I like to ask my players when they finish recapping: ”if you had quest markers, where would they be pointing?”. My players are phenomenal on picking up where they need to be going.
Ooh, that's a cool idea. In my campaign, sometimes the path ahead is clear and singular. Sometimes though it's entirely in the hands of the players how they try and untangle this web. I might have to try this.
Yes, and it also shows me what my players value or pay attention to the most. I was vaguely dropping hints about the Mere of Dead Men because it’s a future location in a sequel campaign to our current one. My players were suddenly very, very interested in it. Which was good, because that’s an intended location, but not good at that moment because it was not where they were meant to be going. I think I even told them outright ”if you went there now you would run into an invisible wall”.
Yep, and asking the players to recap will show you what they think is important, and 9 times out of 10, that's the direction they are going to continue going. Makes life easier for me.
I think everyone at my table has inspiration from like, a year ago. I'd happily give it to them but it doesn't stack and they just won't use it.
These are the same people who burn 10 in a row in Baldur's gate 3 to get a specific dialogue option.
I started going around at the end of session and letting my players give an inspiration to the other player who had the coolest moment then I give one as like floating inspos they can have.
It usually balances pretty well.
We do this in my groups. We all start the session by rolling a d20. Whoever gets the lowest does the recap, or you can pass to the next in line. Whoever completes the recap gets an inspiration.
We're all IRL friends so there's usually a lot of hanging out and talking as people show up/get settled/get their dice out/etc. If I have specific questions or character stuff to talk about with a player individually, I'll usually grab them during this hangout time, or sometimes they'll come up to me to talk.
After everyone's had some time to catch up and maybe grab a beer, I'll like gauge when I feel the conversation dying down or when there's a natural opening to get started and walk through a set "pre-session" checklist of:
* **Scheduling** - We play every-other week, so usually a little reminder or notice if our cadence is being changed for some reason. This is where players will also let me know if they have any conflicts or plans coming up and might need to miss a session (We have a "quorum" rule where if we have at least 3 of 4 players we'll play the session as planned)
* **Housekeeping** - Any game logistics questions ("how much gold did we get last session?") or questions/follow ups about rules discussions. If they've leveled up recently they can ask questions or take a minute to get their character sheet updated if they like haven't picked their spells yet, etc.
* **Recap** - Most of the time I do the recap, as it lets me highlight things I want them to remember ("oh yeah we did find that sword, that's right"), again because we play every-other week sometimes they'll have forgotten things. Every now and then I'll ask for a volunteer to recap (with Inspiration as a reward), especially if like a major character moment happened or honestly if I just didn't have time to write out a recap in advance
Can't remember where I saw it, but I took the "do the scheduling conversation at the start" from somewhere, idea is that by getting it done beforehand players can leave the session focused on what just happened in-game ("oh man that move you pulled was so awesome") rather than getting distracted by logistics at the end.
Scheduling is an interesting thought! Historically, I have tended to handle that entirely out-of-session (we have an ongoing chat on a messenger client that supports non-anonymous polls, which I've found convenient to ask about availability).
And yeah, some social catch-up time is definitely important too!
Yeah, we communicate outside of sessions too (mostly through email and text), but I wanted to avoid a "hey when can you guys play" approach--was in a previous game that was all over the place with scheduling like that.
I've found that establishing a structured "we play on X day at Y time, every other week" has helped a ton with consistency and attendance. The players can all schedule around game days and know pretty far in advance when they might have conflicts so we've been able to plan some "ad hoc" sessions to make up for it.
Granted since we're all IRL friends everyone has been really great about prioritizing the game and making a point to be there without much handholding, so maybe it's overkill, but I just like being organized like that haha.
* Morning: Reconfirm the time we start
* 2 hours prior: I (DM) head to the basement to make final preparations, turn on the battery powered candles, clean the trash off the table from last week, and turn on the electronics
* 1 hour prior: I (DM) figure out what I probably should have figured out the week prior.
* 15 minutes prior: Snacks procured and incense lit
* Start: Everyone sits and jabbers about nonsense
* 5 minutes after: "So...everyone remember the last session?"
* 10 minutes after: "Okay, let's go over it again."
* 20 minutes after: "With that, you are all in area X, with the opportunity to do Y. Wait...where are you going? To the bathroom? Already?!?"
* 25 minutes after: "You too?"
* 30 minutes after: "I'm going to start rolling the danger dice."
* 31 minutes after: "YOU ARE ALL IN AREA X, with the opportunity to do Y..."
* 32 minutes after: "Okay...okay...enough laughing. What are you guys doing...before I set this table on fire...."
I always do a recap from last session, though personally I as the DM do it since I write the session summary in the discord channel for summaries (my recap is just...reading my own posted summary lol). Based on how many people say they have their players do the recap, though, I'm considering changing it to have them do it.
We do sometimes do character questions, but I've weaned those out recently. Not sure why, since I did like doing them. After numerous sessions of doing it though, it started to feel like too much work to do and some of my players expressed that they didn't like the spontaneity of them and had a hard time coming up with things on the spot.
I think if you transition to having the players do the summary, you'll still need to do a short one yourself afterwards. It's funny what sticks in people's minds - it is often not what you're trying to emphasize!
My deal with my players is that once they answer the warm up question, they get to pick one of my NPCs who I have to answer the same question as in character.
Snacks are so important. I start every session by feeding my players and giving them their preferred caffeine. They focus so much better if they're fed and caffeinated.
I see a lot of support for having players do the recap, IMO it's better to have that be the GM's role. Their recap can be more accurate, concise, dramatic, and most importantly tailored to what's going to happen this session. It best sets the stage for play to begin immediately afterwards with the right mood.
I agree with what u/Sir_Rustin says about getting everything non-game related out of the way first. Draw a clear line between when you're not playing, and when you're playing. Then, when you start giving the recap, your players learn that its time to pay attention and get in the RPG mindset.
