Free resource
Absent-player catch-up template
A short note for the player who missed last game. It answers what their character would know, what changed for the group, and — most importantly — the decision that is waiting for them.
How to use it
- Send it before the next session. A player who reads it beforehand walks in ready; one who reads it at the table holds everyone up.
- Only what their character would know. Filter out anything they were not present for or would not have heard.
- Return them to a choice. The "waiting for you" line is the one that matters — a decision, not a summary.
# Catch-up for [Player] — you missed Session [N]
**Where your character was.** [How they spent the session — with the ship, scouting, laid up.]
**What you know.** [What your character would have learned about the group’s doings.]
**What changed for the group.** [New allies, enemies, debts, injuries, reputation.]
**Waiting for you.** [The open decision the group has been holding for your vote.]A worked example
Where your character was: you stayed with the ship and heard the others come back at dawn, shaken. What you know: the fence is dead and the reliquary was smuggled out on a ship that left at first light. What changed for the group: you are now openly a nuisance to the harbormaster, and Sera owes a dockside witness fifty crowns. Waiting for you: the party is split on whether to chase the ship or corner the buyer in town — they have been holding the vote for you.