Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 iserith Dec 03, 2014 8:24:03	D&D and RPGs in general suffer from this problem where five people can agree to play a game together and then realize during the first or subsequent sessions that they're all playing different games. People often have different expectations about how things should go in RPGs. This can lead to conflict during play and even dissolution of the group.   Session Zero recognizes this truth and is a tool to get everyone on the same page prior to play. This pre-play session can take many forms. It can be some simple 10-minute page-setting by the DM before a 4-hour one-shot at a convention. Or it can be an in-depth, hours-long discussion where the DM and players form a social contract prior to playing a full campaign. Or any shade in between (or beyond). The point is, it's a way to ensure that the goals of play and techniques to be employed to achieve those goals are all understood and agreed to by the participants in the game, DM and players both. A good Session Zero means less conflict and more success at achieving the goals of play.   Tonight, I will be hosting Session Zero for my online D&D 5e game, "Summer at the Lake." During this two-hour-or-so rap session, we'll talk about a variety of topics so that when we have our first actual play session on January 8th, we can hit the ground running. I will be posting a written transcript of this session as a resource for other groups to draw upon when conducting their own Session Zero. (And if you'd like to observe the session live, PM me. It's tonight at 10 pm Eastern.)   Here are some of the topics we are covering:   Game & Genre Expectations: What kind of D&D are we playing? What are the common elements and rules of the genre? Setting: What kind of world is this? Where does all the action take place for this adventure? Premise: What's the situation the characters are in for this adventure? Tone: Is this a dark tale? Is it comedic? Do we occasionally break the fourth wall or is that frowned upon? Pacing: How much content do we expect to get through each session? How much scene-framing and time advancement by the DM is acceptable to the group? Playstyle: What are the goals of play? What methods do we use to achieve them? Collaboration & Narrative Control: How do we work together to be inclusive of ideas? Who gets to establish what? Palette: What stuff do we not want to see in the game? Boundaries: What lines will we avoid crossing with regard to content and what we say and do? Party: What is the role of the party in the setting and premise? What is the party's central theme? Characters: How do the characters fit the party's central theme? How are they connected to each other and to the premise? What level of optimization is acceptable to the group? Roll20 & Meta Issues: How often are we playing and how long is each session? When are we done with this campaign? How do we use macros and other VTT tools to enhance game play? So now I'm interested in hearing feedback from the community on how you've used Session Zero in your own games. What did you talk about? How did it improve your game (if it did)? What problems have you had in games that Session Zero might have helped you avoid?   Update: This is the Session Zero transcript for our upcoming game in pdf format (235 KB).   Update 2: Check out the discussion that helped create the party.   Update 3: Check out the actual play transcripts that followed in the wake of Session Zero and character discussions!
#2 bawylie Dec 03, 2014 8:42:06	For a lot of us, session zero is an elevator pitch. I know some DMs who have like 3 games sketched out and ask what everyone is in the mood for, covering setting, genre, houserules, etc.    I do these types of pitches for my mainstay group. Kids group and disabilities group I stick to standard d&d tropes with minimal variations.
#3 draegn Dec 03, 2014 8:57:31	I tell the players that they will suffer the consequences of their actions. That every NPC will do anything and everything that someone in the real world might do. I hold up a paper from our Capital and tell them all the nobles and guilds that you agree to go on quests for are just like the people you read about here.
#4 Emerikol Dec 03, 2014 9:30:39	Great answer Draegn. I "advertise" a game along with my house and table rules. So some of what Iserith discusses is already determined ahead of session zero. Character creation and background is handled one on one partially and then we wrap it during session zero. I'm more dictatorial than many on the style of game I want. Just any old type of D&D isn't worth the effort for me. So I advertise for my style of games and so far I have all the games I want.
#5 sleypy Dec 03, 2014 10:05:46	The only thing I would add is a few meta topics.   Boundries. What things are disliked, uncomfortable or should be off limits. (Topics, behavior. language, etc.) Shared Resources. Provided with access to available resources. (Books, Crib sheets, Campaign Bible, House rules, Character Sheets, etc.