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Session recap / share-safe memory

The recap is what the party remembers. The handoff is where next prep starts.

In Multiloop, the session recap is not a separate record. It is the share-safe side of the session you already wrote, plus the DM-only handoff that stays on your side. Summary and Notes can feed the party. DM notes and Thoughts for next do not.

This page shows how one session record splits into two lanes, which fields reach players, which ones feed your next prep, and where Analysis turns post-session notes into reviewable cleanup.

Where the recap reaches the partySee the full campaign workflow

One session record, two lanes

The same session, split into share-safe memory and DM handoff.

The session record holds four narrative fields. Summary and Notes are written to be read when you decide to share; DM notes and Thoughts for next are not. The share view and the player view ship only the share-safe fields.

S12Harvest's TurnCompleted2026-04-14
SummaryShort share-safe recap of what happened.
The party took the archivist's job over the smuggler's, spared a Rumerton thief, and boarded the Fellwake at dawn for Saltwright.
NotesFuller play-by-play. Reaches the party only when you also share the session notes section.
Opener: Quill paid 500g for the Redmarket job; party accepted openly. Turn: Cass spared a thief instead of turning him over; the thief owes a favor. Ending: sailed on the Fellwake without settling Factor Madric's ledger.
DM notesPrivate consequences, reveal triggers, and anything you do not want the party to see yet.
Madric noticed the skipped ledger; he will talk to someone in Rumerton. Quill's sealed letter names him. Thief runs Rumerton smuggling; debt repays with a Madric hook.
Thoughts for nextThe handoff into next prep. Carries forward when you create the next session.
Open next session with the Fellwake cook pulling Viv aside before landfall. Prep one dockside NPC at Saltwright and one Rumerton smuggler complication.

Recap vs notes

A session recap is not a second record. It is a lane on the session you already wrote.

Session notes are the working artifact. They are where the seven post-play sections live and where the scribbles get cleaned up. The recap is what reaches the party when you share the session or campaign. Both live on the same session row.

Session notes
The working artifact. During-play scribbles, cleaned up into the seven post-play sections on the session notes page. Everything is visible to you.
Session recap
The share-safe side of the same record. Summary and Notes reach the party only when the session is opened, the DM narrative is shared, or the campaign share view includes the session.
DM-only handoff
DM notes and Thoughts for next. Never ship to the party through any current surface. Thoughts for next carries into the next session when you create it.

See the session notes page for the capture side of the same workflow. Session Notes Template

Two valid workflows

Write the recap by hand, or let the session note feed reviewable cleanup.

Both paths use the same fields. The manual lane is the honest baseline. The recommended rhythm is the same path plus Analysis on the session note you already wrote.

Workflow 01 / Manual

Write the recap directly into the session record.

The session editor has Summary, Notes, DM notes, and Thoughts for next as separate fields. Write each one where it belongs and the sharing model does the rest.

  1. 01Write a short Summary as the share-safe recap the party will read.
  2. 02Write the fuller play-by-play into Notes if you want to share more than the summary.
  3. 03Keep consequences, reveal triggers, and private context in DM notes.
  4. 04Close with Thoughts for next so the next session opens with a clear first move.
  5. 05Choose the share surface: leave the session private, open it for player notes, or include it in a campaign share view.

No Analysis required. The fields and sharing toggles work exactly the same whether you write them by hand or with suggestions.

Workflow 02 / Recommended Multiloop rhythm

Let the session note feed reviewable cleanup.

This is the same write-in-the-fields path, plus the bit that turns post-session notes into proposed records. You still decide what reaches the party and what changes in the campaign.

  1. 01After play, tidy the scribbles into Summary, Notes, DM notes, and Thoughts for next.
  2. 02When the session is open for players, they can add their own notes per character. Those notes stay theirs.
  3. 03Run Analysis on the session. It reads your DM notes, shared player notes, and existing campaign context.
  4. 04Review the proposed new records and supported updates. Approve what you want; the rest stays as manual editor work.
  5. 05Pick the share surface once the recap fields are the shape you want the party to see.

Analysis proposes; you approve. Nothing writes to the campaign until you say so, and unsupported field edits still happen in the native editor.

Share surfaces

Where a session can actually reach an audience.

A session reaches the outside world through two surfaces. Both ship only share-safe fields. There is no standalone per-session share page.

A

Surface A / Per-session player view

Open the session so players can read it and add their own notes.

The session has three access states and a separate toggle for sharing your narrative. The state controls whether players can see the session at all. The toggle controls whether your Summary and Notes reach the player view.