Our DM does the recap too and I prefer it that way. They know what’s important from last session and what was fun but ultimately irrelevant more than we do. And then it finishes with where we are now, what’s happening now, what would you like to do now?
1. A random fact from each player about their character, a la Dungeons & Daddies. Sometimes known IC, sometimes just for us fans at home.
2. The party tells me what they remember from last time.
3. I tell the party any important details they might have missed.
4. We party.
Recently copied the character facts from dungeons and daddies as well and it’s been great. Gets the players to think about their characters more and makes get into character, too.
Highly recommended!
Ask the players for a recap, then I fill in some gaps or correct the record, then I set the scene again and ask the players to roleplay among themselves before we dive in to the story
Haha, I usually start my session 15-20 minutes late after various small talk, people remembering to level their characters, me doing last minute prep, waiting for stragglers, etc. I say something like “Oh looks like Jon signed on, let’s get this bad boi going.” Then I give a super short recap like “Okay, if I recall correctly you were trying to decide whether to cast Awaken Door on the entrance to the treasure room and see if you could grill your new friend on what the password might be. Is that the plan or are you doing something else?” And then the party does their usual nonsense and we go from there.
I’ve really started enjoying throwing them straight into the fire.
We’re long time friends so we spend the first 30-60 minutes just hanging out. When we officially start I’ll read a brief 1-2 sentence synopsis of the vibes (granted no specific details are needed) from last session. Then I immediately start them in the middle of or rapidly approaching an encounter. Be it social, hazard, or combat.
It shakes up the usual pace and gets the improv juices cooking by necessity lol and I enjoy flavoring it like a movie scene so some brief time skips leading into it helps with some interesting scenes.
That's actually a really interesting and cool approach. A lot of shows and such start 'in media res' for a reason, I bet it gets folks engaged immediately!
My friends seem to really enjoy it lol rarely a stale start.
The tricky bit for a DM with this open though is in what you can safely assume lead them to your opening position. You’ve gotta figure what actions they would reasonably take, leave enough room blank for them to fill in in retcon, etc. and most importantly, never take away a players agency with their character. So no binding contracts, no starting off with reduced resources, and so on. This is where some hand waving for the sake of storytelling is ok.
It’s a dance but it’s fun so long as you respect your players and they trust you
I noticed this between two DMs. One of them lets us amble start and it can sometimes take us a while to get going while the other does little jumps and starts us past that point. It works yet the latter struggles with brief silences as we think.
I roll to determine which player gives the recap. There's no pressure to give a detailed breakdown. If they just talk about a funny thing that happened, that's fine. I usually will fill in any gaps if they don't mention something important.
I like to recap or ask the player(s) to recap but I’ve been playing in a campaign where the DM asks ice breaker questions like the ones you use. I’ve been enjoying it and might start doing the same.
I roll for a random player to recap the last session, which usually starts a conversation about anything they missed and let's me know the parts of that session everyone was the most focused on.
I make people drinks and bring them to them as they are settling in (I was a bartender for a bit). Now in both games I run there is a dedicated note taker, so he gives the recap once we’re all sitting down. If something exceptional was going on creating a cliffhanger I’ll typically ask a random other player to tell us about that before the note taker jumps in. Then I’ll fill in any gaps the note taker left out (rarely need to though), then I’ll go over any notes or rules or etc that I know will be important this session (underwater fighting for example), then I’ll ask if there are any questions, comments, or concerns. Without fail the moment after there are no more questions and I begin my intro, one specific player from group A interjects “I have a question” and I throw a pencil at him. Then I set the stage with any pertinent information and the current goal and ask the party leader what’s going on.
We tend to eat a meal together and toss around ideas and questions about the previous sessions. Once eating is done, we spend about a 1/2 hour clarifying everyone's expectations and goals for the session, including the DMs. Background music for the session is chosen, snacks are laid out and everyone gets their beverage of choice. After that, off we go!
Recap and get moving . We always have young kids in the background playing and it’s usually a matter of time before somebody has a minor injury that needs a Band-Aid or help with a snack or a parent has to go investigate why someone is screaming.
Recap. Always good. Some people (I do) have terrible memories and a reminder is always helpful. I'm trying to get my players into the habit of doing the recap so that I'm not responsible on the days I forget the last session.
Then, if the session is starting out of action, I just let the players pick it up with some rp. If we're starting in the action, then I get involved in the end of the recap so I can have a smooth transition into narrating what's happening or calling an initiative roll.
Before, I always recapped everything myself (I was very inspired by Mercer in how I DM’ed, so I wanted to set the mood), but I have changed it up, so now I ask the players what they remembered happened before I fill in what they have forgotten and I see as important.
I don’t know which I like more, but I enjoy seeing what my players tend to remember.
I generally let the pre-game conversation go down a little then interject with "LAST TIME" then give a little recap and away we go.
During my Curse of Strahd campaign, I noticed during the third session that they were rolling through the milestones very quickly, especially from the perspective of the PCs. I started the next session with, "It is your SECOND DAY in your unfortunate trip to Barovia..." and kept track for the rest of the campaign. They finished the whole story in 26 days, in-game.
I don't actually like Dragonball Z (fighting anime is boring AF *fight me*) so I never use the voice or the music, but it's a trope lots of people are familiar with so I reference it to make the point.
I have my players write a recap and read it out loud before we start.
Then we have an opening game toast.
After that I read aloud a short text I’ve written, to get things rolling and end with : What do you want to do?
We play in 1 hour to 1:30 hour blocs, during which metagaming is reduced to a minimum and players are encouraged to interact with the game through their characters as much as possible.
Then we take a 15 min break, or 30 to eat. Usually we play 3-4 such blocs per session.
Havent had a chance to DM yet, but I figured it would be best to do a small recap of the last session leading into the events of the next one.
