Going to be DMing for a group of almost entirely new players soon. I've only run a few oneshots with my usual group where everyone has played for a few years at least.
I want to run a session 0 to set expectations for the new players and get some basic ground rules in place. What are some key things to cover / how have you been successful with session 0s?
Going to be DMing for a group of almost entirely new players soon. I've only run a few oneshots with my usual group where everyone has played for a few years at least.
I want to run a session 0 to set expectations for the new players and get some basic ground rules in place. What are some key things to cover / how have you been successful with session 0s?
Key things are the normal:
characters can die
choices or non-choices have consequences
background of world
how party knows each other (to avoid conflict of chars that would obviously not work together)
Anything thats different from RAW that you do.
pretty standard. Think of what you’d want to hear as a player, and do that as the DM.
A bit about where the campaign will take place so you don’t have someone with a sailor background in a landlocked area, or a ranger who’s favored terrain is 1,000 miles away.
Which sourcebooks you will allow.
High or low magic, both in terms of how common spell casters are and how common magic items are.
Is it going to be more combat heavy or social situation heavy.
Make sure to have at least one open-ended question along the lines of: What do you want/expect this to be like. And if you have done shy people, give them a chance to write down their answers.
Thanks! These are both very helpful responses. I may have been focusing too much on the personal interactions part of a session zero and ignoring the mechanical or game aspects that influence the player interactions and social aspect of the game.
Thanks! These are both very helpful responses. I may have been focusing too much on the personal interactions part of a session zero and ignoring the mechanical or game aspects that influence the player interactions and social aspect of the game.
One thing I saw on a video... can't remember which one, maybe "Dungeon Dudes?" Anyway, it was two guys talking about this, and one recommended three things to ask each player in session 0, that I think are great ideas, because they can help the DM make decisions for long-term what is going to happen down the road. These are:
- What is your favorite thing to do in D&D?
- What is one thing you've always wanted to do in D&D but never gotten to do?
- What's your biggest pet peeve in D&D -- one thing do you don't like to do or see?
I like this because, imagine you ask your players this and everyone says the one thing they've never gotten to do in D&D but always wanted to do was fight a dragon... Well, that tells you right there to make an encounter with a dragon as early on as possible.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
No go topics I always ask if there are no-go topics. Some players are more sensitive than others; on one occasion I was asked not to overtly feature child death and another, to not feature ****. I always respect a player's no-go topic and work around them. These are heavy subjects intended for mature players and not to be used lightly. Some players also don't want any hanky panky to occur between characters especially if couples are at the table, while others don't mind anything. Always good to ask.
Theme and location If nothing has been decided, I'll ask about what themes and predominant play space they enjoy. Horror, mystery, lots of tactical combat, humor, a mixture of genres as the story unfolds, high magical fantasy, gritty low magic realism, vanilla –and then: sea-faring, under dark, town-based, realm-spanning, desert caravans, jungle... etc. If I have something prepared, like an underdark crawl... I'll be sure to describe my intentions of the space (claustrophobic, dark, eery, weird abominations, drow politics, etc) and ask if there are any major objections, or requests. Look for clues in your players feedback (example: "Adventuring in cities is boring because there aren't any monsters to fight!" is a very telling statement; the player likes combat, might consider full sessions with only RP and social challenges as "boring", or have a character concept (Barbarian Goliath) that might be a poor fit for that style of play. – and the solution might be just as easy; include some monster combat in the city to appease that players tastes).
System style I also let them know the style of the system. D&D is versatile; it can be gridded mini combat or theatre of the mind; it can be dice rolls everywhere for everything to almost no dice rolls in heavy in character RP, it can be bizarro super hero-esque with weird races and class combinations or it can be super vanilla-fantasy. I have a preference, and I communicate that to the players. If the system isn't D&D it usually isn't as versatile in play; and so I'm sure to describe what "Tales from the Loop" or "Symbaroum" or "Mouse Guard" plays like.
Ask for volunteers If I have a very definite idea of the thing I want to do, then I just present it to the players and ask if they're interested. If they're not, then they're free not to come. If they are but have some minor points, I might entertain them. Generally though, my group is up for whatever newness I have discovered and are happy to be taken on an adventure. One way I help to assure their participation is not to turn every engagement into a year long campaign with no definable end. It's good to experiment. I generally have a defined arc and hit it within 10 sessions. Then move onto something else, someone else, or if neither exists... continue for the next. This is primarily due to all of us getting older with more work/life commitments, not being able to keep a group of players together for more than 6 months, and also having to enrol new players into our dynamic.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Rule for drama. Roll for memories. If there isn't a meaningful failure condition, do not roll. Ever. (Perception checks, I'm .... clunk, roll, roll, roll, stop... 14, looking at you... maybe?)
I haven't started DMing again yet (heck, I haven't started playing again -- hopefully our group will start next week or the week after)... but I was planning something similar in terms of choosing theme, system style, etc. My plan though, is not to just give the players carte blanche, because I am not necessarily comfortable DMing "everything." (For example, I would suck at coming up with murder mysteries every week.) But I do plan to put 2 or 3 options for campaigns in front of them, all of which I feel I would be good at and enjoy DMing, and let them pick from among them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I do kind of what you’re saying biowizard, to let/force the players to help design the world. If someone want to belong to a secret society or a knightly order or a thieves’ guild I’ll say, great, write up your group (details subject to my approval) and I’ll find a way to slot it in.
