#session zero

[marvelousbelladonna]

Beauyasha part 2

[triaelf9]

SESSION ZERO!!!

OM NOM NOM DELICIOUS NEW WORLD OM NOM

[foldbaron]

Small communities hold fast against the darkness of a dying world in Age of Umbra, a dark, survival fantasy 8-part Daggerheart mini-series with Game Master Matthew Mercer coming May 29th with players Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham. Death lurks around every corner, but five characters of the small community of Desperloch must band together to fight for hope for their community, risking it all for those they love.

Daggerheart is an endlessly flexible system, and Age of Umbra stands as a dark mirror to the brightly playful fantasy of The Menagerie one-shots (during the Open Beta Playtest) or the holiday themes set in the 1980’s of A Daggerheart Critmas Story. Buckle up for a whole new flavor of Daggerheart.

The World of Age of Umbra

Lethal and foreboding, the world of the Halcyon Domain is a world abandoned by gods, where souls of the dead are cursed and reborn into twisted, nightmarish forms. A dark, ethereal mass known as the Umbra roams and holds these fiendish monstrosities, further corrupting anything it touches. But flickers of hope remain—Sacred Pyres keep the Umbra at bay, with small communities enduring and surviving through cooperation. Out in the beyond, whispers speak of ancient secrets and powers, wonders of a lost age, ready for discovery to those brave enough (or foolish enough) to seek them.

Age of Umbra is a playable campaign frame designed by Matthew in the Daggerheart Core Set, but like any Daggerheart game, it is made anew through collaborative worldbuilding of the players and GM.

OUR Age of Umbra: Session Zero Worldbuilding

In a Session Zero airing May 22nd, you can watch players Sam Riegel, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Travis Willingham, and Ashley Johnson work with Matthew to make their characters and tie them into the setting of the Age of Umbra, creating adventure hooks, locations, and campaign elements that will reemerge throughout the mini-series.

Where to Watch & Listen

The 8 episode mini-series premieres Thursdays at 7pm starting May 29th on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube, with a break week on July 3rd and the finale on July 24th. VODs on YouTube are available the Monday following the premiere. Podcast versions are available instantly and ad-free to Beacon subscribers, or in two parts anywhere podcasts are found: part 1 available the Thursday after the premiere, and part 2 the following Tuesday.

[staysaneathome]

Watched Hank Green’s video about filming with the D20 crew and the one thing I have not stopped thinking about is the unfilmed Episode Zero, designed to ensure that when Episode One aired, every player character in Mentopolis knows at least one other player character.

Who does The Fix know?

Not Conrad, because though he’s seen him around he has no recognition of the kid in the file beyond, “this is a child”. Not Hunch, who calls him out when he’s looming in the doorway of Sugah’s as the “Strange Muscled Man”. Not Imelda, who he could conceivably know from foiling some of her more reckless behavior but acts as confused as Hunch is. Not even Anastasia, as the two treat each other with the same level of unfamiliarity that he extends to the previous three.

There is only one person the Fix actually knows prior to the start of this adventure.

And that’s Dan Fucks.

And this fact is driving me insane.

So much about The Fix’s characterization so far is that he’s a man on a mission. Sure he always spares some time for the kids, but his own living quarters have been described as him going into a closet and hanging off a bar for twelve hours, surrounded by white noise. He has a great deal of facts and affection for all of Elias’ childhood interests, but seemingly nothing for himself.

So the fact that the only person he willingly associated with before this, even as just a patron of Sugah’s, was the character that heads up pleasure and feeling good in Elias’ brain?

Maybe Fix isn’t so different from all those mechanical and synaptic workers sipping their tiny cups of oxytocin to get by at the end of the day.

[tamarpb]

When the session zero of age of umbra come to YouTube? I really want to watch it

[sagesariadnd]

"D&D players these days are such snowflakes, *I* never needed session zeroes or trigger warnings or boundaries!" "The real world's not going to coddle you!" "If just a description of a spider is going to trigger you you have bigger problems." "It's just a game, who cares?" Answer me this, fellas.

Why do you want to hurt people so badly?

Why are keeping spiders, or sexual assault, or racism, or gore, in your game so much more important than the comfort of your friends?

