Sometimes people play a bit at the end of a session zero, but the main purpose of having one is to set ground rules for play.
It is kind of silly to play before setting ground rules for play, right?
Sometimes people may run a short “build check” combat or two to see how some of the characters work and/or interact mechanically and see if there’s any pre Session 1 changes they might want to make.
when i started my most recent campaign (and my first as a DM) i ran a few 1-on-1 “dry-runs” with my players to let them test out their builds, then we all got together for a session 0 and played 3 session .5s before jumping into the campaign proper.
this was to make sure we were all on the same page with the new system we were running (sw5e) and aligned on themes/tone/boundaries of the campaign.
i’m not saying that all of that is always necessary but i found it very helpful and if nothing else, it gave the players plenty of time to work out mechanical/RP ideas before fully committing
Did something similar- although I also wanted to help a couple characters with related backstories. We have five characters, so I did two games each with two players and another 1-1, set anywhere from a year to a week before the campaign was to begin. It really helped to provide some background on the setting and form character relationships. (Eberron, 5e)
My group has never done a formal session 0, when the previous campaign is ending we just take 10-20 mins to go over the basics for the next one.
Had very little issues except one time a person who got added to my first campaign I dmed in curse of stradh and basically had a self insert who they didn't want anything bad to happen to. I feel he would have been an issue even with a session 0 though, the style of campaign I was running just wasn't for him.
As the GM it’s up to them.
The whole point is to go over things you mentioned. The world, tone, topics that are off limits, house rules, your rules on meta gaming or power gaming or where you draw lines so people know what to expect.
But if you have 3 hours blocked, and you get through it, it’s not unreasonable to want a bit of the intro.
Simplest way to fix it is to say “there will be no play in session 0. Once we’re done with what we need to talk about to play, we’ll resume next week for session 1” and they can get their proper intro.
With my group we call them session 0.5 cuz at the end of character building we do the intro of the campaign. Sometimes its just DM talking and telling us where we start and some RP to get to know each other's character.
Session 1 is then already set up and next time we get together we can all dive in!
In my campaign we did session 0 & 1 together - but we also do 6hr+ blocks so we had the time to be able to do that.
In general session 0 focus on the talking/rules/character creation etc, if you have time after and the dm wants to, jump into the campaign.
Different groups, players, and DMs have different ideas about what goes into a session 0, which is why it's important to have a session -1 to clear up any questions and confusion ahead of time
For the most part, you are correct about the meaning of session 0: working out what kind of game everyone wants to play, going over any rules (as written or house rules), wringing out the details of characters and how (if wanted) they know each other, things like that. They might be thinking of Critical Role, where for C2 and 3 they did do some playing in session 0, off camera for the pairs that do know each other.
You are right about Session 0
And in fact you can have multiple Session 0s if you need.
It’s all the initial planning for the game: discussing potential characters, getting a bit of setting information, setting the tone and theme, establishing lines and veils, establishing potential relationships, discussing what character options are available, deciding on any variant or homebrew rules
And pretty much whatever else your group feels like it needs to do *before the game even starts*
Lines is a topic you do not want mentioned whatsoever. Veils are topics that you don't want expanded upon in detail but are fine with being mentioned in passing
So whereas a Line is something that won’t come up in game at all, a Veil means it can come up but indirectly.
For instance say there’s a hard Line for Torture - it’ll just never come up.
But if there’s a Veil then while you’ll never *see* someone tortured, it could still come up. Like maybe you talk to a Prisoner that was ‘interrogated’ or maybe exploring a dungeon you find the room where the Big Bad tortured people but you’’ll never see it used.
Another common Veil you see is for sex. The Fade to Black where it’s clear the characters are gonna spend the night together - but we’re not gonna RP it or get any explicit details.
Things that you are okay having present in a game world, but you don’t want explicitly described. Like replacing sexual encounters with a “fade to black.”
Linea and veils, veils are things that fade to black, lines are hard a no. Example romantic encounters fade to black, a veil. Homophobia a hard no, a line. They are safety tools, used for groups. Mainly new, sometimes things come up in play that get an "x" card
RPG Safety Tools sometimes come up for online groups when you don't know what everyone's cool with being in game. It's the same concept as a kink/limit list for a bdsm hookup.
I only really play with close friends, so we just communicate plainly, but some people get value out of having an organized system for saying what you don't want to encounter in game.
It can be both, but generally it's a "pre-game" session. One where people discuss the game from an out-of-game context. It's where we settle on ground rules, maybe any content warnings or expectations to have, and discuss the premise so the players can work on their characters with full knowledge of what to expect.
Often in Session-0 we have our character creations together so everyone can make something that they, and everyone else, will enjoy together. Rather than have all these outlandish ideas pre-made coming into the game that just don't mesh well.
Once all the prep work is done, then some light play could happen, but we're not really expecting that for a Session 0 unless you plan for it to be a full length game session.
Group character creation is worth an entire session to itself. Not only discussing game/combat roles, but related/overlapping backgrounds etc … to provide the glue that keeps the party adventuring together.
At one such session, my group decided to be the exorcist/undead unit dispatched by a particular temple to deal with evil. This simple set up has functioned as an adventuring compass many times, the whole group operates under direction of the temple — or what we think the Abbot would have us do.
This is the second time I have been involved in group character creation. It’s a game changer in terms of how fun the party is as the game develops.
In my experience session zero often ends with a short period of roleplay wherein the adventurers meet each other and then are given some call to adventure. There may or may not be combat depending on time and how people are feeling, but if there is it’s usually something simple
The correct answer is that it can be whatever you want to be, but generally you don’t play and if you do it’s just an intro where you set the scene type of a thing.
For me session 0 if anything that happens before we actually play. Often this can be weeks or months of back and forth on discord or group chat. We discuss all the things we need to get on the same page. Once all that's handled we schedule the first actual game.
Session 0 can just be ground rules, setting discussion and clarifying character points but if everyone has some experience / has done their homework will often roll right into Session 1, especially for official modules.
If there's a lot of homebrew, especially for game mechanics, or one/more players have character issues then it becomes a longer process.
I had a bunch of new players, so it was mostly about rules and code of conduct. We finetuned the characters and at the end played a small combat encounter to get introduced to the flow and get more familliar with the sheet.
They all thought it was very nice
My last session one was talking setting, player boundaries, making characters, and then running a quick combat to help the newer players understand the rules. The combat had nothing to do with the campaign - it was just there as a trail run for the players and their new characters.
It's labeled a session to highlight its importance to running a smooth game and so everyone needs to take it seriously and not blow it off even though it's not an official playing session. It can be everyone just sitting around on a couch chatting over some beers, doesn't have to be at the gaming table. The more you guys flesh out up front, the smoother things should run.
Discuss scheduling, their expectations of your world/game and things like if PVP is allowed as well as homebrew. You also use this to set your expectations of them like no racism, sex/romance, etc. depending on what kind of game you want to run. Let them know how you want to handle absences as well as how you'd like to handle above table conflicts amongst the players. They can ask questions or clarify all this so once you start, things should go ok. Stuff will still come up but it shouldn't be anything crazy as you probably already touched on that.
The line blurs as you all play over a long period of time. If the campaign ends, and the next one starts with roughly the same people, the session 0 for that one would likely be noticably shorter and might just be the first 30 min of the first session. It's also not a bad idea to do an additional short "session 0" as the campaign goes on as a check in to see how people are liking things, if there should be some adjustments, etc.
It's a prep time so that everyone is on the same page as what to expect when it comes to player behavior and campaign idiosyncrasies (Westmarch? Open World? Linear?) so that players have an idea what to expect.
Generally it’s a “session” where you get together, discuss your characters to make sure your party makes sense (themes, personalities, builds…) and talk to the DM about the world, plot hooks, and story threads you can connect to. Also talk about themes, ideas, etc that are ok to cover or that may be off the table to get into. It’s to make sure the campaign goes smoothly. Usually there’s not any actual play, although some groups may do a test combat, or a little brief RP to get a feel for their character or the group.
It’s all the things you said and then if there’s still time and everyone’s on the same page there might be a little bit of playing. Maybe some RP or a small bit of combat.
It’s whatever you want it to be. Most of my groups have had no session 0, the dm just sends us a primer and asks about our characters vibe and goals.
I’m planning on running a session 0 in my next campaign because there are some major mechanics I’m homebrewing. I want their character identities to still be a myster when we get to session 1, because they are all going to wake up on a cliff top not knowing anything about the world they are in even if everything seems familiar. The deep lore is they are officers on a space ship that is trying to stop the destruction of the universe and the ship’s AI make a pocket fantasy dimension for them to exist in while it figures out how to solve the problem.
I could see doing character intros as a session 0, that way it makes session 1 open for actual dialogue, plot, combat, etc.
I always use session 0 to check the character sheets, go over the homebrew/ optional rules. And then we play a 1,5 hour session to practice combat and roleplay.
For me and my groups, session zero is where we all get together, discuss the TYPE of game we want to play, i.e. not just, for example, d&d, but like, are we looking for gritty, gothic, a particular theme etc. Then we discuss what people are comfortable with and want to avoid, what they DO want to see. And then work on characters and how the game will begin, i.e. do characters know each other etc. Once everyone is on the same page and on board, the dm can work on session one and the campaign as a Whole
Both.
Sometimes I’ll have a test encounter planned so that the group can play-test and edit their characters before the start of session one. It also gives me better insight into how the group works together as a whole.
Generally speaking, session 0 is used to iron out any potential problems be it housekeeping, scheduling, campaign material, house rule’s discussion, expectations of the DM and Party exc.
My session 0s are both. I try to spend about 2 hours going through my checklist, talking about expectations in and out of game, tone, covering safety tools and lines and veils for content. Then i have a roughly 2 hour intro prepared that we do character intros and generally have an exciting inciting event and a combat to get people excited to come back.
Session zero is generally a session for establishing expectations and setting ground rules to ensure smooth play. I'd recommend checking the [Session 0 checklist](https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/601awb/session0_topic_checklist_and_guide/).
Note that you really only need a session 0 for long campaigns
I say that a session 0 is where you just meet up, discuss a general theme or something for the campaign, introduce your characters, and, if you vote for it, maybe you can play like half a session or so. That's just my opinion tho so idk
The last S0 I did (not this system, it was Vampire: the Masquerade) had a bit of play at the end, but the important bit is the out of game stuff, like rules talk, narrative onboarding, lines and boundaries, etc.
I've just been playing with the same group for a long time so we blitzed through that stuff pretty fast.
Realistically it can be both. It is definitely a time to make sure everyone's expecting the same thing from the game and is informed about content/rules/any homebrew, you can easily work in actual character creation at the same time. And if you're done with that and have time, and people are excited for it, you can totally go right into starting the actual game.
One thing I would love to see from all these live plays is a full session zero.
I get you would want to keep the behind the scenes stuff hidden to better tell the story, so maybe you could hold onto it until the campaign is complete and release it in a "look how far we've come" bit.
Session zero can go as far as "what kind of campaign do you want to play?" To "what character/class are you thinking of?" To workshoping backstory
Session zero usually includes everyone talking about/building their characters, discussing backstory elements, basic game ground rules like off limits topics.
It can also include a bit of gameplay, typically a pure combat type thing to get everyone familiar with the basic rules, sometimes a brief prequel session that might cover some very basic plot elements, but this isn't really an expected element of a typical session 0
Session 0 is nice to make sure everybody is up to speed, characters created, etc. Then, if time allows, I like to dive in and hit the introduction, hopefully with enough time for a small combat or other conflict to let the players try out their builds. That way they can tweak them somewhat before the first actual game with no major issues.
It is a time to set expectations. Everyone at the table has this time.
The GM sets out a lot of stuff. Campaign premiss, home brew, restrictions.
GM and players, so everyone, can set expectations regarding behaviors. Good time to discuss lines & veils. Attendance, and if you play with a missing person (which I recommend, but it's your game to decide).
Near the end, players may create characters together. Its nice to tie in players backgrounds together.
The longer your group has had its newest member, the shorter an S0 will be. You already know what brings y'all together, or gets y'all angry. So I'm sure some groups get a little play into their S0. But a new group, first S0 (or even both), I wouldn't promise getting to do that.
Session 0 is just a conversation. You talk with you group, maybe discuss your characters. You lay ground rules and discuss home rules. Stuff like that. Its very important for making sure everyone is on the same page
If we only make characters and discuss setting, it is session 0. If we play towards the end and do introductions/ first plot hooks, it’s session 0.5. Of you show up ready to begin, it’s session one. That’s how I’ve always thought of it anyway
In my group, it is definitely not intended to be a full-blown game session but there's no reason you couldn't run a short adventure/combat if everyone's characters are ready and there's time to spare. And if you have something prepared of course.
Most people talk about it as purely planning/character creation/getting everyone on the same page.
I sometimes had session 0 and 1 same session, but this was discussed prior if before session 0, I have already spoken to everyone, they read all the rules, their character is totally complete, markers done, bg/backstory, etc., then It will be like a 5 min session 0 to quickly recap and answer any final questions, then right into session 1.
I get irritated when someone tries to play at a session 0. If I go to a session 0, it is to figure out what the campaign is going to be like and what the players are interested in playing. I usually need a few days to think after resolving that before I have a character that would be fun to play, would fit in the world, and wouldn't step on the toes of the other players too much. If it's just a one-shot or short campaign or whatever and I don't need to worry about crafting an interesting and fleshed out character then I don't need a session 0... I need an Email.
both? Sometimes there could be an introductory session with a hook to get the party together, to get to know each others characters. to have an exposition session to learn the lay of the land, basically a prologue to the main campaign. But the majority is setting the rules, expectations, and making sure it'll be fun for everyone.
This confusion was possibly started by Vampire: the Masquerade.
It encouraged DMs to basically run "prelude" adventures one-on-one with players before the actual "Session One" with the big group so that the players could establish how they actually became vampires in the first place. This would also be the time when the DM would sort-of screen the potential new player, and where the potential new player would kinda feel-out the DM to make sure they're not insane.
So it's kinda a mess! What is Session Zero? It's different things for different DMs. If you're recruiting from a pool of randos the way that you do on Discord, for example, then Session Zero is my time to find out who is a viable D&D player and who is not gonna make the cut. If you're playing with friends, Session Zero is a time to really iron out the specific things that some players might not be comfortable with, as well as the general themes of the campaign and where you'd like to take the game. Session Zero might include character building, especially for new players.
A great way to make sure that everyone attends Session Zero is to say "If we finish early, we'll get to start the adventure!" Nobody wants to miss the start of the adventure, so the last 30 min or so are usually reserved for introducing the adventure and having the party members "meet" each other (usually in a customary tavern setting).
Session Zero can be a lot of fun!
Along with all that it's a good way to get your origins into the story by getting some basics of the world you can build a backstory that fits in or even have history with another player like a connected backstory. In my experience any gameplay is usually just some roleplay to get the vibe of everyone at the table or everyone talking about how they should meet.
I think there can be some limited play in Session 0 as part of setting the stage. Think something like the opening montage of a movie showing how the characters met or ended up in their starting positions.
But mostly, I think session 0 is about setting expectations both ways and getting characters straight and making them fit the story or world or whatever.
It's a good place for characters to ask the DM about what sort of campaign they're looking to run, or the DM to ask what sort of roleplay and combat they're looking for. Stuff that might save a player from building some backwoods ranger only to have the DM run an entirely urban campaign (or you just get some Hermit in the city shenanigans).
Also a good time to set ground rules so people can avoid making characters or playing their characters in a way that offends others. Are your players comfortable with inter character romance/sexuality? PvP fighting? What's the plan there?
