Aftermath

At some point, the PCs will call it quits and decide to head home. Maybe they've seized the opportunity or put down the threat. Maybe not, and they either lost their chance or are too exhausted to continue. This is the aftermath.

During the aftermath, the PCs tie up loose ends and return home. You update your notes—especially your threats—to reflect how the world has changed and identify any new problems the PCs might have to deal with.

When preparing an adventure, there's not much you can—or should—prepare for the aftermath. So much depends on the events of the adventure itself; there's almost no way to predict when the PCs will head for home, what loose threads will be out there, what issues they will be dealing with, etc. Mostly, you'll play it by ear.

For guidance on what to do at the end of the adventure, see the "Going home" section of the Expeditions chapter Going home and the Homefront chapter Homefront.