How to Run the Perfect Session 0 to Start Your D&D Campaign | DM Advice | TTRPG | DnD 5e
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- A great Session 0 is key to ensuring the players and GM all enjoy the D&D campaign you're all about to play together! And they're easy to run with five simple steps...
Topics:
00:00 - Wait, spiders!?
01:14 - What is a Session 0?
03:20 - 5 steps for a fantastic Session 0
04:12 - Ask why everyone wants to play D&D?
07:42 - Introduce the campaign setting
10:26 - Establish the homebrew rules
14:38 - Hear from the players
20:44 - Character Creation
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Edited by @ZsDante
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Discover a world of dark fantasy in the Grim Hollow supplements for 5e: ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_ALL1... - Розваги
“Did you like the end of Game of Thrones?” is a great way to find out who needs to be kicked from the group. 😂😂
Not a great way as the player could still prove really great but a funny way.
😂😂
speaking of the party of three rogues: I once ran a one-shot called "cat's tale" 5 level 6 tabaxi with all at least 6 levels in monk... of course the adventure was specifically written for that and it was a lot of fun.
I'm only commenting to mention that one of my great goals in life is to run a group through the classic "Queen of the Spiders" campaign. To facilitate this, and increase immersion, I have already purchased a small shed that I am converting into a multi-media play area. Aside from the lighting and other essentials, I also plan to construct an enclosed vivarium with live tarantulas.
Perhaps I should use the old Bene Gesserit "hand in the box" technique to sift the players for this one.
This was so good and it really helped me plan my session 0 for Grim Hollow. I have a tendency to go much when it comes to lore and prep, so your preface of the Grim Hollow world was perfect. Thank you!
Glad you found it helpful, Andy!
This is great!
I’ve struggled with running session zeroes in the past because it sort of felt like a workplace, mandatory safety meeting.
“Ok everyone, spiders aren’t something to laugh about. Several D&D campaigns end a year due to arachnophobia 🕷 “
Recently I had a better experience where I established from the start that we were having a conversation, and it wouldn’t be like trying to do a game session. (We play online.)
It went much better, and making characters together is really exciting and so much better than just having the “homework” of making characters and showing up to play.
Glad you enjoyed the video! 😄 While important, folks can get hung up on the ‘safety’ aspect of session 0’s and forget the fun of just geeking out over our favourite fantasy media and making a party of heroes together.
Glad you’re more recent experience was better!
I can’t explain it, but I’ve watched a lot of DM tip videos and your delivery of tips is super easy to follow and consumable. Thank you so much for posting this video! I’m a new DM and am about to host my first Session 0.
Thanks so much! Hope your Session 0 goes amazing. 🤘🏼
My most favorite start for a campaign that I used to start the party together was to start with everyone gathering for a dwarfs funeral and ask each player to come up with why they were at this funeral.
Sounds amazing!
Great idea!!!!
I have a session 0 tomorrow for a new campaign. I am glad this came up in my feed today
Great video. Solid information on session 0 and some really in depth stuff to think about. What do you think is the best way to organize your session 0 for yourself? When I come to them I try and have an agenda of the things I want to talk about and get across plus some questions for the players. It’s essentially my DM notes for session 0.
Wow what an opener!
I've got a session 0 and 1 happening tomorrow which this video is super helpful for. I run a few other games that these same players play in, but this new campaign is going to be pretty different from how I usually run my games and I'm going to be leaning into the dark fantasy aspect more heavily.
I find the best method for character creation - especially if you're a purely online group like mine is - is to have character creation take place during the preparation for the campaign start. I run my games in a discord server so I have a category and channels for that campaign specifically and my players have been talking in the out of character chat and figuring out what they want to play. I use a lot of homebrew sources, so I let them know what homebrew sources I'm using and making available, and any restrictions I'm implementing regarding those homebrew sources.
For example, I let them know that they can take the vampire or therianthrope transformations at character creation and also informed them of the tweaks to both transformations I'd made to fit my setting's lore, and the in-world ramifications of being either of these creatures.
Tomorrow, we'll go over pretty much everything you've mentioned in the video, setting expectations, negotiating house rules, discussing lines and veils and then we'll start the game and play session 1.
I've found that having a week or longer to think of character ideas and discussing with the GM and other players is the best method for character creation rather than dedicating a large portion of session 0 to it, although I can see why some people might prefer to do it the way you suggested.
dude i love you but the literally worst thing I could ever hear in a session 0 is 'so what did you all think about the end of Game of Thrones'
shout out to the guy in the comments below saying that he would kick anyone who liked the ending to prove my point
🤣 To be fair, that wasn't scripted, and Dante did call me out for it if you read the text he put in on the left.
Did I miss the link to the article about Session 0 in a Grim Dark Setting?
Ideas are solid and great reminder to have ideas with give and take
I enjoy my Wildfire Druids. Good for heals and damage.
Warrior in an Oz accent makes it seem like they're very concerned.
Nah, I learned recently apparently it’s just a me thing. 😅😂
Personally, I run Dark Fantasy games online and I have grown to prefer to do content warnings over safety tools like x-cards, lines and vields, traffic lights, and consent checklists. I think it preserves the safety of the game while not putting me, the GM, in the awkward position of being responsible for managing content for people.
That's essentially what a GM is, a content manager.
@@danacoleman4007 A GM might have to manage the content in the game, but they don't have to manage content for individual players, i.e., GMs choose what content gets into the game, but how that content is processed is ultimately the responsibility of the players.
@@TheXenioph oh, my bad. I thought it was about trying to make sure everyone had fun.
@@danacoleman4007 Np, the safety tools that I mentioned work for some groups. They mostly entail some type of social contract that involves the GM running a sort of quasi-therapy session should undesired content show up. They are great for GMs that want to take on that role! But, not all GMs have to agree to that. Just different ways of going about things ☺
There is no session 0. Get together, roll the characters, backstory 1/2 page double-spaced maximum submitted before game night (grow the backstory with the campaign, ain't that hard). Set the stage in terms of the view from 30,000 feet of the world, have them meet up. Let em walk around their base of operations, or caravan if travelling, etc. But a short initial level 1 adventure is a must. A session with no actual gameplay is a flat out bore. Been DMing since grade school '80 and it doesn't take 3 hours to get organized and have no adventure at all. Most of what's covered here should be known before session 1, especially the basics of the campaign world. And anyone at my table knows long in advance of sitting with us, I pull no punches, it's a game with lethal combat that gets described aloud, you may find victims of torture etc That way I don't waste their time, and they don't waste mine. 0 'safety' issues in 40+ years 8>D
Like the stuff you've got, will continue to see what you're up to and hope the channel thrives!
So what you just described is a session 0. You inform your players what to expect and leave it for them to decide if they are willing to play in your world.
Your Session Zero is your 30+ years of experience. Not everyone has that. Feel free not to do Session Zero's but they work for others.
@@Heimal I totally get where you're coming from. No joke, I get it. But what I hear from all the online gurus telling new DMs to do, is part of why I bring this up. It would be TL:DR to put it all down but for the first time in years Im a player, and a bunch of us grognards have a 16 year old trying hs hand at DMing, and hes doing great! No session Zero required. We were rolling dice on day 1
@@Snoilwow. You guys must be amazing. Thanks for taking the time to advise all of us idiots on the internet who are doing it wrong.
@@danacoleman4007 You're welcome! Just trying to keep you internet idiots from wasting a whole night going over 'safe words' or agreeing not to have spiders in the adventure because someone doesn't like them 8>D Grab yer pencils and start tossing dice for crying out loud!