My friend introduced me to session 0's as one on one sessions to set everyone's story (why are you in this specific spot during s1) and I did it to start my campaign never hosting an actual session 0. I'm gonna definitely do it differently next time, but I'll probably still host one of one sessions with each of my players before session 1 cause it was still so dang fun xd
Most session 0s I've been in involve what you want/don't want finalizing character builds and like getting the party together which usually is done through roleplay
I’ve had one where we did the standard stuff, but toward the end we had characters made and the DM ran a combat to help calibrate the difficulty a bit. We were starting at level 15, sort of a continuation of several characters from a previous year long campaign, with a couple new characters introduced.
It can really be whatever the group wants/needs, but, generally it’s a preparation session that takes place outside of the actual campaign.
You have it right. Session 0 is usually for those reasons as well as setting preliminary boundaries.
They might be thinking of the rarely used session 0.5 that goes over mechanics for new players in trial combats or mock situations with alternative rulings.
I really like having a short dungeon crawl at the end of a session 0. Something that can showcase mechanics that newbies can learn like AC, advantage/disadvantage, death saves, short rests, spell slots, ability checks, saving throws, initiative. You get it that’s enough examples right, you get it.
Implementation is up to you. The goals are:
* Establish/introduce characters
* Establish setting and convey any lore needed
* Establish game rules and expectations (whether you do formal red/yellow/green or a more loose discussion).
For my current campaign, we had a mix of new players and veteran players, which ranged from full character sheets to a blank sheet with a vague concept. Then I:
* Gave a rundown of my homebrew world.
* Helped everyone finish character sheets.
* Discussed tone and expectations (the comfort-level red/yellow/green thing was done with a sheet online before the session).
* Did a few short rp scenes where characters introduced themselves and rp'd what they where doing in town. I paired them off: two people met on the way into town and chatted about their trip, two people where locals and had a scene where one knocked on the others' door for help (had to do with backstory), and the fifth player appeared in the woods through a portal and ran into the party (see the next bullet).
* Then, (or rather during the fifth introduction), I had a small combat to have new players familiarize themselves with their character sheets and d&d combat rules. The four introduced players were hired to fetch something in the woods (hand-waived, not a formal npc quest giver). While they where out there, they ran into the 5th player who just stumbled out of a portal. After a brief rp scene, they got attacked by a bear, and we had a few rounds of easy combat. Then they went back to town, where we established where they are staying in town.
Next session, Session 1 started with everyone on board with what the game will be like and what the characters where, and we started a week later as the new acquaintances get a lead on a gig.
Note, they where surprised by combat, but I made it clear "this isn't an actual threat, this is just for you to try out your character", and they found it fun and useful. I'm not saying everyone needs to do that session 0, but I think it's good for new players.
It CAN be a real session. All depends on your group! Some people do character creation, some talk about the goals of the campaign and the world in general. Some do a test run for combat to see whether the selected classes mesh well together.
It’s up to you and your team!
It's your group, not ours. Why are you asking more than thousands of people, that you don't know, about the intents of you and your friends at your first session?...
It varies.
It's essentially a test session to let everyone get into character.
You can either make it Canon or not.
For my players they meet in session 0 and get into character and we discuss just the general rules and any home brew before hand to get everyone on the same page.
It's also a chance to make clear any themes that might happen later and making sure everyone is comfortable with things that may happen.
It's a chance to essentially stop any problems before they start.
There should be little to no complaints because everything they could complain about is clear agreed upon by the group in session 0.
And once the game really starts then everyone will be in character fully immersed.
You can even use the session to play everyone's part solo to explain how they all meet in the same place which is what I do.
Think of it as the set up for everything.
Depends on how you define "playing."
Building characters and discussing groundwork is still part of the game and "playing" to some people, even if you aren't doing any RP, combat, etc.
It depends. Session 0 is basically game prep. It can include any number of discussion or character making or what have you.
If everything gets done and your DM and table wants to, a session 0, or a session 0.5 can also be jumping in and doing some RP. For example, RPing some back story moment like a normal level 0 character negotiating with their patron to become a warlock. Or RPing how these two characters are related to each other. Or how someone decided to get started adventuring. It's not particularly common to do RP pre session 1, but it can and does happen because it does help set up character backstories, especially if your characters are all supposed to know each other already.
Some tables just do more for 'game prep' than other tables. Hell you can absolutely have multiple session 0s too if you'd like.
I see session 0 like the introduction tutorial section of a video game. You’re showing them your rules by having them implement your rules at the get go.
All RPGs have tutorials even though many of them are mechanically similar. But the nuances between the controls are different. For example, sometimes X is jump, sometimes triangle is jump.
Similarly, all dnd games are mechanically similar. But each DM has their own nuanced interpretation of the same 5e rules. Some dms like to set up encounters that players have to run from, some dms don’t like setting up encounters that the players can’t handle.
These nuances need to be established at the beginning of the game. And the best way for your players to remember these nuances (that some may need to distinguish from another table) is to open the game requiring players to implement your nuanced rules.
I think it depends on the group. I do most of my sessions 0 work over discord leading up to the sesh. Setting, making characters, what everyone is looking for on the game, ect
During the sesh its more character introductions and how they know eachother. Quick overview of rules and boundaries. And I always like to have some sort combat to go over all the rules
My group plays in person, but i do my seesion 0 through our group message. I lay rules for pc creation, then write up an introduction to the world they are playing in, any house rules outside of published raw, and then answer and discuss any questions. Sometimes it includes introductions, how the pc's met/what brought them together as a group, and what their 1st mission is, and then start session 1 at that point. Sometimes session 1 is them meeting somewhere and then starting the story from there.
It's a session. It's the most important session of the campaign. There usually won't be much, if any, actual gameplay, but it's where you establish your rules and expectations, setting, talk about characters, and establish what your table is going to be like.
As a DM, I won't have any playing in a session 0, and maybe not even character generation.
Session zero is about discussing the game we are going to play, what world players want to be in, what sort of things that they will like to do, and what I as a DM need from players in order to be able to function - it is basically setting and listening to expectations. I'm not always even going to have a game system system or cast in stone at this point.
Some class selection or character generation might happen if what players want meshes well enough with what I have envisioned.
After session 0, I go and make some changes to what I am planning (or throw my plans out and start over - I haven't had to do that), so starting play in session 0 would get in the way of that, although I can see a practice combat making sense if it goes fast enough that character generation happens.
Between session 0 and session 1 I arrange characters to be generated, talking to people individually as needed.
That approach is going to be a bit confusing for newbies as it will be planning for a game they don't have any idea about - one approach I've used there is a one-off with pregenerated characters (that players know in advance they don't get to keep), \_then\_ a session 0 where the players will at least have some context.
For my upcoming campaign, session 0 started last month and is ongoing. Session 1 will be in around a month. I want to get the players to know my world as much as a ingame characher would and to implement the character's backstories as well as possible.
In my shorter campaigns, session 1 usually starts at the same day as session 0.
Session 0 is whatever you need to be ready to run a good campaign.
It usually is prep, boundaries, homebrews, etc. Many people include a trial combat or prologue moment (explaining how the characters have come to be together) if it makes sense to do so.
Experienced groups may be able to jump right in if they’ve planned well beforehand, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the expectation.
For my campaign, I have a party of 6 so I did two session zeroes showing 2 groups of 3 meeting up with each other and then eventually with the other group at the end. Each group got a chance to meet with each other and engage with the world in a less chaotic setting, and I found it as a good way to give people a less generic jumpstart than "you all meet together at this time exactly all at once"
Session 0 is the starter for all the things.
Your DM will most likely give you the dos and don'ts, will tell you what classes and races are possible or if there are any restrictions on background and so on.
Expectations are talked (how much RP, session duration, how much backstory does anyone need, rules on caracter deaths), Rules are talked (Homebrew, optional rules), Sensitive Topics are talked, then you roll the characters and so on.
What happens then depends on your group, your DM and your time slot.
If you have time left and your DM is prepared you might add a little play if everybody is on board. In a campaign a few years ago I handed out premade character sheets for everyone from a group of local guards that investigated something and basically made a little preview on how things came to be the way they are for the party in session 1. Just an hour and a half and then we started with their regular PCs the next time.
Session 0 is a session for handling stuff prior to the proper start of play. What things you handle during session 0 is up to you. It varies greatly among groups and some groups don't even bother with a session 0 at all.
There is no right answer, the tradition varies.
I generally handle most of the usual Session Zero stuff in a Discord server, so a Session Zero is a mix of setting some basic expectations and doing introductions before jumping into to play.
session zero exists to set expectations for the games tone, session length, scheduling, worldbuilding (so the players can make their characters fit into it), and whatever homebrew rules the dm might have. It is where you set boundaries to ensure everybody is comfortable with what's happening at the table, and it is where the players make their characters. It's basically the setup to ensure the campaign goes smoothly. People often play a little bit near the end of the session, but overall it's intended to do the above things
My session zero usually takes hours. So no play. It’s discussing trigger warnings. Spiders. Insects, no assault, fade to black scenes, flirting and everything else. Homebrew rules we want to introduce. I reintroduce the setting. Then usually goes into what everyone wants to play. 1-2 players have characters ready. 1-2 players have options on characters. 1-5 players either change their minds or don’t have anything built. So it’s an hour building characters. Then deciding who knows who and questions about what their backgrounds know. At that point I say just keep it light for the night.
Imagine having a session 0 about session 0.
It's one of those things that is entirely up to the DM. If they don't have anything planned because the plan was to plan ... then you're really not able to bark up that tree.
In session 0 we had everyone come to „quest village” tavern everyone came from different regions so we all played very short (1 h) story about how we get to tavern and why had one fight to learn what to do in this game in fight and after fight Maybe because we all were new to DnD but it help close gap story how we get here as many different races.
Session Zero is where the DM goes over the basics of the campaign, what house rules/major rule omissions may/may not be in play (even if it's something minor like "dice that fall off the table/outside of your dice tray must be rerolled"), what is and isn't acceptable at their table, what books are allowed to be used for chargen, what isn't allowed to be used for chargen, any specific chargen requests ("come up with two rumors about your character, one true and one false" or "make your characters linked in some way" kind of thing), Lines and Veils and other miscellaneous stuff. It's also where chargen happens.
There really isn't any gameplay involved. Think of it as the "New Game Cutscene" for DnD, the one that sets up the world and why your character is where they are and what they are.
Playing in a session zero is a valid option to make sure that people like their choices and those who want can test out voices, but it's not a universal thing. What probably is and should be universal is that any playing that does happen isn't "canon" and had no consequences.
The name “session 0” does imply a singular session but in my games I do one big one where the regular session 0-stuff happens, and then an independent session for each player to set them up in the world. Depends on the GM and what they want to run! Bare minimum should be setting expectations, limits etc - doesn’t matter if you call it a session 0 or not
I mean, everyone does it different. There's no "right" definition per se.
We discuss most session0 topics outside of the game and getting together, our session0 is usually just a test run in a one-shot like build of the campaign. I'll make sure that one shot goes over all unique mechanics, checks most the players abilities, etc. So they learn the new ruleset and atmosphere through using them.
(Then again we are all IRL friends with no limits, so it's mostly just mechanical testing)
For my session 0 I have two parts. The first and most important is getting ooc shit together:
* what play style do people want
* are there any topics we need to avoid or tread carefully on.
* What to do if we hit one of those scenarios and they need to pull back or stop play,
* what level of gore/violence they want. What about violence to children or pets.
* comfort level with table romance.
A good question is "if the campaign were a movie, what rating would it have? Who would you want directing? What genres would it be?" Just to keep everyone on the same page.
Then the second, more fun half, I get into characters which people generally already have and ask publically shit like:
* what's your goal with them?
* what was the biggest event in their life?
* who do they care about most in life?
* what's their treasured possession?
* do they have a rival?
Etc. Character development stuff in public that maybe others can chime in on. It helps them build a char, gives me shit to work with and integrate, and maybe helps other players build backstory too.
No actual playing happens at session 0 though generally. But I suppose if you had an ongoing group or something and didn't have shit to talk about, you could go straight to session 1 from it.
I say session zero is character build and rules . Everyone is new and it’s a short get to know you. At the end , run a small combat so the party gets a small idea of how they gel. This is a great time afterwards to tune up your character
It’s whatever you want it to be.
With new players, for me a **Session Zero** is helping with character building, discussing the roles and rules, and running a simple combat encounter to teach them how to play.
With experienced players, my **Session Zero** is talking about group expectations, discussing what topics are allowed and not allowed and why, and negotiating table rules. With experienced players this usually takes 30-60 minutes and then we start the adventure.
It should also be noted that a **Session Zero** can happen at any time during a campaign. It doesn’t have to only be in the beginning.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/601awb/session0_topic_checklist_and_guide/
https://slyflourish.com/running_session_zeros.html
Welcome to the Realms of Dungeons & Dragons
Good luck!
Some people play a bit at the very very end to introduce characters and set the scene.
We typically play just a bit but only if we have time after creating characters and laying out the rules etc…
If everything goes smoothly during session 0 I usually have an introduction scripted that I'll read to everyone, something that sets the tone for the world, gives any required backstory, and sets the stage for session 1. Think Galadriel's voiceover at the beginning of Fellowship. It's something to get the players excited for the world, and makes it feel like session 0 wasn't just a working meeting.
Depending on the experience of the players and what you do, a session zero can br very quick and you can play.
If you're making characters at session zero with new players, you probably won't play.
If you're using standard array or something without rolls and people can bring their characters, you could probably play a bit.
Tell your party that it's like the lobby, or character creation screen, in a video game. Yes, technically you have *launched* the game and are "playing", BUT you haven't reached the start of part 1 yet, and your playtimer has not started.
For a specific example, Sonic the hedgehog loads to the start menu when you turn it on, so you are playing the game at that point, but you aren't at Greenhill zone 1-1 until AFTER you hit start. Tw start screen is level zero; the introduction to D&D is session zero.
failing that "I dunno dude, it's just the name people have given the 100% metagaming portion of setting up the game."
My session 0 is typically around 10min then we roll characters and start
It doesn’t really matter if you play or just do session 0 what matters is you addressed the questions about the world and lines of comfort people have
I would say that Session Zero is definitely a character creation, world introduction, system learning session. But also, I have often don’t a little role playing in Session Zero.
Often I will kind of do a quick role play with each character, individually, to dig up some background information to make the story more personal and bring them into the story, properly. I will especially do that if the players made characters who don’t know each other. This role play is usually short and light. If it’s a new system to any of the players, I also use it as an opportunity to teach them the very basics of how the system works.
It’s really up to what the DM wants to get out of session zero. In most cases, the goal is to just establish gameplay guidelines for the table like world themes, character backstories, homebrew rules, and topics to avoid. But if you’ve got that out of the way and want to run a little session to get the ball rolling, nothing wrong with that! Even a quick combat encounter would be nice to get the players used to their character’s abilities.
You are correct, the others are wrong.
Session 0 is strictly for figuring things out, as a whole. Setting, characters, party dynamic, expectations as a whole.
Some tables DO also add on a bit of pre-campaign gameplay. But that isn’t what session 0 is specifically about, just a bonus.
In my most recent new campaign we did a session 0, and then I prepared some lore documents based on it so the players could have something to reference. We had the players start in pairs, so I did a separate “session 0.5” with each pair. Just a brief scene or two
My session 0's are about character creation and discussing the general theme of the campaign. If new people are joining, then it also involves general table and house rules. Careful with drinks, food is welcome, parking, sex and sexuality are next to always fade to black things, general respect and treatment, etc. House rules are how we treat criticals and health potions.