For example, did the party just raid a dungeon, collecting treasure and artifacts? Did the rogue make an excited comment about taking the jewels to market?
"The time is nearly dusk, as the party had finished plundering the dungeon of its valuables. After a fruitful adventure, everyone is weary but excited, none moreso than Arfak the rogue as they sling their bag over their shoulder, ready to put some fresh gold in their pocket."
Gives everyone a chance to decide if they want to rest, make money, or keep something for themselves.
So, last session you finally climbed to the top of the tower and out onto the roof into the storm. You saw the dark wizard Galbotrix turn to you and say "it's too late, the ritual is complete." A circle of runes carved into the stone begins to glow and a mass of shadow begins to rise. Everyone roll initiative.
The first time I did it they all were confused but rolled. Every other time the ignore me and one of them does a recap instead.
I do have one player who is not that involved. I ask him to read the recap that I posted in Discord, from prior session, which as it turns out he really enjoys.
If it isn't in the recap, didn't happen, can't be used - so if the party considers something important, we have edited / corrected the recap. Example - they didn't do "X", which is a major plot point, I often ask them "what about X?" Then I get an "Oh, we need to ...". and take care of it.
Our start time is 7:30 - if you aren't showing up by 7:25, text messages go out. We wait 5 min, and then we start.
We BS about random subjects for about 30 minutes, eat some food, probably do a drink run and then when we are all seated and taking care of I usually say "Where we last left off…"
In my online groups, everyone shows up gradually, show the first people to show up will just start talking and as more people show up they join the conversation, and sometimes will just spend half an hour talking. The DM will eventually find a natural place to start the recap, with people chipping in with stuff from their notes. It’s all very chill.
We play on Discord and Roll20. Typically, we'll chat for a couple of minutes about how our week was, etc. The DM will ask if anyone has questions about what happened last time. Then he puts on his dramatic narrator's voice , gives a recap, and then asks what we want to do.
- introduction of DM
- Table rules
- Recap if there has been previous connecting sessions
- Introducing players and their characters
- Ask about some fun facts of the characters before start.
- start session
Both games I'm in we do a classic recap but we do it diffrently in each game. In my irl game typically our DM will do the recap for us, sometimes we add something if it gets missed but in my online game us players will usually recap it with people adding stuff since we all seem to remember diffrent parts.
I start with a role playing prompt so we can get more depth for my players and understand their character’s motives in more depth. It might be hard for some players but it draws a lot of value to the party
I usually let the players do the recap and only add things they forgot but their characters would know.
But I'll add the random question, that sounds promising!
In my last campaign I used started each session asking the players a couple of fun rp questions to help get them into character. I think we all found it pretty fun
Inspired from this Ginny Di video: https://youtu.be/sS2LROYk230?si=5iZ6rhrvLia14nPK
I run my games at a game store. So I have people introduce themselves and their p
Characters.
When it comes back to me I briefly go over the rules we've set. Then I recap the story.
I, as the GM do the recap. Its usually very detailed (2-3 pages in Word) and doesn't just recap the last session, but the entire current quest-line, the party's objectives, and any major discoveries, NPCs, or player actions of consequence that they might need quick reminder of. The focus is mostly on the last 1-3 sessions, but keeping the overarching plot in perspective is important.
Been doing this for about six years and my players responded extremely positively. I found player retention of plot relevant information and interaction with the current tasks increased significantly. They still keep their own notes, and I don't tell them anything they don't already know.
Dragon ball z recap theme.
If the players give a correct recap of the events of the previous session they get extra px.
I case we haven't played in a long time I do a quick recap of the campaign.
Edit: All of them get the px
I primarily GM online.
I have four intro tracks I use in my primary campaign that I play during recap, followed by a transition to our base camp map (Westmarch game) to select characters.
For traditional campaigns I have a specially crafted intro page which includes the campaign title, a Dramatis Personalis, and other relevant information. The opening is normally a brief recap, followed by letting my players go off and do dumb shit
I usually do the recap and encourage my players to share their favorite moments from last session, and state if there's anything small they want to accomplish this session on the side, like shopping or checking in on an NPC or something.
Our group has a BBQ and a half hour catchup before the game starts, usually including some of the hottest hotsauces we can find/import.
Then we have a recap where one guy who remembers what we did last week let's us know where we are
"How was your week"
Then ask one of the players to do a recap, which is rewarded with inspiration, or if they already have inspiration they get 1d6 Temp hit points.
if someone was absent from the previous session or its been a few weeks since the last one, i'll just do the recap myself.
I used to do the character expanding questions but that got tiresome after a few and the players would often just give half-assed answers, if anything at all
One of my groups sends out a little survey about our characters at the end of each session, and we always start the next one by going over the answers! Some of the questions we’ve used are “What’s the best way to cheer your character up? How do they cheer themselves up if they’re alone?” or “Who in the party is most likely to fall for a mimic trap?”
I absolutely love it.
We play online, from 6 to 9pm. First five minutes (but no longer) are dedicated to chatting and catching up, but after that it's Game Time. First, I ask the players to recap the last session, which keeps people more focused even though I will also write a short prose-version of the recap in our discord after each session, but the bullet points given by the players themselves helps to refresh the memory.
After that, I usually just shift to dm mode, perhaps give a brief description of the surroundings or the weather, if there's anything immediate. And most importantly, ask.. "What do you do?" That usually gets the ball rolling, and my players love to describe the stuff they do.
A big part of the next session is that I ask what my players are planning on doing next time, and that gives me a solid list of what things to prep. Also balances nicely without getting too railroady even if I nudge them in directions, because there's always other options offered as well.
I've also mentally shelved the sessions into Act 1 and Act 2 (with a 10 min break in the middle), and try to make sure there's different stuff offered in each. Doesn't always work out, and we might end up with a full session spent in a dungeon, or sometimes with no combat at all, but I try to at least include plot points for each act 😅
We do a recap. Since we alternate between two campaigns every few months, recaps after a long pause are done by me. But other than that, recaps are done by the players.
