Session Zero Checklist for TTRPG Campaigns
Session zero is where a campaign becomes a shared agreement instead of one person’s private plan. It does not need to be formal or stiff. It needs to answer what kind of game this is, what players want, and how the table will handle tone, boundaries, and expectations.
Start with the campaign promise
Before rules and scheduling, name the promise of the campaign. Is it heroic fantasy, political intrigue, horror survival, monster hunting, mystery, exploration, or tragic gothic drama?
When the promise is clear, players can build characters who belong in the same story.
Align character goals with campaign pressure
Ask every player for one personal goal, one fear, and one relationship to the setting. These do not need long backstories. They need to give the GM something playable.
A generated campaign becomes much stronger when each character has a reason to care about at least one NPC, faction, location, or threat.
- What does your character want soon?
- What would tempt them into trouble?
- Who do they trust?
- What part of the setting already matters to them?
Set boundaries before the first conflict
Tone and safety are easier to discuss before the campaign has started. Agree on content boundaries, table tools, player-versus-player expectations, romance limits, horror intensity, and how to pause if something feels wrong.
This protects the table and gives the GM a clearer creative target.
Turn session zero notes into workspace records
After the conversation, save player goals, major boundaries, campaign tone, and recurring NPC hooks in the workspace. These notes should be easy to find before every session.
Session zero is not just a meeting. It is the first layer of campaign prep.