Contribute

We welcome session notes from any tabletop RPG campaign. If you’d like to contribute your own campaign write-ups to Old School Gamers, here’s how. Don’t worry if you’re not a developer – this guide will walk you through everything step by step.

1. Create a GitHub Account

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GitHub is a website that stores our site’s files and tracks changes. If you don’t already have an account, sign up for free at github.com.

2. Request to Join

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Contact [email protected] to request an invitation to the Old School Gamers GitHub organization. Include your GitHub username in the email. You’ll receive an invitation link to accept.

3. Install Git

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Git is the tool that lets you download the site’s files and submit your changes. You only need to install it once.

Windows

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Download and install Git for Windows. During installation the default options are fine. This gives you Git Bash, a terminal you can use to run the commands below.

Alternatively, GitHub Desktop provides a graphical interface if you prefer not to use the command line.

Mac

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Open the Terminal app (found in Applications > Utilities) and type:

git --version

If Git isn’t already installed, macOS will prompt you to install the Xcode Command Line Tools. Follow the prompts and you’re done.

You can also install GitHub Desktop for a graphical interface.

Linux

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Install Git using your distribution’s package manager. For example:

• Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install git
• Fedora: sudo dnf install git

4. Download the Site Files

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Open a terminal (Git Bash on Windows, Terminal on Mac/Linux) and run:

git clone https://github.com/old-school-gamers/org.git

This creates a folder called org containing all the site files. Move into it:

cd org

5. Create a Branch

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A branch is your own working copy where you can make changes without affecting the live site. Create one and switch to it:

git checkout -b my-session-notes

You can name the branch whatever you like, such as add-shadowmaze-session-46 or new-campaign-darkhalls.

Content Guidelines and Fair Use

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Session notes are your own creative writing about your gaming experiences, so you own that content. However, keep the following in mind:

• Game system references are fine. Mentioning rule systems, spell names, class names, and game mechanics in the context of describing your sessions is fair use. You’re writing about your experience playing the game, not republishing the rules.
• Don’t reproduce copyrighted material. Do not copy stat blocks, tables, lengthy rule passages, or other substantial content from published sourcebooks, modules, or adventures. Summarize or paraphrase instead.
• Module and adventure spoilers. If your campaign is based on a published adventure, write about what happened in your session rather than reproducing the adventure text. Your party’s unique choices and outcomes are yours to share; the author’s boxed text and plot descriptions are not.
• Images and art. Only use images you created yourself, generated with AI tools, or have explicit permission to use. Do not upload artwork, maps, or handouts scanned from published products.
• Character names and settings. Using setting names (Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, etc.) and referencing published NPCs or locations in your narrative is normal and expected in session write-ups.

When in doubt, ask yourself: “Am I describing what happened at my table, or am I copying someone else’s published work?” Stick to the former and you’ll be fine.

6. Add Your Session Notes

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Session notes live inside the content/ folder. Each campaign has its own subfolder, and each session is a directory containing an index.md file and any images.

File Structure

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content/yourcampaign/2026-02-01/
  index.md
  map.webp

If you’re adding sessions to an existing campaign, put your new session directory alongside the others. If you’re starting a new campaign, create a new folder under content/.

Creating the Session File

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Create your index.md file using any plain text editor (Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac set to plain text, or any code editor like VS Code). Each file starts with a header block between +++ marks, followed by your session write-up:

+++
title = "Your Campaign -- Session 1"
date = 2026-02-01T00:00:00-05:00
draft = false
categories = ["gaming"]
tags = ["your-campaign", "gaming"]
+++

Your session notes go here. Write from whatever perspective works best --
first person, third person, or a mix. There are no strict formatting rules
beyond keeping it readable.

Use blank lines to separate paragraphs. You can use **bold** and *italic*
text, and add [links](https://example.com) using Markdown syntax.

Adding Images

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Place image files (.webp, .jpg, or .png) in the same directory as your index.md. Reference them in your text with:

{{< img src="map.webp" alt="Session map" >}}

7. Submit Your Changes

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Once your files are ready, run these commands in your terminal:

git add content/yourcampaign/
git commit -m "Add session notes for Your Campaign session 1"
git push -u origin my-session-notes

Then go to the repository on GitHub. You’ll see a banner offering to create a pull request from your branch. Click it, add a short description, and submit. Someone will review it and merge it into the live site.

Using GitHub Desktop Instead

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If you’d rather avoid the command line entirely, GitHub Desktop lets you do all of the above through a graphical interface:

1. Sign in with your GitHub account.
2. Click Clone a Repository and select old-school-gamers/org.
3. Create a new branch using the branch menu at the top.
4. Add your files in the content/ folder using your file manager.
5. GitHub Desktop will show your changes. Add a summary message and click Commit.
6. Click Push origin, then Create Pull Request.

Questions?

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Reach out to [email protected] with any questions about contributing.