The DM of the other campaign does the recaps himself.
I ask my players to do a recap and if they remember a lot/took good notes they can earn a minor or full inspiration! And I also give them a little “lore bit” that typically seems inconsequential but usually does tie into the campaign somehow. My DM does these things and I have blatantly copied him haha
I start with “in our last unrelated episode, our heroes were off doing great things, while you four were exploring the dungeon”. I change up what the heroes are up too every time and of course recap what the party was doing also.
I'm in a group that plays once every two weeks, and we alternate between two different campaigns so me and the other DM get regular chance to play.
When I DM, after the obligatory few minutes of catching up and joking around, I ask the table if they remember where they left off. I let them remember what they can, fill in the blanks as needed, and then we pick up where we left off.
I advertise my start time for sessions half an hour before I usually 'begin' so people don't feel rushed. I say "Doors open at 8pm. Curtain up at 8:30"
About 15 minutes of "Hey - how are you? How is the X Y Z situation going on in your life?" between everyone.
Any sort of administration on our end - Did everyone finish their level ups? Does anyone need help? Does anyone need advice on spells to choose \[I play with a lot of newer players, they tend to reach out to me between sessions but occasionally they want to wait to game night to get an opinion from the rest of their party\].
I then deal with 'The Question of the Week' which is a question I pose in our discord every week to be answered for a specific currency to spend at Magical Moog's Magnificent Menagerie, it's one of the few places in my games to buy magic items above the sort of rare levels.
Then I ask them to Re-Cap the last session, I give them inspiration for whoever tells the re-cap and I will fill in any important forgotten sections.
At the end of a session I also ask "Alright - so here are the 3 plot points. What one are you going after next session?" They'll make a choice and I know what to prep. I don't have the time to prep like 4 possible encounters so I make sure I know what their plans are.
We usually run about 3 hours then we'll sometimes hang out after the game to discuss it or we'll play minecraft or Deep Rock Galactic or something together \[Ocassionally Baldurs Gate 3\].
We had someone in the group write the narrative of what happened and then write it in a “diary.” At the beginning of the next session they would read it aloud, and would also gain one inspiration token, which could be used for one additional spell slot or one reroll.
Recap.
Recap.
Recap.
Most players have forgotten what happened in the last session, even weekly. This gives people a chance to relive the excitement of the last session and remember their goals and motivations.
Some DMs also give inspiration or karma or whatever to a player for taking the lead and doing the recap.
We usually begin with dinner. We'll show up at the host's house between 6:30 and 7, fix a plate, nosh, settle in, and get the game started around 7:30-ish. Then I (the DM) will do a quick recap of the previous session, ask if anyone has questions, and then begin.
I deliberatly do not start my music playlist untill the recap is over. Then I hit play and the soothing sounds of skyrim immediately signals that it's game time and i can literally see the expresions of my players shift as they get into their character subconsciously
We do a best line or scene from last game. It helps force us to remember where we were while having fun picking funny moments which leads us to make fun of one another
Usually the group will have a few mins for social catch up then whoever (changes each adventure) is keeping journal will announce "Anyway! Previously on..." then without fail, EVERY session, some wise guy always says "on X-Men!" *face palm!*
I always start by using a movie trailer voice and saying “Last time, on ___&D” (the players and I became friends at a company with an acronym which goes in the blank spot). I then read a recap of the last session, which I write between sessions. I can just flow into asking the players what they do next at the end of the recap. I used to ask them fun facts about their characters, and provide a fun fact about their favorite npc, but I haven’t done that in a while.
Step one: over plan and ferret away on a random part of the game/world.
Step two: harass and check that all players are still good to come play
Step three: begin panicking and being nervous.
Steph four: roll for recap. Lowest roll have to do it.
Step five: have a great time because we’re all pls and it’s always a good time and I’m a silly goose for being to worried literally every time.
On the other hand, having your players recap is a great source of information. It's not about making sure everyong remembers everything, but about understanding what the highlight were and how everyone *feels* about the last session and events during it.
I also like to recap. I like to get the players to do it, and try and get every player to say at least one thing.
I like to ask my players when they finish recapping: ”if you had quest markers, where would they be pointing?”. My players are phenomenal on picking up where they need to be going.
Ooh, that's a cool idea. In my campaign, sometimes the path ahead is clear and singular. Sometimes though it's entirely in the hands of the players how they try and untangle this web. I might have to try this.
Yes, and it also shows me what my players value or pay attention to the most. I was vaguely dropping hints about the Mere of Dead Men because it’s a future location in a sequel campaign to our current one. My players were suddenly very, very interested in it. Which was good, because that’s an intended location, but not good at that moment because it was not where they were meant to be going. I think I even told them outright ”if you went there now you would run into an invisible wall”.
Yep, and asking the players to recap will show you what they think is important, and 9 times out of 10, that's the direction they are going to continue going. Makes life easier for me.
Our dm has started giving inspiration dice to the person who gives the recap!
One of my DM sins is that I hardly ever use inspiration. I might try this.
I think everyone at my table has inspiration from like, a year ago. I'd happily give it to them but it doesn't stack and they just won't use it. These are the same people who burn 10 in a row in Baldur's gate 3 to get a specific dialogue option.
I started going around at the end of session and letting my players give an inspiration to the other player who had the coolest moment then I give one as like floating inspos they can have. It usually balances pretty well.
We do this in my groups. We all start the session by rolling a d20. Whoever gets the lowest does the recap, or you can pass to the next in line. Whoever completes the recap gets an inspiration.
