Lonelog

A Standard Notation for Solo RPG Session Logging

Lonelog is a lightweight notation system for recording solo tabletop RPG sessions. It provides a standardized way to capture game mechanics, oracle questions, and narrative outcomes—keeping your session logs readable, searchable, and shareable.

What is Lonelog?

If you’ve played solo RPGs, you know the challenge: you’re deep in an exciting scene, dice are rolling, oracles are answering questions, and you need to capture it all without breaking the flow.

Lonelog offers a modular shorthand that:

  • Separates mechanics from narrative
  • Works across any RPG system (Ironsworn, Mythic GME, Thousand Year Old Vampire, etc.)
  • Scales from quick one-shots to long campaigns
  • Functions in both digital markdown files and paper notebooks

Core Notation (5 symbols)

@ Player action
? Oracle question
d: Dice/mechanics roll
-> Result/answer
=> Consequence/outcome

Quick Example

S1 *Dark alley, midnight*
@ Sneak past the guard
d: Stealth 4 vs TN 5 -> Fail
=> The guard spots me and shouts an alarm

? Does backup arrive? (Likely)
-> Yes, and they have dogs
=> I need to run—fast

That’s the entire core system. Everything else (scenes, threads, progress clocks, etc.) is optional.

Read the Documentation

Every page has PDF, EPUB, ODT and Markdown downloads in its sidebar.

Also available in Italiano and Français.

Features

  • System-agnostic - Works with any solo RPG system
  • Modular - Use only what you need
  • Markdown-compatible - Digital tools and plain text notebooks
  • Searchable - Tags and symbols make finding past events easy
  • Shareable - Standard notation means others can read your session logs
  • Multi-language - Documentation available in English, Italian, and French

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here’s how you can help:

Translations

Help translate Lonelog into additional languages. Use docs/en/lonelog.md as the source and maintain the same frontmatter structure.

Improvements

Found a typo or unclear explanation? Open an issue or submit a pull request.

Module Extensions

Created an optional add-on for a specific type of play? Share it with the community!

Examples

Real session logs using Lonelog are valuable for demonstrating the notation. Consider sharing anonymized examples.

Version History

  • v1.7.0 (Current) - Consolidation release: d: gives a verdict and tbl: gives content (gen: folded in), truthful comparisons, accumulating tags, [E:] for events, parallel storylines, meta-note labels and retcons, specification summary appendix
  • v1.6.0 - Lead/Assist @(A > B) and Joint Action @(A+B)
  • v1.5.0 - d: is now the preferred notation for oracle dice rolls; clarified when to use d:, tbl:, and gen: for oracle resolution
  • v1.4.1 - Indentation clarified as optional and a readability aid, not structural
  • v1.4.0 - @(Name) convention for multi-PC and companion play, promoted from the Combat Add-on
  • v1.3.0 - Tag category syntax, multi-line tag form, and roll context blocks inside d:
  • v1.2.0 - Add-on ecosystem introduced
  • v1.1.0 - License clarification; inline table definitions, filtered option sets, multi-line result blocks
  • v1.0.0 - Renamed from “Solo TTRPG Notation” to “Lonelog”

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

You are free to:

  • Share - Copy and redistribute the material
  • Adapt - Remix, transform, and build upon the material

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution - Give appropriate credit
  • ShareAlike - Distribute under the same license

Author

Roberto Bisceglie

Community

  • Share your session logs with the #lonelog hashtag
  • Ask questions or suggest improvements via GitHub Issues
  • Join discussions about solo RPG notation and best practices

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the solo RPG community for feedback, suggestions, and real-world usage that shaped this notation system from its origins as “Solo TTRPG Notation” to Lonelog v1.0.0.