Free resource

At-the-table session checklist

A short list to keep beside you during play so the things that are easy to forget in the moment — spotlight, consequences, the next hook — actually happen.

How to use it

  • Glance, do not obey. It is a memory aid during a lull, not a script to march through.
  • Watch the spotlight. The quietest player at hour three is the one to hand a moment to.
  • End deliberately. Land on a hook, not on "well, that’s time."

The checklist

# At-the-Table Checklist

## Start
- [ ] Recap or "previously on…" read aloud
- [ ] Opened on a situation already in motion

## During play
- [ ] Every player got a real spotlight moment
- [ ] Quiet players offered a choice, not just a roll
- [ ] Consequences of big choices named out loud
- [ ] NPC voices kept distinct
- [ ] Notes on the beats that mattered (for the recap)

## End
- [ ] Landed on a hook / open question
- [ ] Noted one thread for next session
- [ ] Loot and XP recorded (incl. absent players)

When it earns its keep

It is hour three of the harbor session, the rogue’s player has driven the last two scenes, and the cleric’s player has gone quiet. A glance at the list catches it: you hand the cleric the turned clerk to talk down, and the table’s energy comes back. At the end, instead of trailing off, you land on "the buyer knows you are coming" — and jot that the reliquary is a fake for next week.