Uploading your first session

You already have your storytellers, dice, and drama. Now you just need a clean recording and a clear path from your table to a finished recap.

Prepare your recording

Before you hit record:

1. Name your campaign and session. Decide on a consistent pattern (for example CampaignName - S03E05 - The Sunken Spire) so files are easy to recognize in Epicly.
2. Check your gear. Make sure your recorder or software has enough storage and battery for the whole session.

When you finish a session:

1. Export or save your recording. Epicly supports MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, M4A, OGG/OGA, and MP4 up to 1 GB per file. You can upload a single combined recording or multiple parallel tracks from the same session (see Multi-track uploads below).
2. Log in to Epicly, open your campaign, and choose Upload session.
3. Drag-and-drop your file(s), fill in the session details, and start processing. Epicly handles transcription, speaker identification, filtering, summaries, world building, player achievements, quest tracking, and more.

No recording? No problem

If you didn't record your session, you can paste written notes instead of uploading audio. See Uploading session notes below.

Recording and audio quality tips

Epicly is built to handle real-table audio, not studio perfection.

Just play naturally, the same as you always do, and Epicly should be able to handle it. If you run into any issues, check these tips to optimize how you record.

A few quick wins go a long way:

1. Don't chase silence. Some background noise is fine — Epicly focuses on voices and story beats, not dice clatter or ambience.
2. Keep voices clear. Ask players to speak up and avoid talking over each other when possible. If you're using mics, aim for one mic per 1–3 people rather than one mic per person.
3. Watch the music. Background music is fine, but if it overwhelms the dialogue, turn it down so speech stays intelligible.

Smart chatter filtering

Epicly automatically filters out out-of-game content so you never have to clean up the transcript yourself. Rules debates, pizza orders, side conversations, and anything that happens outside the fiction is separated from the story content that matters. What gets kept: dramatic moments, NPC reveals, in-character dialogue, and narration. What gets left out: "can someone pass the dice?", twenty minutes of rules debates, and side conversations about food orders.

Multi-track uploads

Epicly supports uploading multiple audio files for a single session. This is ideal when different parts of your table are recorded separately — for example, three players in person on one recording and two players on Discord on a separate track.

How it works:

• Select two or more audio files in the upload form (drag-and-drop them all at once, or click "Choose File" and select multiple).
• Epicly automatically detects that you have multiple files and switches to Multi-track mode, shown in the Audio Type indicator on the upload form.
• Each file should be a parallel recording from the same session — they should cover roughly the same start and end time. Each track can contain one or more speakers.
• Epicly combines all tracks into a single transcript seamlessly, identifying speakers across all files using your campaign's player list.
• Plan duration limits apply per-track (the longest individual track determines the session length), not as the sum of all files.

When to use multi-track vs single-track:

Scenario	What to do
Everyone on the same Discord call	Upload a single combined export
Part of the party in person, part on Discord	Upload one file per source (in-person mic + Discord audio)
Using Craig bot with per-participant tracks	Upload all per-participant files together
One person recorded the whole table	Upload the single file

How does your group play?

Pick the workflow that matches your table, then follow the capture checklist below.

All together at the table

• Place a smartphone or dedicated recorder at the center of the table, ideally on a small stand or box so it can "see" everyone's voices.
• Do a quick sound check: have everyone say hello and listen back for volume and clarity.
• Ask players to avoid talking over each other when possible — Epicly can separate some overlap, but clear turns make for cleaner recaps.
• At the end of the night, transfer the file to your computer (AirDrop, USB, or cloud sync) and upload it to Epicly while the session is still fresh in your mind.

Playing online

If your group plays remotely, you have a few options for capturing audio. The easiest approach today is to use Discord with a recording bot, but any tool that gives you audio files will work.

Option A: Discord + Craig bot (recommended)

Craig is a free Discord bot that can record your voice channels and give you ready-to-use audio files — perfect for Epicly.

1. Add Craig to your server. Visit craig.chat and follow the "Invite Craig" flow. Grant it permission to join voice channels in your game server.
2. Start your recording. Once everyone is in the voice channel, type /join (or :craig:, join) in that channel's text chat. Craig will join and confirm it's recording.
3. Run your session as normal. You'll see Craig in the voice channel while it records. You can pause and resume as needed using the bot commands.
4. Stop and download. When you're done, type /stop. Craig will leave the channel and send you a direct message with links to download your recording.
5. Choose the best export option.
   • Recommended: Multi-track upload (per-participant files). Craig can give you one file per participant. Download the individual track files and upload them all together to Epicly — Epicly will handle combining them into a single transcript automatically. No need to mix them down in Audacity first.

Option B: VTTs, Zoom, and other recorders

If you're not using Discord, most virtual tabletops and meeting tools offer built-in recording:

• Roll20 / Foundry / Fantasy Grounds — Use their session or stream recording features, then export the audio or video file when you're done.
• Zoom / Meet / Teams — Use the built-in recording option, then download the audio file (often an .m4a or .mp4) from the service and upload it to Epicly.
• Screen/audio recorders — Tools like OBS, QuickTime, or system-level recorders can capture your session as long as they're configured to record the call audio.

Whichever tool you choose, upload the resulting audio or video file (or files, if you have separate tracks) to Epicly and you're ready to generate your recap.

Verify before you upload

Listen to the first 60 seconds and a random middle segment. If you can clearly distinguish voices, Epicly can, too. If not, adjust mic placement or levels before the next session.

Uploading session notes

Don't have a recording? Epicly also accepts written session notes as input. Instead of uploading an audio file, switch to Notes mode on the upload form and paste your written summary directly into the text box.

• Bullet points, paragraphs, or rough notes all work — the more detail you include, the better the output.
• Epicly processes text sessions the same way it processes audio: it generates a GM guide, a shareable recap, and a Codex update.
• The transcript area for a notes session will display the notes you submitted.
• Text sessions count toward your monthly session allowance the same as audio uploads.

This is a great option for sessions you forgot to record, one-shots where you took quick notes, or campaigns where you prefer to write your own play-by-play and let Epicly handle the formatting and lore extraction.