When done right, session zero can prevent
campaign-ending conflicts, bring you and your party closer together, and ultimately deliver
a more satisfying game. So let's talk about how to do it right. (cheerful chimes) For a long time, session zero wasn't an
official part of D&D. There was nothing about it in
the Dungeon Master's Guide, so if you weren't involved
in the wider community you might have never heard the phrase. But in 2020, Wizards finally
included a section about it in "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Thankfully I have this nerd hanging around who loves reading out loud from books, so she's gonna help out today. Also, she told me if I did her job, she would smother me in my sleep. - I was joking! I joke now. I was told it would make me more likable. - Yeah, I'll let you know
if that happens. Just read. - "Before making characters
or playing the game, the DM and players can
run a special session colloquially called session zero, to establish expectations, outline the terms of a social contract, and share house rules." - That makes it sound super boring, so I feel the need to
say ideally, session zero leaves everybody feeling
really pumped about the game. Not all of the things you
do will be fun necessarily, but the overall vibe
of a good session zero is excitement and anticipation. A big part of that is making sure that it's a conversation, not a monologue. There's definitely some information that the DM will have to provide, but the more collaborative and
interactive this session is, the more invested and
excited players will get. Now, you'll note that the
book specifically says, "Before making characters
or playing the game." That's why it's called session zero - because it comes before session one. But I also want to note, it's never too late to do a session zero if you're already playing and think it would benefit your table. Maybe you didn't do one
up front or maybe you did, but you've been playing for so long now that you could all use a refresher and a chance to discuss the game. There's no wrong time to do one of these if it would be helpful. So how do you know if it would be helpful? Let's talk about why you would
even need a session zero. - "Making and sticking to these rules, can help ensure that the game is a fun experience for everyone involved. Sounds like a novel idea to me! - Oh no, was that a book pun? - It's not my fault if you don't get it. - Tasha's really only mentions why you might do a session
like this in passing, but I'm just gonna say it: easily half of the problems I see people complaining
about in D&D communities could've been prevented by a session zero. "My DM won't let me multiclass." "I feel like my character
doesn't fit into the party." "My players aren't interested
in my main plotline." "It's near impossible
to schedule sessions." "My DM's house rules nerf my character." On and on and on. Scroll through a D&D
Facebook group or subreddit, and you'll see problem after
problem that only exists because the group didn't communicate around expectations up front. Session zero gets everybody
onto the same page, and if you don't all want the same things, it gives you a chance to
either compromise or part ways before anybody gets too invested. Now, every session zero
will be a little different. When I start a new campaign
with lifelong friends whom I've played D&D with before, our session zero can be really casual, and there's a lot that we
don't have to explicitly cover because we're already aligned about it. But when I prepared to
run a short campaign for paying strangers for D&D in a Castle, I had to be more formal and more thorough. There are lots of session
zero checklists out there and I think those can be useful tools, but don't feel like you
have to methodically go over everything that someone on the internet says you
should cover in session zero, and that includes this video. Ultimately, you are the best judge of what your specific table needs. Use this video as a resource, but don't let it restrict you. Okay, time to get into it. Tasha's splits session zero
into three sections, the first? - Character and party creation. - There are so many ways to
handle this logistically. You could have folks come to session zero with a character idea or
two already loosely in mind. You could have them show up empty-handed, and brainstorm characters
during the session which they can then flesh out
afterwards on their own time. You could even build characters
together during the session, this might be a good idea
if you have new players who aren't super confident putting together their
own character sheets yet. However you go about it, this is the time to fill players in on basic information like starting level, what method you're using
for ability scores, whether or not you'll allow races or classes from certain
books, stuff like that. This is also your opportunity to put some guardrails in place, like so. - "As the DM, you can help players during the character creation process by advising them to select options that will serve the adventure
or campaign that awaits." - This is a good lens through which to evaluate
character choices. Does it serve the campaign? I think there are good and bad reasons to ban character options
or veto player characters. "You can't play a gnome because
I think gnomes are annoying" is a pretty bad reason. But "you can't play a gnome
because gnomes being extinct is a key part of the worldbuilding" is a much more reasonable objection. Likewise, it is completely
valid to forbid evil characters or characters who are anti-social loners, if you feel that party cohesion is important to serve the campaign. This way not only do you get
veto power over characters that you don't think would
