William Macke

One of the best things you can do as a successful Storyteller/GM is run a clean Session Zero. Of course, you’ll ask the basics about the character concepts your players have come up with, but there’s more to it than that. Thoughtful questions for your players are essential to running an amazing campaign. Knowing what your players are looking for, making a safe environment, capturing themes to explore or avoid: these are all pivotal fundamentals in assuring your success. Here are a few questions to ask of your players to make sure they’re comfortable and ready to enjoy themselves. After all, fundamentals are the building blocks for fun.

What type of campaign are you looking for? This one should be fairly obvious. There are different types of campaigns that speak to different players. Some look for long, sweeping story- an epic tale akin to Tolkien. Others are more interested in a procedural set up- focused on character as opposed to plot. Knowing what your players want will help inform what kind of campaign you’re running.

What was your favorite thing that’s ever happened at in a TTRPG session? Encourage the players to be as specific as possible, and explain why it impacted them in a positive way. You don’t want to replicate those moments exactly in the upcoming campaign, but it should give you insight into something that will make a player fall in love with their character, your story, and the time you all share around the table.

What types of encounters would you like to experience? Combat? Puzzles? Skill Tests? If you’ve played TTRPGs for a while, you know that there is more than one means to a given end. Do your players just want to smash and murder, or are they more interested in creatively solving problems? Someone interested in slaying a dragon may be bored by solving a sphinx’s riddle, or vise versa. A mix is always ideal to keep everyone on their toes, but knowing what someone wants can help you build the best balance.

How do you feel about romance in-game? Between players and NPCs? Between two (or more) players? Role playing can be deeply personal at times. It can drive people to be insecure if the wrong topics come up, or if they are pushed into encounters or experiences that they don’t expect or want at the table. At the top of the list is romance between players. Be clear at the top of the campaign what the expectations are: Is it something to look for, or is it off the table? It may change how Bart the Bard interacts with the other players on his team…

How do you feel about a session with no combat? There are (arguably) too many things to do when it comes to TTRPGs. Sure, many of us play to slay beasts, end wars, and save the world. But some of us play for other reasons. Maybe there’s a shopping episode where we pick up awesome magical items. Do you want to build a business and make tons of money? Maybe there’s a fantastic court room session to show off a characters diplomacy and wit. What do the characters do in free/down time? Do your characters want to explore these moments, or just the action that pertains to the overarching plot of the story?

How do you deal with a character when a player can’t make a session? It’s inevitable… there will be a session that someone has to miss. How are you as the GM going to deal with that? Is the character controlled by another player? Are they just missing from the adventure? Do you as the GM have to find a clever reason for their absence, or is it just assumed that they can come and go? This is a situation that always seems to come up, and is hardly ever flushed out beforehand.

What topics or themes should be considered off limits? Role playing should first and foremost be fun. Sure, it’s nice to challenge ourselves, but only in the places where we are comfortable going. Everyone has topics and experiences that can be triggering. Knowing what topics your players are unwilling to explore is as pivotal as what they’re looking for. It’s important to remember that this is a game, not a therapy session. Your players are already juggling math and magic (along with role playing a different person from themselves); don’t make them feel more vulnerable at the same time with subjects they won’t enjoy.

Of course, you may have other necessary questions to ask based on what game you’re running or how long you’ve known your players. Frequency of sessions, drinking and/or cursing at the table, dealing with PC death. There are a number of other things to think about when working through a session zero- this list is in no way comprehensive. Hopefully, it helps navigate through some of the essential details before moving on to the fun bits.

Let’s face it: if you’re like most people, you don’t like talking about your flaws. I know I don’t like mentioning my irrational fears, my vices, my obsession with all things cotton candy… But enough about me. On to serious matters.

While we might not like chatting about the skeletons in our closets the truth is we have them, and so should our characters. They round us out, give us dimension, and make for better stories. Conflict doesn’t solely come from the mind of your GM/DM/Storyteller, it can spark from the characters we create just as easily.

Think of the last book you read. Hopefully it was one you couldn’t put down, with fascinating characters who develop as you become more immersed in the story. Was the protagonist flawless from the start- a shining pinnacle of virtue? Most likely not. It provides no room for growth as the story progresses. In the best stories, the lead character evolves with you through the book. If the character was a paragon form the start, what would they be able to mature into?