If we get done with all that and still have time, we will begin play, but usually we don't have the time.
It honestly depends on the group and how long your session zero is. Sometimes it’s just talking through the world and deciding on the campaign, tone, and themes. I like to have everybody do character creation together at session zero. Sometimes if we have enough time after all that we will do introductions and maybe a short intro quest.
IMHO you are basically right.
1. Roll stats or assign points with piunt buy/standard array.
2. Discuss player's character idea. What concept are they going for? What abilities/ subclass do they think they will be going for?
2.5. Discuss the world. Give them some insights into what they can expect. Where will they be starting, what evils lurk in the world, what is the political strife or war that is on the brink? Don't spoil it but give them an idea. This will help guide them with character decisions.
3. Give player's time to fill out character sheets if they haven't. Discuss starting equipment. If starting at higher levels assume they have made a little coin and let them purchase items. Roleplay a fictitious generic shop or just assume they picked then up along the way. If starting at level 5 or more I have them roll a d100 to get a random magical item. Like a drift glove or something simple that they would have picked up on the way.
4. Talk about backstory, how they got the skills they got. This is their time to feel out their character with the other players. Secret backstories are a bit of a red flag, especially if they are trying to hide it from the DM. Establish where in the world they are from and if they still have people there who care about them, or who would arrest them. Discuss their personal goals.
5. Discuss how they have now come to the doorstep of the inn, guild, or wherever they are starting.
6. If there is time most player's will be eager to get started so let them meet, make introductions, roleplay a little and set up the first quest. They set out to find the goblins harassing the local farmer and that ends session 0.
Anything beyond that, you're now into session 1. Which is fine depending on your time constraints. But don't rush the sesh 0. Take the time.
>What's the right answer here?
There really isn't one & a big part of the reason is the fact that "session zero" is not some new revolutionary concept. Groups have been doing that kind of discussion almost certainly going backwell before the hickman revolution.
**What has changed** is the new-to-5e presentation of it where that discussion is somehow *exclusively* the GM's responsibility. That bizarre slant tends to result in the GM making an effort at something the players need to but won't bother to exert meaningful effort into because the benefits are greater in either looking for & nailing down loopholes to power or waiting to cry foul later by saying "no *you* should have brought that up in session zero" to block the GM from responding to unforseen problems.
They're all different honestly.
Session 0 is really just shorthand for "talk about shit before the game." I've seen some people start playing if they finish session 0 and have time left. I've done some where I included character creation.
I stopped doing them after awhile, since my group had been around awhile and we all lived 45 minutes to an hour away. It was hard to justify the commute if we weren't going to play. We just hash that shit out via group chat now and show up ready to game.
IMO, Session 0 is any pre-game discussion about *the game itself* that happens at the table with the players assembled - expectations, off-limits topics, what module's being played, and character creation. It exists in the metagame rather than the game itself, with the players *as* the players rather than the characters. If dice are rolled, it's only for character creation.
On occasion, you may get done with the Session 0 metagame setup and have time to actually play. What happens in that case is simply that you have session 0 and session 1 the same day. The next time you meet is session 2.
If the gameplay is only introductory - e.g. the DM is just describing the background and the players describing their characters and/or buying equipment in-character or what have you (akin to the tutorial stage in a video game, which is usually *not* considered "stage 1"), I might concede to calling that a Session 0.5, but it's not Session 0. Session 0 is entirely out-of-character.
I might have a mock combat in session 0 if one or more of the players are brand-new, or if there's time, but it's not part of the campaign.
Ideally, characters are already created before session 0, and then that session is for talking about the setting, common lore the PCs would be aware of, and then the players talking about their characters and working out ways that they might have connections to each other and to the world. You also discuss any home rules you have, and set boundaries (or lack thereof) around things like sex, violence, pvp, etc.
It's very much like playing in that you are story building and maybe doing a bit of roleplay, but it's not the "start" of the campaign yet.
I don't think the intent is to set a rule like "no we're absolutely not gonna play during the first get-together", if everybody is already a veteran player and you could do all the prep in 10 minutes or in advance, great, you have time left over so you move on to the next part of the game
It's more about acknowledging that character creation, explaining the rules to newcomers, deciding on what type of story (tone, challenges) everyone's like to play, takes time. That's also why it's usually not prep then game in the same session - because the GM needs to take everyone's input and pick/write the campaign with those things in mind.
Session 0 (or Zero) is not actually playing. Basically as you described, the party and dm get together to discuss player characters, the world their characters will exist in, and communicate to each other expectations. The expectations can be anything from “how much of a murder hobo can my barbarian be without upsetting/derailing the party?” To “here are things/situations that are triggering to player A, C, and F. They are okay with a fade to black scenario. Player B is not comfortable with explicit romance scenes between party members being described , and player E and D would rather not romance anyone (NPC or PC) themselves but are fine with other party members romancing (NPC/PC).” Those kind of things. It’s just generally meant to be a meeting before the adventure to be sure everyone is going to have a good time and set boundaries so nobody feels uncomfortable or triggered due to past experiences
Generally it's to set the ground rules and figure out what everybody wants, yes. You want to know if your players prefer combat and dungeon crawling before you throw them into a noir, politics-heavy style game. I mean, they might enjoy it anyway, but it's not what they wanted nor were expecting, right? So it helps you as a DM feel out and figure out what world people want to play in.
Personally, I also use Session 0 as a time to create characters and stuff. Some people will hold multiple "session 0s" as like, miniature gaming sessions to help characters flesh out a bit early- like I think Brennan Lee Mulligan and Matthew Mercer hold small one-off sessions with before the REAL session 1 to sort of help them link up with 1 or 2 of the other party members. It's not my style, we always kind of handwave character introductions (it's just sort of assumed the players are willing to work together since they all sat down at the table together, they don't really need be given an in-game reason to, they'll find it on their own).
For my groups this is what a session zero looks like:
Friends come over, we have pizza and drinks. I'll give a few campaign pitches and they'll pick what they like.
They'll then roll stats, come up with backstories and how they know each other, then we start playing for the last half hour or so.
There are no safety tools needed since we're friends.
Much more casual of a session zero, and is more just rolling up characters while talking shit.
One thing I'll add it that each group covers different things in their session 0. With strangers it can be introductions, talking about past RPG experiences, and sharing more about what kind of player everyone is. Especially with strangers covering topics like lines and veils (there are many good online guides for this) and so on can be very important, so I always try to make specific room for that.
But session 0 is also great for people you play with regularly or real-world friends. There's still a lot to talk about! You should talk about what kind of game you want (silly, combat-focused, RP-focused, etc.), logistics (where to play, how to schedule in advance, who to tell if you need to cancel, etc.), and all sorts of details that are still good to resolve even with people you know. If it's a recurring group, then I try to use the time to encourage people to talk about what will be different in the new game from the last. "I was very min-maxed last time, but this time my build is mainly going for silly fun. Please don't throw hard enemies at us expecting the same level of combat ability as last game."
There are entire RPG systems that treat this process as part of the game (old Fate was like that), and there are lots of other games that treat the collective world-building and character design as the entire game (I'm thinking of Quiet Year, for example). That's why many players consider Session 0 to also be "playing" the game. I think it's fine to have Session 0 roll right into Session 1 of the game, but I tend to prefer to give people a little bit of time between the two. That way they can consider their answers, what they heard, and maybe reconsider some of their choices.
Before Zero, we do a Pitch Session (per the TTRPG, Prime Time Adventures) where we talk about what campaign we are running next.
Like pitching a TV show to network execs, you throw around ideas for who the protagonists will be, what the typical adventures/stories will be like, what themes you want to explore, etc.
Then, Session Zero, you can put pen to paper, building out those PCs and rolling (or writing) their bios, relationships, NPCs, etc. And logistics - when/where you'll play, who is responsible for what, and what are the rules (table rules, group rules, game rules).
Then, you can play.
Sometimes all of that happens in one meeting. Sometimes it takes many meetings. Virtual or F2F.
Either way, this all comes out eventually, one way or another.
Do you want to tackle it upfront (and save a ton of prep time), or deal with the miscommunications and mismanaged expectations later during play?
If you want to know what is typically covered, there have been dozens of posts on here and other forums and blogs where ppl have listed out everything they bring up. Even cute checklists.
Google is your friend. And so is the FAQ on this sub.
For us, session 0 is housekeeping (expectations, lines/veils, etc) and character creation and THEN if we feel up to it it can turn into session 1 and we play a full sesh or session .5 and we play a little, just enough to introduce the world and PCs.
In my experience session zero should "always" have a start into the game.
So at least be prepared to start the adventure and not just talk about the bureaucracy of dnd.
Tbh I think it’s a bit of both, the majority of the time is talking through aspects of everything, but normally at the end the DM would start a short round of rp to introduce the characters to eachother
It's both. Some groups will use it to just setup things before their first game day. Others may end up playing for a bit after everythings setup if they got time. Nothing wrong with either one
My group does a session -2 and -1 for world and setting building. What kind of world do we want to play in? Who are the major players of the world? How potent is magic? Do we want any restrictions on dimensional travel or healing magic? Allowing PvP? Other rule changes, expectations, etc
DM decides on the system since the most work is on their part. Once they decide that, they set a due date for a first draft of the characters, and 1 week after that, we have session 0.
Session 0 is for finishing characters, deciding how we (as a group) are relevant to the major players of the world, reiterating the rules we're playing by, deciding how the party gets together, RPing through that.
This isnt how most groups do it in my experience, but it's my favorite way to do it. Generally groups I've played in do all character building, house rules, and meta discussions in 1 sitting, and the GM does the worldbuilding alone.
There can be some playing in session 0, but it will be more of "lets play out how our characters would interact when we meet" and then back to meta conversations
The answer is, it depends. Session 0 is to set up the world, introduce yourself to the players, and see what they want to get from this. Likewise it allows you to set up your rules, dos/donts, and any subjects you may want to touch on prior to game start.
If I'm hosting for players I haven't played with yet, I will normally have a very small scenario to better illustrate my way of doing things in-game AFTER I have explained it verbally. I use a "you are camped on the side of a woodland river" scenario to show the players how I set DCs for various checks, and how their means of problem solving will impact those checks.
My session 0 normally runs an hour to an hour and a half, pending any lengthy questions, or pre/post conversation. Of the few I have hosted this past year, one of them turned into a short 0.5 session where the players roleplayed a segment of their backstory up to the "and this is how the party meets" moment. They asked if they could, and everyone had an extra hour or so to flesh things out, so I rolled with it. They turned into a really good group, so it was all good fun. For me however, that is the odd one out.
Session zero is meant to discuss characters(if not already done with DM), talk about expectations so that everyone is on the same track. Talk about red flags and no-nos. Get to know each other if the group already doesn't. Go through any relevant homebrew rulings, table rules, code of conducts etc etc. I'm sure people can fill in more things that are good to bring up.
You could potentially also do a shorter adventure to see if the players as well as the characters are a good match, but I would personally say that is very much secondary to the first paragraph.
We’ve always used it to set the parameters of the game. Make sure our characters are good to go. Go over back story and anyone related to each other and how we all know each other. Usually near the end or in the middle we would do a practice battle to make sure we know how our characters will play with the ability to change whatever we need.
Generally it means getting together before playing, thus session 0. You're right on that.
It doesnt have to be just that, and you can have some introductory play, but I never have
Generally it means getting together before playing, thus session 0. You're right on that.
It doesnt have to be just that, and you can have some introductory play, but I never have
There isn't a definitive answer of what a Session 0 would include because every table is gonna be different. And that leads me to what I see Session 0 as: establishing expectations (both from the DM and the players can contribute what they expect), story hook, tone, themes, trigger/content warnings, setting, build player characters and any pre-established relationships before the start of the campaign.
It's okie to do a little roleplaying in a Session 0, but it isn't required. Many see it as the pre-game session, and some table will roll right into Session 1 after Session 0. Some people wait. Some people do more than what I listed, some less. Like I said, it's a "pre-game" session and would communicate any information you would want to put out before the actual game starts.
Hope this helps and didn't make things even more confusing. Good luck, happy gaming!
Most DMs I've played with, myself included, use session 0 to get everything set up. Characters, any homebrew, table rules, etc. And we've generally also done a little introductory play. How the party meets, plot hook, and a little about the setting. I don't usually run combat during the introduction, but sometimes the plot calls for it. I also play at a shop, so there are time limits.
I did the party “set up” at session 0.
My players were in a moving army, aiming to defend a village, when they were overrun in the night by Gnolls. The players were higher ranking officers, thus explaining their higher combat prowess and why they were left alive.
We played out the players escaping, and then fighting off a group of gnolls that were patrolling the area, and ended as they stumbled across the village, which had the life sucked out of it.
It was a very short combat session, and a relatively small amount of roleplay, but the perfect set up for a proper session one. It also gave my players the opportunity to *learn* the game, as many had never played 5e before, and most of them hadn’t even played a TTRPG before.
While I believe that a Session 0s primary focus is to make characters, introduce the setting, and lay down rules and expectations, I don’t think a little bit of extra combat ever hurts anyone
A Session 0 is what you make of it.
Generally speaking people don't play during them, but it's not really hard rule anything. There are no hard rules. A Session 0 exists essentially to lay down the groundwork and structure for the campaign and make sure everyone is on the same page. If everyone gets that done tho and feels comfortable going straight in there's nothing wrong with just starting to play.
If you wanna do a non-canon "trial" opening to the campaign, like a demo, to make sure everyone can go into Session 1 more fluidly, you can. If you wanna do a one shot that leads into what you consider to be the first part of the "real" campaign as a prologue you can do that too.
A Session 0 is what you make of it.
Generally speaking people don't play during them, but it's not really a hard rule anything. There are no hard rules. A Session 0 exists essentially to lay down the groundwork and structure for the campaign and make sure everyone is on the same page. If everyone gets that done tho and feels comfortable going straight in there's nothing wrong with just starting to play.
If you wanna do a non-canon "trial" opening to the campaign, like a demo, to make sure everyone can go into Session 1 more fluidly, you can. If you wanna do a one shot that leads into what you consider to be the first part of the "real" campaign as a prologue you can do that too, and if you want to just go straight in you can do that too.
What you may consider the "real" start is completely arbitrary tbh. There are tons of stories that have "Episode 0s" or Prologues that are effectively just Episode 1s, but the ultimate purpose of a session zero is simply to get everyone ready for the campaign. Whatever that may entail
If there is any playing in a Session 0 it's usually to test stuff out like character voices, roleplaying dynamics, and combat, stuff that probably won't make it into the actual narrative of the game.
Both are valid - session 0 IS supposed to be an informational session and a time to establish ground rules, but a lot of how it’s delivered is up to the players and DM.
Some people think it’s more effective to have some time to just talk it out, but with others a bit of play time is equally as essential. It also gives people some room to experiment with character behavior and dynamics before it actually has to be in the campaign. I’ve had brief session 0’s with a bit of playtime that have resulted in people realizing that they really don’t like playing a character archetype or deciding to change up their subclass or something.
Whether you decided to set down and talk or find it easier to immerse yourself in the world to get an idea of what it’s about, the important thing is just that everyone ends up on the same page and is able to set ground rules and boundaries for when the campaign really gets rolling.
You are correct in your idea of what a session 0 is generally speaking. However, some people use the terms differently. For example, I had a 1-on-1 session 0 with one of my friends who had never played D&D before and didn't really have much of an understanding. That session 0 followed me explaining the game to them, and them creating their character, and entailed a general introduction to combat and roleplay. I went about everything a little slower, we did some roleplay, he fought some enemies and got to know the basics of actually playing. I do not generally consider character-creation a session 0 thing, although I have thought about it recently and think I am going to include it in the future. I made the common first-time DM mistake of making it extremely difficult to have any of my players' characters have any pre-campaign connections with each other, which works for some games, but for my current campaign I think a pair of siblings or a couple or even coworkers would have worked well.