be a good fit for your table, players get guidance, a solid
foundation to create from, and confidence that the work
they put into their character won't be rejected by their DM. But it's not just mechanics
that should be covered here. Session zero is a great opportunity to work together on backstories, so you can weave player
character histories into the fabric of the campaign. Gimme an example, Books. - "If a player chooses
the criminal background, one of the options for
a character's bond is, I'm trying to pay off an old debt I owe to a generous benefactor. If that's the character's bond, you should work with the player to decide who that generous benefactor is, and build relevant storylines
into the larger campaign." - Obviously, not all of this is going to happen real-time at the table during your session zero, but a little brainstorming
and back-and-forth up front can make it a lot easier for you to tie everything
together in the long run. - Don't forget about party formation! - I was getting there, what does it say? - "It can be helpful to assume that the characters know each other and have some sort of history together, however brief that history might be." And then there's a list of questions that you can ask players. Do want me to read them? - Don't worry about it,
people can look it up. - Good, cause I don't have
time. I'm fully booked! - Oh my god. - I could read them, though, if you want. - No, you've said enough. Anyway, I think it's interesting that Tasha's skips right over the classic, 'you meet in a tavern' option, and just straight-up advises that the party have a relationship before the game even starts. I totally agree with this, by the way, I think a pre-existing bond makes the game feel fun much faster, and encourages better roleplay. Tasha's even has a rolling
table for party origin with stuff like, a funeral
brings the characters together, or the characters grew
up in the same place, and have known each other for years. (whoosh) - Smiley day to ya! what's the only thing
better than friendship? It's dice, of course! And what better way to show off your dice than under loving protection
of a Dice Guardian. These beautiful sculpted collectables protect and display your favorite dice. And now Dice Guardian had
partnered with Critical Role for some officially licensed characters! Entrust your dice to the care of Ashton
Greymoore or Fresh Cut Grass. And there's more to come! The Laudna Dice Guardian is available for preorder right now. Simply place your dice into the guardian, then switch it on for
a beautiful light show. It just needs what all of us need: two AAA batteries and
a little encouragement! Pick your favorite color,
or enjoy the whole rainbow. The best part is, you can still can order in time for the holidays! Visit diceguardians.com to shop. Throw in a T-shirt and a fun set of dice, and you'll be sure to give
the D&D players in your life a real shiny holiday season! (gentle music) (whoosh)
- Okay, the next section has the world's most
boring-sounding title, what is it again? - Social contract! - Right, social contract. It sounds like something you'd
scroll past really quickly in order to check a box promising that you've read it
all under pain of litigation. But actually, I do think this might be the most
important part of session zero. And the way it's written about
in the book supports that. - "D&D is first and foremost meant to be a fun-for-all experience. If one or more participants
aren't having fun, the game won't last long." - It then goes on to list several serious-sounding bullet points that basically amount to the following: you'll respect players,
they'll respect you, players will respect each other. And if any of that doesn't happen, you can give the problem player the boot. Unfortunately, sitting around a table and agreeing to respect each other is not terribly actionable. A lot of the things that
fall under the heading of a social contract are things that do need to
be explicitly discussed. For example, scheduling. What do you do if one
player can't make it? Do you cancel? Reschedule? Play without them? What happens to their character if you play while they're gone? This is the section where I think a session zero checklist
can be most useful. You might not think to talk with players about whether or not it's
okay to eat during the game, or if you should bring food to share, or whether or not alcohol is allowed. Is it okay for players
to use a laptop or tablet to access a digital character sheet? Where will you meet to play? How often? How long is this campaign expected to run? This is the nitty gritty
that isn't gonna be fun, but it will prevent a huge number of conflicts in the future. Nobody wants to miss a session
for a doctor's appointment or their grandma's
birthday and then come back to learn that their
character died in combat, or that the rest of the party
leveled up without them. Going over these eventualities
in advance sets expectations, so nobody gets an unpleasant surprise. And now the part that always
gives my block button finger some exercise: safety tools. - The book says 'hard and soft limits.' - Yeah, same thing. It's basically store-brand
'lines and veils.' A line, or hard limit, is something that shouldn't
come up in the game at all. A veil, or soft limit, is something that can happen offscreen, or in moderation, or with warning, but should be treated carefully and not be central to the game. These limits aren't just
for sensitive players or players with trauma, like I sometimes see
people implying online. They're for everyone. - "Every member of the group
has soft and hard limits, and it behooves everyone in the group to know what they are." - Tasha's includes a few
examples, like sex, slavery, and violence against
animals, among others. But often people who push