If your friend is 'too sensitive,' why are you going out of your way to hurt them anyway? Aren't they supposed to be your friend? Do you also stomp on their leg when they have a broken femur, just because their leg is more sensitive right now?

There are absolutely times when the setting as is is important, and if someone is triggered by the content that absolutely needs to stay, then they aren't a good fit for the game. That's how it is. So why do you insist they stay and be triggered instead of playing something else or finding another game to play with them while you play the triggery game with the others who aren't as bothered?

I genuinely do not understand this mindset. It just sounds like you want the freedom to traumatize your players.

[canvaswolfdoll]

reminder:

in west side story, before they met to have a fight

the sharks and the jets had a session zero to determine limits, set expectations, and schedule

if broadway dance fight gangs can do it, so can you!

[the-faramir]

Extinction Curse Session 0

2022/10/26

The Characters:

Augustus Florian: Human/half-elf Distant Grasp psychic. Musical prodigy. Follower of Desna. Job: fortuneteller.

Dagmar Bloodbeard: Dwarf warpriest. Follower of Calistria. Job: security.

Fizzarolli: Toy poppet inventor. He has a living doll construct companion named Nefarsia. Job: mechanic and pyrotechnicist.

Galon: Human duskwalker monk. Job: rigger.

Kobrak: Deep fetchling ranger. Follower of Norgorber. Job: sideshow comedian.

Niji-iro Midori: Empty Sky kitsune Eldritch Rogue with bard dedication. Follower of Cayden Cailean. She has a kitsune star orb companion. Job: carnival barker.

Everybody starts at level 1.

[geekordgm]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I'm so excited

So, I'm GMing a game of Avatar Legends, and yesterday we had our session zero, and it went so well. So, we are going to have a campaign paralel to the events of ATLA, because my players are going to play as a group of """mercenaries""" hired by Zuko to capture the Avatar in Omashu. And we have, a prodigy noble firebender who was acquaintance with Azula, a firebender soldier assigned to this noble, a southern water tribe girl who for some reason saw the raids to her home and decided that the water tribe were cowards, and an ex Dai Li agent, member of the white lotus, allied with Iroh, and sandwich lover.

And I love it so much, and have so many ideas!

[nobody7102]

Mutuals who play DnD and DM, message me with how you like to do your session 0’s (if you do Seasion 0’s)

[marvelousbelladonna]

“That’s a terrible choice” -Ashley

[foldbaron]

It's Thursday, ya'll.

AGE OF UMBRA Session Zero tonight at 7pm PST / 10pm EST.

[craigofinspiration]

Session Zero is the perfect time to talk about this.

How much roleplay and how much crunch is right for your group. Ask them and talk about it. Recognize that it will change over time, and from session to session.

With some experience, you will be able to notice when it's time for roleplay or when it's time for crunch.

What do you think?

slyflourish.com

pointsofinspiration.com

[fata-ducunt]

Loreik's repetition of "I'm just the hired help" during the entirety of her session zero has the real world equivalent of "I just work here."

She was then promptly hired by a Mafia corporation.

[the-one-real-katyees]

Selection Level 20 Black Mythalar

I noticed that I prepared myself and demanded from my players as if we would run a camapign - make backstories, hand selected people to join, etc.

On books: I allowed the DMG, Player's handbook and Tasha's and opened to multiclassing. The one shot run by A (level 20 one shot person) only allowed the bare minimum (player's ahndbook) and no multiclasses. Only one or two magic items (which I had to bargain for later - during the game it didn't feel like we were level 20, more like level 15 with few options to barely scrape by)

(note for me: condensed post about the ishk-one shot is necessary)

Backstory: Last session, I thought they PCs lacked in backstory. I asked myself what could help to further manifest their characters into a world. Magic items. So I requested that they think at least about a few sentences where their character got that +3 longsword. Some thought in depth, others didn't, but it will suffice. I think they are invested not to die.

The goal for all my participants was to built a level 20 character in a month with three magic items in their posession and some lines of backstory- which is a serious task! I hope they had all the support on my side and are pleased with the results.

Location and time: 4 hrs, local convention. I did a quick room-move, cause the group next to us was a 6 person party and the air quality will degrade faster.

