Notetaking

Many players keeping extensive notes while exploring the Mazes of Menace. This serves multiple purposes:

• to keep track of various in-game resources such as shops, fountains, altars, etc.
• to keep track of various events, such as prayer timeout.
• to preserve some information in the event the character has a bad encounter with Maud.
• to learn from their mistakes.

While this wiki provides information on universal facts ("is it safe to eat a kobold corpse?"), a player's notes serve to record information specific to the game he or she is playing that may change from game to game ("which floor has the entrance to Sokoban?").

The game does not provide any in-game note-taking ability (though some variants do), so typically a separate text-editing window or physical pen-and-paper is used. On some systems, screen shots can also be a handy way to record a floor's appearance with a single key press.

Things Worth Noting

Dungeon Features

• Branching information, such as which level has the entrance to Sokoban, where the Mines begin, how far down from that point Minetown is, etc.
• Location of shops. Particularly in the early game with characters who don't have abundant food, moving efficiently is important and knowing which dungeon level had a particular shop can be invaluable. The contents of shops is also valuable.
• Location of other dungeon features such as sinks, fountains, etc. A mid-game Valkyrie or Knight who wants to create Excalibur might need multiple fountains.
• Location of any durable Elbereth retreat squares the character has prepared.
• Location of any stashes the character has created.
• Configuration of various dungeon elements that change on a game-by-game basis. For example, which shops are in Minetown (and which floorplan Minetown has perhaps), if the alter there is co-aligned, etc.
• Dungeon "todos" such as floors that have not been completely explored, floors on which an unexplored vault exists, etc.

Character Attributes

Although the best way to review a character's attributes is through various means of Enlightenment, the character may not always have such means, particularly in the early game.

• Intrinsics the character has acquired. For example: "Has this character eaten a floating eye corpse (to gain telepathy) yet?"
• A matrix of desirable attributes (reflection, magic cancellation, resistances, etc.) and what gives them.

Events

• Last turn prayed, which is useful for tracking prayer timeout.
• Last turn an item was invoked.
• If your pet becomes separated from you, noting the level in which this occurred may be useful, as well as the turn on which separation too place. Separated pets lose tameness the longer they are apart from their owner.