Session Zero Checklist

Not all games put in the work in their text to support a successful session zero where players show up to learn the system, make characters and set up for the game to come. Regardless of the game system, this is what I believe you should enter into a session zero intending to do and what should be done by the end of the first session.

This document is intended to be both an overview, and a checklist for running your session. Since it is not system specific, not everything will apply. If something doesn’t apply, check it off or ignore it.

Preparation

Even a session zero doesn’t keep the game master from having to be responsible for extra knowledge and work for the group.

• Read through enough of the book to run the system.

  • Consider how you would explain or walk through elements to the group.
• Print out/download/design/upload quick references, character sheets, play aids
• Get some possible ideas for the steps below

Game Review

Understand what the game system helps you do and what your starting point is. Does the game come with a reason for the group to be together? Does it have a specific plot in mind? Talk about the stories the game will help you tell. Talk about the game world and any pre-existing fiction.

• What media touchstones (books, tv, movies, etc) can we use for context or guidance?
• Are there any gaps that the game system leaves open?
• What tools does the game provide to make session zero or your campaign easier?
• What ideas are built into the game?
• Are there specific stories, themes or mechanics anyone finds interesting? Such as “I would like to start at a higher level” or “I want to go on a tour of the whole galaxy.”

Safety Tools

Use the game’s or your preferred safety tools. Discuss your safety tools, possible themes, consent. Here is the well-regarded TTRPG Safety Toolkit.

• Consider anonymous or public lines & veils.

  • Consider a private method of submitting lines in particular
• Present the X-card
• Present other safety tools appropriate for your group
• Discuss possible tough themes, themes to avoid

Campaign and Player Options

Discuss the possible options for character classes, campaign premises and playbooks. I believe it is important to do a full review of the options before anyone can choose. Your players need to be on an even field when it comes to taking these playbooks so that veteran players or loud voices don’t just get what they want.

• Present any group playbook choices
• Discuss character position relative to the rest of the world. How unique are the player characters in general? If someone is a wizard, what does it say about the other wizards in the world?

• Present any class or playbook choices.

  • Discuss the themes and implied interests of each character choice.
• Can players double up on choices?

Campaign Themes and Drives

Why are the PCs the main characters? What are they doing that we care about? This is where any group playbooks or campaign premises are determined. Take note that this is done before character creation.

• Hold a discussion about either what the game has the group do during a campaign or what the group wants to explore in the campaign if the game doesn’t provide an answer
• Decide on a group playbook, shared history or reason for the party to assemble
• Connect the group to the world

Character Creation

Create characters after we know what we’re doing. No character should be created in a vacuum. This is a guided group activity.

• Use the system rules to create characters to match the group premise
• Have the group discuss what they find interesting, what they’re choosing, and go through the steps together. Don’t have anyone go too far ahead of everyone else.
• Once everyone is done, review the choices and what the players find particularly interesting about what they’ve created

Shared History

Discuss what your characters have done together in the past. What happened during the unaired pilot episode or what would the prequel book look like? Is there a previous season? There doesn’t need to be exhaustive details on past events, but knowing that this isn’t the first time your characters meet irons out a lot of initial anxiety around questions such as “but why am I here?” and “what am I doing?’ Questions about shared history serve to glue your characters together. Depending on the game system support, this could involve past adventures, previous careers, shared debts or past wrongs.

• Build a few points of shared history. It doesn’t have to be detailed, but it does have to be meaningful to the characters.

Tools for History

• Who’s agenda are you working against?
• What factions have wronged you?
• What past events have impacted your lives?
• What is your destination and what will you do when you get there?

Character Connection

Work to understand why the PCs work together. What questions do you have about each other that remain unresolved? Depending on the game system support, this could involve past drama, disagreements, favors owed, lives saved or interpersonal relationships. These don’t need to be exhaustive details. **Connections are a web. Build enough connections that the structure can hold. **You don’t have to like each other but you probably have to be able to work together.

• Connect the group to each other.

  • Repeat until everyone has at least one connection with everyone

• Connect the whole group to the world

  • Find some opportunities for rivals or favors.

Tools for Connection

When writing a connection to another player character, try to not only frame it as just an opinion on the current state of things but also as a call to action in the future. “I owe my life to Turtle” is less useful than “I will make sure Turtle knows how thankful I am for him saving my life”. We want to be connected to other characters in the past, but it’s far more important to have unknowns to resolve the future.

• Who here do you owe your life to?
• Who here do you want to see change?
• What is your relationship status with another person?
• What do you want to get another character to do for you?
• What do you want to do as a favor for another character?
• What NPCs have helped you gain your footing?
• What NPCs do you look up to?
• What NPCs do you owe a favor/owe you favor?
• What NPCs have wronged you in the past?

Story Direction

What immediate or possibly goals do the players have that has brought them together in these first scenes? Set a clear but not finalized path forward towards a goal. This might set the stage for an initial first arc or begin the initial campaign. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something that the player characters know about either. This might just be something for the players.

• However small, point toward a long-term goal for the players.
• Create an immediate next step for the player characters. What are they trying to do in the first episode? This could be done privately as a GM or as a group.

Scene Openers

Start with the players being able to roll. Keep the rolls interesting, slowly introduce game mechanics layer by layer.

• Set the scene. Start in a moment where someone needs to make a decision. Do not force combat. Cause the group to make a decision that makes a meaningful, clear difference. Do we answer the distress beacon? Do we bribe the guards or fight them? Do we help our friend to compromise the mission?
• Start with simple rolls. Layer the mechanics on as you go.