Using a planner-sized binder for character sheets isn’t a new idea, YouTube has countless examples of people showcasing theirs. However, it wasn’t until I came across some Japanese stationery that the idea made sense to me.
Update: I’ve made A5 and B5 templates for D&D 5e.
When I started playing D&D, the first thing I did after creating my character sheet was grab a binder and a 3-hole punch to place it and all my supporting things inside. I had plastic sheets full of spell cards and extra pages of note paper to take my session notes on. Ultimately, I grew frustrated by the setup… I took a new spell from a new book—one that I didn’t have a spell card for yet. The bulky letter-sized binder was a pain to open and use at a crowded table, and it was a pain to flip back and forth through to view my spells. So after a while, the binder went to my shelf, and a couple of stapled sheets got tucked into a file folder in my bag.
Then I got the Remarkable 2, and I created the Remarkable character sheet PDF template. It is easy to flip through and holds all my session notes. I like to have a small booklet that I hand bind with all my spells fully detailed, so that I can view them at the same time. But every time my spell list changes, I end up having to scrap the whole booklet and rebind a new one. So when it finally clicked in my mind that I could print on pre-drilled sheets, I realized that the thin refillable Japanese binder notebooks would be a perfect solution to my problem.
I load the A5-sized sheets into my printer and run the spells off, and I can easily insert them as my character levels up. And if I remove a spell, it’s as simple as updating that sheet and replacing it in the book; I no longer have to throw the whole thing out and start over.
Download A5 Binder-friendly DCC Character Sheet
I have also been playing in a bi-weekly DCC game at a local bar called the DMen Tap, and while I love my Remarkable 2, I’d rather not carry it around a busy bar in low light. It’s an open table game, and we roll new characters for the sessions pretty frequently, but you can also reuse past characters if they fit the level of the session. So I have made some generic DCC player sheets that fit my Kukuyo Smart Ring Binder. With it, I’m able to keep a couple of loose-leaf sheets for my notes and my characters all in one place. Along with my hand-bound table reference doc, I’m able to keep all my play aids to a tiny, lightweight form factor that doesn’t take up too much space on the crowded bar tables we play on.
What Are Smart Ring Binders?
Popular for their sleek style and slim sizes, these binders come in small format factors like A5 and B5, which are more compact than the standard US office binder. There are all kinds of styles of these binders with different capacities, but I have found the Kukuyo Smart Ring Binder particularly well-suited for use as a character sheet because it’s as thin as a notebook and easy to fit on a crowded table.
This guide by Jet Pens gives a full rundown on a wide range of options.
Where Can You Buy Smart Ring Binders?
In addition to Amazon, you can find a full range of options on Jet Pens. Muji also offers a range of affordable options that can be used with other products that follow the standard 20 (A5) or 26 (B6) hole sizes. Their binders tend to be on the bulkier side, though, so they may be better suited for longer-form documents like a GM’s prep notes.
Helpful Accessories for Smart Ring Binders
Most binders come with a few pages of lined paper, so you will need to buy some blank paper to print on. Both Kukuyo and Muji have options that have worked for me. You also have the option of buying paper without holes and punching your own. The benefit of doing this is that you have a wider array of paper choices, especially if you cut it down to size. The Carl A5 20-hole Punch can be used to add the holes after printing.
