Session Zero: How to Prepare and Make It a Success
Often overlooked or rushed, Session Zero is a crucial step for laying the foundation of your tabletop RPG campaign. It helps immerse players in your world while ensuring their characters fit seamlessly into the story.
Here’s how to prepare your Session Zero as a Game Master and launch it effectively.
3 Key Steps to a Successful Session Zero
To plan your first Session Zero, focus on three main steps. These will serve as your roadmap for running the session.
Introduce Your World to the Players
Start by presenting the overall setting of your campaign. Whether you’re using a well-known universe like Dungeons & Dragons or your own creation, share the essentials: the story, geography, factions, and the tone of the adventure.
Is your campaign set during an epic war? Will the story lean toward dark intrigue or lighthearted exploration? The clearer your presentation, the easier it will be for players to immerse themselves.
If you’ve built your world in Lore, our worldbuilding software, show off maps, city visuals, or key NPCs.
With Lore, you can create an interactive map with pins and summarize the backstory in Tome, our RPG tool, to captivate your players right from the start.
Our tools help you structure your world and launch your campaign under the best possible conditions.
Prepare the Characters
Each player will embody a character throughout the campaign, so Session Zero should include creating characters that fit your world.
Encourage players to develop their character’s personality and backstory. If you’re using Lore, you can create a template as a foundation for player character development.
Don’t forget to review any special rules for your campaign and set boundaries to ensure a fun and respectful experience for everyone at the table.
Kick Off the Plot
Session Zero is the perfect time to tease your story. Give players a glimpse of the scenario without revealing everything.
Offer a narrative hook that sparks curiosity and introduces the main stakes of the campaign. Let players make a few choices that influence the direction of the story so they feel invested.
This step marks the beginning of your campaign, so it’s essential for building momentum and excitement. Check out our guide on crafting a compelling plot for more tips.
The goal of Session Zero is to lay the groundwork for future sessions and motivate your players to dive in!
Don’t forget to set a schedule for your next game nights.
