---
title: "How to fix conflicting campaign notes and retcons"
description: "Separate established facts, rumors, plans, and player theories. Agree on corrections and keep a short history of what changed."
last_updated: 2026-10-01
---

# How to fix conflicting campaign notes and retcons

Plain-text Markdown mirror of [https://storywright.io/guides/resolve-conflicting-campaign-notes](https://storywright.io/guides/resolve-conflicting-campaign-notes).

Decide which version the group will use, keep a note of the correction, and update the places that refer to it.

**The short answer.** Find the two notes that disagree and decide which version you will use in the next game. Write the correction beside the old note, then update any entries or session notes that depend on it. Tell the players if it changes something they already knew.

## First decide what kind of conflict you have

- **A transcription error.** The table was clear, but a later note has the wrong name, date, owner, or place. Correct the active fact and cite the session that settles it.
- **An uncertain memory.** Nobody can establish what happened. Talk it through with the players and agree on the least disruptive answer. Mark it as a table agreement, not a fact confirmed by old notes.
- **Different viewpoints.** Two characters can honestly disagree. Keep both beliefs and avoid promoting either one to world fact until play resolves it.
- **A deliberate retcon.** The group agrees to change an established fact. Record both versions, when the change applies, and why the group wants it.

## Use a correction log

1. **Quote the conflict.** Copy the smallest relevant sentences and name their sources. Do not summarize away the part that disagrees.
2. **Agree on the current version.** Write one current fact, the person making the ruling, and the reason. Prefer what the table acted on over an unused private draft.
3. **Mark the old note.** Leave the old text readable and add a link or note pointing to the correction. Make it clear which version to use now.
4. **Check the other notes.** Search for the names involved. Check sessions, objectives, and shared summaries for the same mistake, and update the ones still in use.

## A completed correction

- **Conflict.** “Edda gave Rowan the chapel key” in the published Session 9 recap conflicts with “Edda still carries the chapel key” in the GM’s Session 10 prep.
- **Ruling.** Rowan has the key. The recap records a choice the players heard and used; the prep line was copied forward by mistake.
- **When it applies.** End of Session 9.
- **Old note.** The Session 10 prep sentence only.
- **What to update.** Change the key’s current holder to Rowan, add a correction beside the old prep line, and leave Edda’s public entry alone because it never claimed she kept the key.

> A correction should reveal no more than the original audience knew. If the conflict involves a GM-only motive, give players the corrected visible fact without publishing the hidden reason.

## Tell the table in plain language

Send a short notice before the next game if the correction affects what players know. For the chapel key, you could write:

> Correction before tonight: Rowan has carried the chapel key since Session 9. A prep note said Edda still had it, but that note was wrong. Nothing else about Edda changes.

For a retcon, say what the group agreed to change: “We are changing the west wing from destroyed to damaged so the archive scene remains possible.” Give everyone a chance to check how it affects their character’s choices.

[Capture cleaner consequences after each session](/guides/post-session-checklist)

[Review current Storywright limits](/facts)

## Common questions

**Should I edit an old recap when a fact changes?**

Keep what readers originally received and add a clear correction. A private typo can usually be fixed in place. For a retcon, show both versions and say when the change applies.

## Where Storywright fits

Keep the correction in the relevant session or entry, then use search to find other notes that need changing. Check visibility before sharing the correction, especially if the reason involves a GM-only secret.

Storywright does not provide an automatic retcon workflow or synchronize canon across every note. You decide the correction, update the affected notes, and tell the players.

[See the campaign record in the manual](/manual)

## Related

- [Mystery clues](/guides/track-mystery-clues.md)
- [Player journal](/guides/player-campaign-journal.md)
- [Post-session routine](/guides/post-session-checklist.md)
- [AI assistant workflows](/guides/ai-assistant-campaign-notes.md)
- [Full site index](/sitemap.md)