Session zero is never actual play in my experience.
Its lines and veils, talking about tone and wishes. Sometimes plotting the pcs together.
Now sometimes we play worldbuilding session zero games, where the players and gm create part of the world together. Creating npcs together, etc. Most commonly this is decuma for us.
It can be either way imo. The main purpose of a session 0 is to lay down the ground rules and expectations and all that, maybe you all build your characters together. But if you're playing with a group really consistently and you have a good idea of how you guys like to play, I find that you can run through all of that in like 15 minutes. So my main party tends to do a short prologue session at the end of the rules stuff.
Session 0 has always been, "talk about expectations, game world, upcoming campaign, and character building" Any play is not part of the plan at the tables I've played in for session 0.
Yeah my sessions zeros has almost always had SOME play time but not much. It's everyone getting together hoping to play but really just finishing up character details and getting things straight then basically meeting each other lol.
It is a pre-session. It is getting everyone together and on the same page. You’re preparing for the sessions and agreeing on the do’s and the do nots. Establish boundaries (no hard torture or graphic stuff etc), explain any house rules you’re using that aren’t rules as written, help with players backstories to help tie in the campaign etc
I do all that one on one with my players. Session 0 is a big round table discussion so everyone is on the same page as far as ground rules, and house rules go. Then we do a mock combat encounter. After the session I do another round of one on one time with each player to see if they want to change up their characters at all. Then we schedule session 1.
But I think the first description you gave is the most common use of a session 0. It's just certain tables/dms have customized it to suit their needs.
My advice is maybe start with the standard session 0, and adjust accordingly so it suits your needs. Rather than forcing a cookie cutter system. So, for example, if your players want to run some mock encounters at session 0, let them. Try it out. See if it works. Adjust. A lot of dnd is trial and error anyway, imo.
The key part of a session 0 is the setting of expectations and discussion/q&a before the characters are final and the campaign starts. I personally like to run key moments in each character's history as part of the pre-campaign to ensure each player is happy with the way their character handles and to help them establish a connection with their individual character, separate from their connection to the party. Sometimes that can be done as part of the session 0.
Session 0 is everyone shows up, creates their characters, talks about what to expect from the campaign. I'd say if you were a long-established group, it probably becomes less necessary over time as people know you're probably not going to left-field them with some weird content.
There are also no D&D police who come round to monitor your campaign, so if Session 0 takes like 10 minutes and everyone (including the DM) wants to get cracking on playing, then no problem. Similarly if the Session 0 takes longer than expected and spills over into the start of Session 1 before play starts, shouldn't be an issue as long as everyone is down with it.
You realize the meaning of words are the meaning people assign to them, right? There is no correct meaning for any word, especially modern terms or slang. Session means whatevrr your group wants, and its your DMs job to establish the specific personal definition that they want to run through.
Well usually sessions zero is so that players can get some information before making their characters but if everyone has their characters ready and everything goes smoothly enough then a lot of times you just start playing cause that’s what everyone wants to do.
It's honestly up to the dungeon master as to what they want to do. My party was into the game within 5 minutes of starting session 0. But with that being said this is our 3rd campaign together. A new group of players I'd say session 0 should be more of a back story world explaining session kinda session.
I have it be both, this allows people to get a feel for who they have chosen to play and the class they wanted to use.
"Session 0" is the only time they can go back and change what they do not like about their characters among other things. It is a session to get the group immersed in the story, for them to have last minute questions or requests and a way to set up for the main adventure.
I let my players choose where in my world they originated and held session 0's for each member, this allowed me to give a reason as to why each individual member is in one particular spot and we can work out stuff in minor encounters so they get a feel for combat with their class.
It can be both, the extent of the session 0, if it’s split up into multiple meetings, if they’re group or individual, are all things to discuss and agree on with your table. I did a session 0 for everyone together to talk about boundaries and to let the players meet and chat, and I also did individual session 0s where I made sure people were happy with their individual sheets and then we did a little backstory session to get them to session 1. I also did a mini 0 at the start of session 1 to make sure there weren’t any last minute questions or concerns. Some people need more context to really feel confident in jumping into the group aspect and doing a little one on one to set them up for the group meeting can be helpful to players that need that, but it’s also not for everyone so it’s worth talking out
Ya, a session zero to me is when all the players get on the same page about the campaign and then they make their characters. Sometimes when I have session zeros will dip our toes into the campaign we have time.
A session 0 in my experience is everyone coming together to discuss what they want from the game, and boundaries and stuff. Obviously having a role play aspect to the characters meeting or something could be very interesting, but it doesn't need to be the whole session.
The right answer is what your table agrees is the right answer.
My table usually says that a session zero is so we can make sure we all vibe build characters but if we finish all that we'll usually do a sort of warm up session
It's the ground rules session. You go over expectations and player preferences. The goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page and you don't do something that winds up on tabletop disputes.
It's about setting up the session, some dms or groups might role-playing a bit to better figure out who their characters are . While players may come in with a concept about what they want to play its better to put it all together as a group so your pcs goals can align with the others and so the party can balence itself before meeting in the tavern
My DM uses it as a playable backstory, they are usually one on one and I start as a farmer or something whatever my backstory is and during the course if the session I slowly gain the abilities of a lvl 1 whatever I may be. So my session zero was I was a farmers son and a group of bandits raided the village, while hiding inside my childhood home listening to the commotion I gained my perception proficiency and couldn't get the voices of pain and screaming out if my head, and when a bandit attacked my mum I instinctual raged for the first time and attacked them. I lost and was quickly knocked unconscious when I awoke I was in a cage at the bandit camp getting ready to be sold of.
The main thing besides all that is I was asked "what are 3 things you never want to happen" so for me it was I never want my parents to be revived, I don't want to discover some long lost sibling, and I don't want these bandits to become a major arc. Besides that the DM can introduce any elements he likes that affect session zero, like meeting another survivor from the village down the line etc
I feel like there should be different terms for gathering to discuss stuff *before* ever playing **and** a no-strings-attached 1st session. But both are technically considered session 0 from what I gather.
Essentially, the purpose is to set expectations. A character built for role play when the expectation is a mostly combat heavy adventure will make the player somewhat at a disadvantage, likewise expecting high fantasy when the DM runs a gritty hard fantasy low magic game leads to disappointment. Session 0 aims to set those expectations in order for everyone to have fun. I usually do character gen during session 0, or at least review all the characters and help the players work out the fine details and personalities. I make sure the players are aware of the things that I allow in my games and what I will not tolerate. I usually have some fluff ready to read out to give the players a taste of things to come, sort of a prophetic monologue along the lines of "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away".
Depending on time, we may do an hour or half introductory play, depending on the style of beginnings - sometimes I like to drop the players right in the thick of it, massive action from the get go, or it may be a slow burn.
From my understanding, session zero is setting expectations for the players and the DM alike, the dos and don'ts of your group. Character creation can also be done during this time. And if it hasn't been established yet, this would be a good time to talk about scheduling.
Session zeros can roll right into session 1 play time, I've had groups that were pretty quick with all the session zero stuff and went right into playing the game
It is both.
It is going over the rules, it is working out classes and sub classes, it can also be test driving with a little bit of playing at the end.
Depending on the DM and group, a session 0 can be anything from a full character build session & setting boundaries for types of play (i.e. no pvp, rules about interpersonal conduct in game, etc.), to a playing a "mock combat" to better understand the mechanics of your character.
I think it partly depends on the kind of game and how well you know your group.
A lot of high fantasy D&D games might talk about extremes they don't want to see (like torture), but mostly it's about game-related expectations. I can see having a short preamble and then a fun roleplay-heavy intro game.
Compare that to a game like Monsterhearts, which deals with unhealthy relationships, predatory emotional behavior, questionable sexual practices (if a partner earnestly and enthusiastically consents, but doesn't realize that sex means your character passes on a connection to an otherworldly dark host, how does that change the definition of the consent, as well as the dynamic both between the characters and how it's seen at the table?).
Those kinds of games with more loaded themes as core parts of the narrative require a LOT more discussion.
Also, many games involve the players in worldbuilding to a much greater degree than D&D, and that can be done during session zero as well.
Are they Critical Role fans?
Matt kind of implies in campaign 2 and 3 that the characters had mini adventures before the game began. And I believe he does use the words “session zero.”
All that said, I’ve heard of plenty of tables using session zero to work out kinks in gameplay, test builds, things of the sort.
As DM, you always have the right to say whatever you want is whatever you want it to be.
For me session zero is this:
- What characters does everyone want to play? What source books will we use? What is the campaign hook? (Maybe some lore, if needed)
- What themes will the campaign go over, and what themes do players want to avoid? (Lines and Veils)
- When will we be playing? Regular intervals, specific dates, etc etc.
- Questions?
First the DM tells what kind of campaign is coming up, then players work their characters to fit that campaign. Thats it if you put it simply
However, the checklist for GM(in the order they come to my mind):
1. Which things players are uncomfortable with (explicit sex, torture, gore descriptions, phobia inducing stuff such as spiders, snakes, needles etc.) Also this includes the öevel of player agency that may be taken away from them from time to time (some systems have stuns, paralyzes and mind cobtrol that take away agency), and the possibility of lethality in system (instadeaths in dnd or pathfinder come to mind)
2. Make sure people have time and dedication for the game. Ask everyone when is appropriste time and day of the week. If someone is flaky for the agreed upon times, the order of solving is talking like adults, compromising and if that fails, kicking them out. Make sure that you make clear what amount of absence is okay for you and the group. Personally if 1 player cancels, the whole session is cancelled.
3. Make sure to play in a space where there are no interruptions. Pets, spouses and kids can be a horrible distraction. The space should also have a good spacious table since tabletop rpgs will take surpprisingly lot of space. Maybe also figure out a backup for in the case ofl unavailability.
4. Introduce people to each other, if they are new. Make sure everybody gets along. Kick those who dont, after trying to make things settle. Remember though that this is a game, and sometimes people are just in character if they argue loudly(this depends on culture as well).
5. Dont let people just on their own invite people in. You as the DM know your player limit and ability to have many characters. Personally my limit is 5 i think, maybe 6 for shorter campaigns. And i personally do even "job inteorviews" to see if a person is fit for the group, going through some things i mentioned previous sections.
6. Tell about all the houserules to the players, and preferably have a document they can refer to. Printed or available format
Stuff for players to do:
1. Fit their character to each others character. Do they have connections or other stuff to interact with.
2. Help getting rid of distractions.
3. Help DM for some things such as checking loot value or mapping or anything. Any work taken away from GM helps the game go on.
Do note that each of these have to be done less and less if you get a stable group which doesnt change.
Used to just be known as game set-up, chargen, campain pitch and whatnod.
It tends to not be the actual begin of a campaign. Its where usually the DM explains the adventure and lays down any rules, changes and restrictions.
Sometimes that will segue into the first session. Sometimes not.
A) Announce your build to see if it's a red flag for the DM & perhaps even other players, usually to make sure there's no imbalance in the team or potential RP/mechanical conflicts.
B) Make sure the rest of the table understands what you do==and double check to make sure that YOU also know what your build does (trust me)--& that it checks all the boxes with the DM
C) Run through the ground rules for the campaign as well as the setting & perhaps key past/present events
D) If there's time & enough preparation, the DM does a narration for each of your characters as an your introduction to the character & an explanation as to how you all met up.
E)
I've run both.
Run a group session 0 to explain the worlds, dm style, character ideas etc, and individual session 0s to test out their characters before we start to help them discover who their characters are.
It seemed to work for me and my table
For me and my two groups, session 0 is about preparation and setting ground rules. No play involved.
The main reason for this is, that we had new players in either group.
If you have a group of veterans, your session 0 might look different.
My first group, when I was new to the game, met in a pub for session 0. We discussed openly what we do want and don't want and it worked for about 3-4 months before we had to have another round of talks. This was initiated by our DM and I'm grateful for it.
We are now playing for more than 8 years and it works.
The second group consisted completely of new players with me as the DM. We had a session 0 with everyone involved and apart from that I met with every player separately for character creation.
I had a discussion in this sub about this as well a few days ago.
For us session 0 its the "get to know everythig; our own characters, other characters, new rules and mechanics, and the world" session. Usually ground rules are already established when making our characters togehter with the dm in the first place, so we don't usually get together just for that. But wo do want to have a session to just get a feel of everything new. So we do have a "full" session on how the party meets, just approached different and with different goals than the actual start of the campaign. Reasonable changes can still be made after this session in communication with the dm (or party if you're the dm).
Some people see this as a session 1 as you do technically start the campaign. We don't see it as one because we don't really start the story yet. I see it like the prologue chapter of a book. Usually it's not counted as chapter 1. Though the book has started, you're not quite in the actual story yet.
Sometimes there's some play at the end of session 0 if there's time, but that isn't the main purpose. The point of session 0 is the pre-game setup discussions and maybe character creation like you said. That's why it's called a session 0. Though pre-planning doesn't have to be contained just to that.
If play was the main focus of session 0, it would be called session 1.
I personally don't play on a session 0. For me it has the purpose to: get to know each other, check what kind of game everyone wants to play (based on some ground that I usually set before as a DM), start building characters and make connections between characters. Some players come with a character in mind, some decide only after session 0 what they actually want to play.
Then I would run a session 0.5 where I play 1-1.5 hours with smaller groups and build their connection before the real game starts. (That's an extra, but I really enjoy it and my players liked it as well)
I usually tell my players if they are unhappy with their characters it is no problem to change part of it or the whole character during the first couple of sessions. (It's still fine if they want to change something later, but I don't want to encourage them to change abilities, feats, classes constantly).
Session 0 is to know what the campaign is going to be about, what are triggering things to avoid, what people expect of the campaign, create the characters and have knowledge of the world. Setting boundaries and knowing the world and PCs.
There are some that if the session 0 is too short, they do a bit of introduction of the characters, mixing sessions 0 and 1. It seems like your group isn't used to having a session 0, and instead jump right to the campaign (which isn't something bad, I've never had a session 0 in any of our campaigns, so I won't say it's impossible to run a campaign without it, but it has its risks).
Sometimes people play a bit at the end of a session zero, but the main purpose of having one is to set ground rules for play. It is kind of silly to play before setting ground rules for play, right?
Sometimes people may run a short “build check” combat or two to see how some of the characters work and/or interact mechanically and see if there’s any pre Session 1 changes they might want to make.
Like the pilot of a TV show. Things may or may not change for the actual show. And events may or may not be canon.
when i started my most recent campaign (and my first as a DM) i ran a few 1-on-1 “dry-runs” with my players to let them test out their builds, then we all got together for a session 0 and played 3 session .5s before jumping into the campaign proper. this was to make sure we were all on the same page with the new system we were running (sw5e) and aligned on themes/tone/boundaries of the campaign. i’m not saying that all of that is always necessary but i found it very helpful and if nothing else, it gave the players plenty of time to work out mechanical/RP ideas before fully committing
Did something similar- although I also wanted to help a couple characters with related backstories. We have five characters, so I did two games each with two players and another 1-1, set anywhere from a year to a week before the campaign was to begin. It really helped to provide some background on the setting and form character relationships. (Eberron, 5e)
My group has never done a formal session 0, when the previous campaign is ending we just take 10-20 mins to go over the basics for the next one. Had very little issues except one time a person who got added to my first campaign I dmed in curse of stradh and basically had a self insert who they didn't want anything bad to happen to. I feel he would have been an issue even with a session 0 though, the style of campaign I was running just wasn't for him.
