Dungeons & Dragons: The Importance Of Session Zero And How To Plan One

Session Zero is important to the success of a long-running Dungeons & Dragons/Pathfinder/any tabletop campaign, here’s how to plan one.

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The average Dungeons & Dragons campaign starts with a session that focuses on character creation, which dovetails straight into the beginning of the adventure. This is the best method when introducing new players to the game, but there are some established players and dungeon masters who prepare to take a more in-depth approach when preparing for a lengthy Dungeons & Dragons campaign and it takes the form of a separate session that happens before the adventure begins.

There are some groups who prefer to organize a session before the campaign begins, which will allow them to work out specific details of what they want from their tabletop RPG experience beforehand. A game like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, or Vampire: The Masquerade can be a long-term investment of time and it’s usually better to make sure everyone is on the same page before anyone picks up their dice.

Explaining Session Zero

The idea behind session zero is that the players and the dungeon master hold a meeting that takes place before the first proper session of the game. The purpose of the session is to allow everyone to talk about their expectations for the game, the kind of adventures and characters that they want to be part of said game, and for any homebrew rules within the game and house rules outside of the game to be established and agreed upon beforehand.

If a player decides that the game isn’t for them, then it’s best to discover this during session zero and wish them well. It’s better to have a player bow-out before the game instead of leaving mid-way through a campaign due to being unhappy.

The Dungeon Master’s Plans

It’s up to the dungeon master to determine what kind of adventure they will be running and what kind of theme and tones they are going for.

It helps for the dungeon master to go through the setting and type of adventure that they are planning on running beforehand. This is easier when dealing with a published adventure, as all of the information is revealed to the dungeon master up-front. It’s easy to describe an adventure like Tomb of Annihilation as “Dungeons & Dragons meets Indiana Jones, where the players explore an island teeming with dinosaurs and undead in search of lost treasures.” An explanation like that can give players an idea for what the theme of the game will be beforehand.

Breaking down the type of adventure beforehand can also help the player decide what kind of characters will best fit in the adventure. Tomb of Annihilation involves a lot of combat, exploring, and puzzle-solving, which means that a player who creates a character who specializes in diplomacy might feel left out or unhelpful in a lot of situations. A dungeon master who explains the kinds of characters who would be most useful in the game can help players better determine who and what they want to play.

It’s also important to establish the tone of the game beforehand. The majority of Dungeons & Dragons games quickly devolve into humor and quotes from The Simpsons before long, which is just part of the fun of the experience. The dungeon master might want to go for a more serious tone with their campaign, such as if they were running a game in the Ravenloft setting. There are also games that have a darker tone by default, such as Call of Cthulhu and Vampire: The Masquerade, which most new players might not be as familiar with as Dungeons & Dragons. It’s important to let players know beforehand if the game you intend to run involves dark or adult themes, as not everyone is comfortable engaging with these themes in tabletop form.

The Player’s Expectations

There are many different ways in which players can enjoy tabletop RPGs and it’s important for a dungeon master to discuss their game with their players before beginning a new campaign, especially if they have never played with each other before.

A group who uses a session zero to lay out the groundwork for the game can work out each player’s preferred playstyle and settings in order to ensure the best possible experience for everyone. There are some gamers who enjoy the combat and tactical aspects of Dungeons & Dragons, while some prefer games with lots of roleplaying and character development. It’s up to the dungeon master and players to strike a balance and find what works for everyone, as plenty of campaigns will focus on different styles of gameplay. A good example of this is the Kingmaker campaign for Pathfinder, which includes a mixture of character interaction, combat, exploration, dungeons, and diplomacy.

The zero session can also be used to complete character creation, or at least let everyone determine the concept of their characters. This can be a good time to establish whether player characters know each other beforehand and if they have connections with NPCs in the game world.

House Rules

Tabletop RPGs have rulebooks, but most players will come up with their own homebrew rules that are agreed upon before the game begins.

The current edition of Dungeons & Dragons offers a lot of variant rules in the Player’s Handbook, so session zero can be a good time to determine whether any of these are used or not, such as the alternate version of the human or multiclassing. A dungeon master can also use this time to let the player know if they will be tracking some rules that are often ignored, such as encumbrance.

It’s also important for everyone to determine rules for conduct outside of the game, especially if the game is due to take place in the home of one of the members of the group. These rules can apply to issues such as lateness, drinking alcohol or smoking during the game, use of language, and restrictions on bringing up outside issues within the game.

Session zero is something that can players can potentially finish within a group chat on social media if everyone is on the same page. It’s best for everyone to know what exactly they are in for before going into a tabletop game so that a good time can be had by all.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-dm-session-zero-explained/