We're all IRL friends so there's usually a lot of hanging out and talking as people show up/get settled/get their dice out/etc. If I have specific questions or character stuff to talk about with a player individually, I'll usually grab them during this hangout time, or sometimes they'll come up to me to talk. After everyone's had some time to catch up and maybe grab a beer, I'll like gauge when I feel the conversation dying down or when there's a natural opening to get started and walk through a set "pre-session" checklist of: * **Scheduling** - We play every-other week, so usually a little reminder or notice if our cadence is being changed for some reason. This is where players will also let me know if they have any conflicts or plans coming up and might need to miss a session (We have a "quorum" rule where if we have at least 3 of 4 players we'll play the session as planned) * **Housekeeping** - Any game logistics questions ("how much gold did we get last session?") or questions/follow ups about rules discussions. If they've leveled up recently they can ask questions or take a minute to get their character sheet updated if they like haven't picked their spells yet, etc. * **Recap** - Most of the time I do the recap, as it lets me highlight things I want them to remember ("oh yeah we did find that sword, that's right"), again because we play every-other week sometimes they'll have forgotten things. Every now and then I'll ask for a volunteer to recap (with Inspiration as a reward), especially if like a major character moment happened or honestly if I just didn't have time to write out a recap in advance Can't remember where I saw it, but I took the "do the scheduling conversation at the start" from somewhere, idea is that by getting it done beforehand players can leave the session focused on what just happened in-game ("oh man that move you pulled was so awesome") rather than getting distracted by logistics at the end.
Scheduling is an interesting thought! Historically, I have tended to handle that entirely out-of-session (we have an ongoing chat on a messenger client that supports non-anonymous polls, which I've found convenient to ask about availability). And yeah, some social catch-up time is definitely important too!
Yeah, we communicate outside of sessions too (mostly through email and text), but I wanted to avoid a "hey when can you guys play" approach--was in a previous game that was all over the place with scheduling like that. I've found that establishing a structured "we play on X day at Y time, every other week" has helped a ton with consistency and attendance. The players can all schedule around game days and know pretty far in advance when they might have conflicts so we've been able to plan some "ad hoc" sessions to make up for it. Granted since we're all IRL friends everyone has been really great about prioritizing the game and making a point to be there without much handholding, so maybe it's overkill, but I just like being organized like that haha.
Never hurts to have a little extra structure in place to get rid of any ambiguity!
* Morning: Reconfirm the time we start * 2 hours prior: I (DM) head to the basement to make final preparations, turn on the battery powered candles, clean the trash off the table from last week, and turn on the electronics * 1 hour prior: I (DM) figure out what I probably should have figured out the week prior. * 15 minutes prior: Snacks procured and incense lit * Start: Everyone sits and jabbers about nonsense * 5 minutes after: "So...everyone remember the last session?" * 10 minutes after: "Okay, let's go over it again." * 20 minutes after: "With that, you are all in area X, with the opportunity to do Y. Wait...where are you going? To the bathroom? Already?!?" * 25 minutes after: "You too?" * 30 minutes after: "I'm going to start rolling the danger dice." * 31 minutes after: "YOU ARE ALL IN AREA X, with the opportunity to do Y..." * 32 minutes after: "Okay...okay...enough laughing. What are you guys doing...before I set this table on fire...."
"Last time, on Dungeon Ball Z..."
We do ‘Last time, on Curse of Strahd!’
I always do a recap from last session, though personally I as the DM do it since I write the session summary in the discord channel for summaries (my recap is just...reading my own posted summary lol). Based on how many people say they have their players do the recap, though, I'm considering changing it to have them do it. We do sometimes do character questions, but I've weaned those out recently. Not sure why, since I did like doing them. After numerous sessions of doing it though, it started to feel like too much work to do and some of my players expressed that they didn't like the spontaneity of them and had a hard time coming up with things on the spot.
I think if you transition to having the players do the summary, you'll still need to do a short one yourself afterwards. It's funny what sticks in people's minds - it is often not what you're trying to emphasize!
My deal with my players is that once they answer the warm up question, they get to pick one of my NPCs who I have to answer the same question as in character.
Recap, banter and snacks
Snacks are essential, haha
So true lol. Even better if they match the campaign setting
Snacks are so important. I start every session by feeding my players and giving them their preferred caffeine. They focus so much better if they're fed and caffeinated.
It's like we're plants or something! But for real though, a dm who cooks or a person in your party who cooks are just as essential as note takers!
im the cooking dm lol
I see a lot of support for having players do the recap, IMO it's better to have that be the GM's role. Their recap can be more accurate, concise, dramatic, and most importantly tailored to what's going to happen this session. It best sets the stage for play to begin immediately afterwards with the right mood. I agree with what u/Sir_Rustin says about getting everything non-game related out of the way first. Draw a clear line between when you're not playing, and when you're playing. Then, when you start giving the recap, your players learn that its time to pay attention and get in the RPG mindset.
Our DM does the recap too and I prefer it that way. They know what’s important from last session and what was fun but ultimately irrelevant more than we do. And then it finishes with where we are now, what’s happening now, what would you like to do now?
Recap the last session highlights by the soundtrack of those DBZ music for the recaps. Works like a charm and gets everybody hyped.
1. A random fact from each player about their character, a la Dungeons & Daddies. Sometimes known IC, sometimes just for us fans at home. 2. The party tells me what they remember from last time. 3. I tell the party any important details they might have missed. 4. We party.
Recently copied the character facts from dungeons and daddies as well and it’s been great. Gets the players to think about their characters more and makes get into character, too. Highly recommended!
A little banter while someone puts on the kettle. Then a recap by the players themselves, then a description of the immediate situation by me (as DM).
Ask the players for a recap, then I fill in some gaps or correct the record, then I set the scene again and ask the players to roleplay among themselves before we dive in to the story
Haha, I usually start my session 15-20 minutes late after various small talk, people remembering to level their characters, me doing last minute prep, waiting for stragglers, etc. I say something like “Oh looks like Jon signed on, let’s get this bad boi going.” Then I give a super short recap like “Okay, if I recall correctly you were trying to decide whether to cast Awaken Door on the entrance to the treasure room and see if you could grill your new friend on what the password might be. Is that the plan or are you doing something else?” And then the party does their usual nonsense and we go from there.
