There’s a lot to cover in a Session 0! I tend to bring everyone together for a 45-60 minute document read through, discussion, and safety/consent checklist before we even talk about characters. Feel free to use and modify this as you see fit.
Please DO NOT USE THIS DOCUMENT VERBATIM IF YOU ARE NOT ABIDING BY IT.
Here’s my step-by-step process…
Player Expectations:
Let other people play their PCs how they want to play them. Don’t “backseat drive” another character.
Try to share “stage time” or “spotlight” with other players at the table.
Pass the ball as often as possible to involve other PCs to build greater relationships in game and create a richer experience.
Respect one another!
Introduce Yourself:
What is your experience with D&D?
What are you looking for in a D&D game?
Roleplay?
Combat?
Mystery/Intrigue?
Puzzles?
What is your favorite thing about D&D?
Is your schedule regular for this time?
Safety Tools:
Consent - Consent is in a constant state of flow and a player should feel empowered to express that they’re uncomfortable with a theme or situation.
Lines & Veils - Lines are a hard no. Veils are a fade to black or behind the curtain situation. We’ll gather preliminary lines/veils prior to play but all players can change their mind mid-game or post-game.
X - Whenever you feel like you might want to stop what is happening because you’re uncomfortable... DM me an X or put it in chat, or utilize your open door.
Open Door - Any player can get up and take a break - walk away from the game. It’ll alert me that I need to check in with them when they return.
Check Ins - I will try to do my best to check in with players regularly to receive feedback and check on everyone’s well being.
Debrief - I don’t want a formal debrief with players. I want post-game to be the players’ opportunity to unwind informally. Typically after I call a session my players will naturally hang out for 5-15 minutes and discuss the game itself, complete their quest log as a party, and ask clarifying questions of me. I want this also to be the space for players to compliment each other about their play or to be excited about something that is happening. The only thing I’d ask for as a DM is 1 Star and 1 Wish sent to me post-session.
Stars & Wishes -
Star: Something you enjoyed about the game and thought was fun.
Wish: Something you wish the game had. Sometimes I will ask questions about these or discuss the topic privately with a player.
Types of sexual content:
Flirting
Sexual harassment (will not appear)
Sexual assault (will not appear)
I tend to be more reactive than proactive with sexual content in play. Before I begin engaging PCs with NPCs who are going to flirt I always check in for consent with the player prior to the session. (e.g. “Are you interested in an NPC flirting with your PC as a story arc?”) I understand that being a GM means I’m wielding an imbalanced position at the table and gaining consent while someone is roleplaying their character has a higher chance of discomfort or regret - especially with sensual/sexual situations. If a PC begins to engage one of my NPCs in a way that I think is flirting I usually clarify with a direct GM to player question. (e.g. “Is your PC flirting with this person?”)
Relationships between PCs require consent out of the game.
Death:
It is probable that your PC will die.
It is possible that your PC will become undead and out of your control.
If I make a ruling mistake, I will unkill your character
GMing Style:
Fairly loose with rules. I will make stuff up, sometimes.
I will ask you for clarification on your abilities a lot if I’m uncertain.
I will ask you “What does that look like?” often for description of things if I need a moment or need help. That’s not you being wrong, it’s me needing a hand.
I will ask you “What are you doing?” This is usually an indicator that I either want the party to interact or that I need a moment before I can present something for the party to react to. This is not the player being wrong.
Other times I will prompt you via NPC to engage the party in roleplay, but do not think that the NPCs are running the show.
I will present the party with The Problem. It is up to the party how to resolve The Problem. I encourage you to pitch me ideas as a party. If your plan is possible, I will tell you realistically (from GM to player) “This is going to be tough and it is dangerous because <reasons> but you can do this if it goes well.” This does not mean it will work out as intended for a specific result, however. My intent is to meet you in the middle for verisimilitude, not to give you a skeleton key to the game.
CONTENT WARNING:
Pre-game chatter may include discussion about sex, romance, and other personal details. We have an open environment where everyone is encouraged to share but anyone may opt out.
Wrapping up!
I’ve excluded some sections that are game specific, such as “homebrew rules”, etc. Having this discussion along with forwarding folx to a safety/consent checklist for lines/veils is so important for setting the stage. From here I go into PC creation and group formation. That’ll be another article!
Thank you to all of our amazing Kickstarter backers! We’re now at 15k. Let’s keep it going and get to 40%+ in the first week! I’d love to hit some of our incredible stretch goals, not just fund at 100%.
In the Limited Tier add-ons you can reserve a 3 session mini-campaign with me using the Vineyard RPG material! I have it listed as Tower of Atonement on the KS page, but I can run anything, really.
Thanks for all your support!