Session zero is the first session starting a campaign for your game.
This is when you first get your players together, everyone meets to create characters and decide on the type of game and play style.
Session zero will be more character building and planning than playing. The players and the DM work together to come up with a story.
A good DM will add the players stories to their pre-planned campaign.
How do you roll your stats?
Do your players want to roll stats before or after choosing a class?
Are you rolling stats and then choosing classes based on the rolls?
Are you min-maxing? Point buying?
Right now, I make up the stats for players without rolling, just to save time.
Whatever you do, make sure everyone rolls the same way, then no one will be cheating with unbalanced high numbers.
Keep character creation simple, especially if you are a new DM.
Stick with simple races and classes from the core handbook.
If you are starting as a new DM, there are enough rules and other things you will need to keep track of.
Don't let your first game get bogged down because a player wants to be a half-dragon half-owlbear sorcerer with special abilities. You'll end up wasting most of your time looking up weird abilities and game rules instead of actually playing. This will also leave other players behind who are playing more traditional characters.
If you are starting as a new DM, there are enough rules and other things you will need to keep track of.
Don't let your first game get bogged down because a player wants to be a half-dragon half-owlbear sorcerer with special abilities. You'll end up wasting most of your time looking up weird abilities and game rules instead of actually playing. This will also leave other players behind who are playing more traditional characters.
Starting simply is the best way for you and your new players to get used to the game mechanics and how the game flows.
Once you have some more experience with your players, you can create new characters and add them to the game.
Say no during creation and yes during game play. This works well to keep things simple to start with, and then during the game say yes (within reason) to all the fun things players will want to try.
Once you have some more experience with your players, you can create new characters and add them to the game.
Say no during creation and yes during game play. This works well to keep things simple to start with, and then during the game say yes (within reason) to all the fun things players will want to try.
Make the Characters already know each other before the game starts.
How do the characters know each other?
Did they meet in a tavern like every other story?
Were they all hired for a job to do together?
I like starting the game with the players already knowing each other and working together. This makes planning a lot easier and more creative fun for the players to imagine how they met and decided to be friends. Instead of the awkward tavern scene where everyone is trying to introduce themselves.
This will make planning a story easier for the DM, there will be multiple backstories at play with adventure hooks or character goals already set up.
What are the player character goals?
What are your characters wants and needs?
The first story ideas should be taken from your players and their backstories that you establish in session zero.
A characters parents were killed by a tribe of orcs? Murdered by roaming bandits? Those can be your villains!
By making it personal to the characters, the players will be more invested in your story.
Maybe a player wants revenge against a six-fingered man and ends up in a plot where the evil prince wants to take over a kingdom.
By adding obstacles, random encounters, run-ins with bad guys, and swamps that are on fire, you can turn a characters goal into a 12 session long campaign. Just based on a simple backstory.
Establish the first mission or story line, directly related to one of the characters goals.
If the PC's are already established as friends, they'll be that much more willing to help each other with their characters goals. And you won't need a traditional adventure hook.
Add characters and their back-stories to your world.
Do you have and elf from a forest? A rogue from the city? Have them come from the city you have already created. The forest you already have established in your world.
This makes the players feel like they are actually a part of the world. Create the story together instead of telling your characters what they want and where they are from.
Establish your house rules.
Before each session, players should be reminded of how you expect them to act during play, and what the consequences are if they don't. RPGs are designed to be played in groups, so every needs to be on the same page. Play along to get along.
If players are not following the rules, don't invite them to the next session. Don't waste time with people who are ruining your fun. having fun is the only way to win D&D.
Set boundaries right away.
(do you let players fight each other? do you confirm critical hits?).
No cheating on dice rolls.
Teach the players that they should know what they are going to do before their turn.
Make sure players know what dice to roll and what their bonuses are.
Are you using experience points or leveling by story arcs?
Do you use Inspiration points or Bennies in your game?
What is your maximum limit of players? How do you handle a player who doesn't show up?
(do you let players fight each other? do you confirm critical hits?).
No cheating on dice rolls.
Teach the players that they should know what they are going to do before their turn.
Make sure players know what dice to roll and what their bonuses are.
Are you using experience points or leveling by story arcs?
Do you use Inspiration points or Bennies in your game?
What is your maximum limit of players? How do you handle a player who doesn't show up?
Establish tone and genre of the game.
I'm sure you already have a few ideas for stories. Give your story ideas to the players and let them choose what to go with.
Is it funny fantasy adventure or a super serious spy thriller? It is a gritty western or a space exploration game?