I was sure that 4 hours wouldn't be enough, I even didn't hit my mark to have the first combat-encounter finished with the 4 hours. But I did bring the monster to them!

Content warnings: Nothing too serious, there will maybe be spiders, some wizardry torture and madness. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell them, I will apologize this next session. I didn't plan everything out, like in detail how things came to be. Which is dangerous if handled incorrectly.

I did mention that the big themes will be fate and world-ending. Even possible failure (but they seem hopeful that they could save the day!)

Power-Level: Which positions me very very opposing against my fellow players. There is much much power in my hands to allow actions to affect the enfolding narrative. I could simply dismiss any idea they bring to the table. I already did in play. on one hand I don't want to discourage them to take necessary actions, on the other hand, we know that this scenario is a rail-road.

As long as we are all aware of that and no one becomes sour about this, I think we'll be fine.

Player Expectation-Tool: I did find some helpful tool in the "The Gauntlet" community toolbox. I printed the Tenor and Tone table out and set some dice on the numbers I felt fitting. The players mimicked and told me their thoughts on and why they think it differentiated from mine. The result was thatthe numbers were quite similar - which I attribute to the fact that I brought it to public. In my announcement I told them that I would be using a new tool, they had no objections to that. Transparency is key.

Of course this would lead that I pretty much destroyed individual concerns and expression, but I wanted to streamline my players thinking the same about this session asap. Next time I will be sending the table before the start, just to see what they'll really expect.

Preparations complete. On my side this is more than I normally do. For the Vaesen campaign I printed characters sheets and built them for my players, prepped the first adventure and had to learn the rules while playing. I didn't want to burden myself with those high level adventurers and then do a bad job and everyone would be unhappy about it. Any notes?

[sagesariadnd]

PSA, because I got into a mild argument about this: ALWAYS TELL YOUR PLAYERS WHAT CONTENT IS IN YOUR GAME.

*ALWAYS.* If you're gonna have content in your world that might make someone else uncomfortable, or if you're going to use a mechanic that might upset someone who's blindsided by it, *BE 👏UP 👏FRONT 👏ABOUT 👏IT.👏*

"Well they should tell you in session zero what their triggers are." Yes, that is ALSO an important step. But it is NOT a perfect system!

First of all, some people may not know what to put as their triggers. Some people can barely tell anyone three things about themselves already, and now you're asking them to comb through their memory for anything that might possibly upset them. They're GONNA blank on things. Yes, there are sheets you can fill out to help fill in some of those blanks, but even that isn't perfect. I only thought of telling my DM not to include any allegories to radiation poisoning last month because there was a theme of them on My Players Said What?, and we've been playing for five years. They also can't possibly know what things to say they're not okay with that aren't the obvious ones. You might have a land mine in your premise and nobody can know whether or not they're okay with it if they don't know it's coming.

Second, the mindset that ONLY a trigger list is necessary for the game goes with the idea that you can mold the game to your players. Which is often how it's played, it's true. But sometimes you have a game where it is necessary to the premise to have specific themes or mechanics in it. If you're playing Curse of Strahd, there's gonna be horror and undead. If you're playing a game inspired by Game of Thrones, there's probably gonna be a lot of sex. If you're playing Call of Cthuhlu, you're gonna take points of madness!!! If someone who is terrified of zombies gets invited to a game ABOUT the zombie apocalypse, they're not going to be happy if you don't TELL them it's about the zombie apocalypse! You NEED to give players the chance to say "oh, this doesn't sound like the game for me." Plus, if you're advertising the game on an LFG board, if you're specific about what's in it, you're more likely to find people who ARE interested!

One of my campaign/mini campaign ideas I've had in my back pocket someday is an apocalyptic premise where magic is screwy and there are a lot of effects from the apocalyptic event that make it typically not work. I would love people to build spellcasting characters for the purposes of roleplaying what it's like to lose your powers, and to have someone who CAN cast magic to help test/figure out when and how to make it work. If I said nothing about that element of the game as people threw together their favorite wizard or sorcerer and watched them get so excited about playing them, only to then drop the bomb that their magic doesn't work? They'd be pissed! I'd probably lose those characters, if not their players entirely! When surprising your players, you have to consider whether that surprise would be appreciated.

Just. Just be up front with your players. Please.