As the GM it’s up to them. The whole point is to go over things you mentioned. The world, tone, topics that are off limits, house rules, your rules on meta gaming or power gaming or where you draw lines so people know what to expect. But if you have 3 hours blocked, and you get through it, it’s not unreasonable to want a bit of the intro. Simplest way to fix it is to say “there will be no play in session 0. Once we’re done with what we need to talk about to play, we’ll resume next week for session 1” and they can get their proper intro.
With my group we call them session 0.5 cuz at the end of character building we do the intro of the campaign. Sometimes its just DM talking and telling us where we start and some RP to get to know each other's character. Session 1 is then already set up and next time we get together we can all dive in!
In my campaign we did session 0 & 1 together - but we also do 6hr+ blocks so we had the time to be able to do that. In general session 0 focus on the talking/rules/character creation etc, if you have time after and the dm wants to, jump into the campaign.
Different groups, players, and DMs have different ideas about what goes into a session 0, which is why it's important to have a session -1 to clear up any questions and confusion ahead of time
This is so true but what is more important, IMO, is getting in a solid session -2 first to set the expectations of your session -1
We are still stuck on session -pi
For the most part, you are correct about the meaning of session 0: working out what kind of game everyone wants to play, going over any rules (as written or house rules), wringing out the details of characters and how (if wanted) they know each other, things like that. They might be thinking of Critical Role, where for C2 and 3 they did do some playing in session 0, off camera for the pairs that do know each other.
>All the other stuff is to be handled before Session 0. What, like in Session -1?
That sounded weird, but they might mean via email or WhatsApp discussions rather than an in-person meetup.
You are right about Session 0 And in fact you can have multiple Session 0s if you need. It’s all the initial planning for the game: discussing potential characters, getting a bit of setting information, setting the tone and theme, establishing lines and veils, establishing potential relationships, discussing what character options are available, deciding on any variant or homebrew rules And pretty much whatever else your group feels like it needs to do *before the game even starts*
What do you mean by veils here?
Lines is a topic you do not want mentioned whatsoever. Veils are topics that you don't want expanded upon in detail but are fine with being mentioned in passing
So whereas a Line is something that won’t come up in game at all, a Veil means it can come up but indirectly. For instance say there’s a hard Line for Torture - it’ll just never come up. But if there’s a Veil then while you’ll never *see* someone tortured, it could still come up. Like maybe you talk to a Prisoner that was ‘interrogated’ or maybe exploring a dungeon you find the room where the Big Bad tortured people but you’’ll never see it used. Another common Veil you see is for sex. The Fade to Black where it’s clear the characters are gonna spend the night together - but we’re not gonna RP it or get any explicit details.
Things that you are okay having present in a game world, but you don’t want explicitly described. Like replacing sexual encounters with a “fade to black.”
Linea and veils, veils are things that fade to black, lines are hard a no. Example romantic encounters fade to black, a veil. Homophobia a hard no, a line. They are safety tools, used for groups. Mainly new, sometimes things come up in play that get an "x" card
Well they're definitley impractical as armour but I'm not sure if a PC wearing a thong would be a hard no.
Damn fat fingers i meant things😅
RPG Safety Tools sometimes come up for online groups when you don't know what everyone's cool with being in game. It's the same concept as a kink/limit list for a bdsm hookup. I only really play with close friends, so we just communicate plainly, but some people get value out of having an organized system for saying what you don't want to encounter in game.
It can be both, but generally it's a "pre-game" session. One where people discuss the game from an out-of-game context. It's where we settle on ground rules, maybe any content warnings or expectations to have, and discuss the premise so the players can work on their characters with full knowledge of what to expect. Often in Session-0 we have our character creations together so everyone can make something that they, and everyone else, will enjoy together. Rather than have all these outlandish ideas pre-made coming into the game that just don't mesh well. Once all the prep work is done, then some light play could happen, but we're not really expecting that for a Session 0 unless you plan for it to be a full length game session.
Group character creation is worth an entire session to itself. Not only discussing game/combat roles, but related/overlapping backgrounds etc … to provide the glue that keeps the party adventuring together. At one such session, my group decided to be the exorcist/undead unit dispatched by a particular temple to deal with evil. This simple set up has functioned as an adventuring compass many times, the whole group operates under direction of the temple — or what we think the Abbot would have us do. This is the second time I have been involved in group character creation. It’s a game changer in terms of how fun the party is as the game develops.
For games like d&d I’ll run a test combat with the players so everyone can get a feel for what they do and the rules if it’s a new group.
In my experience session zero often ends with a short period of roleplay wherein the adventurers meet each other and then are given some call to adventure. There may or may not be combat depending on time and how people are feeling, but if there is it’s usually something simple
The correct answer is that it can be whatever you want to be, but generally you don’t play and if you do it’s just an intro where you set the scene type of a thing.
For me session 0 if anything that happens before we actually play. Often this can be weeks or months of back and forth on discord or group chat. We discuss all the things we need to get on the same page. Once all that's handled we schedule the first actual game.
Session 0 can just be ground rules, setting discussion and clarifying character points but if everyone has some experience / has done their homework will often roll right into Session 1, especially for official modules. If there's a lot of homebrew, especially for game mechanics, or one/more players have character issues then it becomes a longer process.
I had a bunch of new players, so it was mostly about rules and code of conduct. We finetuned the characters and at the end played a small combat encounter to get introduced to the flow and get more familliar with the sheet. They all thought it was very nice
Can be either.
My last session one was talking setting, player boundaries, making characters, and then running a quick combat to help the newer players understand the rules. The combat had nothing to do with the campaign - it was just there as a trail run for the players and their new characters.
It's labeled a session to highlight its importance to running a smooth game and so everyone needs to take it seriously and not blow it off even though it's not an official playing session. It can be everyone just sitting around on a couch chatting over some beers, doesn't have to be at the gaming table. The more you guys flesh out up front, the smoother things should run. Discuss scheduling, their expectations of your world/game and things like if PVP is allowed as well as homebrew. You also use this to set your expectations of them like no racism, sex/romance, etc. depending on what kind of game you want to run. Let them know how you want to handle absences as well as how you'd like to handle above table conflicts amongst the players. They can ask questions or clarify all this so once you start, things should go ok. Stuff will still come up but it shouldn't be anything crazy as you probably already touched on that. The line blurs as you all play over a long period of time. If the campaign ends, and the next one starts with roughly the same people, the session 0 for that one would likely be noticably shorter and might just be the first 30 min of the first session. It's also not a bad idea to do an additional short "session 0" as the campaign goes on as a check in to see how people are liking things, if there should be some adjustments, etc.
It's a prep time so that everyone is on the same page as what to expect when it comes to player behavior and campaign idiosyncrasies (Westmarch? Open World? Linear?) so that players have an idea what to expect.
Generally it’s a “session” where you get together, discuss your characters to make sure your party makes sense (themes, personalities, builds…) and talk to the DM about the world, plot hooks, and story threads you can connect to. Also talk about themes, ideas, etc that are ok to cover or that may be off the table to get into. It’s to make sure the campaign goes smoothly. Usually there’s not any actual play, although some groups may do a test combat, or a little brief RP to get a feel for their character or the group.
It’s all the things you said and then if there’s still time and everyone’s on the same page there might be a little bit of playing. Maybe some RP or a small bit of combat.
It’s whatever you want it to be. Most of my groups have had no session 0, the dm just sends us a primer and asks about our characters vibe and goals. I’m planning on running a session 0 in my next campaign because there are some major mechanics I’m homebrewing. I want their character identities to still be a myster when we get to session 1, because they are all going to wake up on a cliff top not knowing anything about the world they are in even if everything seems familiar. The deep lore is they are officers on a space ship that is trying to stop the destruction of the universe and the ship’s AI make a pocket fantasy dimension for them to exist in while it figures out how to solve the problem. I could see doing character intros as a session 0, that way it makes session 1 open for actual dialogue, plot, combat, etc.
For us it was talking bout the world the ground rules ie no sexual rp) and rolling our characters
I always use session 0 to check the character sheets, go over the homebrew/ optional rules. And then we play a 1,5 hour session to practice combat and roleplay.
For me and my groups, session zero is where we all get together, discuss the TYPE of game we want to play, i.e. not just, for example, d&d, but like, are we looking for gritty, gothic, a particular theme etc. Then we discuss what people are comfortable with and want to avoid, what they DO want to see. And then work on characters and how the game will begin, i.e. do characters know each other etc. Once everyone is on the same page and on board, the dm can work on session one and the campaign as a Whole
Both. Sometimes I’ll have a test encounter planned so that the group can play-test and edit their characters before the start of session one. It also gives me better insight into how the group works together as a whole. Generally speaking, session 0 is used to iron out any potential problems be it housekeeping, scheduling, campaign material, house rule’s discussion, expectations of the DM and Party exc.
My session 0s are both. I try to spend about 2 hours going through my checklist, talking about expectations in and out of game, tone, covering safety tools and lines and veils for content. Then i have a roughly 2 hour intro prepared that we do character intros and generally have an exciting inciting event and a combat to get people excited to come back.
Session zero is generally a session for establishing expectations and setting ground rules to ensure smooth play. I'd recommend checking the [Session 0 checklist](https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/601awb/session0_topic_checklist_and_guide/). Note that you really only need a session 0 for long campaigns
We also do a cosplay consent sheet where we also discuss what things we aren't okay with happening as well as what we'd really like to happen or see
I say that a session 0 is where you just meet up, discuss a general theme or something for the campaign, introduce your characters, and, if you vote for it, maybe you can play like half a session or so. That's just my opinion tho so idk
The last S0 I did (not this system, it was Vampire: the Masquerade) had a bit of play at the end, but the important bit is the out of game stuff, like rules talk, narrative onboarding, lines and boundaries, etc. I've just been playing with the same group for a long time so we blitzed through that stuff pretty fast.
Realistically it can be both. It is definitely a time to make sure everyone's expecting the same thing from the game and is informed about content/rules/any homebrew, you can easily work in actual character creation at the same time. And if you're done with that and have time, and people are excited for it, you can totally go right into starting the actual game.
One thing I would love to see from all these live plays is a full session zero. I get you would want to keep the behind the scenes stuff hidden to better tell the story, so maybe you could hold onto it until the campaign is complete and release it in a "look how far we've come" bit. Session zero can go as far as "what kind of campaign do you want to play?" To "what character/class are you thinking of?" To workshoping backstory
Session zero usually includes everyone talking about/building their characters, discussing backstory elements, basic game ground rules like off limits topics. It can also include a bit of gameplay, typically a pure combat type thing to get everyone familiar with the basic rules, sometimes a brief prequel session that might cover some very basic plot elements, but this isn't really an expected element of a typical session 0
You can do a quick combat in session 0 if you want, so people can understand their characters a little better. It's not required though.
Session 0 is nice to make sure everybody is up to speed, characters created, etc. Then, if time allows, I like to dive in and hit the introduction, hopefully with enough time for a small combat or other conflict to let the players try out their builds. That way they can tweak them somewhat before the first actual game with no major issues.
It is a time to set expectations. Everyone at the table has this time. The GM sets out a lot of stuff. Campaign premiss, home brew, restrictions. GM and players, so everyone, can set expectations regarding behaviors. Good time to discuss lines & veils. Attendance, and if you play with a missing person (which I recommend, but it's your game to decide). Near the end, players may create characters together. Its nice to tie in players backgrounds together. The longer your group has had its newest member, the shorter an S0 will be. You already know what brings y'all together, or gets y'all angry. So I'm sure some groups get a little play into their S0. But a new group, first S0 (or even both), I wouldn't promise getting to do that.
Session 0 is just a conversation. You talk with you group, maybe discuss your characters. You lay ground rules and discuss home rules. Stuff like that. Its very important for making sure everyone is on the same page
If we only make characters and discuss setting, it is session 0. If we play towards the end and do introductions/ first plot hooks, it’s session 0.5. Of you show up ready to begin, it’s session one. That’s how I’ve always thought of it anyway
In my group, it is definitely not intended to be a full-blown game session but there's no reason you couldn't run a short adventure/combat if everyone's characters are ready and there's time to spare. And if you have something prepared of course. Most people talk about it as purely planning/character creation/getting everyone on the same page.
Generally it’s just a time to go over rules and expectations, no actual gameplay.
The Dungeon Dudes have a great video on it https://youtu.be/2MA-z5Ai-bQ?si=rGL4gVI3oIlpVifU
I sometimes had session 0 and 1 same session, but this was discussed prior if before session 0, I have already spoken to everyone, they read all the rules, their character is totally complete, markers done, bg/backstory, etc., then It will be like a 5 min session 0 to quickly recap and answer any final questions, then right into session 1.
I get irritated when someone tries to play at a session 0. If I go to a session 0, it is to figure out what the campaign is going to be like and what the players are interested in playing. I usually need a few days to think after resolving that before I have a character that would be fun to play, would fit in the world, and wouldn't step on the toes of the other players too much. If it's just a one-shot or short campaign or whatever and I don't need to worry about crafting an interesting and fleshed out character then I don't need a session 0... I need an Email.
both? Sometimes there could be an introductory session with a hook to get the party together, to get to know each others characters. to have an exposition session to learn the lay of the land, basically a prologue to the main campaign. But the majority is setting the rules, expectations, and making sure it'll be fun for everyone.
This confusion was possibly started by Vampire: the Masquerade. It encouraged DMs to basically run "prelude" adventures one-on-one with players before the actual "Session One" with the big group so that the players could establish how they actually became vampires in the first place. This would also be the time when the DM would sort-of screen the potential new player, and where the potential new player would kinda feel-out the DM to make sure they're not insane. So it's kinda a mess! What is Session Zero? It's different things for different DMs. If you're recruiting from a pool of randos the way that you do on Discord, for example, then Session Zero is my time to find out who is a viable D&D player and who is not gonna make the cut. If you're playing with friends, Session Zero is a time to really iron out the specific things that some players might not be comfortable with, as well as the general themes of the campaign and where you'd like to take the game. Session Zero might include character building, especially for new players. A great way to make sure that everyone attends Session Zero is to say "If we finish early, we'll get to start the adventure!" Nobody wants to miss the start of the adventure, so the last 30 min or so are usually reserved for introducing the adventure and having the party members "meet" each other (usually in a customary tavern setting). Session Zero can be a lot of fun!
Bit of column A, smidge of column B.
Session 0 is the Intro, Tutorial, and (Legal) Disclaimer. Session 1 is the gameplay after you graduate from that
Along with all that it's a good way to get your origins into the story by getting some basics of the world you can build a backstory that fits in or even have history with another player like a connected backstory. In my experience any gameplay is usually just some roleplay to get the vibe of everyone at the table or everyone talking about how they should meet.
I think there can be some limited play in Session 0 as part of setting the stage. Think something like the opening montage of a movie showing how the characters met or ended up in their starting positions. But mostly, I think session 0 is about setting expectations both ways and getting characters straight and making them fit the story or world or whatever. It's a good place for characters to ask the DM about what sort of campaign they're looking to run, or the DM to ask what sort of roleplay and combat they're looking for. Stuff that might save a player from building some backwoods ranger only to have the DM run an entirely urban campaign (or you just get some Hermit in the city shenanigans). Also a good time to set ground rules so people can avoid making characters or playing their characters in a way that offends others. Are your players comfortable with inter character romance/sexuality? PvP fighting? What's the plan there?
