Why are GMs the only ones who ever seem to remember what happened last session?

Because you run a shit game and no one really cares what is happening. They're (your group) just too lazy or unmotivated to run a game themselves and have accepted your mediocre attempt at being a GM as the only way they power game to their hearts content.

>not getting your players to do a recap for you at the start of every session to see what they remember or whether they've been taking notes

Because players are lazy, unmotivated little shits who are only at the table to mooch off your creativity and spark that keeps the game going. As long as they get to roll dice, make their numbers go up every now and again, and feel good about what their imaginary characters do - since their real lives are so unfulfilling - they could care less about what's actually happening, the experience you're trying to build for them, or anyone's fun but their own.

I find it very unrealistic the Camarilla would have very let a major mass media hub like Hollywood/LA be controlled by the anarchs

Not always true but I understand the source of this query

"Audience" players are useless in recalling anything because they're not making any actions. Players that act will remember their actions and how the NPCs responded, creating memories.

However, some players don't mind being in the background but are interested nonetheless and therefore more observant.

Never hurts to do this

By the end of the session the players are always drunk.

Could be worse

They are the only ones paying attention

My Mates GF got smashed a couple of Weeks ago when we were doing Rogue Trader. It was fairly funny watching her constantly try and use her basic medicae to constantly heal one of the other characters, who had 1 whole wound of damage.

At least they aren't doing drugs anymore.

I just started making a public post with ever-expanding notes as to what all has happened, with important events and NPCs bolded or bullet-pointed or otherwise formatted for readability, and the most recent events at the bottom. This means both "Wait, what happened last session?" and "Why did that happen?" can be quickly and easily referenced and answered. I direct my players to it before every session, and frankly it really only takes a few minutes at the end of a session to write up what happened.

It's also a subtle way of drawing attention to what I want the players to take notice of the most and diverting attention from things I'm trying to be subtle about.

I don't think it was ever explicitly stated that the Anarchs control the movie industry itself, only the neighbourhood. And at least the part of this neighbourhood that we've seen was not the one with movie studios

>Because they don't spend all week preparing what will happen next, but they do spend all week at work/school doing real life shit that can make it hard to remember what happened last time without a "previously on" segmenet showing them just enough clips to make it all rush back.
And the GM has none of that "work/school doing real life shit" in your perfect world?

The players could think about the campaign and plan ahead as much as the GM does. Many simply don't.

>And at least the part of this neighbourhood that we've seen was not the one with movie studios
Hollywood isn't the one with movie studios?

It's a large part of the city, not all of it is just movie studios, even if its most famous from them. Maybe the part of the neighborhood with the studios , or studios themselves, isn't actually controlled by the Anarchs, we don't see them in the game. Isaac does have some influence in the industry since he's a former producer, but it is never stated that the Anarchs control the entirety of it.

We don't see ANY indication of camarilla presence in Hollywood, though.

Well, there is Strauss' golem, but other than that, true. Still, we only visit part of Hollywood and it's not the part with the movie studios, so we can't be 100% sure who rules those.

Anyone who actually knows LA knows that Hollywood is basically a dump and that movie studios are more or less massive warehouses in industrial or commercial zoning.

The iconic Sony studio lot that you'd recognize the gates of if you saw it is literally across the street from a retirement home, and the famous Mann's Chinese Theater (Now named something else because someone bought it) is flanked on both sides for a mile down the street in either direction with shitty tourist trap tshirt and fridge magnet grifters, and seedy sex shops.

Hollywood is not Beverly Hills or Brentwood. If the Cammies were anywhere in LA, that's where'd they be. Cammies wouldn't want shit to do with Hollywood, it's literally the slum that every alt-rock Red Hot Chilli Peppers heroin song makes it out to be.

Also, I wouldn't go so far as to say that the anarchs really own anything. Theoretically they do, in terms of "Which segment of western kindred society is most represented in the area" but the truth is that Cathayan Kindred have been flooding into the western United States since the Gold Rush so you're more likely to get fucked by Big Trouble in Little China than any chump gen 12 Brujah in a spiked battle jacket that can't decide if he's independent or Cammie on a tuesday night.

jesus christ user, who did this to you

Because the DM is the only one who had to pay attention the entire time

Becausw the shit you run ain't memorable user. If your players arent anxiously waiting for the next session and asking you questions throughout the week, you need to step your game up.

Mine do and they still don't remember half the shit that happened last time. It's not an explanation

>be only player who remembers information
>character died recently, so have new character who does not have access to this information
>have to watch the rest of the party bumblefuck about because they don't remember they already have the sacred relic from 6 levels ago
>suffer

Lucifer and sept manyu send their regards

According to the books, Hollywood and the LA media are controlled by a single Brujah. Controlled is the wrong word, basically his ghouls make sure nothing bad gets published, and he leaves the rest alone.

The reason the cammies don't control it is because back in the 40s, the anarchs staged a coup and killed all of the Cammie elders in one night. They then formed gangs and killed anyone who even tried to support the cammies.

Oh, and it took until 1997 for LA to be retaken because werewolves slaughtered vampires who tried to move in. LA already has high vampire density, and the werewolves don't like to let them grow.