Email Recaps-Good or bad idea?

[Hrevelax]

Is it a good idea to send detailed recaps of the game in emails?

I ask because I've read that letting your players tell you their version of what happened is a good way to get feedback on the game you're running.

But if I send my version of the recap, then they get all the info they need and more. I'm still letting them run the game, and the emails are more so people don't forget what's happened from week to week.

Also, I try to be thorough in the weekly emails. Like a two page newsletter with a recap, locations, NPCs, quests, rewards, encounters, PC moments, and some ideas I might have for the future (more like hints). Is this a good idea?

 

[aurance]

If you're willing to put in the time to do recaps, I think most players would enjoy it. I know I would.

 

[jbear]

It really depends on your players.

I think my players would feel like they were getting homework. They like the game, they are into it, they even realise what bad memories they have, but they all have jobs, kids, busy lives and really want to play when it's time to play.

2 pages is a lot. Bullet notes might be enough and more.

Then again you know your players, right?

Then again, you could ask them. You'll probably get a better answer than from us, as I think the answer would vary case by case, group by group.

 

[DNH]

I used to do recaps for our game but as I tend to overwrite things (see any of my posts on here for evidence!) they quickly expanded into full-blown accounts of the entire session, all padded out with descriptions of the environment, dialogues, internal monologues, the good times, the bad times, the works. The PCs became characters in an ongoing work of fiction, in short, one that I was writing up based on the events of the gaming session. Thing is, I really enjoyed writing them and my players really enjoyed reading them. We also all agreed that they were useful to recap events between one session and the next and I also used them to reinforce certain ideas, threads, events, locations and NPCs.

But ... writing like that takes time which I don't really have, if I'm honest, and so I took the decision a while back to stop doing it. My players were disappointed but understanding. Yes, I will kind of miss it but I simply don't have the time to do it.

[MENTION=75065]jbear[/MENTION] I don't think players would feel like they were getting homework if they were being given this document to read. I think they would do though if the OP asked *them* to submit something - probably not a good idea, that. I think yours is the best advice though - ask your players what *they* think.

 

[jbear]

[MENTION=63615]DNH[/MENTION] "players" is too general. That's why I said MY players.

 

[Ryujin]

I do it, fairly frequently. It's a good way to update players, who couldn't be present for a week or two, in the ongoing campaign, and it helps to solidify information in the players' minds between sessions. Even with good notes, it can be tough to remember what happened in detail.

 

[DNH]

Good point - it's good to fill in on events for the benefit of those occasional absentees.

 

[Hrevelax]

hanks for your input everyone! I've asked one member of the group, and they think it's a good idea. And since the reactions here all lean towards "yes", I think I'll go ahead with it.

I don't think players would feel like they were getting homework if they were being given this document to read. I think they would do though if the OP asked *them* to submit something - probably not a good idea, that.

Funny you mention homework. The game is still young, and in the first two newletters I did this:

-Send me your backstory by this day, and get a potion.
-Send me the top ten monsters you want to fight, get a lv1 magic item (party is at lv6, started at 5th).

The idea is to reward them for giving me ideas and hooks with something small that they probably don't need but wouldn't hurt to have.

 

[Locutus Zero]

I used to have the players give the recaps at the table, but that rarely worked out well. One would just read off of is notes, which were more about loot than what was going on. The rest usually couldn't remember key details, so I just started giving my own recaps at start of each session.

Doing it at the start of the session allows you to set the stage exactly as you want it. You can tell them exactly what they need to know without them feeling like they forgot and you are having to remind them. Plus, giving your own recap lets you make sure that certain things are clear that maybe weren't last session.

 

[Hrevelax]

I just sent out the email. It ended up being four pages long. Yeesh.

Here's what I included:

-Locations, NPCs, Quests with brief descriptions, important notes (bulleted).
-List of encounters, and about a paragraph detailing what happened and who did what.
-rewards
-Party visual description. I had them describe their PCs with something that stood out visually. Since this is the first time we've played these characters, this section wont be in the next letter.
-party backstories, less than a paragraph. This probably wont be in the next one either.
-My thoughts on the game, prizes for top ten monster lists, and any reminders or notes, game related or not.

I tried my best to keep everything brief and present it neatly and make it easy to skim through, highlighting or bolding keywords. Big blocks of text are a big no-no.