Figure out a general tone as well. If you are trying to play in a haunted house or a Lovecraftian horror setting, it won't go very well if the players aren't acting horrified or allowing themselves to go a little crazy. Make sure the players are playing along and buying in with the tone of the game.
Establish a party alignment.
Are all the players good, and want to answer every distress call they hear?
Do you have an evil player who is planning on betraying the group? If so, will the players characters even work with someone like that?
Do your players want to be murder hobos and disregard the ramifications of their actions?
Will players want to do an evil campaign where players just want to see the word burn?
What is your play style? Does it match with the players style?
Do your players want to hack-and-slash everything and take the loot?
Do you want to run a role play heavy story full of intrigue and moral dilemmas?
Do players want to solve puzzles and get past traps?
Is exploration important to the players?
Do players want to be entertained and watch the DM act things out all night?
If the players don't agree with your DMing style, that's O.K.! They can play in another group.
As a DM you can always find more players.
Some new players won't even know what they want until they've played a few sessions.
Start the game with a practice battle or encounter.
This is especially important for beginning players and dungeon masters. Take time in session zero to figure out the flow of battle.
How long does it take for someone to take a turn?
How much damage does your characters normally do?
What are the basic rules? Standard actions, and bonus actions.
My favorite session zero game was when the players wanted their own pirate ship. The first battle I gave them was to kill the captain and take command of the ship. Help the new players learn to use their skills and abilities.
It's okay if people make mistakes. Especially when it's someone's first game. Let it happen and move on.
Make a Schedule and stick to it.
How long will this game last? Is it a one shot or an ongoing story?
Will your prepared story last 4 sessions or 2 years?
Set a group schedule for the next few sessions so the group wont fall apart right away.
Games always eventually fall apart no matter how excited everyone is.
A game that lasts years is a lot more rare than you would think.
People are always busy. So plan as much as you can with as many group members as possible.
If you plan in advance, everyone will be more likely to commit to a time.
Talk about trigger warnings.
I'm sure you already have a few ideas for stories. Give your story ideas to the players and let them choose what to go with.
Is it funny fantasy adventure or a super serious spy thriller? It is a gritty western or a space exploration game?
Figure out a general tone as well. If you are trying to play in a haunted house or a Lovecraftian horror setting, it won't go very well if the players aren't acting horrified or allowing themselves to go a little crazy. Make sure the players are playing along and buying in with the tone of the game.
Establish a party alignment.
Are all the players good, and want to answer every distress call they hear?
Do you have an evil player who is planning on betraying the group? If so, will the players characters even work with someone like that?
Do your players want to be murder hobos and disregard the ramifications of their actions?
Will players want to do an evil campaign where players just want to see the word burn?
What is your play style? Does it match with the players style?
Do your players want to hack-and-slash everything and take the loot?
Do you want to run a role play heavy story full of intrigue and moral dilemmas?
Do players want to solve puzzles and get past traps?
Is exploration important to the players?
Do players want to be entertained and watch the DM act things out all night?
If the players don't agree with your DMing style, that's O.K.! They can play in another group.
As a DM you can always find more players.
Some new players won't even know what they want until they've played a few sessions.
Start the game with a practice battle or encounter.
This is especially important for beginning players and dungeon masters. Take time in session zero to figure out the flow of battle.
How long does it take for someone to take a turn?
How much damage does your characters normally do?
What are the basic rules? Standard actions, and bonus actions.
My favorite session zero game was when the players wanted their own pirate ship. The first battle I gave them was to kill the captain and take command of the ship. Help the new players learn to use their skills and abilities.
It's okay if people make mistakes. Especially when it's someone's first game. Let it happen and move on.
Make a Schedule and stick to it.
How long will this game last? Is it a one shot or an ongoing story?
Will your prepared story last 4 sessions or 2 years?
Set a group schedule for the next few sessions so the group wont fall apart right away.
Games always eventually fall apart no matter how excited everyone is.
A game that lasts years is a lot more rare than you would think.
People are always busy. So plan as much as you can with as many group members as possible.
If you plan in advance, everyone will be more likely to commit to a time.
Talk about trigger warnings.
Establish what your players don't want to happen during the game.
How will you handle romance, torture, and other sensitive subjects?
The simplest way is to fade to black. Characters go to sleep together, fade to black and now it is the next morning. Skip the details.
As a GM, do you want to roleplay flirting and romance? Will you spend time playing a character who is getting tortured?
Every group is different and every situation is different, so it is important to establish this beforehand.
A simple and common method is using a card with an X drawn on it. leave it in the center of the table and if the subject gets too intense or unwanted, players and point to it showing you that the subject should be skipped or avoided. Work with your group to agree on the details.
Thank you!
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