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.

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

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

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.

The documentation is available in multiple formats and languages:

• PDF - Print-ready version
• EPUB - E-reader format
• ODT - LibreOffice/Word format

• PDF - Versione per la stampa
• EPUB - Formato e-reader
• ODT - Formato LibreOffice/Word

• PDF - Version imprimable
• EPUB - Format e-reader
• ODT - Format LibreOffice/Word

Extended notation for specific gameplay needs:

• Combat Add-on - Tactical encounter notation
• Dungeon Crawling Add-on - Exploration notation
• Resource Tracking Add-on - Inventory and supplies
• Add-on Guidelines - How to write your own add-on
• Add-on Template - Starter template

• 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

This repository uses Quarto to generate documentation from Markdown source files.

Install Quarto:

• Windows: choco install quarto (via Chocolatey)
• macOS: brew install quarto
• Linux: Download from quarto.org

Render all languages:

for lang in en it fr; do
  quarto render docs/$lang/lonelog*.md --output-dir output/$lang/
done

Render a specific language:

quarto render docs/en/lonelog.md --output-dir output/en/      # English
quarto render docs/it/lonelog-it.md --output-dir output/it/   # Italian
quarto render docs/fr/lonelog-fr.md --output-dir output/fr/   # French

Render to a specific format:

quarto render docs/en/lonelog.md --to pdf --output-dir output/en/
quarto render docs/en/lonelog.md --to epub --output-dir output/en/

Preview with live reload:

quarto preview docs/en/lonelog.md

/
├── index.html                              # Docsify entry point
├── _quarto.yml                             # Quarto configuration
├── docs/                                   # Markdown source files
│   ├── README.md                           # Site home (language selector)
│   ├── en/                                 # English documentation
│   │   ├── lonelog.md                      # Main specification
│   │   ├── lonelog-addon-guidelines.md     # Add-on guidelines
│   │   ├── lonelog-addon-template.md       # Add-on template
│   │   ├── lonelog-combat-addon.md         # Combat add-on
│   │   ├── lonelog-dungeon-crawling-addon.md # Dungeon crawling add-on
│   │   ├── lonelog-resource-tracking-addon.md # Resource tracking add-on
│   │   └── _sidebar.md                     # Docsify sidebar (EN)
│   ├── it/                                 # Italian translation
│   │   ├── lonelog-it.md
│   │   └── _sidebar.md
│   └── fr/                                 # French translation
│       ├── lonelog-fr.md
│       └── _sidebar.md
├── output/                                 # Rendered documents (Quarto)
│   ├── en/                                 # English renders
│   ├── it/                                 # Italian renders
│   └── fr/                                 # French renders
├── _extensions/                            # Custom templates and filters
│   ├── typst-template.typ                  # Custom Typst styling
│   ├── typst-show.typ                      # Template partial
│   └── pagebreak.lua                       # Pagebreak filter
├── assets/                                 # Shared assets (images, fonts)
├── legacy/                                 # Previous versions
└── .readthedocs.yaml                       # Read the Docs build config

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

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

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

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

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

• v1.3.0 (Current) - Add-on ecosystem and expanded notation
• v1.1.0 - Licensing and inline definitions
• v1.0.0 - Renamed from "Solo TTRPG Notation" to "Lonelog"

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

Roberto Bisceglie

• 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

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.

Made with Quarto • Styled with Typst