How to track promises and unfinished quests
Write down who made the promise, who they owe, and what they need to do next. Keep a note of how it ends.
The short answer. Keep a short list of promises with the people involved, the session where each was made, and what needs to happen next. Check unfinished promises after each game. When one ends, note whether it was kept, failed, or the person owed let the party off.
Remember who is waiting
Sister Anwen expects her bell back before the winter rite. Write her name and the deadline beside the job. When the party returns, you can check whether they kept their word and decide how she reacts. The search for the bell might be over even if the promise to Anwen was broken.
What to write down
- Promise. Use words the table would recognize, such as “Bring Tamsin home.” Add the deadline if there is one.
- Who promised. Name the character who offered, or write “the party” if everyone agreed. One character’s favor does not always bind the whole group.
- Owed to. Name the person or group expecting the promise to be kept.
- Made in. Link to the session where the promise was made, and note the scene if you need it.
- Status. Use open, fulfilled, released, or failed. “Released” means the person owed explicitly let the party go.
- Next action. Write one visible step: speak to the ferryman, return the seal, or tell Anwen the bell is lost.
Four promises with different outcomes
- Open. “Return the bronze bell to Sister Anwen before the winter rite.” Promised by: the party. Owed to: Anwen. Made: Session 11. Next: ask the marsh ferryman about the buyer.
- Fulfilled. “Clear Sera’s ferry crew of the theft.” Promised by: the party. Owed to: Captain Sera. Made: Session 14. Resolved: Session 18, when the false ledger was shown at the council hearing.
- Released. “Escort Orrin to Northwatch.” Promised by: Sera. Owed to: Orrin. Made: Session 9. Released: Session 13, after Orrin chose to remain in Bellwater.
- Failed. “Keep the tax chest sealed.” Promised by: Mae. Owed to: Lantern Guild. Made: Session 17. Failed: Session 18, when Mae opened it to prove the coins were false.
Keep both promises when they conflict. If the party promised to protect Sera and tell the council the whole truth, note how telling the truth could hurt her.
Check promises before and after play
- After play. Add promises made, change statuses, and write the next action while the wording is still fresh.
- Before prep. Check deadlines, people the party might meet tonight, and promises that now conflict.
- At resolution. Note the result, how the person owed reacted, and the session where it happened. Keep the finished promise for later reference.
Use the post-session checklist
Build better notes for the people who are owed
Common questions
Should I delete a promise after the party completes it?
No. Note how it ended and link the session where it happened. Move it off the unfinished list, but keep it for reference when you need to remember why someone trusts the party or owes them a favor.
Where Storywright fits
Put the list in a Story Arc’s notes and link the arc to the person expecting an answer. Record the session where a promise changed. Add the next step to tonight’s objectives if you want it beside your session notes, and check which parts players can see.
Open, fulfilled, released, and failed are labels you write in the notes. Storywright does not extract promises from table dialogue or mark them fulfilled automatically. You update the list as the group plays.