Session Zero: Setting Expectations

It doesn't matter if you're new to D&D or a veteran, every game needs a Session Zero.

What people get wrong is exactly what that means.

"Tell your players what they should expect."

That's it. That's Session Zero.

You can do it during a "session," over Discord, or even write it into your setting outline or recruitment form. It doesn't have to (and honestly probably shouldn't) be a formal meeting where everyone sits around a table for two hours answering questions from a checklist.

So, what does that actually mean, and why is it important?

Consent Is Fundamental

You don't come to a game of checkers and pull out your pawn expecting chess.

That's really all it comes down to.

I want to play a certain game, or I want to run a certain game. Anyone I play with needs to want to play that game too. Setting expectations is how we determine that everyone is on the same page.

Speaking of which, this over-a-decade-old tool is still what I link to people looking to understand what this is all about. Check out the Same Page Tool here!

Don't overcomplicate this. It's really easy.

"We're here to play Uno, not poker."

That's enough to establish the baseline.

You should also point out anything that isn't obvious, like, "Well, we also use boomerang rules and stacking," because how else would someone know if you didn't tell them?

It makes a lot of sense when you think of it as checkers or Uno, but it's just as easy for D&D.

"This is the game that we're playing, and this is the stuff you need to know."

Some D&D-specific topics might be:

• What's the tone?

• How deadly will it be?

• Are new players welcome?

• Will you help new players learn the game?

• How much freedom do players have to shape the setting?

• How much of their backstory do they want involved?

• Are there any house rules?

• What sort of content is or isn't going to show up?

And that last one can be as simple or complicated as your table needs.

Can they flirt with the barmaid? Is romance part of the game, or is that something we're leaving at the door? Are you running a serious political drama, or are you going to make jokes about the goblin's name for three hours?

You don't need to have a conversation about things that aren't relevant to your game. You just need to make sure people aren't walking into the game with completely different expectations.

It's impossible to make an exhaustive list of things you should bring up. Experience and personal opinion shape what we do and don't want to allow at our table.

Characters Belong to the Table

This is not a simple issue. There's a spectrum of opinion on which many people are firmly planted and refuse to move from their position. Some believe the player has complete control over their character, while others believe the DM has some degree of control over them as well.

The truth is that no matter whether you agree or not, a character does not exist in isolation from the table, and the setting doesn't belong exclusively to the DM. Everything at the table is part of the shared game.

How much control is shared can be different from player to player.

One player might give the DM free rein over their backstory, while another might not want the DM touching it at all. Both can exist at the same table!

What matters is that everyone knows and agrees on those boundaries.

I personally give my players the opportunity to make up their own hometown or to choose one from a provided list. I'm letting them know, "Hey, you can help shape this world we're in. You're not confined by what I created."

Some players take me up on the offer. Others are more than happy to not have to come up with those details themselves.

Neither is wrong.

We each decide how much control we want to have over the game, and we agree on that as a table.

The X Card

The X Card is a fairly new and often contentious topic in the TTRPG community.

While I do not use or encourage the use of the X Card, I fully endorse what it stands for:

Communicate with the group.

The X Card is a physical card at the table that you can raise when someone broaches a topic that may be upsetting to you. It's a nonconfrontational way to say, "Hey, can we take this in another direction because I'm uncomfortable?"

The idea is that you don't need to explain yourself in the moment. The card comes up, and the game shifts away from whatever triggered the card.

I like to believe that I communicate well with my players before we start and let them know that if any problems arise, they should let me know or speak out during the game.

I've had people tell me about specific topics or phobias they may have, and I make sure those are avoided. Or, if that's something I can't reasonably accommodate, I'll communicate that my game just might not be made for them.

That's not a failure on anyone's part.

Sometimes you aren't looking for the same game they're playing, and that's okay.

If you think the X Card is a good idea for your table, I agree! Use it!

What matters isn't whether you use a card, have a conversation before the game, send out a form, or have some other system entirely.

The important part is that your players know what they're getting into and have a way to tell you when something isn't working.

That's Session Zero.

It's not a checklist (though you can make one) and it's not a conference call; it's just communication.

And it's not something that should stop once Session One begins. It's not really "Session Zero"; it's setting expectations and continuing to communicate when those expectations change.