Guide sections

Post-session

Record what happened after play, update unresolved threads, and prepare the campaign memory for next time.

Why post-session matters

For future you:

  • Remember what happened months from now
  • Track story threads across sessions
  • Know what changed in your world

For better prep:

  • See unresolved threads to pick up
  • Know what players engaged with
  • Build continuity into future sessions

For your campaign:

  • Keep world state accurate
  • Reflect consequences of player actions
  • Maintain consistency

Start with the engine session recap

The fastest way through post-session is the AI Session Recap. Instead of hunting down every creation that changed and editing it by hand, you write (or paste) what happened and let AI propose the changes.

  1. Open the session and click Recap
  2. Paste your session notes - or a recording transcript - into the recap
  3. Click Analyze Notes
  4. Review the engine’s suggestions: which creations were used, who changed, what status flipped (deceased, allied, captured…), and any creations you improvised at the table
  5. Accept the ones that are right (one at a time, or in a batch), tweak or dismiss the rest
  6. Add anything the engine missed with Add Change, then Complete Session

This records an outcome for each affected creation, which builds its Creation Evolution timeline and feeds Campaign Intelligence. The Session Recap is an AI feature, so it needs an active AI subscription (Companion or Power).

The rest of this guide covers the same goals manually - useful for changes the recap didn’t catch, or if you’d rather do it by hand. See Session recap for the full walkthrough.

Immediate tasks (5 minutes)

Do these right after the session while memory is fresh:

1. promote important content

If you drafted material during the session:

  1. Open Quick Prep (or the Session Companion’s Quick Generators) and find your recent creations
  2. Find NPCs or content that mattered
  3. Click Promote to Campaign for keepers
  4. Discard obvious throwaways, or use Clear/Clear All for temporary content when appropriate

Rule of thumb: If players interacted with it meaningfully, promote it.

2. quick session notes

In your session, jot quick notes:

  • Major events (2-3 bullets)
  • Surprising player decisions
  • Things that need follow-up
  • What players seemed to enjoy

You’ll expand these later. For now, capture what you might forget.

3. update status

Change session status from “In Progress” to “Completed.”

Full documentation (15-30 minutes)

Do this before your next prep session:

Complete session outcomes

Fill in the session’s post-session fields:

Actual duration: How long did it really run?

Outcomes: What happened? Write a summary covering:

  • Key events and decisions
  • Plot threads advanced
  • Major NPC interactions
  • Combat results (who won, casualties)
  • Discoveries and revelations

Example:

“Party infiltrated the warehouse and discovered the smuggling operation is larger than expected. They captured the lieutenant but traded his freedom for information about the boss. Aldric was injured - player leaned into the injury for roleplay. Session ended with party deciding to report to the guard captain (they don’t know she’s compromised).”

Unresolved threads: What’s hanging for next session?

  • Questions unanswered
  • Decisions unmade
  • Threats still active
  • NPCs waiting for follow-up

Player feedback: Notes on what worked:

  • What got good reactions?
  • What fell flat?
  • What surprised you?

Update affected creations

Your world changed. Update it. (If you ran the engine Session Recap above, most of this is already done - use this list to catch anything it missed.)

NPCs

  • Dead? Note their death, when, how
  • Relationship changed? Update relationship status
  • New information revealed? Update their secrets/knowledge
  • Location changed? Update current location

Locations

  • Destroyed or changed? Update description
  • Cleared/Conquered? Note new status
  • New inhabitants? Update inhabitants list

Campaign Markers

  • Resolved? Change status to Resolved, add resolution notes
  • Advanced? Update description with progress
  • Stakes changed? Update urgency
  • Abandoned? Change status to Abandoned

Items

  • Changed hands? Update owner
  • Destroyed or modified? Update description
  • Identified? Mark as identified

Relationships

  • New connections formed? Create relationship links
  • Alliances broken? Update or remove relationships
  • Enemies made? Add enemy relationships

Planning forward

While the session is fresh, note what you need next:

Next session hooks

What are players likely to pursue?

  • What did they say they wanted to do?
  • What unresolved threads are most urgent?
  • What did they seem most excited about?

Content to prepare

What will you need?

  • NPCs to create or develop
  • Locations to detail
  • Encounters to plan
  • Information to reveal

Questions to answer

Things you need to decide:

  • How does [faction] react to player actions?
  • What happens if they pursue [thread]?
  • What’s the consequence of [decision]?

Efficient documentation

Don’t over-document

You don’t need:

  • Transcripts of every conversation
  • Detailed tactical blow-by-blow
  • Exhaustive NPC dialogue
  • Perfect prose

You need:

  • Key events and outcomes
  • Decisions and consequences
  • Changes to world state
  • Threads for future sessions

Use bullet points

Save narrative writing for your session prep. Post-session notes can be brief:

- Party learned Varen leads the cult
- Mira agreed to spy for them
- Combat at warehouse: 2 smugglers killed, leader escaped
- Aldric injured (broken arm, player roleplayed)
- Next: meeting with guard captain (she's compromised)

Templates help

Use the session fields as your template. Fill them in order:

  1. Outcomes (what happened)
  2. Unresolved (what’s hanging)
  3. Player feedback (what worked)

Weekly review (optional)

If you run weekly sessions, consider a brief review. Much of this is automated by Campaign Intelligence - its Campaign Health, Player Engagement, Faction Status, and Proactive Insights widgets answer most of these questions for you. Open it for a quick read between sessions.

Campaign health check:

  • Are major story threads advancing?
  • Is every player getting spotlight time?
  • Are there forgotten NPCs/threads to revisit?

World consistency:

  • Does the timeline make sense?
  • Are faction relationships coherent?
  • Have consequences played out?

Connection Map check:

  • View the Connection Map
  • Look for orphaned creations
  • Find connection opportunities

Post-session checklist

Immediately after session

  • Run the engine Session Recap (Analyze Notes)
  • Promote important ephemeral content
  • Quick notes on key events
  • Update session status to Completed

Before next prep session

  • Complete session outcomes
  • Document unresolved threads
  • Note player feedback
  • Accept/add creation changes from the recap
  • Update affected NPCs
  • Update affected locations
  • Update Campaign Marker statuses
  • Update changed relationships
  • Note what to prepare next

Optional weekly

  • Review Campaign Intelligence
  • Check world consistency
  • Review the Connection Map for gaps