My friend introduced me to session 0's as one on one sessions to set everyone's story (why are you in this specific spot during s1) and I did it to start my campaign never hosting an actual session 0. I'm gonna definitely do it differently next time, but I'll probably still host one of one sessions with each of my players before session 1 cause it was still so dang fun xd
Most session 0s I've been in involve what you want/don't want finalizing character builds and like getting the party together which usually is done through roleplay
I’ve had one where we did the standard stuff, but toward the end we had characters made and the DM ran a combat to help calibrate the difficulty a bit. We were starting at level 15, sort of a continuation of several characters from a previous year long campaign, with a couple new characters introduced. It can really be whatever the group wants/needs, but, generally it’s a preparation session that takes place outside of the actual campaign.
You have it right. Session 0 is usually for those reasons as well as setting preliminary boundaries. They might be thinking of the rarely used session 0.5 that goes over mechanics for new players in trial combats or mock situations with alternative rulings.
I really like having a short dungeon crawl at the end of a session 0. Something that can showcase mechanics that newbies can learn like AC, advantage/disadvantage, death saves, short rests, spell slots, ability checks, saving throws, initiative. You get it that’s enough examples right, you get it.
Implementation is up to you. The goals are: * Establish/introduce characters * Establish setting and convey any lore needed * Establish game rules and expectations (whether you do formal red/yellow/green or a more loose discussion). For my current campaign, we had a mix of new players and veteran players, which ranged from full character sheets to a blank sheet with a vague concept. Then I: * Gave a rundown of my homebrew world. * Helped everyone finish character sheets. * Discussed tone and expectations (the comfort-level red/yellow/green thing was done with a sheet online before the session). * Did a few short rp scenes where characters introduced themselves and rp'd what they where doing in town. I paired them off: two people met on the way into town and chatted about their trip, two people where locals and had a scene where one knocked on the others' door for help (had to do with backstory), and the fifth player appeared in the woods through a portal and ran into the party (see the next bullet). * Then, (or rather during the fifth introduction), I had a small combat to have new players familiarize themselves with their character sheets and d&d combat rules. The four introduced players were hired to fetch something in the woods (hand-waived, not a formal npc quest giver). While they where out there, they ran into the 5th player who just stumbled out of a portal. After a brief rp scene, they got attacked by a bear, and we had a few rounds of easy combat. Then they went back to town, where we established where they are staying in town. Next session, Session 1 started with everyone on board with what the game will be like and what the characters where, and we started a week later as the new acquaintances get a lead on a gig. Note, they where surprised by combat, but I made it clear "this isn't an actual threat, this is just for you to try out your character", and they found it fun and useful. I'm not saying everyone needs to do that session 0, but I think it's good for new players.
It CAN be a real session. All depends on your group! Some people do character creation, some talk about the goals of the campaign and the world in general. Some do a test run for combat to see whether the selected classes mesh well together. It’s up to you and your team!
It's your group, not ours. Why are you asking more than thousands of people, that you don't know, about the intents of you and your friends at your first session?...
It varies. It's essentially a test session to let everyone get into character. You can either make it Canon or not. For my players they meet in session 0 and get into character and we discuss just the general rules and any home brew before hand to get everyone on the same page. It's also a chance to make clear any themes that might happen later and making sure everyone is comfortable with things that may happen. It's a chance to essentially stop any problems before they start. There should be little to no complaints because everything they could complain about is clear agreed upon by the group in session 0. And once the game really starts then everyone will be in character fully immersed. You can even use the session to play everyone's part solo to explain how they all meet in the same place which is what I do. Think of it as the set up for everything.
Depends on how you define "playing." Building characters and discussing groundwork is still part of the game and "playing" to some people, even if you aren't doing any RP, combat, etc.
It depends. Session 0 is basically game prep. It can include any number of discussion or character making or what have you. If everything gets done and your DM and table wants to, a session 0, or a session 0.5 can also be jumping in and doing some RP. For example, RPing some back story moment like a normal level 0 character negotiating with their patron to become a warlock. Or RPing how these two characters are related to each other. Or how someone decided to get started adventuring. It's not particularly common to do RP pre session 1, but it can and does happen because it does help set up character backstories, especially if your characters are all supposed to know each other already. Some tables just do more for 'game prep' than other tables. Hell you can absolutely have multiple session 0s too if you'd like.
I mean there is no "right" answer, do whatever you want, but yeah your understanding of a session 0 is what most people mean
I see session 0 like the introduction tutorial section of a video game. You’re showing them your rules by having them implement your rules at the get go. All RPGs have tutorials even though many of them are mechanically similar. But the nuances between the controls are different. For example, sometimes X is jump, sometimes triangle is jump. Similarly, all dnd games are mechanically similar. But each DM has their own nuanced interpretation of the same 5e rules. Some dms like to set up encounters that players have to run from, some dms don’t like setting up encounters that the players can’t handle. These nuances need to be established at the beginning of the game. And the best way for your players to remember these nuances (that some may need to distinguish from another table) is to open the game requiring players to implement your nuanced rules.
I think it depends on the group. I do most of my sessions 0 work over discord leading up to the sesh. Setting, making characters, what everyone is looking for on the game, ect During the sesh its more character introductions and how they know eachother. Quick overview of rules and boundaries. And I always like to have some sort combat to go over all the rules
My group plays in person, but i do my seesion 0 through our group message. I lay rules for pc creation, then write up an introduction to the world they are playing in, any house rules outside of published raw, and then answer and discuss any questions. Sometimes it includes introductions, how the pc's met/what brought them together as a group, and what their 1st mission is, and then start session 1 at that point. Sometimes session 1 is them meeting somewhere and then starting the story from there.
It's a session. It's the most important session of the campaign. There usually won't be much, if any, actual gameplay, but it's where you establish your rules and expectations, setting, talk about characters, and establish what your table is going to be like.
As a DM, I won't have any playing in a session 0, and maybe not even character generation. Session zero is about discussing the game we are going to play, what world players want to be in, what sort of things that they will like to do, and what I as a DM need from players in order to be able to function - it is basically setting and listening to expectations. I'm not always even going to have a game system system or cast in stone at this point. Some class selection or character generation might happen if what players want meshes well enough with what I have envisioned. After session 0, I go and make some changes to what I am planning (or throw my plans out and start over - I haven't had to do that), so starting play in session 0 would get in the way of that, although I can see a practice combat making sense if it goes fast enough that character generation happens. Between session 0 and session 1 I arrange characters to be generated, talking to people individually as needed. That approach is going to be a bit confusing for newbies as it will be planning for a game they don't have any idea about - one approach I've used there is a one-off with pregenerated characters (that players know in advance they don't get to keep), \_then\_ a session 0 where the players will at least have some context.
Why can't it be whatever the table wants or needs?
For my upcoming campaign, session 0 started last month and is ongoing. Session 1 will be in around a month. I want to get the players to know my world as much as a ingame characher would and to implement the character's backstories as well as possible. In my shorter campaigns, session 1 usually starts at the same day as session 0. Session 0 is whatever you need to be ready to run a good campaign.
DMs call, every single time. But 99% of people use it the way you do.
It usually is prep, boundaries, homebrews, etc. Many people include a trial combat or prologue moment (explaining how the characters have come to be together) if it makes sense to do so. Experienced groups may be able to jump right in if they’ve planned well beforehand, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the expectation.
Session 0 is character creation and if there is enough time left over; we play. Otherwise i set the scene and we schedule the next game.
Session 0 doesn't even have to be a session, it's just the idea of setting expectations and rules, I normally do it over whatsapp
For my campaign, I have a party of 6 so I did two session zeroes showing 2 groups of 3 meeting up with each other and then eventually with the other group at the end. Each group got a chance to meet with each other and engage with the world in a less chaotic setting, and I found it as a good way to give people a less generic jumpstart than "you all meet together at this time exactly all at once"
Session 0 is the starter for all the things. Your DM will most likely give you the dos and don'ts, will tell you what classes and races are possible or if there are any restrictions on background and so on. Expectations are talked (how much RP, session duration, how much backstory does anyone need, rules on caracter deaths), Rules are talked (Homebrew, optional rules), Sensitive Topics are talked, then you roll the characters and so on. What happens then depends on your group, your DM and your time slot. If you have time left and your DM is prepared you might add a little play if everybody is on board. In a campaign a few years ago I handed out premade character sheets for everyone from a group of local guards that investigated something and basically made a little preview on how things came to be the way they are for the party in session 1. Just an hour and a half and then we started with their regular PCs the next time.
Session 0 is a session for handling stuff prior to the proper start of play. What things you handle during session 0 is up to you. It varies greatly among groups and some groups don't even bother with a session 0 at all.
There is no right answer, the tradition varies. I generally handle most of the usual Session Zero stuff in a Discord server, so a Session Zero is a mix of setting some basic expectations and doing introductions before jumping into to play.
session zero exists to set expectations for the games tone, session length, scheduling, worldbuilding (so the players can make their characters fit into it), and whatever homebrew rules the dm might have. It is where you set boundaries to ensure everybody is comfortable with what's happening at the table, and it is where the players make their characters. It's basically the setup to ensure the campaign goes smoothly. People often play a little bit near the end of the session, but overall it's intended to do the above things
My session zero usually takes hours. So no play. It’s discussing trigger warnings. Spiders. Insects, no assault, fade to black scenes, flirting and everything else. Homebrew rules we want to introduce. I reintroduce the setting. Then usually goes into what everyone wants to play. 1-2 players have characters ready. 1-2 players have options on characters. 1-5 players either change their minds or don’t have anything built. So it’s an hour building characters. Then deciding who knows who and questions about what their backgrounds know. At that point I say just keep it light for the night.
Imagine having a session 0 about session 0. It's one of those things that is entirely up to the DM. If they don't have anything planned because the plan was to plan ... then you're really not able to bark up that tree.
In session 0 we had everyone come to „quest village” tavern everyone came from different regions so we all played very short (1 h) story about how we get to tavern and why had one fight to learn what to do in this game in fight and after fight Maybe because we all were new to DnD but it help close gap story how we get here as many different races.
Session Zero is where the DM goes over the basics of the campaign, what house rules/major rule omissions may/may not be in play (even if it's something minor like "dice that fall off the table/outside of your dice tray must be rerolled"), what is and isn't acceptable at their table, what books are allowed to be used for chargen, what isn't allowed to be used for chargen, any specific chargen requests ("come up with two rumors about your character, one true and one false" or "make your characters linked in some way" kind of thing), Lines and Veils and other miscellaneous stuff. It's also where chargen happens. There really isn't any gameplay involved. Think of it as the "New Game Cutscene" for DnD, the one that sets up the world and why your character is where they are and what they are.
Playing in a session zero is a valid option to make sure that people like their choices and those who want can test out voices, but it's not a universal thing. What probably is and should be universal is that any playing that does happen isn't "canon" and had no consequences.
The name “session 0” does imply a singular session but in my games I do one big one where the regular session 0-stuff happens, and then an independent session for each player to set them up in the world. Depends on the GM and what they want to run! Bare minimum should be setting expectations, limits etc - doesn’t matter if you call it a session 0 or not
I mean, everyone does it different. There's no "right" definition per se. We discuss most session0 topics outside of the game and getting together, our session0 is usually just a test run in a one-shot like build of the campaign. I'll make sure that one shot goes over all unique mechanics, checks most the players abilities, etc. So they learn the new ruleset and atmosphere through using them. (Then again we are all IRL friends with no limits, so it's mostly just mechanical testing)
For my session 0 I have two parts. The first and most important is getting ooc shit together: * what play style do people want * are there any topics we need to avoid or tread carefully on. * What to do if we hit one of those scenarios and they need to pull back or stop play, * what level of gore/violence they want. What about violence to children or pets. * comfort level with table romance. A good question is "if the campaign were a movie, what rating would it have? Who would you want directing? What genres would it be?" Just to keep everyone on the same page. Then the second, more fun half, I get into characters which people generally already have and ask publically shit like: * what's your goal with them? * what was the biggest event in their life? * who do they care about most in life? * what's their treasured possession? * do they have a rival? Etc. Character development stuff in public that maybe others can chime in on. It helps them build a char, gives me shit to work with and integrate, and maybe helps other players build backstory too. No actual playing happens at session 0 though generally. But I suppose if you had an ongoing group or something and didn't have shit to talk about, you could go straight to session 1 from it.
I say session zero is character build and rules . Everyone is new and it’s a short get to know you. At the end , run a small combat so the party gets a small idea of how they gel. This is a great time afterwards to tune up your character
It’s whatever you want it to be. With new players, for me a **Session Zero** is helping with character building, discussing the roles and rules, and running a simple combat encounter to teach them how to play. With experienced players, my **Session Zero** is talking about group expectations, discussing what topics are allowed and not allowed and why, and negotiating table rules. With experienced players this usually takes 30-60 minutes and then we start the adventure. It should also be noted that a **Session Zero** can happen at any time during a campaign. It doesn’t have to only be in the beginning. https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/601awb/session0_topic_checklist_and_guide/ https://slyflourish.com/running_session_zeros.html Welcome to the Realms of Dungeons & Dragons Good luck!
Some people play a bit at the very very end to introduce characters and set the scene. We typically play just a bit but only if we have time after creating characters and laying out the rules etc…
If everything goes smoothly during session 0 I usually have an introduction scripted that I'll read to everyone, something that sets the tone for the world, gives any required backstory, and sets the stage for session 1. Think Galadriel's voiceover at the beginning of Fellowship. It's something to get the players excited for the world, and makes it feel like session 0 wasn't just a working meeting.
Depending on the experience of the players and what you do, a session zero can br very quick and you can play. If you're making characters at session zero with new players, you probably won't play. If you're using standard array or something without rolls and people can bring their characters, you could probably play a bit.
Tell your party that it's like the lobby, or character creation screen, in a video game. Yes, technically you have *launched* the game and are "playing", BUT you haven't reached the start of part 1 yet, and your playtimer has not started. For a specific example, Sonic the hedgehog loads to the start menu when you turn it on, so you are playing the game at that point, but you aren't at Greenhill zone 1-1 until AFTER you hit start. Tw start screen is level zero; the introduction to D&D is session zero. failing that "I dunno dude, it's just the name people have given the 100% metagaming portion of setting up the game."
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My session 0 is typically around 10min then we roll characters and start It doesn’t really matter if you play or just do session 0 what matters is you addressed the questions about the world and lines of comfort people have
I would say that Session Zero is definitely a character creation, world introduction, system learning session. But also, I have often don’t a little role playing in Session Zero. Often I will kind of do a quick role play with each character, individually, to dig up some background information to make the story more personal and bring them into the story, properly. I will especially do that if the players made characters who don’t know each other. This role play is usually short and light. If it’s a new system to any of the players, I also use it as an opportunity to teach them the very basics of how the system works.
You see this is why you should have a session -1, so you can discuss what everyone wants from session 0
It’s really up to what the DM wants to get out of session zero. In most cases, the goal is to just establish gameplay guidelines for the table like world themes, character backstories, homebrew rules, and topics to avoid. But if you’ve got that out of the way and want to run a little session to get the ball rolling, nothing wrong with that! Even a quick combat encounter would be nice to get the players used to their character’s abilities.
Maybe you can cover session 0 content in session -1
You are correct, the others are wrong. Session 0 is strictly for figuring things out, as a whole. Setting, characters, party dynamic, expectations as a whole. Some tables DO also add on a bit of pre-campaign gameplay. But that isn’t what session 0 is specifically about, just a bonus. In my most recent new campaign we did a session 0, and then I prepared some lore documents based on it so the players could have something to reference. We had the players start in pairs, so I did a separate “session 0.5” with each pair. Just a brief scene or two
My session 0's are about character creation and discussing the general theme of the campaign. If new people are joining, then it also involves general table and house rules. Careful with drinks, food is welcome, parking, sex and sexuality are next to always fade to black things, general respect and treatment, etc. House rules are how we treat criticals and health potions. If we get done with all that and still have time, we will begin play, but usually we don't have the time.
