There may not be any better advice for any GM than “run a session zero”. A tabletop gaming session, running 2-6 hours for everyone at the table, is a big investment of time. A campaign can span a handful of these sessions, or turn into years of weekly sessions. Every time we’ve started a campaign without a session zero, we’ve regretted it. Nothing creates deeper wounds for a GM than losing a player or friend 4 months into a game because of misaligned expectations or having a campaign simply dissolve from a lack of cohesion. All the prep, effort, and story potential forever sits unrealized.
If you’re new to the concept; a session zero is an important step in tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) where the players and game master (GM) collaborate to establish expectations for the game. What expectations do you establish? Well, there is about a million different way to run a session zero, so no two will be alike. Like being handed a handful of lego parts and four wheels, the concept will be roughly the same, but you’ll have a different version from everyone who tries.
Having a plan and changing it based on your specific game is what this hobby is all about. That’s why we built this guide in a way that it can be customized and adapted to your evolving style. We’ve included everything we think is crucial to a great session zero to get you started. The topics are broken down into organized categories, and give you an idea of how long they will take to cover at the table. This is our way, now make it yours.
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