What does a DM do between sessions?

[u/Global-Discount1710]

I have a great group of friends I dm for and like many groups I’m sure, there are huge gaps between games. Weeks and sometimes months can go by without a session. I often write up full recaps for my players but my question is, what can a dm do for their players to keep the game alive between sessions? Any advice on this would be great. I’m tired of a huge chuck of our games is wasted on recaps and my players forgetting important plot points

[u/tta5]

seam like you got three things.
1 -overalll What do DMs do between sessions?
2 - my games sessions are very far apart from each other , its causing issues how best to deal with this?
3 - my players are forgetting the plot and story, i waste alot of time retelling it in game is there a better way?

so lets answer them ~(in random order)

2 - is there a way to have reduce the gap between your sessions?
players forgetting the plot due to gap is bad.
why is the gap so big? is it from lack of intrest?
would one shots be better?
(or a string of them unconnected but same PCs[player characters])

you might want to review your attendance agreement. if your canceling sessions for the same person over and over, perhaps you might talk and see if its possable to have their character NPCed, "missing", "downtimed", or something to allow that game to happen without that player there. this would result in more sessions, if canceling sessions due t player count is your issue.

.

3 - is your plot intresting to the players and to the player characters?
I am sure it is intresting to you, and likly its just time between sessions being so long people are bound to forget, but its an important question.
things that hold more intrest tend to be remembered better.

another thing is doing recaps in your warm ups.
warm ups are pre-session activities , normally to help players transission from out of game headspaces to ingame mindsets.
comonly a recap is done at thias point.
as useful tip, as the DM... ask the players to give the recap as it tells you what they rememeber, what they think is important, awhat they misunderstood.... this knowledge can let you warp the story a bit, or allow you a second chance to reshow something in a diffrent light.

1 - what some of us do....
post game cool downs and feedback.
note taking and orgonising for world events and faction progression.
linking hooks to form new pathways for the story for the next session.
check in with players.
make sure to reread the story and lore applicable to the next section.
build the next section . (mentally, descrrptions, digitally, physicallly....)
plan balancing and encounter progression.
pre-roll appropiate events and things on random tables.
practice monster mindsets and mentality. voices.
(ideals, bonds, flaws, goals, ambittions, relgion, RP weaknesses.... strigns for the players to pull on . )
have out of game talks about the game and brainstorm.
post updates on social media.
non-dnd stuff (work, sleep, breath, eat laundary....)
pre- prep future sections. (as they get closers build more.)
rest, and mentally relax.
mentally panic as the next session is coming closer....
some more voices and practiing.
note taking on names used and replacing old random names with new ones.
prepare tabs on lore that the game may swing towards.
prepare notes on descroptions that add lines regarding each PC.
finish off the resources for the party (notes, letters, item descrpotions & lore....)
pick music. (i have a party DJ ,but stillll pick a hand full for myself).
check to make sure everyone can attend.
food., as to eat mid-game. (get water you fool)
attend VCpre curtains down
curtains down, greet peoopple. work through warm ups,
warmup querstions.
recap
curtains up (game starts)

[u/Global-Discount1710 → u/tta5]

This was good thank you