What do you like in a session write-up?

[Golden Bee]

X-posted from rpg.net.

For last year or so, I've been focusing on exciting write-ups for my pulp game. Unlike actual plays, it's hard to find long-running examples of the genre. So I ask:

If you like reading about other people's sessions, what do you really like? Why do you keep reading?

Is it worthwhile to re-introduce the characters every post, or is a link to a characters page sufficient?

How much visual flare/pictures do you expect per (500 word) page?

What are your favorite ongoing or finished game write ups?

 

[Clint_L]

Who is the target audience? I normally just do session write-ups for the players, to help keep us all on top of the story. It's typically 1-2 pages including a few photos or images from the session.

 

[aco175]

Man, I do Jack and Squat for my write-ups.

If I ever wanted to read other people's play or get invested in others games, I would like a link to PC sheets or to a page that lists them and maybe the player's insight to them along with the DMs. I would be more interested in reading the funny parts of the night over just listing some rooms or actions that they took or the bad guys. I could read a Drizzt book if I wanted something on fancy fighting or a cool item, but the players saying something or the player making the character do something memorable would be better to me.

 

[prabe]

I've been really happy with the write-ups my wife does from her notes. They're extensive, and as player-side write-ups, they help keep me focused on the interests and goals of the players and their characters.

 

[Lanefan]

My game logs are 99% for myself and the current players with the other 1% being ex-players who might still want to check in on how things are going. I mean, anyone else can read 'em if you like but you'd be on your own for figuring out what was what.

Their main purpose is to remind us what happened and who (among the characters) was there, important in a campaign like this that's now in its 18th year.

As the long logs can get a bit verbose, I also do parallel short-form logs mostly to provide the root data for various statistics and numbers analysis, thus major things like character deaths, a new character joining, and so on are always noted and highlighted.

 

[plecostomus]

As the long-term notetaker for my group, I have observed that the players who would benefit most from reading session notes have zero interest in doing so. So I write the notes I would most like to read more than anything else.

Also I never take notes during the session. I upload a recording to youtube, and once youtube has made its automatic transcript, I use that as a guide. Obviously won't work too well for live sessions.

Distantly from these out-of-character notes, I also keep an in-character journal that usually hits on the major story points but also contains a ton of rambling. This is also 99% for my own enjoyment, though a couple other players chat with me about it a lot which is nice.

For other people's write-ups, I read them when I need advice about an adventure. For example Jasper's Quests From the Infinite Staircase write-ups are very helpful to me. This was not reading for enjoyment so much as reading to figure out how the game was run.

 

[Golden Bee]

Who is the target audience? I normally just do session write-ups for the players, to help keep us all on top of the story. It's typically 1-2 pages including a few photos or images from the session.

I’ve been posting write ups on some forums for more than a decade now, so presumably other posters. Since I’m the only player who attends every session, they’re control+ F searchable for major characters. We also maintain a huge NPC database.

 

[Golden Bee]

Anyone else read writeups often?

 

[chuckdee]

My write-ups are used for a few purposes

1. To allow players to remember and reference what has gone before
2. For onboarding new players
3. To craft a story from the emerging play that we have to a cohesive story
4. With playtesting, to take the notes and put them in a form that is cogent in relation to the material, but not sterile.

PbEM Nexus Wiki | Main / HomePage browse

That's some games that we've done.

City of Towers

Swords of the Serpentine Campaign in Eberron

write.as

This is a playtest write up for Swords of the Serpentine.

 

[GMMichael]

Anyone else read writeups often?

It seems like everyone who wants an opinion on what to do next in his/her game provides a writeup that is waaaaay too long. I don't need to know what town Zorak is from and what school of wizardry his sister-in-law is considering for a specialization - to offer my opinion on whether he should go back and rescue the party bard.

...unless you write like GRR Martin. Then I want to read about it...