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Review the Full note before preparing the Session summary and the rest

Alexandre Blond 3 min read
A person checking several documents represented on a computer

After a long game, I often want to start with the Session summary. It is the quickest part to read when the next game is getting close.

But if a name was misunderstood or a decision was attached to the wrong person, the Session summary may repeat the same mistake. One careful pass through the Full note prevents everything else from being built on a false detail.

This step begins when you create a Session. The free transcript received after a Discord game does not require any note approval until you make that choice.

When this review appears

If you add your own audio file, VoLog creates a Session directly. It prepares the Full note first and then asks you to review it.

After a Discord game, the person who started VoLog receives the short recap of the game and a transcript link for free by direct message. If they later decide to create a Session, they reach the same review step.

In both cases, the Session summary, Session report, Highlights, characters, locations, items, spells and powers wait for your approval. You can close the page and return later. There is no need to approve the moment the text appears.

Start with details that can change the story

I check the facts that may matter later in the campaign first:

  • character and location names;
  • decisions made by the group;
  • items gained, lost, or handed over;
  • promises made to an NPC;
  • the exact ending of an important scene.

I do not try to make every sentence beautiful. The Full note needs to be faithful and easy to understand. A small repetition matters less than a wrong name or a reversed decision.

Use the transcript as a reference

With Discord, the transcript separates the people who spoke. With a personal file, it remains continuous because every voice is on the same track.

When a passage looks doubtful, reread the surrounding exchanges in the transcript. The context is often enough to confirm a name or understand who was answering whom.

You can correct the note directly. For a Discord voice, also check the character name linked to the speaker. That one detail can make several passages clearer at once.

Approve when the foundation is sound

Once the Full note is ready, approve it to prepare the rest of the Session. The Session summary offers a quick view, the Session report gives you a more structured read, and the other content brings out Highlights, characters, locations, items, spells and powers.

Approval does not mean that the Session can never change. It only means the Full note is reliable enough to be the starting point for everything else.

If you later find the same mistake in several places, "Correct the Session" can prepare those changes together and let you review them before they are applied.

The right amount of review is the amount that helps your group. Check the details you will need, approve the note, and get back to playing.

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