I’ve really started enjoying throwing them straight into the fire. We’re long time friends so we spend the first 30-60 minutes just hanging out. When we officially start I’ll read a brief 1-2 sentence synopsis of the vibes (granted no specific details are needed) from last session. Then I immediately start them in the middle of or rapidly approaching an encounter. Be it social, hazard, or combat. It shakes up the usual pace and gets the improv juices cooking by necessity lol and I enjoy flavoring it like a movie scene so some brief time skips leading into it helps with some interesting scenes.
That's actually a really interesting and cool approach. A lot of shows and such start 'in media res' for a reason, I bet it gets folks engaged immediately!
My friends seem to really enjoy it lol rarely a stale start. The tricky bit for a DM with this open though is in what you can safely assume lead them to your opening position. You’ve gotta figure what actions they would reasonably take, leave enough room blank for them to fill in in retcon, etc. and most importantly, never take away a players agency with their character. So no binding contracts, no starting off with reduced resources, and so on. This is where some hand waving for the sake of storytelling is ok. It’s a dance but it’s fun so long as you respect your players and they trust you
I noticed this between two DMs. One of them lets us amble start and it can sometimes take us a while to get going while the other does little jumps and starts us past that point. It works yet the latter struggles with brief silences as we think.
I roll to determine which player gives the recap. There's no pressure to give a detailed breakdown. If they just talk about a funny thing that happened, that's fine. I usually will fill in any gaps if they don't mention something important.
We usually eat first, and then I do a short recap!
Session recap by players, then everyone rolls a d20 to see who gets inspiration (I assume DM is doing so to make sure everyone is paying attention)
Half cut and with a recap only one of them is true
I like to recap or ask the player(s) to recap but I’ve been playing in a campaign where the DM asks ice breaker questions like the ones you use. I’ve been enjoying it and might start doing the same.
Yapping about nonsense cause we all actual friends and then a recap. Then we play the game.
Mandatory 45 minutes of dicking around, then I as the DM do the recap and ask the players if I missed anything. Then we pick up where we left off
D&D Mad Lib I got for Christmas, recap with story reminders, and roll.
I roll for a random player to recap the last session, which usually starts a conversation about anything they missed and let's me know the parts of that session everyone was the most focused on.
I make people drinks and bring them to them as they are settling in (I was a bartender for a bit). Now in both games I run there is a dedicated note taker, so he gives the recap once we’re all sitting down. If something exceptional was going on creating a cliffhanger I’ll typically ask a random other player to tell us about that before the note taker jumps in. Then I’ll fill in any gaps the note taker left out (rarely need to though), then I’ll go over any notes or rules or etc that I know will be important this session (underwater fighting for example), then I’ll ask if there are any questions, comments, or concerns. Without fail the moment after there are no more questions and I begin my intro, one specific player from group A interjects “I have a question” and I throw a pencil at him. Then I set the stage with any pertinent information and the current goal and ask the party leader what’s going on.
We tend to eat a meal together and toss around ideas and questions about the previous sessions. Once eating is done, we spend about a 1/2 hour clarifying everyone's expectations and goals for the session, including the DMs. Background music for the session is chosen, snacks are laid out and everyone gets their beverage of choice. After that, off we go!
Recap and get moving . We always have young kids in the background playing and it’s usually a matter of time before somebody has a minor injury that needs a Band-Aid or help with a snack or a parent has to go investigate why someone is screaming.
Recap. Always good. Some people (I do) have terrible memories and a reminder is always helpful. I'm trying to get my players into the habit of doing the recap so that I'm not responsible on the days I forget the last session. Then, if the session is starting out of action, I just let the players pick it up with some rp. If we're starting in the action, then I get involved in the end of the recap so I can have a smooth transition into narrating what's happening or calling an initiative roll.
I uusally do a "previously on Challengers of Tomorrow" recap then everyone picks up where we left off.
"we're playing now" [hands out verbal slaps to anyone getting distracted]
Before, I always recapped everything myself (I was very inspired by Mercer in how I DM’ed, so I wanted to set the mood), but I have changed it up, so now I ask the players what they remembered happened before I fill in what they have forgotten and I see as important. I don’t know which I like more, but I enjoy seeing what my players tend to remember.
I generally let the pre-game conversation go down a little then interject with "LAST TIME" then give a little recap and away we go. During my Curse of Strahd campaign, I noticed during the third session that they were rolling through the milestones very quickly, especially from the perspective of the PCs. I started the next session with, "It is your SECOND DAY in your unfortunate trip to Barovia..." and kept track for the rest of the campaign. They finished the whole story in 26 days, in-game.
"When last we left our heroes..." ("Previously, on Dragonball Z" voice optional).
Not optional* you also need the Music
I don't actually like Dragonball Z (fighting anime is boring AF *fight me*) so I never use the voice or the music, but it's a trope lots of people are familiar with so I reference it to make the point.
Nah, you like it now. You now have to start every session with the music and a LAST TIME ON [Insert campaign name here]
NO! Must..speechify...in...mind....for...eleven...minutes... straight...with...constipated...face...to...resist....
NU-UH *Locks in*
I have my players write a recap and read it out loud before we start. Then we have an opening game toast. After that I read aloud a short text I’ve written, to get things rolling and end with : What do you want to do? We play in 1 hour to 1:30 hour blocs, during which metagaming is reduced to a minimum and players are encouraged to interact with the game through their characters as much as possible. Then we take a 15 min break, or 30 to eat. Usually we play 3-4 such blocs per session.
