D&D 5E When writing a session recap up how clear do you make the clues?

[bedir than]

I write up session recaps over on a site for the campaign. I've drifted between a narrative style, a more historical accounting and a just-facts version. I'm curious as to how many clues and hooks you include in these, if you do them.

Do you make it clear that something is a hook, or only list those that seemed to have taken?

Would you ask the players what they thought was most important?

How much detail would you include so the PCs can refresh before their next session?

 

[fjw70]

I don't do session write-ups. I will sometimes give the players a short narrative recap of previous session if it's been a while since we played, but I don't highlight clues.

 

[Plaguescarred]

Like fjw70 i don't do sessions write-ups but short narrative recaps. I usually don't highlight clues that would have been missed unless it's very critical to the campaign development.

 

[fjw70]

I would probably mention a clue that the players recognized as a clue and was something they intended to follow-up on.

 

[evil homer]

I would probably mention a clue that the players recognized as a clue and was something they intended to follow-up on.

I actually take the opposite approach. I use the session aftermath write up for a couple of things. First I highlight the session, quick recap of the action and use it to hand out clues that they breezed by or sometimes even missed. This way they have in writing where things stands, what they have discovered to deduced and so on. To me if the point is to tell the story and not stump the players then there isn't a reason to withhold anything they might have reasonably discovered or deduced.

Second I use the aftermath post to hand out xp and loot if necessary. This is particularly true when we are ending a chapter, module, or adventure. I try and tackled every bit of paperwork and overhead between session so when we get together to play, we can start quickly. There are 7 players in my game, we play for about 4 hours on a Thursday night. I want to be playing for those four hours not accounting.

Finally I use the aftermath post to address and rules issues that came up. I'm currently running Pathfinder so there are generally more of these than in 5th. I also use it to explain why I ruled something a certain way if I think it is required.

 

[iserith]

Once I've telegraphed some information that may be relevant later (and I try to be very dutiful about this), I've fulfilled my duties in my view. Only if it makes sense during play do I bring it up again, such if they cover the same ground. When it comes to clues, forget 'em, disregard 'em, misinterpret 'em - that's on the players. The players have ears, brains, pens, and paper which means they have all the tools they need to take note of important clues on their own.

 

[Blue]

I often give out bennies to players who do session write-ups and send them to our email list. Especially if there was information in there I don't want to highlight but is relevant.

I do occasional session write-up between sessions via email, but I don't highlight clues. Mostly do recaps if we're missing a session due to RL, if there was a lot of exposition in it so they have another chance to digest, or if a player missed the game.

I try to do a short recap at the beginning of each session, but that's to get the action moving so it's short and to the point.

 

[Prakriti]

My Roll20 recaps are one sentence in length. "The party did this, this, then this."

Anything longer would be a waste of time, IMO.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I don't write session recaps, but I do start each session with a run-down of where the party is and what they are up to - usually conducted at least in part by a player that took notes the previous session.

Because my group goes at least two weeks between sessions of our campaigns due to our alternating schedule of two different campaigns on Friday nights, and we sometimes have weeks we don't play or other campaigns whose sessions sneak in on a Saturday here or there, I make sure to remind the players of anything important that they may have forgotten - because I don't think it would be fair to the players to expect nearly perfect recall of things that happened at least two weeks, and often longer because sometimes life conspires to prevent a session, ago.

For the most part though, I have to say that I'm not giving them the clues they didn't pick up on before, just reminders of what they did figure out - except for when it comes down to the player wrote a note and reading it now has no idea what they meant, I help them sort those out.

 

[Dorian_Grey]

I only provide that which the players tell me they feel certain on, and I phrase it as follows:

You feel certain about the following pieces of information:
* X
* Y
* Z

They take their own notes of course, but that way I also know what they feel they "know". And sometimes it makes me crack up while I write it, but that's cause I'm evil.