By: Nathan Stone 

Does a role-playing game (RPG) begin with the first dice role? How about the opening description? Character creation?  

I contend that it begins as soon as the first idea for the game is written down. 

Building the game is part of the game. It is the foundation of everything that will come after. Like any foundation, you want it to be solid and stable to support the things that you as the Game Master, alongside your players, will build on top of it.  

There is no better tool to build your solid foundation than holding a Session zero.  

Session zero is a meeting between the Game Master (GM) and the players before the game starts. If managed well, it is the most important session of the game. Commonly, session zero is used as a chance to make player characters, but there are many more things you can and should do with that time.  

Setting expectations is the very first conversation when planning an RPG with your players. Clearly demarcate the boundaries of the world you’re building. If my setting is a 1920’s noir detective mystery, my expectations are that players will make characters that are hard bitten detectives, sly bootleggers, and femme fatales.  

Players must grasp the game’s setting and tone and want to make characters that will work in that world. Session zero is the perfect place to reinforce what the game is about and put players into the right frame of mind for the game.  

Mindset is doubly important if you are introducing an existing group to a different RPG. If your players are used to piloting a group of fantasy superheroes á la Dungeons and Dragons, then they might need some help before jumping into a gritty celebration of suffering like Mörk Borg. 

Setting expectations leads to better characters. As an example, the games I run feature little combat, so I let my players know that building a character with only combat skills may feel unsatisfying.  

As the GM, you should also use session zero as an opportunity to gather feedback on what your players would like out of the game. It’s always important to remember that RPGs are a collaborative exercise between the GM and the players. As stakeholders in the game, player ideas should be taken seriously and incorporated where appropriate.  

With GM and player expectations set, the next place to go is character creation. This takes up the bulk of the time of a session zero and is often the most enjoyable bit. 

I advocate for collaborative character creation as the best way to make characters for any game (Click here for a full description). In brief, collaborative character creation gives each of the players a hand in creating each other’s backstories.  

My favourite way to accomplish this is to give players questions to answer about each other, such as how they first met, rumors they may have heard, or a secret they are keeping hidden. In this way you can build relationships before the game begins. 

This method works wonders to get players’ imagining their characters as part of a group instead of just a collection of individuals.  

Listening to the players flesh out the relationship between their characters has inspired some of the best plot ideas for my games. It’ll provide you with plenty of ways to make the game more personal for each of your players, which is critical for supporting their engagement over the long run.  

Once players have their backgrounds figured out, move to the character sheet. If you’ve done your job well in setting expectations and using collaborative character design, your players should be able to make well thought out and setting appropriate characters.  

Always take an active role in helping players fill out their character sheets. Fresh players will need more attention, but even if your group is experienced, you can still make helpful suggestions based on what you know about the character’s background and how you plan to run the game.  

Character creation is also a suitable time to go over any game mechanics that players have questions about, or any that you wish to emphasize.  

 After character creation, check in with the players again. Note the things that they’re most excited about. What do they most like about their characters both in terms of background and mechanics? Think about how you can incorporate those things into the game.  

 As a final activity, drop a little teaser on your players. This could be a written narration or monolog from someone who they will meet in game, or if you have the skills for it, a short audio or video project. A teaser serves as a last little piece of hype to make your players want to ask that all-important question: When can we start? 

Answer that question before anyone leaves. If you can, try and get a regular game night planned, but where that isn’t possible, at least get a date for the first session.  

Once you’ve wrapped up, take some time to look over the players character sheets and notes. Write down any ideas this inspires and make changes to your plot based on the added information from the session.   

There you have it! A successful session zero will give your group everything needed to create a memorable and fun experience. It takes advantage of the collaborative nature of RPGs to build a stronger foundation for you and your players. It’s the game before the game and well worth playing.