Private
Only you can see the session. Use this while you are still writing, or before the session has been run.
Open for player notes
Players can view the session and add their own notes per character. Great for gathering different perspectives right after play.
Locked
Everyone can view, but no more changes. Use this when the session record is the version you want preserved.
Share notes with players
A separate switch that reveals your Summary and Notes on the player view. DM notes and Thoughts for next never appear on the player view.

The player view is in-app. It is the place where players read what you wrote and add their own notes while the session is open.

B

Surface B / Campaign share view

Let the whole table read the campaign from one link.

The campaign share view is a single shareable page for the campaign. It has per-section toggles for what to include, and sessions appear inside it as cards. You can include every session or pick a subset.

Session recaps section
Ships each session Summary. This is the default share-safe lane for sessions in the campaign view.
Session notes section
Optional. Ships the fuller Notes alongside the Summary for each included session.
Select which sessions
Include every session or narrow to a list. Useful when a campaign has long-retired arcs you would rather not expose.
DM-only fields
DM notes, Thoughts for next, prep notes, session goals, session opener, key NPCs, random tables, music and ambiance, prep checklist, and pinned references never ship to the share view, regardless of section toggles.

There is no separate per-session share page. Sessions reach the outside world through the campaign share view.

Recap rhythm

Three short passes, two readers in mind.

The share-safe line is written for the party. The handoff is written for future-you. The share surface is the last decision, not the first.

  1. 01

    Write the share-safe lane first

    Right after play

    Two or three sentences in Summary so the party has one clean memory of the session. If a decision went somewhere surprising, name it by result, not by mechanic. This is the line the share view will lead with.

  2. 02

    Park the handoff

    Before you leave the session

    Write Thoughts for next while you still remember the pressure. One likely opener. One or two prep tasks. That line carries into the next session record when you create it, so future-you opens tomorrow already pointed at a first move.

  3. 03

    Pick the share surface

    Before next prep

    Decide whether this session stays private, opens for player notes, or rides inside the campaign share view. Reread the Summary and Notes with the party in mind, not the table. If a line only a DM should read leaked into Notes, move it to DM notes before anyone sees it.

Analysis after the recap

What Analysis can propose from a session, and what it cannot.

Analysis reads your DM notes, shared player notes for the session, and existing campaign context. It returns proposals you review before anything changes. Nothing writes to the campaign without your approval.

  • New NPC records for names the session introduced.
  • New location records for places the party visited or heard about.
  • New quest records for promises and objectives the session created.
  • New encounter records for fights and set-pieces worth keeping.
  • New faction records for groups the session named.
  • New timeline events for moments that belong on the campaign timeline.
  • New item records for objects the session handed out.
  • Session links for the quests the session touched.
  • Item transfers and combat outcomes on supported records.
  • Relationship edges between characters, with notes.

Approved suggestions create new records or update supported fields through the current apply path. Unsupported field edits stay manual; you open the relevant editor and write them in.

FAQ

Before you share tonight.

What is the difference between session notes and a session recap in Multiloop?
They live on the same session record. Session notes are the full writing job: Summary, Notes, DM notes, Thoughts for next, plus prep fields. A session recap is the share-safe side of that record. It is the Summary the party reads by default, and the Notes they read when you also share the session notes section. Nothing ships a DM-only field.
Is there a separate share link for one session?
No. A session reaches the outside world two ways: the in-app player view while the session is open, or the campaign share view, which is one link for the campaign with per-section toggles. Inside that view you can include every session or pick a subset.
Which fields do players actually see?
The Summary reaches the player view when you turn on Share notes with players, and it reaches the campaign share view through the session recaps section. Notes reaches the same two surfaces only when the matching notes sharing is on. DM notes and Thoughts for next never reach either surface.
Do players write their own recap too?
They can, per character, when the session is open for player notes. Those player notes belong to the player who wrote them. Analysis can use shared player notes as context for its proposals, along with your DM notes and the rest of the campaign.
Do I need a recap if I already wrote Thoughts for next?
Those serve different readers. Thoughts for next is your handoff into next prep and stays private. The recap is what the party carries forward between sessions. Most groups want both, on the same session record.
Does this work outside D&D?
Yes. The shape is system-agnostic. Summary, Notes, DM notes, and Thoughts for next work for Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Blades in the Dark, and most campaign-based tabletop RPGs.

Keep the memory shared, and the handoff private.

A good recap starts next prep with open threads clear and the party carrying the same memory forward. Multiloop keeps both lanes on one session record and links it back to the NPCs, quests, locations, factions, and timeline it touched.