back against safety tools tell me that their games don't
contain any adult themes, so they don't need to use them. This is a common misconception
and I want to address it. The whole point of asking
players about their limits is that you might not
be able to predict them, even with people you know well. I have a friend who has childhood trauma around dental injuries. Describing a tooth getting
knocked out during combat might seem like generic,
descriptive flavor to a DM who doesn't know about that limit. I once ran a game with
some heavy themes of grief for relative strangers, including a player who had just lost his father. Knowing about that made me cautious when describing grieving NPCs, and allowed me to stay aware
and check in with this player to make sure the game
wasn't going too far. In short, you can't know unless you ask. And since the subject
matter might be sensitive, how you ask also matters. - "Make sure everyone at the table is comfortable with how
this discussion takes place. Players might not want to discuss their limits aloud around the table, especially if they're
new to roleplaying games, or haven't spent a lot of time with certain other members of the group." - It goes on to suggest having players write their limits on
index cards, for example. You can also have players
private message you, or even use an anonymous
option like Google Forms, if anonymity makes your
group feel more comfortable. And of course, once everyone
has identified their limits, they need to be shared with the group so everyone knows what themes to avoid and to be cautious of. Every table has different needs. I'm not here to tell you that you must use an entire
suite of safety tools or you're a bad person who
doesn't care about your players. But isn't it better to know
what someone's boundaries are before you cross them? It would really suck if one of your players quit the campaign because they didn't feel
comfortable at the table, and the problem was completely avoidable. - Yeah, don't be... shelf-ish! - (deep sigh) - Get it? Like a bookshelf? You get it. - Just start the next section. - Ah yes, game customization. "In addition to shaping the game around the characters in
the adventuring party, you should be prepared
to customize the game to suit the players' tastes." - This is a very short
section in the book. First, it points you to the "Know Your Players"
section in the DMG, which offers up some player types based on what they find interesting, like acting, or optimization,
or problem solving. Most parties will be interested
in a few of these things, and it's not necessary
that those interests match up perfectly between players, as long as there's some overlap. It also lists a few questions to ask, like how players would like to level, Or whether or not they
like humor in their game. Those are both good questions, but I admit that I don't know if I think they were
the most important ones to print in the book. - They have limited space, they're... BOUND to miss something! - I can feel my brain cells dying every time you make a pun. - (muttering) Not as fast as they'll die when I'm smothering you with a pillow. - What was that? - Just a joke! A hilarious joke. - Okay, I'm locking the
bedroom door tonight. Anyway, I can think of a few topics that are more important to address, like how you plan to
handle character death, or whether or not you allow PVP, or what kind of roleplay
style players can expect. You may also want to go over whether you're planning
on using maps and minis or theater of the mind, and whether you plan on using
any specific house rules. I also think this is the prime place to talk about the tone
and setting of the game, although it really
isn't mentioned anywhere in the whole Session Zero chapter. If you already have a setting in mind, or you're running a particular module, or using a world that
you've been homebrewing, it's really important that
players know about it. This can help inform
their character builds, but it also ensures that they know what to expect from the game. If a player expects a
"Game of Thrones"-style, gritty, political intrigue game, but you were planning
on more of a whimsical, Terry Pratchett type of thing, they're gonna be confused
and maybe frustrated. Now, there are lots of ways to handle the decision of
the overall campaign premise, from prescribing the type of campaign and telling players to
take it or leave it, to creating a campaign entirely
around what players want, and a million options in between. I don't think any of
those is inherently bad. Many DMs start a campaign because they want to use a
certain world or concept, so if it turns out their players want something totally different, maybe it's just not a good match. Regardless, the bottom line
is, what's fun for everyone? This is your chance to
identify whether or not the whole group agrees on
what makes a great game. And if they don't agree,
it's better to know before you dive into a long-term campaign. - Sounds like session zero
has a... STORIED history! - These are terrible. Did you just look up a bunch of book puns? - (paper crumpling) No. - Just like any other
Dungeon Master skill, running a session zero is something you'll get
better at with practice. You'll learn what your
own preferences are, and you'll get your own experience in figuring out what works for players. Just like your first gameplay session or combat encounter wasn't perfect, your first session zero
won't be perfect either. But at least it'll be better than having a textbook read to you by a bad comedian who's
threatening to suffocate you. - Ooh, if I did murder you, would I get SENTENCED to life in prison? (giggles) Sentenced? Sentence? Get it? Say you get it. (Darkly) Say you get it. (dramatic music)