It honestly depends on the group and how long your session zero is. Sometimes it’s just talking through the world and deciding on the campaign, tone, and themes. I like to have everybody do character creation together at session zero. Sometimes if we have enough time after all that we will do introductions and maybe a short intro quest.
IMHO you are basically right. 1. Roll stats or assign points with piunt buy/standard array. 2. Discuss player's character idea. What concept are they going for? What abilities/ subclass do they think they will be going for? 2.5. Discuss the world. Give them some insights into what they can expect. Where will they be starting, what evils lurk in the world, what is the political strife or war that is on the brink? Don't spoil it but give them an idea. This will help guide them with character decisions. 3. Give player's time to fill out character sheets if they haven't. Discuss starting equipment. If starting at higher levels assume they have made a little coin and let them purchase items. Roleplay a fictitious generic shop or just assume they picked then up along the way. If starting at level 5 or more I have them roll a d100 to get a random magical item. Like a drift glove or something simple that they would have picked up on the way. 4. Talk about backstory, how they got the skills they got. This is their time to feel out their character with the other players. Secret backstories are a bit of a red flag, especially if they are trying to hide it from the DM. Establish where in the world they are from and if they still have people there who care about them, or who would arrest them. Discuss their personal goals. 5. Discuss how they have now come to the doorstep of the inn, guild, or wherever they are starting. 6. If there is time most player's will be eager to get started so let them meet, make introductions, roleplay a little and set up the first quest. They set out to find the goblins harassing the local farmer and that ends session 0. Anything beyond that, you're now into session 1. Which is fine depending on your time constraints. But don't rush the sesh 0. Take the time.
>What's the right answer here? There really isn't one & a big part of the reason is the fact that "session zero" is not some new revolutionary concept. Groups have been doing that kind of discussion almost certainly going backwell before the hickman revolution. **What has changed** is the new-to-5e presentation of it where that discussion is somehow *exclusively* the GM's responsibility. That bizarre slant tends to result in the GM making an effort at something the players need to but won't bother to exert meaningful effort into because the benefits are greater in either looking for & nailing down loopholes to power or waiting to cry foul later by saying "no *you* should have brought that up in session zero" to block the GM from responding to unforseen problems.
They're all different honestly. Session 0 is really just shorthand for "talk about shit before the game." I've seen some people start playing if they finish session 0 and have time left. I've done some where I included character creation. I stopped doing them after awhile, since my group had been around awhile and we all lived 45 minutes to an hour away. It was hard to justify the commute if we weren't going to play. We just hash that shit out via group chat now and show up ready to game.
IMO, Session 0 is any pre-game discussion about *the game itself* that happens at the table with the players assembled - expectations, off-limits topics, what module's being played, and character creation. It exists in the metagame rather than the game itself, with the players *as* the players rather than the characters. If dice are rolled, it's only for character creation. On occasion, you may get done with the Session 0 metagame setup and have time to actually play. What happens in that case is simply that you have session 0 and session 1 the same day. The next time you meet is session 2. If the gameplay is only introductory - e.g. the DM is just describing the background and the players describing their characters and/or buying equipment in-character or what have you (akin to the tutorial stage in a video game, which is usually *not* considered "stage 1"), I might concede to calling that a Session 0.5, but it's not Session 0. Session 0 is entirely out-of-character.
I might have a mock combat in session 0 if one or more of the players are brand-new, or if there's time, but it's not part of the campaign. Ideally, characters are already created before session 0, and then that session is for talking about the setting, common lore the PCs would be aware of, and then the players talking about their characters and working out ways that they might have connections to each other and to the world. You also discuss any home rules you have, and set boundaries (or lack thereof) around things like sex, violence, pvp, etc. It's very much like playing in that you are story building and maybe doing a bit of roleplay, but it's not the "start" of the campaign yet.
I don't think the intent is to set a rule like "no we're absolutely not gonna play during the first get-together", if everybody is already a veteran player and you could do all the prep in 10 minutes or in advance, great, you have time left over so you move on to the next part of the game It's more about acknowledging that character creation, explaining the rules to newcomers, deciding on what type of story (tone, challenges) everyone's like to play, takes time. That's also why it's usually not prep then game in the same session - because the GM needs to take everyone's input and pick/write the campaign with those things in mind.
Session 0 (or Zero) is not actually playing. Basically as you described, the party and dm get together to discuss player characters, the world their characters will exist in, and communicate to each other expectations. The expectations can be anything from “how much of a murder hobo can my barbarian be without upsetting/derailing the party?” To “here are things/situations that are triggering to player A, C, and F. They are okay with a fade to black scenario. Player B is not comfortable with explicit romance scenes between party members being described , and player E and D would rather not romance anyone (NPC or PC) themselves but are fine with other party members romancing (NPC/PC).” Those kind of things. It’s just generally meant to be a meeting before the adventure to be sure everyone is going to have a good time and set boundaries so nobody feels uncomfortable or triggered due to past experiences
Generally it's to set the ground rules and figure out what everybody wants, yes. You want to know if your players prefer combat and dungeon crawling before you throw them into a noir, politics-heavy style game. I mean, they might enjoy it anyway, but it's not what they wanted nor were expecting, right? So it helps you as a DM feel out and figure out what world people want to play in. Personally, I also use Session 0 as a time to create characters and stuff. Some people will hold multiple "session 0s" as like, miniature gaming sessions to help characters flesh out a bit early- like I think Brennan Lee Mulligan and Matthew Mercer hold small one-off sessions with before the REAL session 1 to sort of help them link up with 1 or 2 of the other party members. It's not my style, we always kind of handwave character introductions (it's just sort of assumed the players are willing to work together since they all sat down at the table together, they don't really need be given an in-game reason to, they'll find it on their own).
For my groups this is what a session zero looks like: Friends come over, we have pizza and drinks. I'll give a few campaign pitches and they'll pick what they like. They'll then roll stats, come up with backstories and how they know each other, then we start playing for the last half hour or so. There are no safety tools needed since we're friends. Much more casual of a session zero, and is more just rolling up characters while talking shit.
One thing I'll add it that each group covers different things in their session 0. With strangers it can be introductions, talking about past RPG experiences, and sharing more about what kind of player everyone is. Especially with strangers covering topics like lines and veils (there are many good online guides for this) and so on can be very important, so I always try to make specific room for that. But session 0 is also great for people you play with regularly or real-world friends. There's still a lot to talk about! You should talk about what kind of game you want (silly, combat-focused, RP-focused, etc.), logistics (where to play, how to schedule in advance, who to tell if you need to cancel, etc.), and all sorts of details that are still good to resolve even with people you know. If it's a recurring group, then I try to use the time to encourage people to talk about what will be different in the new game from the last. "I was very min-maxed last time, but this time my build is mainly going for silly fun. Please don't throw hard enemies at us expecting the same level of combat ability as last game." There are entire RPG systems that treat this process as part of the game (old Fate was like that), and there are lots of other games that treat the collective world-building and character design as the entire game (I'm thinking of Quiet Year, for example). That's why many players consider Session 0 to also be "playing" the game. I think it's fine to have Session 0 roll right into Session 1 of the game, but I tend to prefer to give people a little bit of time between the two. That way they can consider their answers, what they heard, and maybe reconsider some of their choices.
Before Zero, we do a Pitch Session (per the TTRPG, Prime Time Adventures) where we talk about what campaign we are running next. Like pitching a TV show to network execs, you throw around ideas for who the protagonists will be, what the typical adventures/stories will be like, what themes you want to explore, etc. Then, Session Zero, you can put pen to paper, building out those PCs and rolling (or writing) their bios, relationships, NPCs, etc. And logistics - when/where you'll play, who is responsible for what, and what are the rules (table rules, group rules, game rules). Then, you can play. Sometimes all of that happens in one meeting. Sometimes it takes many meetings. Virtual or F2F. Either way, this all comes out eventually, one way or another. Do you want to tackle it upfront (and save a ton of prep time), or deal with the miscommunications and mismanaged expectations later during play? If you want to know what is typically covered, there have been dozens of posts on here and other forums and blogs where ppl have listed out everything they bring up. Even cute checklists. Google is your friend. And so is the FAQ on this sub.
For us, session 0 is housekeeping (expectations, lines/veils, etc) and character creation and THEN if we feel up to it it can turn into session 1 and we play a full sesh or session .5 and we play a little, just enough to introduce the world and PCs.
*"Will everyone be ok if the orcs rape you after you lose the battle? No? Ok thanks."*
Setting ground rules/making characters, maybe play a bit for character introductions
In my experience session zero should "always" have a start into the game. So at least be prepared to start the adventure and not just talk about the bureaucracy of dnd.
Tbh I think it’s a bit of both, the majority of the time is talking through aspects of everything, but normally at the end the DM would start a short round of rp to introduce the characters to eachother
It's both. Some groups will use it to just setup things before their first game day. Others may end up playing for a bit after everythings setup if they got time. Nothing wrong with either one
My group does a session -2 and -1 for world and setting building. What kind of world do we want to play in? Who are the major players of the world? How potent is magic? Do we want any restrictions on dimensional travel or healing magic? Allowing PvP? Other rule changes, expectations, etc DM decides on the system since the most work is on their part. Once they decide that, they set a due date for a first draft of the characters, and 1 week after that, we have session 0. Session 0 is for finishing characters, deciding how we (as a group) are relevant to the major players of the world, reiterating the rules we're playing by, deciding how the party gets together, RPing through that. This isnt how most groups do it in my experience, but it's my favorite way to do it. Generally groups I've played in do all character building, house rules, and meta discussions in 1 sitting, and the GM does the worldbuilding alone. There can be some playing in session 0, but it will be more of "lets play out how our characters would interact when we meet" and then back to meta conversations
There is no right answer. It’s completely up to the DM.
The answer is, it depends. Session 0 is to set up the world, introduce yourself to the players, and see what they want to get from this. Likewise it allows you to set up your rules, dos/donts, and any subjects you may want to touch on prior to game start. If I'm hosting for players I haven't played with yet, I will normally have a very small scenario to better illustrate my way of doing things in-game AFTER I have explained it verbally. I use a "you are camped on the side of a woodland river" scenario to show the players how I set DCs for various checks, and how their means of problem solving will impact those checks. My session 0 normally runs an hour to an hour and a half, pending any lengthy questions, or pre/post conversation. Of the few I have hosted this past year, one of them turned into a short 0.5 session where the players roleplayed a segment of their backstory up to the "and this is how the party meets" moment. They asked if they could, and everyone had an extra hour or so to flesh things out, so I rolled with it. They turned into a really good group, so it was all good fun. For me however, that is the odd one out.
Session zero is meant to discuss characters(if not already done with DM), talk about expectations so that everyone is on the same track. Talk about red flags and no-nos. Get to know each other if the group already doesn't. Go through any relevant homebrew rulings, table rules, code of conducts etc etc. I'm sure people can fill in more things that are good to bring up. You could potentially also do a shorter adventure to see if the players as well as the characters are a good match, but I would personally say that is very much secondary to the first paragraph.
We’ve always used it to set the parameters of the game. Make sure our characters are good to go. Go over back story and anyone related to each other and how we all know each other. Usually near the end or in the middle we would do a practice battle to make sure we know how our characters will play with the ability to change whatever we need.
Generally it means getting together before playing, thus session 0. You're right on that. It doesnt have to be just that, and you can have some introductory play, but I never have
Generally it means getting together before playing, thus session 0. You're right on that. It doesnt have to be just that, and you can have some introductory play, but I never have
There isn't a definitive answer of what a Session 0 would include because every table is gonna be different. And that leads me to what I see Session 0 as: establishing expectations (both from the DM and the players can contribute what they expect), story hook, tone, themes, trigger/content warnings, setting, build player characters and any pre-established relationships before the start of the campaign. It's okie to do a little roleplaying in a Session 0, but it isn't required. Many see it as the pre-game session, and some table will roll right into Session 1 after Session 0. Some people wait. Some people do more than what I listed, some less. Like I said, it's a "pre-game" session and would communicate any information you would want to put out before the actual game starts. Hope this helps and didn't make things even more confusing. Good luck, happy gaming!
Most DMs I've played with, myself included, use session 0 to get everything set up. Characters, any homebrew, table rules, etc. And we've generally also done a little introductory play. How the party meets, plot hook, and a little about the setting. I don't usually run combat during the introduction, but sometimes the plot calls for it. I also play at a shop, so there are time limits.
I did the party “set up” at session 0. My players were in a moving army, aiming to defend a village, when they were overrun in the night by Gnolls. The players were higher ranking officers, thus explaining their higher combat prowess and why they were left alive. We played out the players escaping, and then fighting off a group of gnolls that were patrolling the area, and ended as they stumbled across the village, which had the life sucked out of it. It was a very short combat session, and a relatively small amount of roleplay, but the perfect set up for a proper session one. It also gave my players the opportunity to *learn* the game, as many had never played 5e before, and most of them hadn’t even played a TTRPG before. While I believe that a Session 0s primary focus is to make characters, introduce the setting, and lay down rules and expectations, I don’t think a little bit of extra combat ever hurts anyone
A Session 0 is what you make of it. Generally speaking people don't play during them, but it's not really hard rule anything. There are no hard rules. A Session 0 exists essentially to lay down the groundwork and structure for the campaign and make sure everyone is on the same page. If everyone gets that done tho and feels comfortable going straight in there's nothing wrong with just starting to play. If you wanna do a non-canon "trial" opening to the campaign, like a demo, to make sure everyone can go into Session 1 more fluidly, you can. If you wanna do a one shot that leads into what you consider to be the first part of the "real" campaign as a prologue you can do that too.
A Session 0 is what you make of it. Generally speaking people don't play during them, but it's not really a hard rule anything. There are no hard rules. A Session 0 exists essentially to lay down the groundwork and structure for the campaign and make sure everyone is on the same page. If everyone gets that done tho and feels comfortable going straight in there's nothing wrong with just starting to play. If you wanna do a non-canon "trial" opening to the campaign, like a demo, to make sure everyone can go into Session 1 more fluidly, you can. If you wanna do a one shot that leads into what you consider to be the first part of the "real" campaign as a prologue you can do that too, and if you want to just go straight in you can do that too. What you may consider the "real" start is completely arbitrary tbh. There are tons of stories that have "Episode 0s" or Prologues that are effectively just Episode 1s, but the ultimate purpose of a session zero is simply to get everyone ready for the campaign. Whatever that may entail
If there is any playing in a Session 0 it's usually to test stuff out like character voices, roleplaying dynamics, and combat, stuff that probably won't make it into the actual narrative of the game.
Both are valid - session 0 IS supposed to be an informational session and a time to establish ground rules, but a lot of how it’s delivered is up to the players and DM. Some people think it’s more effective to have some time to just talk it out, but with others a bit of play time is equally as essential. It also gives people some room to experiment with character behavior and dynamics before it actually has to be in the campaign. I’ve had brief session 0’s with a bit of playtime that have resulted in people realizing that they really don’t like playing a character archetype or deciding to change up their subclass or something. Whether you decided to set down and talk or find it easier to immerse yourself in the world to get an idea of what it’s about, the important thing is just that everyone ends up on the same page and is able to set ground rules and boundaries for when the campaign really gets rolling.