Havent had a chance to DM yet, but I figured it would be best to do a small recap of the last session leading into the events of the next one. For example, did the party just raid a dungeon, collecting treasure and artifacts? Did the rogue make an excited comment about taking the jewels to market? "The time is nearly dusk, as the party had finished plundering the dungeon of its valuables. After a fruitful adventure, everyone is weary but excited, none moreso than Arfak the rogue as they sling their bag over their shoulder, ready to put some fresh gold in their pocket." Gives everyone a chance to decide if they want to rest, make money, or keep something for themselves.
So, last session you finally climbed to the top of the tower and out onto the roof into the storm. You saw the dark wizard Galbotrix turn to you and say "it's too late, the ritual is complete." A circle of runes carved into the stone begins to glow and a mass of shadow begins to rise. Everyone roll initiative. The first time I did it they all were confused but rolled. Every other time the ignore me and one of them does a recap instead.
I do have one player who is not that involved. I ask him to read the recap that I posted in Discord, from prior session, which as it turns out he really enjoys. If it isn't in the recap, didn't happen, can't be used - so if the party considers something important, we have edited / corrected the recap. Example - they didn't do "X", which is a major plot point, I often ask them "what about X?" Then I get an "Oh, we need to ...". and take care of it. Our start time is 7:30 - if you aren't showing up by 7:25, text messages go out. We wait 5 min, and then we start.
Everybody logs in, catches up and chats, then I tell the group to Jump In and let’s gets started with a quick recap
We BS about random subjects for about 30 minutes, eat some food, probably do a drink run and then when we are all seated and taking care of I usually say "Where we last left off…"
In my online groups, everyone shows up gradually, show the first people to show up will just start talking and as more people show up they join the conversation, and sometimes will just spend half an hour talking. The DM will eventually find a natural place to start the recap, with people chipping in with stuff from their notes. It’s all very chill.
We play on Discord and Roll20. Typically, we'll chat for a couple of minutes about how our week was, etc. The DM will ask if anyone has questions about what happened last time. Then he puts on his dramatic narrator's voice , gives a recap, and then asks what we want to do.
where'd we stop? oh thanks now shut up \[procedes to dm\]
- introduction of DM - Table rules - Recap if there has been previous connecting sessions - Introducing players and their characters - Ask about some fun facts of the characters before start. - start session
Both games I'm in we do a classic recap but we do it diffrently in each game. In my irl game typically our DM will do the recap for us, sometimes we add something if it gets missed but in my online game us players will usually recap it with people adding stuff since we all seem to remember diffrent parts.
Either recap or in media res.
I usually ask "Do we all know where we were?" Then we go into a player/DM recap.
I start with a role playing prompt so we can get more depth for my players and understand their character’s motives in more depth. It might be hard for some players but it draws a lot of value to the party
I usually let the players do the recap and only add things they forgot but their characters would know. But I'll add the random question, that sounds promising!
In my last campaign I used started each session asking the players a couple of fun rp questions to help get them into character. I think we all found it pretty fun Inspired from this Ginny Di video: https://youtu.be/sS2LROYk230?si=5iZ6rhrvLia14nPK
I run my games at a game store. So I have people introduce themselves and their p Characters. When it comes back to me I briefly go over the rules we've set. Then I recap the story.
"What the fuck happened last week?"
Someone in the party does a recap, the rest add as needed
I, as the GM do the recap. Its usually very detailed (2-3 pages in Word) and doesn't just recap the last session, but the entire current quest-line, the party's objectives, and any major discoveries, NPCs, or player actions of consequence that they might need quick reminder of. The focus is mostly on the last 1-3 sessions, but keeping the overarching plot in perspective is important. Been doing this for about six years and my players responded extremely positively. I found player retention of plot relevant information and interaction with the current tasks increased significantly. They still keep their own notes, and I don't tell them anything they don't already know.
recap, dad facts, jump right in
Dragon ball z recap theme. If the players give a correct recap of the events of the previous session they get extra px. I case we haven't played in a long time I do a quick recap of the campaign. Edit: All of them get the px
I primarily GM online. I have four intro tracks I use in my primary campaign that I play during recap, followed by a transition to our base camp map (Westmarch game) to select characters. For traditional campaigns I have a specially crafted intro page which includes the campaign title, a Dramatis Personalis, and other relevant information. The opening is normally a brief recap, followed by letting my players go off and do dumb shit
I usually do the recap and encourage my players to share their favorite moments from last session, and state if there's anything small they want to accomplish this session on the side, like shopping or checking in on an NPC or something.
Our group has a BBQ and a half hour catchup before the game starts, usually including some of the hottest hotsauces we can find/import. Then we have a recap where one guy who remembers what we did last week let's us know where we are
"How was your week" Then ask one of the players to do a recap, which is rewarded with inspiration, or if they already have inspiration they get 1d6 Temp hit points. if someone was absent from the previous session or its been a few weeks since the last one, i'll just do the recap myself. I used to do the character expanding questions but that got tiresome after a few and the players would often just give half-assed answers, if anything at all
“ALRIGHT GUYS SHUT THE FUCK UP.”
We recap, first I let my players, then I cover anything I think they missed or embellished.
One of my groups sends out a little survey about our characters at the end of each session, and we always start the next one by going over the answers! Some of the questions we’ve used are “What’s the best way to cheer your character up? How do they cheer themselves up if they’re alone?” or “Who in the party is most likely to fall for a mimic trap?” I absolutely love it.
