Recaps of Game Sessions

When you reconvene for a new game session in a tabletop campaign, your players typically need a refresher of previous events. This serves as a reminder of previous events, as well as a way to segue into the new chapter of an ongoing adventure. It's especially important if you have new players or someone who missed a session. What follows are my favorite techniques for delivering useful recaps of the game that are informative and easy to share with your players.

Keep it short and sweet.

Writing a multi-page novelization of your previous session is more likely to cause confusion or tedium than anything. If you include every detail, the players will be unable to distinguish the important bits from those that aren't as relevant. It's important to keep your recap brief, focusing on events that will affect and influence the session to come.

I like to use bullet points of the most important events and details to convey as much useful information as possible without all the extraneous material that might be distracting or boring. Leave out individual encounters unless they resulted in a significant plot point. It's more important to mention that the group finally met Lord Rigel, or found a mysterious gemstone, than the fact that they had a run in with a gelatinous cube. Stick to the highlights.

Present it like a TV Show

There are a lot of television programs that run a synopsis of previous events at the beginning of each episode. Take inspiration from these and try replicating this format in your tabletop campaign. For instance, you might play music while you recap! Choose a song with an ambiance that won't be too distracting and make it your campaign's official theme song. You might have your recap scripted out, so you can read it aloud dramatically.

For my Star Wars campaign, for instance, I replicate the style of the opening crawl text from the classic films. If the beginning of your game becomes iconic to your group, it will be a great way to put everyone in the mood at the start, and get your session launched properly. So give the opening of your game some panache and have fun with it!

Let the players do it

There's no better way to engage your players than by giving them an active role things. By having your players recap their own adventure, you challenge the group to think back on their past and consider their current situation. You'll learn what was memorable and important to them, which will be useful information to have as DM. You can either choose one player to lead the recap for each session, or go around the table and let each party member share part of the story.

You will probably have to coach and prompt the players a bit in order to cover all the important parts, because it is all too easy to gloss over certain details, especially when they happened a week or more ago. No worries! Try kicking it off yourself, then pass it off to the players to finish the recap with whatever details they remember, as you clue them in if they forget something.

Use handouts

For more ease of reference, consider posting recaps of the game to an online group, or having a printed handout. If you run an intrigue-heavy game, an appendix of NPCs might be very useful for your group. Remember that it isn't always easy for players to remember every single element of your campaign, and they probably don't have notes as detailed as the DM. Provide them with the tools to keep up, and remember that having a reference on hand increases their likelihood of putting that information to use. Making it easier for your players makes it easier for yourself!

Happy ventures!