Session Zero

Session Zero refers to the meeting that happens before a new campaign or game group starts. There are a couple of important parts to a successful session zero.

If you haven't already, decide which of you is going to be the Weaver for the campaign.

Part 1: The New Player Basics 

Introductions & Ice Breakers
If you have all been friends for a while this may not be important, but many people nowadays play games online with strangers, or in game groups that have flexible memberships.

If any of the players in the game group are new friends, it's a great idea to go around, introduce each other, confirm desired pronouns, and if everyone feels like it, play 1 or 2 ice breaker games. I have some personal favorites:
  • Two Truths and a Lie: Each player shares three statements about themselves – two truths, and one lie. Then, everyone tries to guess which is the lie by taking turns asking each other questions. 
  • Fossilized: Each player imagines they were traveling with their three favorite things, when they are flash fossilized. Pretending to be a group of archeologists from the future, each player takes turns asking the others about the fossils they found until you are able to identify everyone's three favorite things.
  • Paper Telephone: Start by handing out a stack of small papers and pens, and have each player write a sentence on the first piece of paper. Players then pass their stack to the next person who must read the sentence, place it at the bottom of the stack, and then create a visual representation of that sentence on the next piece of paper in the stack. Play proceeds around the circle, with players needing to transform back and forth between words and images until it gets back to the person who wrote the original sentence.
  • Pitch Meeting: Each player creates a pitch for a movie and tries to sell it to the group. After everyone has pitched their movie, the players debate which one the “studio” should produce. The player who convinces the most people wins.
Talking about Safety
Tabletop games should be a place where everyone is able to feel comfortable participating. Some people have difficulty interacting with certain subject matter, and discussing how to handle those subjects ahead of time can make approaching those narratives much more comfortable.
  • Have an honest discussion of potential traumatic triggers the group members may have.
  • Acknowledge that there is no possible way to identify or discuss every conceivable trigger or trauma. Some trauma may be repressed, some triggers may not be known.
  • Maintain a supportive environment, no one is here to be a therapist or to provide solutions to problems, we are just here to listen and validate what we have heard.
  • Remember there is no social pressure to disclose particulars of individual trauma.
  • Make sure everyone knows that, when in play, if a player encounters triggering material, they can, if they choose, talk about that to the other players. When they do this, the other players will stop and listen.
  • As part of talking about it, players should be given the opportunity to express their needs for the scene, and the group should play towards accommodating those needs.
Managing Expectations
Making sure everyone’s expectations are aligned is a critical step in keeping everyone happy.
  • Decide the schedule for the game and agree on the time and attention commitments required.
  • Decide how to handle their character when a player is not able to make it.
  • Decide how many sessions the campaign should aim to take.
  • Make sure everyone agrees on the rules of the game.

Part 2: Building the World

In QUIRKS! a campaign can be built as a group activity. Players each pitch ideas and the group votes for the ones they like the best. As a team you can decide the genre, setting, and group dynamic for the campaign.

Genre

The first thing to decide is the genre of story you and your friends are going to tell. Genre is the general category of a story. Eldritch Horror, Noir Thriller, Superhero Action, Comedy, etc. Each player suggests the genre they want to play, if there are duplicates mark them down as well. Then you each vote for the one you are most interested in playing. You can’t vote for your own idea, and the Weaver breaks any ties. 

Setting

Once you know what the genre of the campaign is going to be, the next thing to pick is the setting. A futuristic starship in deep space, a 1920’s industrial city with eldritch leaders, a fantasy world of adventure and monsters, ect. The setting decides the location, general tone and standard narrative tropes for the campaign. Each player suggests the setting they want to play, if there are duplicates mark them down as well. Then you each vote for the one you are most interested in playing. You can’t vote for your own idea, and the Weaver breaks any ties.

Once you have picked a setting, take some time to talk about it. Each player can start suggesting world building ideas. Talk about what the scale of the campaign will be; a single building, a whole country; multiple worlds? Discuss how the society of this world works. Decide the rules of magic or advanced technology. Make sure each player is afforded the chance to make suggestions. 

Group Dynamic

What role do the player characters fill? Adventurers in a monster hunter guild, students at a magical school, detectives in a cyberpunk city, ect. Each player suggests the group dynamic they want to play, if there are duplicates mark them down as well. Then you each vote for the one you are most interested in playing. You can’t vote for your own idea, and the Weaver breaks any ties.

Once you pick a group dynamic, decide if you get any group moves as a result of it. You may all be able to cast magic, or fly, or breathe underwater. Whatever the campaign calls for. These Quirks bypass Rule 1 of making a Quirk. Decide what group assets you have, maybe a secret base, covert coms, or a method of transportation. 

NPCs

Create a nemesis or nemeses for your group, powerful antagonistic NPCs who act to thwart your plans. Decide why they harbor so much resentment for your group.

Create an ally or allies. Useful NPCs who act to assist you. Decide what kind of assistance they can provide and what they expect in return. 

Goal

Decide a campaign goal. What is the ultimate win state for this story and what are the stakes going to be?

© Copyright 2025 Bear Newton - CC BY-NC 4.0

‌

Free AI Website Builder