `![[image]]` embeds - **Callouts**, inserted and restyled from the right-click menu in live preview - **Tables** via right-click insert table - Source mode, live preview and reading view - Core **Templates** (Josh inserts his with `Alt+T`) ### Plugins and code - **Dataview**: dynamic lists and tables of notes (free community plugin) - **Meta Bind**: input fields, sliders and dropdowns used in Dave's character sheet (free) - JavaScript in notes (advanced, optional) - **Initiative Tracker**: encounter blocks and combat (free) - **Leaflet** (Obsidian Leaflet): interactive image maps with pins; GeoJSON support (free) - **Fantasy Statblocks**: monster stat blocks (free) - Dice roller plugins and AI note templates (mentioned briefly) - A theme-bundled CSS snippet for image alignment and sizing ### Websites, communities and products - [Obsidian TTRPG Tutorials](https://obsidianttrpgtutorials.com), Josh's tutorial site - Obsidian TTRPG Community Discord: beginner chat, ask a question, vault chat, advanced chat, showcase, and a `!dataview` command with a query builder wizard - Josh's **Starter Vault** on Patreon (about $2.50 a month, paid) - Obsidian itself: free and local-first; no built-in free sync ### TTRPG systems and tools - D&D 5e and **D&D Beyond** (paid digital content, which Josh would buy instead of building a character sheet) - **Pathfinder 2nd Edition**, which Josh's table switched to - Greyhawk maps made in GeoJSON - An unnamed competing TTRPG campaign tool whose article called Obsidian too complex - Comparison tools: Microsoft Word, OneNote, Google Drive and Docs ## Bios - **Josh Plunkett**: an Australian Dungeon Master and YouTuber who runs Obsidian TTRPG Tutorials and its community Discord. He teaches how to use Obsidian as a campaign manager and sells a starter vault on Patreon. Here he's about two years into using Obsidian and has moved his table to Pathfinder 2e. - **Dave**: an active Obsidian TTRPG community member known for JavaScript-heavy builds such as an interactive character sheet. He's famous for pulling people into advanced chat. - **Anna**: the creator of widely shared Greyhawk maps, which she builds in GeoJSON. She's the only GeoJSON user Josh has met. (The caption spelling is unclear, so the name may differ.)