How do you gently remind players of things in PBP?

[Green Eyed Liar]

In my specific instance, my players found a key hanging on a peg. Two rooms and one challenging encounter later, they find the lock the key goes to.

In a face-to-face game the players would likely remember the key, as they acquired it only an hour ago in real life.

In my pbp game, the key was discovered just over two weeks ago, and they never remember these types of things.

Should I remind the players about the key? How do I do so without ruining the narrative or usurping their control of events?

[Chapel Ty'El]

Honestly? Even with it being 2 weeks, I feel like a key is something that people would generally remember.

That being said, pbp is a different beast. Don't be afraid to message one of the players a reminder. Heck, if everyone posts and nobody brings up the key, I might even put an ooc post with something as simple as

Hey, it's been a while, you guys found a key back in...

Chances are, if your players are experienced with pbp, they won't be upset at all.

Feel free to throw me under the bus if things do go south.

[John Woodford]

What Chapel said. Give them a chance to remember on their own, but don't be worried about reminding them.

[Dancing Wind]

My games use the discussion tab for what would normally be table-talk in f2f games.

So if I'd say, "Check your inventories" IRL, I'd also post that in the game's discussion tab.

My goal is to collaborate with the players to have a fun game, and if reminding them of something they discovered several weeks ago in real time makes it a better game, then I do so.

they never remember these types of things.

So do you want to punish them for that? Or engage them in the story?

[DeathQuaker]

If the players were talking about how to get past the door and clearly forgot about the key, I'd say, "You may want to review your recent adventures in the area" and link to the post where they found the key.

I might be amused they forgot but I've done stuff like that myself and sometimes if the pacing has been slow it can be very easy to forget.

[Grandmaster TOZ]

I would sometimes quote the relevant GM post in situations that are seriously derailed. More often I just make an OOC comment suggesting what they might be missing.

[andreww]

If you are using something like google slides have one with handouts on it. Stick an image of the key there as a visual reminder. I do this sort of thing all the time when running on roll20.