I do kind of what you’re saying biowizard, to let/force the players to help design the world. If someone want to belong to a secret society or a knightly order or a thieves’ guild I’ll say, great, write up your group (details subject to my approval) and I’ll find a way to slot it in.
Whether I do that will depend on what campaign they pick. ;)
Right now, I am working on one, and the other is just an open world/blank slate. I don't know if I will come up with any others (probably not), but the choice I would give them is, do you want a fully fleshed out world where there's tons of lore already there and a story going on, and you get to explore it/participate in the story in whatever way you want? Or do you want a blank slate where I just make up the starting region, in a valley or along a shoreline, say, and everything that happens from day 1 on is co-created by the DM and the players.
Some players might want option A, some might want B.
The big problem comes when half the players want each one... which with my luck is the most likely thing to happen.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
House rules that you will be using expectations for behavior during game (like don't be on your phone / laptop unless its to look up a rule / mechanic) what mix of combat / social / exploration people want
Thanks so much everyone! These are all great point and have given me a bunch to consider.
For this group since they're almost entirely brand new (and I'm new to DM'ing) I will give them less choice at least initially, since I'm going to run Dragon of Ice Spire Peak. Once we've had a few sessions and the group stabilizes (I'm assuming one or two people may drop off / decide its not for them) we may switch to some homebrew or whatever the PCs are more interested in.
Since everyone is going to be pretty new to D&D, I'd also recommend planning on a follow up session zero. What many people think they want or don't want can change after playing for a little bit. So promise to have another check in after 3 games, where anyone can ask for changes. This can take a lot of pressure off those first few sessions as players won't feel as locked into some choices they have made if they're not working out.
Since all players are very new. I would have considered:
Create characters with each player separately. That give you time to explain each one the rules concerning his/her character.
Don't be to rule-focused on the first session. Be open and fair with your players on this. Use the first session to learn them the "basic" rules. Then introduce some more rules each session based on what occurred last session. What I try to say is: I'm not sure this first session is where you should be absolute on things like: "sorry, if you wanted to move from there to there, you had to do so at your turn in the initiative order". Allow the players some slack, and then on perhaps next session address this rule. Basically - don't overwhelm them with rules, allow them to use their imagination, then introduce the rules when they are needed.
And enjoy having new players! Let them explore the game in their own tempo!
You don't need to discuss everything in there, but it basically covers all the things you could talk about in Session 0. Even for the stuff you don't need to discuss, it helps you figure out your own expectations and what you want to communicate to the players.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hi All,
Going to be DMing for a group of almost entirely new players soon. I've only run a few oneshots with my usual group where everyone has played for a few years at least.
I want to run a session 0 to set expectations for the new players and get some basic ground rules in place. What are some key things to cover / how have you been successful with session 0s?
Key things are the normal:
characters can die
choices or non-choices have consequences
background of world
how party knows each other (to avoid conflict of chars that would obviously not work together)
Anything thats different from RAW that you do.
pretty standard. Think of what you’d want to hear as a player, and do that as the DM.
Blank
A bit about where the campaign will take place so you don’t have someone with a sailor background in a landlocked area, or a ranger who’s favored terrain is 1,000 miles away.
Which sourcebooks you will allow.
High or low magic, both in terms of how common spell casters are and how common magic items are.
Is it going to be more combat heavy or social situation heavy.
Make sure to have at least one open-ended question along the lines of: What do you want/expect this to be like. And if you have done shy people, give them a chance to write down their answers.
Thanks! These are both very helpful responses. I may have been focusing too much on the personal interactions part of a session zero and ignoring the mechanical or game aspects that influence the player interactions and social aspect of the game.
No prob. Have a great campaign!
Blank
One thing I saw on a video... can't remember which one, maybe "Dungeon Dudes?" Anyway, it was two guys talking about this, and one recommended three things to ask each player in session 0, that I think are great ideas, because they can help the DM make decisions for long-term what is going to happen down the road. These are:
- What is your favorite thing to do in D&D?
- What is one thing you've always wanted to do in D&D but never gotten to do?
- What's your biggest pet peeve in D&D -- one thing do you don't like to do or see?
I like this because, imagine you ask your players this and everyone says the one thing they've never gotten to do in D&D but always wanted to do was fight a dragon... Well, that tells you right there to make an encounter with a dragon as early on as possible.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
No go topics
I always ask if there are no-go topics. Some players are more sensitive than others; on one occasion I was asked not to overtly feature child death and another, to not feature ****. I always respect a player's no-go topic and work around them. These are heavy subjects intended for mature players and not to be used lightly. Some players also don't want any hanky panky to occur between characters especially if couples are at the table, while others don't mind anything. Always good to ask.