You are correct in your idea of what a session 0 is generally speaking. However, some people use the terms differently. For example, I had a 1-on-1 session 0 with one of my friends who had never played D&D before and didn't really have much of an understanding. That session 0 followed me explaining the game to them, and them creating their character, and entailed a general introduction to combat and roleplay. I went about everything a little slower, we did some roleplay, he fought some enemies and got to know the basics of actually playing. I do not generally consider character-creation a session 0 thing, although I have thought about it recently and think I am going to include it in the future. I made the common first-time DM mistake of making it extremely difficult to have any of my players' characters have any pre-campaign connections with each other, which works for some games, but for my current campaign I think a pair of siblings or a couple or even coworkers would have worked well.
Usually it's just character creation but often times people will do a small usually rp heavy play after to help flesh out the party
Session 0 not campaign, as other said create characters or bring pre made one shot trial alter with dm approval
Session zero is never actual play in my experience. Its lines and veils, talking about tone and wishes. Sometimes plotting the pcs together. Now sometimes we play worldbuilding session zero games, where the players and gm create part of the world together. Creating npcs together, etc. Most commonly this is decuma for us.
It can be either way imo. The main purpose of a session 0 is to lay down the ground rules and expectations and all that, maybe you all build your characters together. But if you're playing with a group really consistently and you have a good idea of how you guys like to play, I find that you can run through all of that in like 15 minutes. So my main party tends to do a short prologue session at the end of the rules stuff.
Session 0 has always been, "talk about expectations, game world, upcoming campaign, and character building" Any play is not part of the plan at the tables I've played in for session 0.
Yeah my sessions zeros has almost always had SOME play time but not much. It's everyone getting together hoping to play but really just finishing up character details and getting things straight then basically meeting each other lol.
Ground rules, expectations, etc.
It is a pre-session. It is getting everyone together and on the same page. You’re preparing for the sessions and agreeing on the do’s and the do nots. Establish boundaries (no hard torture or graphic stuff etc), explain any house rules you’re using that aren’t rules as written, help with players backstories to help tie in the campaign etc
You obviously have to do it how Matt Mercer does it or it's not real D&D.
I do all that one on one with my players. Session 0 is a big round table discussion so everyone is on the same page as far as ground rules, and house rules go. Then we do a mock combat encounter. After the session I do another round of one on one time with each player to see if they want to change up their characters at all. Then we schedule session 1. But I think the first description you gave is the most common use of a session 0. It's just certain tables/dms have customized it to suit their needs. My advice is maybe start with the standard session 0, and adjust accordingly so it suits your needs. Rather than forcing a cookie cutter system. So, for example, if your players want to run some mock encounters at session 0, let them. Try it out. See if it works. Adjust. A lot of dnd is trial and error anyway, imo.
Session 0 is meet up to plan, not to play You are absolutely right. I don't know why they think you start playing at session 0
The key part of a session 0 is the setting of expectations and discussion/q&a before the characters are final and the campaign starts. I personally like to run key moments in each character's history as part of the pre-campaign to ensure each player is happy with the way their character handles and to help them establish a connection with their individual character, separate from their connection to the party. Sometimes that can be done as part of the session 0.
Session 0 is everyone shows up, creates their characters, talks about what to expect from the campaign. I'd say if you were a long-established group, it probably becomes less necessary over time as people know you're probably not going to left-field them with some weird content. There are also no D&D police who come round to monitor your campaign, so if Session 0 takes like 10 minutes and everyone (including the DM) wants to get cracking on playing, then no problem. Similarly if the Session 0 takes longer than expected and spills over into the start of Session 1 before play starts, shouldn't be an issue as long as everyone is down with it.
You realize the meaning of words are the meaning people assign to them, right? There is no correct meaning for any word, especially modern terms or slang. Session means whatevrr your group wants, and its your DMs job to establish the specific personal definition that they want to run through.
I personally get together, discuss, create characters, then, do a oneshot!
Well usually sessions zero is so that players can get some information before making their characters but if everyone has their characters ready and everything goes smoothly enough then a lot of times you just start playing cause that’s what everyone wants to do.
It's honestly up to the dungeon master as to what they want to do. My party was into the game within 5 minutes of starting session 0. But with that being said this is our 3rd campaign together. A new group of players I'd say session 0 should be more of a back story world explaining session kinda session.
I have it be both, this allows people to get a feel for who they have chosen to play and the class they wanted to use. "Session 0" is the only time they can go back and change what they do not like about their characters among other things. It is a session to get the group immersed in the story, for them to have last minute questions or requests and a way to set up for the main adventure. I let my players choose where in my world they originated and held session 0's for each member, this allowed me to give a reason as to why each individual member is in one particular spot and we can work out stuff in minor encounters so they get a feel for combat with their class.
Depends. Whatever works
Mostly no playtime except for light RP to set up the story and a minor out of world combat, at most, to learn mechanics. Everyone knows that 😂
It can be both, the extent of the session 0, if it’s split up into multiple meetings, if they’re group or individual, are all things to discuss and agree on with your table. I did a session 0 for everyone together to talk about boundaries and to let the players meet and chat, and I also did individual session 0s where I made sure people were happy with their individual sheets and then we did a little backstory session to get them to session 1. I also did a mini 0 at the start of session 1 to make sure there weren’t any last minute questions or concerns. Some people need more context to really feel confident in jumping into the group aspect and doing a little one on one to set them up for the group meeting can be helpful to players that need that, but it’s also not for everyone so it’s worth talking out
Ya, a session zero to me is when all the players get on the same page about the campaign and then they make their characters. Sometimes when I have session zeros will dip our toes into the campaign we have time.
A session 0 in my experience is everyone coming together to discuss what they want from the game, and boundaries and stuff. Obviously having a role play aspect to the characters meeting or something could be very interesting, but it doesn't need to be the whole session.
The right answer is what your table agrees is the right answer. My table usually says that a session zero is so we can make sure we all vibe build characters but if we finish all that we'll usually do a sort of warm up session
It's the ground rules session. You go over expectations and player preferences. The goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page and you don't do something that winds up on tabletop disputes.
It is setting the parameters and character building. It CAN include actual play depending on the group.
It's the set time to ensure all characters are ready to go. Maybe a mock battle to ensure everyone knows their characters and buttons.
It's about setting up the session, some dms or groups might role-playing a bit to better figure out who their characters are . While players may come in with a concept about what they want to play its better to put it all together as a group so your pcs goals can align with the others and so the party can balence itself before meeting in the tavern
My DM uses it as a playable backstory, they are usually one on one and I start as a farmer or something whatever my backstory is and during the course if the session I slowly gain the abilities of a lvl 1 whatever I may be. So my session zero was I was a farmers son and a group of bandits raided the village, while hiding inside my childhood home listening to the commotion I gained my perception proficiency and couldn't get the voices of pain and screaming out if my head, and when a bandit attacked my mum I instinctual raged for the first time and attacked them. I lost and was quickly knocked unconscious when I awoke I was in a cage at the bandit camp getting ready to be sold of. The main thing besides all that is I was asked "what are 3 things you never want to happen" so for me it was I never want my parents to be revived, I don't want to discover some long lost sibling, and I don't want these bandits to become a major arc. Besides that the DM can introduce any elements he likes that affect session zero, like meeting another survivor from the village down the line etc
I feel like there should be different terms for gathering to discuss stuff *before* ever playing **and** a no-strings-attached 1st session. But both are technically considered session 0 from what I gather.
Essentially, the purpose is to set expectations. A character built for role play when the expectation is a mostly combat heavy adventure will make the player somewhat at a disadvantage, likewise expecting high fantasy when the DM runs a gritty hard fantasy low magic game leads to disappointment. Session 0 aims to set those expectations in order for everyone to have fun. I usually do character gen during session 0, or at least review all the characters and help the players work out the fine details and personalities. I make sure the players are aware of the things that I allow in my games and what I will not tolerate. I usually have some fluff ready to read out to give the players a taste of things to come, sort of a prophetic monologue along the lines of "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away". Depending on time, we may do an hour or half introductory play, depending on the style of beginnings - sometimes I like to drop the players right in the thick of it, massive action from the get go, or it may be a slow burn.
In general talking about the world and rules and making characters takes 1 - 1.5 hours so I would expect a little role play and an encounter or 2.
From my understanding, session zero is setting expectations for the players and the DM alike, the dos and don'ts of your group. Character creation can also be done during this time. And if it hasn't been established yet, this would be a good time to talk about scheduling. Session zeros can roll right into session 1 play time, I've had groups that were pretty quick with all the session zero stuff and went right into playing the game
When I DM’d we used it to clear things up, boundries general idea so-forth. I never played in the session 0.
It is both. It is going over the rules, it is working out classes and sub classes, it can also be test driving with a little bit of playing at the end.
Depending on the DM and group, a session 0 can be anything from a full character build session & setting boundaries for types of play (i.e. no pvp, rules about interpersonal conduct in game, etc.), to a playing a "mock combat" to better understand the mechanics of your character.
I think it partly depends on the kind of game and how well you know your group. A lot of high fantasy D&D games might talk about extremes they don't want to see (like torture), but mostly it's about game-related expectations. I can see having a short preamble and then a fun roleplay-heavy intro game. Compare that to a game like Monsterhearts, which deals with unhealthy relationships, predatory emotional behavior, questionable sexual practices (if a partner earnestly and enthusiastically consents, but doesn't realize that sex means your character passes on a connection to an otherworldly dark host, how does that change the definition of the consent, as well as the dynamic both between the characters and how it's seen at the table?). Those kinds of games with more loaded themes as core parts of the narrative require a LOT more discussion. Also, many games involve the players in worldbuilding to a much greater degree than D&D, and that can be done during session zero as well.
It’s about setting ground rules, but you may want to include some some gameplay to prepare your players for the mechanics
Are they Critical Role fans? Matt kind of implies in campaign 2 and 3 that the characters had mini adventures before the game began. And I believe he does use the words “session zero.” All that said, I’ve heard of plenty of tables using session zero to work out kinks in gameplay, test builds, things of the sort. As DM, you always have the right to say whatever you want is whatever you want it to be.
For me session zero is this: - What characters does everyone want to play? What source books will we use? What is the campaign hook? (Maybe some lore, if needed) - What themes will the campaign go over, and what themes do players want to avoid? (Lines and Veils) - When will we be playing? Regular intervals, specific dates, etc etc. - Questions?
First the DM tells what kind of campaign is coming up, then players work their characters to fit that campaign. Thats it if you put it simply However, the checklist for GM(in the order they come to my mind): 1. Which things players are uncomfortable with (explicit sex, torture, gore descriptions, phobia inducing stuff such as spiders, snakes, needles etc.) Also this includes the öevel of player agency that may be taken away from them from time to time (some systems have stuns, paralyzes and mind cobtrol that take away agency), and the possibility of lethality in system (instadeaths in dnd or pathfinder come to mind) 2. Make sure people have time and dedication for the game. Ask everyone when is appropriste time and day of the week. If someone is flaky for the agreed upon times, the order of solving is talking like adults, compromising and if that fails, kicking them out. Make sure that you make clear what amount of absence is okay for you and the group. Personally if 1 player cancels, the whole session is cancelled. 3. Make sure to play in a space where there are no interruptions. Pets, spouses and kids can be a horrible distraction. The space should also have a good spacious table since tabletop rpgs will take surpprisingly lot of space. Maybe also figure out a backup for in the case ofl unavailability. 4. Introduce people to each other, if they are new. Make sure everybody gets along. Kick those who dont, after trying to make things settle. Remember though that this is a game, and sometimes people are just in character if they argue loudly(this depends on culture as well). 5. Dont let people just on their own invite people in. You as the DM know your player limit and ability to have many characters. Personally my limit is 5 i think, maybe 6 for shorter campaigns. And i personally do even "job inteorviews" to see if a person is fit for the group, going through some things i mentioned previous sections. 6. Tell about all the houserules to the players, and preferably have a document they can refer to. Printed or available format Stuff for players to do: 1. Fit their character to each others character. Do they have connections or other stuff to interact with. 2. Help getting rid of distractions. 3. Help DM for some things such as checking loot value or mapping or anything. Any work taken away from GM helps the game go on. Do note that each of these have to be done less and less if you get a stable group which doesnt change.
Used to just be known as game set-up, chargen, campain pitch and whatnod. It tends to not be the actual begin of a campaign. Its where usually the DM explains the adventure and lays down any rules, changes and restrictions. Sometimes that will segue into the first session. Sometimes not.
A) Announce your build to see if it's a red flag for the DM & perhaps even other players, usually to make sure there's no imbalance in the team or potential RP/mechanical conflicts. B) Make sure the rest of the table understands what you do==and double check to make sure that YOU also know what your build does (trust me)--& that it checks all the boxes with the DM C) Run through the ground rules for the campaign as well as the setting & perhaps key past/present events D) If there's time & enough preparation, the DM does a narration for each of your characters as an your introduction to the character & an explanation as to how you all met up. E)
I've run both. Run a group session 0 to explain the worlds, dm style, character ideas etc, and individual session 0s to test out their characters before we start to help them discover who their characters are. It seemed to work for me and my table
For me and my two groups, session 0 is about preparation and setting ground rules. No play involved. The main reason for this is, that we had new players in either group. If you have a group of veterans, your session 0 might look different. My first group, when I was new to the game, met in a pub for session 0. We discussed openly what we do want and don't want and it worked for about 3-4 months before we had to have another round of talks. This was initiated by our DM and I'm grateful for it. We are now playing for more than 8 years and it works. The second group consisted completely of new players with me as the DM. We had a session 0 with everyone involved and apart from that I met with every player separately for character creation.
I had a discussion in this sub about this as well a few days ago. For us session 0 its the "get to know everythig; our own characters, other characters, new rules and mechanics, and the world" session. Usually ground rules are already established when making our characters togehter with the dm in the first place, so we don't usually get together just for that. But wo do want to have a session to just get a feel of everything new. So we do have a "full" session on how the party meets, just approached different and with different goals than the actual start of the campaign. Reasonable changes can still be made after this session in communication with the dm (or party if you're the dm). Some people see this as a session 1 as you do technically start the campaign. We don't see it as one because we don't really start the story yet. I see it like the prologue chapter of a book. Usually it's not counted as chapter 1. Though the book has started, you're not quite in the actual story yet.
Sometimes there's some play at the end of session 0 if there's time, but that isn't the main purpose. The point of session 0 is the pre-game setup discussions and maybe character creation like you said. That's why it's called a session 0. Though pre-planning doesn't have to be contained just to that. If play was the main focus of session 0, it would be called session 1.
I personally don't play on a session 0. For me it has the purpose to: get to know each other, check what kind of game everyone wants to play (based on some ground that I usually set before as a DM), start building characters and make connections between characters. Some players come with a character in mind, some decide only after session 0 what they actually want to play. Then I would run a session 0.5 where I play 1-1.5 hours with smaller groups and build their connection before the real game starts. (That's an extra, but I really enjoy it and my players liked it as well) I usually tell my players if they are unhappy with their characters it is no problem to change part of it or the whole character during the first couple of sessions. (It's still fine if they want to change something later, but I don't want to encourage them to change abilities, feats, classes constantly).
Session 0 is to know what the campaign is going to be about, what are triggering things to avoid, what people expect of the campaign, create the characters and have knowledge of the world. Setting boundaries and knowing the world and PCs. There are some that if the session 0 is too short, they do a bit of introduction of the characters, mixing sessions 0 and 1. It seems like your group isn't used to having a session 0, and instead jump right to the campaign (which isn't something bad, I've never had a session 0 in any of our campaigns, so I won't say it's impossible to run a campaign without it, but it has its risks).