Most Important Questions to Ask at Session 0

[Herne'sSon]

The two most important questions I find, after settling on a genre and system are:

What sort of things do you want to do?
What do you absolutely not want to do?

The second question has helped me more often than the first, TBH. So many times the answer to the first question is vague, like "Oh, adventures and stuff." But people tend to be more passionate about what they don't want.

"Absolutely no pirates" is one that came about when the first Pirates of the Caribbean film was popular a few years ago. Which was great to know, because I'd been thinking about running a pirate-adjacent game for that group when I asked, and was able to pivot easily.

 

[Fenris-77]

I have what I call my core three:

1. Are you at this time, or ever have you been, an enormous suckhole at the gaming table?
2. Has anyone ever refused to play your 'balanced' homebrew rules and did you shout at them about it?
3. Have you ever knowingly employed an egregious fallacy on a message board just because you're a gatekeeping, elitist, dickbag?

I start there and then tend to back off and talk about, you know, rules and expectations.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Can we say 2.5? (Punting the last GM, who doesn't want to do it - and no one else wants to either.)


Well, that might be, but I still want buy-in. I'm not going to agree to run something I don't want to run, but I want to have them on board.
I'd really want to run WFRPG's Enemy Within - but I don't think that group is cut out for it given the circumstances. I'd rather put time and energy into making a good, light-hearted adventure they'll enjoy than wearing myself out with a deep, immersive campaign that I'm just going to be frustrated with.

You already know the group so half of Session 0 is not needed so much. If no one wants to run and no one knows what they want to do I'd pick a few things you like the look of then give them the choice, and I'd make them things that would be a joy to run. And when they choose different options they take some ownership.

@Fenris77 if anyone answers "no I've never been a suckhole" to question 1 and they've been playing since they were a teenager I'd assume either that they were lying or that they didn't know themselves at all.

 

[payn]

How many walkers have you killed?
How many people have you killed?
Why?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

1. Who are you?
2. What do you want?
.....
3. I killed an elf in Reno just to watch him die, and when I saw his lifeless eyes close, I didn't even cry. You have a problem with that?

 

[Fenris-77]

1. Who are you?
2. What do you want?
.....
3. I killed an elf in Reno just to watch him die, and when I saw his lifeless eyes close, I didn't even cry. You have a problem with that?

When Snarf was just a baby, his mama told him, son
always be a good boy, and shoot those elves with guns

 

[ccs]

I always start by asking the group:

1) What type of game do we want to play? Fantasy, sci-fi, etc.

2) Now that we've chosen the genre, what system do we want to use?
And I have a list of the systems for each genre that I'm willing to use as well as a few that I'm not willing to run. If it's not on one of those lists? I'm open to considering it.

3) What do you want in the chosen game?
4) Is there anything you don't want?

Once these questions are sorted we can cover more specific topics like character creation methods, campaign details, house rules, etc.


The answers I got to this the other week were:
*Fantasy
*"D&D" - the choice of system - 1e, 5e, or PF - has yet to be decided. Though I doubt it'll be 1e.
*What do you want: "Something Greek", "A pirates campaign", and the other two players were fairly non-comital....
*What don't you want: Evil PCs, Undead PCs, Dragonborn,

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

When Snarf was just a baby, his mama told him, son
always be a good boy, and shoot those elves with guns

I bet there's high elves drinking in a fancy upscale bar
They're probably quaffin' cocktails and smoking big cigars
Well I know those elves had it coming, I'll have to kill two or three
But there's always more elves out there
And that's what tortures me

 

[Fenris-77]

I bet there's high elves drinking in a fancy upscale bar
They're probably quaffin' cocktails and smoking big cigars
Well I know those elves had it coming, I'll have to kill two or three
But there's always more elves out there
And that's what tortures me

If I freed them from their prisons
If I shuffled their mortal coils
I think I'd feel fantastic, somewhat more than fine
Some elves just need a killin', and that's where I draw the line.

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

What do you find the most fun?
What do you find less fun but still want included?
What interferes with your fun?
Expanding on the above, what are your lines and veils?
What is expected table behaviour and unexpected table behavious?
How do you want to handle snacks and food?
How do you want to handle technology at the table?