Theme and location
If nothing has been decided, I'll ask about what themes and predominant play space they enjoy. Horror, mystery, lots of tactical combat, humor, a mixture of genres as the story unfolds, high magical fantasy, gritty low magic realism, vanilla –and then: sea-faring, under dark, town-based, realm-spanning, desert caravans, jungle... etc. If I have something prepared, like an underdark crawl... I'll be sure to describe my intentions of the space (claustrophobic, dark, eery, weird abominations, drow politics, etc) and ask if there are any major objections, or requests. Look for clues in your players feedback (example: "Adventuring in cities is boring because there aren't any monsters to fight!" is a very telling statement; the player likes combat, might consider full sessions with only RP and social challenges as "boring", or have a character concept (Barbarian Goliath) that might be a poor fit for that style of play. – and the solution might be just as easy; include some monster combat in the city to appease that players tastes).
System style
I also let them know the style of the system. D&D is versatile; it can be gridded mini combat or theatre of the mind; it can be dice rolls everywhere for everything to almost no dice rolls in heavy in character RP, it can be bizarro super hero-esque with weird races and class combinations or it can be super vanilla-fantasy. I have a preference, and I communicate that to the players. If the system isn't D&D it usually isn't as versatile in play; and so I'm sure to describe what "Tales from the Loop" or "Symbaroum" or "Mouse Guard" plays like.
Ask for volunteers
If I have a very definite idea of the thing I want to do, then I just present it to the players and ask if they're interested. If they're not, then they're free not to come. If they are but have some minor points, I might entertain them. Generally though, my group is up for whatever newness I have discovered and are happy to be taken on an adventure. One way I help to assure their participation is not to turn every engagement into a year long campaign with no definable end. It's good to experiment. I generally have a defined arc and hit it within 10 sessions. Then move onto something else, someone else, or if neither exists... continue for the next. This is primarily due to all of us getting older with more work/life commitments, not being able to keep a group of players together for more than 6 months, and also having to enrol new players into our dynamic.
Rule for drama. Roll for memories.
If there isn't a meaningful failure condition, do not roll. Ever. (Perception checks, I'm .... clunk, roll, roll, roll, stop... 14, looking at you... maybe?)
Lost of good suggestions, Torque.
I haven't started DMing again yet (heck, I haven't started playing again -- hopefully our group will start next week or the week after)... but I was planning something similar in terms of choosing theme, system style, etc. My plan though, is not to just give the players carte blanche, because I am not necessarily comfortable DMing "everything." (For example, I would suck at coming up with murder mysteries every week.) But I do plan to put 2 or 3 options for campaigns in front of them, all of which I feel I would be good at and enjoy DMing, and let them pick from among them.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
I do kind of what you’re saying biowizard, to let/force the players to help design the world. If someone want to belong to a secret society or a knightly order or a thieves’ guild I’ll say, great, write up your group (details subject to my approval) and I’ll find a way to slot it in.
Whether I do that will depend on what campaign they pick. ;)
Right now, I am working on one, and the other is just an open world/blank slate. I don't know if I will come up with any others (probably not), but the choice I would give them is, do you want a fully fleshed out world where there's tons of lore already there and a story going on, and you get to explore it/participate in the story in whatever way you want? Or do you want a blank slate where I just make up the starting region, in a valley or along a shoreline, say, and everything that happens from day 1 on is co-created by the DM and the players.
Some players might want option A, some might want B.
The big problem comes when half the players want each one... which with my luck is the most likely thing to happen.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
House rules that you will be using
expectations for behavior during game (like don't be on your phone / laptop unless its to look up a rule / mechanic)
what mix of combat / social / exploration people want
Site Info: Wizard's ToS | Fan Content Policy | Forum Rules | Physical Books | Content Not Working | Contact Support
How To: Homebrew Rules | Create Homebrew | Snippet Codes | Tool Tips (Custom) | Rollables (Generator)
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Feats | Spells | Magic Items
Other: Beyond20 | Page References | Other Guides | Entitlements | Dice Randomization | Images Fix | FAQ
Thanks so much everyone! These are all great point and have given me a bunch to consider.
For this group since they're almost entirely brand new (and I'm new to DM'ing) I will give them less choice at least initially, since I'm going to run Dragon of Ice Spire Peak. Once we've had a few sessions and the group stabilizes (I'm assuming one or two people may drop off / decide its not for them) we may switch to some homebrew or whatever the PCs are more interested in.
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
InsiderSince everyone is going to be pretty new to D&D, I'd also recommend planning on a follow up session zero. What many people think they want or don't want can change after playing for a little bit. So promise to have another check in after 3 games, where anyone can ask for changes. This can take a lot of pressure off those first few sessions as players won't feel as locked into some choices they have made if they're not working out.
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
Since all players are very new. I would have considered:
And enjoy having new players! Let them explore the game in their own tempo!
Ludo ergo sum!
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
ModeratorThis is way overkill for you, but is a very useful resource in terms of things to think about or discuss in Session 0: /u/HazeZero's Session-0 Topic Checklist and Guide
You don't need to discuss everything in there, but it basically covers all the things you could talk about in Session 0. Even for the stuff you don't need to discuss, it helps you figure out your own expectations and what you want to communicate to the players.