Session Zero in 45 Minutes

Walk new GMs through a focused planning meeting that aligns tone, boundaries, and logistics before the first session.
6 min read
GM

Session Zero in 45 Minutes

Session Zero is a planning meeting before your first game session. You pick a tone, agree on boundaries, and sort out schedules. A simple agenda keeps you on track without awkward silence. An agenda—a short list of topics to cover in order—helps keep the meeting focused.

If you haven't yet read about safety tools and the GM role, we recommend starting there to get the full picture.

What you'll learn

  • What belongs in a Session Zero and what can wait.
  • How an agenda turns an open-ended chat into a focused plan.
  • The five topics every table needs to cover.

Core idea

Session Zero builds trust and shared expectations. You meet for about 45 minutes—in person or online—and cover five topics in order:

  1. Why we're here: Everyone shares what excites them about playing together.
  2. Genre and tone: Pick a genre—a style of story like fantasy, mystery, science fiction, or something else. Decide if you want tense drama, lighthearted adventure, or something in between—that's your tone.
  3. Boundaries and safety tools: Review lines and veils, the X-Card, and any other safety tools your group prefers. List topics the table wants to avoid or handle carefully—those are your boundaries.
  4. Logistics: Agree on when, where, and how long you play. If you're online, test voice, video, and any shared tools.
  5. Characters and hooks: Sketch player character concepts together so everyone fits the story. Note one connection each PC has to the group or the world.

Try this (2 minutes)

Write a Session Zero agenda on a notecard. Use the five headings above, and leave space for notes. Time each topic: five minutes for introductions, ten for genre and tone, fifteen for boundaries, ten for logistics, five for character seeds.

Common pitfalls

  • Skipping boundaries talk: New groups often feel shy. Name the topic first—"Let's talk safety tools"—and model openness.
  • Building full characters: Leave mechanical details for later. Session Zero is for concepts and connections, not stat blocks.
  • Overplanning the story: Agree on the premise and first scene, then stop. Players will surprise you; over-prep wastes time.

Do this next

You've aligned the group and set the tone. Now learn to frame and resolve your first moment of play: Running Your First Scene