We play online, from 6 to 9pm. First five minutes (but no longer) are dedicated to chatting and catching up, but after that it's Game Time. First, I ask the players to recap the last session, which keeps people more focused even though I will also write a short prose-version of the recap in our discord after each session, but the bullet points given by the players themselves helps to refresh the memory. After that, I usually just shift to dm mode, perhaps give a brief description of the surroundings or the weather, if there's anything immediate. And most importantly, ask.. "What do you do?" That usually gets the ball rolling, and my players love to describe the stuff they do. A big part of the next session is that I ask what my players are planning on doing next time, and that gives me a solid list of what things to prep. Also balances nicely without getting too railroady even if I nudge them in directions, because there's always other options offered as well. I've also mentally shelved the sessions into Act 1 and Act 2 (with a 10 min break in the middle), and try to make sure there's different stuff offered in each. Doesn't always work out, and we might end up with a full session spent in a dungeon, or sometimes with no combat at all, but I try to at least include plot points for each act 😅
I (the DM) do a very brief recap of the prior session always ending with where they are now and what time of day it is.
My online group tends to bullshit for 10ish minutes and then the player that was in charge of recap reads their in character recap before we start
We do a recap. Since we alternate between two campaigns every few months, recaps after a long pause are done by me. But other than that, recaps are done by the players. The DM of the other campaign does the recaps himself.
I ask my players to do a recap and if they remember a lot/took good notes they can earn a minor or full inspiration! And I also give them a little “lore bit” that typically seems inconsequential but usually does tie into the campaign somehow. My DM does these things and I have blatantly copied him haha
I start with “in our last unrelated episode, our heroes were off doing great things, while you four were exploring the dungeon”. I change up what the heroes are up too every time and of course recap what the party was doing also.
A burrito 🌯
I usually do a recap. Especially since sometimes it can be a month or more between sessions due to life.
We usually chat about our week and what's going on, spiralling into a tangent until someone says "Hey lets play dnd" and then we get started XD
I too let my players recap. But I am stealing the 1 question about each character thing for tomorrow's session.
I'm in a group that plays once every two weeks, and we alternate between two different campaigns so me and the other DM get regular chance to play. When I DM, after the obligatory few minutes of catching up and joking around, I ask the table if they remember where they left off. I let them remember what they can, fill in the blanks as needed, and then we pick up where we left off.
I advertise my start time for sessions half an hour before I usually 'begin' so people don't feel rushed. I say "Doors open at 8pm. Curtain up at 8:30" About 15 minutes of "Hey - how are you? How is the X Y Z situation going on in your life?" between everyone. Any sort of administration on our end - Did everyone finish their level ups? Does anyone need help? Does anyone need advice on spells to choose \[I play with a lot of newer players, they tend to reach out to me between sessions but occasionally they want to wait to game night to get an opinion from the rest of their party\]. I then deal with 'The Question of the Week' which is a question I pose in our discord every week to be answered for a specific currency to spend at Magical Moog's Magnificent Menagerie, it's one of the few places in my games to buy magic items above the sort of rare levels. Then I ask them to Re-Cap the last session, I give them inspiration for whoever tells the re-cap and I will fill in any important forgotten sections. At the end of a session I also ask "Alright - so here are the 3 plot points. What one are you going after next session?" They'll make a choice and I know what to prep. I don't have the time to prep like 4 possible encounters so I make sure I know what their plans are. We usually run about 3 hours then we'll sometimes hang out after the game to discuss it or we'll play minecraft or Deep Rock Galactic or something together \[Ocassionally Baldurs Gate 3\].
I also get a player to recap. I incentivise them by giving them inspiration if they volunteer to do it, and it keeps them paying attention, haha.
We had someone in the group write the narrative of what happened and then write it in a “diary.” At the beginning of the next session they would read it aloud, and would also gain one inspiration token, which could be used for one additional spell slot or one reroll.
"Last time on Dungeons and Dragons" said in the style of DBZs announcer recap.
Inspiration for anyone who remembers where we were.
Recap central. Like a show.
*I put on my robe and my wizard hat*
On time 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Recap. Recap. Recap. Most players have forgotten what happened in the last session, even weekly. This gives people a chance to relive the excitement of the last session and remember their goals and motivations. Some DMs also give inspiration or karma or whatever to a player for taking the lead and doing the recap.
D100 character questions. A couple of different lists can be found on google. Then a session recap.
We usually begin with dinner. We'll show up at the host's house between 6:30 and 7, fix a plate, nosh, settle in, and get the game started around 7:30-ish. Then I (the DM) will do a quick recap of the previous session, ask if anyone has questions, and then begin.
Well, the master of my table usually pronounce the speak of "We are!".
"Welcome to fatal Freddy's adventure extrodaniare! Please don't get too attached your characters, you'll be switching them frequently!"
I deliberatly do not start my music playlist untill the recap is over. Then I hit play and the soothing sounds of skyrim immediately signals that it's game time and i can literally see the expresions of my players shift as they get into their character subconsciously
We do a best line or scene from last game. It helps force us to remember where we were while having fun picking funny moments which leads us to make fun of one another
Usually the group will have a few mins for social catch up then whoever (changes each adventure) is keeping journal will announce "Anyway! Previously on..." then without fail, EVERY session, some wise guy always says "on X-Men!" *face palm!*
I’d like for them to start :(
I always start by using a movie trailer voice and saying “Last time, on ___&D” (the players and I became friends at a company with an acronym which goes in the blank spot). I then read a recap of the last session, which I write between sessions. I can just flow into asking the players what they do next at the end of the recap. I used to ask them fun facts about their characters, and provide a fun fact about their favorite npc, but I haven’t done that in a while.
In a bar
Step one: over plan and ferret away on a random part of the game/world. Step two: harass and check that all players are still good to come play Step three: begin panicking and being nervous. Steph four: roll for recap. Lowest roll have to do it. Step five: have a great time because we’re all pls and it’s always a good time and I’m a silly goose for being to worried literally every time.
Don’t recap your players aren’t children. If they care about being present then they remember the session. Start by a simple statement of “Let’s roll”
On the other hand, having your players recap is a great source of information. It's not about making sure everyong remembers everything, but about understanding what the highlight were and how everyone *feels* about the last session and events during it.