This is not solely true of books. It can be seen in any storytelling medium: theatre, television/movies, and even video games/TTRPGs. In the latter examples, this is partially done by the leveling of players: characters at level one can’t do the same amazing things as more experienced and higher level characters. But it’s also done by certain game systems and clever GM/Storytellers who ask us to think deeply about who our characters are. When they ask us to come up with our flaws and setbacks, they aren’t looking for opportunities to kill our beloved characters: they’re trying to challenge us with obstacles that make us heroic.

When you’re sitting at the table, one of the most rewarding things that can happen is overcoming something within your character. Sure, slaying a dragon and looting its lair is cool. It’s what’s expected in our campaigns. But everyone can connect to someone who’s trying to better him/herself.

An example: You’re a rogue thief who is illiterate. You walk into stores unable to read the signs, unsure of what you’re actually stealing. You rely on everyone to tell you what town markers say, you can’t read your mail. You can’t so much as order off a menu without assistance. One day, a deal goes wrong in your crime syndicate because you misread (or couldn’t read) a letter from your boss. Now, you’re on the run from your leaders. It spawns conflict, sure, but it also provides you something to rise above.

What if you enroll yourself in a group reading class? You find yourself surrounded by five-year-olds, maybe one or two whom you actually enjoy. You’ve opened yourself to new settings, NPCs, and something to eventually triumph over. It won’t be as easy as an 80’s movie montage, but with the effort will come the reward that you’ve developed into a better, shinier character. That wouldn’t happen if you started off with the ability to speak and read in twelve languages.

Alright, so you’ve made a character. They’re shiny. They’re new. They’re full of possibility.

If you’re anything like me, you have at least five pages of backstory. You poured over their family, the way they grew up. Hopes. Dreams. Fears. Every detail that made them the way they were up to the minute your campaign begins. You could tell me their favorite color, what they ate on Tuesday, or what recreational sport they may play on the weekends.

Here’s the secret though: it doesn’t matter if you don’t do something with it. Those pages you wrote? The other players don’t have them. Your GM may not have read even read them all. Unless your character has their life story tattooed to their body, backstory doesn’t enter the world you’re playing in- until you introduce it.

Now I’m not saying that backstory isn’t important: quite the contrary. Backstory is pivotal in how you play your beloved character. It’s incredibly valuable reference material, and sometimes makes for the best role-playing moments in a campaign. What’s important to realize, though, is that in a campaign your character doesn’t exist outside the things they say or do in your sessions.

Is your character’s favorite food lime Jello? Have them order it in copious amounts at a tavern (only to be disgusted when the only flavor available is cherry). Have they always wanted a pet? Have them constantly talking to and try befriending creatures they come across- regardless of how hostile the animal may seem. Little nuggets like that take small amounts of time in a session and help flush out the personality of your character, without you having to deliver a report on who you’re playing. Trust me, your fellow players will find this approach more engaging, and the overall story you’re telling will be that much more fun.

This applies to the bigger parts of your backstory as well. For example, say your character was a shut-in with no access to the outside world until just before the start of your campaign. Wow- there’s so much to play with there! How do you interact with your party members (or other NPCs)? Perhaps you’re guarded and find trust in short supply. On the flip side, maybe you’re overly-faithful to the rest of your party who helped you escape. Do you know what money is and how to interact with merchants? Maybe you’re always stealing things, not because of malice but because you don’t understand how a sales transaction works. With no formal education, can you read? Do you purposely ignore signs out of pride? Constantly need people to read things for you, or do you take the time and frustration required to learn the skill as a now-adult? These are all ways to play aspects of that backstory, instead of just blurting it out as a footnote in your character description.

I know the urge to overshare at the top of a campaign. After all, we’ve spent all this energy crafting the perfect character, and we want everyone to see the work we’ve done. In my experience, this doesn’t yield the same impact as a slow release throughout the story. Having things come up organically is better for story-telling: it’s more meaningful and more engaging. Keep those secrets as long as you can- it’s fun to surprise your fellow players part way through.

Happy trails, adventurers!