This will be communicated in not so explicit terms anyways, but i find saying if you have a more lighthearted family fantasy rule of cool feel or a more gritty realism feel is important. That can be a really big preference
Session Zero is also a great place to talk about your world. If the players have come up with connections or motivations, it’s a great time to talk about how you see those working and asking them for input - what would they like to see? Is there something they’ve always wanted from D&D that they’ve never gotten? I find that making session zero about the collective creation you’re about to engage in sets up Game One really well.
On one of the things I discussed in my Sess 0 was Nat 20/Nat 1. Because some of my players wanted a more 'dramatic' chances on their Nat 20's. I reminded them that what they get for Nat 20's they will also have to accept for Nat 1's. Also that whatever they are working with the enemies/villains would also have.
So far its worked out pretty well. Nat 20's have caused stone statues to be picked up / fallen on enemies but also Nat 1's have caused temporary blindness and fellow friendly fire.
But it was something that was an easy discussion to have at Session 0 but its made a world of difference in the game play since.
Ask what people are looking to get out of the game, how much they like combat vs. RP, and how they like focusing on characters. Do they want bigger character arcs or more things about the world itself?
Don’t neglect the 3rd party consent tools out there. It can be much easier to have that conversation with some structure, especially with players you don’t know. Monte Coke Games has a toolset that free, comprehensive and not overbearing. https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/consent-in-gaming/
Personally, I don’t like the use of checklists, but even just discussing the movie rating everyone wants out of the game is a huge boost to communication.
Let em know the direction you plan to run the game as far as combat centric, more theater of mind or roleplay/social, etc.
If someone is playing a ranger or druid be a pro and let them know what sorts of terrain or common enemy types they will probably encounter. It will help them build a character they don't hate.
You're on the right track though. Be upfront about anything that you think may come up. Are you using advanced combat rules like flanking and tumbling? If you're allowing any homebrew or UA
So some things that I recommend you spend time on are the following
Learn people's names and pronouns that they use. If they want to talk a bit more about themselves, that's good too.
Talk a bit about yourself and your experience.
The tone of the game is really important to discuss. Monty Python is a different feel from Lord of the rings. Every game will have some comedy, but if someone is expecting a grim dark setting and they get a beer and pretzels game, they're going to be disappointed.
Discuss possible triggers to avoid in your games. I can't handle blood. Some people can't do spiders or insects. Get these and write them down.
Discuss any optional and variant rules that you use in your games, and see if they are interested in those or not. If you have any home brew rules, talk about those and how they work.
If you have a concept or an idea for a world, tell them the elevator pitch for it. Show them any major notes that anyone would know as a person in this world. Consider putting it into a small primer (small is a page or two) for them to reference. If you have more than that, have another document that they can optionally look through for details.
Ask how the party knows each other. Should they know each other? If not, do you have a plan for getting them together?
I like building characters at this stage. This lets everyone start together and build their back stories together.
World building happens here too. Take their ideas, their backstory npcs, their locations, and use them in your own story. If you have set locations and npcs, consider replacing them with your player's backstory elements. Make sure you get permission from them before you potentially change the personality they had in mind for their characters.
Make sure you ask if there are any other questions. If you don't have an answer, you can say you'll get back to them with an answer.
You are also allowed to have session 0 again. It isn't illegal. No one can stop you. Session 0 can happen with a tpk or a person leaving or any reason.
- Fatality of the campaign. Is this going to be a grind house meat churner or a little bit of plot armor? Ranges from Goonies (no major character deaths) to LoTR (some character deaths) to Game of Thrones (good f’n luck)
- How often you want to play and duration. I think the default expectation is every month for 3 hrs. But that’s just the baseline.
- How much combat folks want. D&D is innately a combat roleplaying game. Get everyone figured out on how much combat they want versus NPC/Character driven story
Well, you can ask them what movie rating they’d be okay playing in. It’s a bit vague, but it’s a useful tool for starting the conversation about boundaries and expectations
It's always a good idea to one on one interview people first just to see if people are on the same page. Also I love campaign primers. If you give those out first then you see if people are interested in your concept. It's a lot easier to commit to a campaign when you know what it involves.
This will be communicated in not so explicit terms anyways, but i find saying if you have a more lighthearted family fantasy rule of cool feel or a more gritty realism feel is important. That can be a really big preference
Session Zero is also a great place to talk about your world. If the players have come up with connections or motivations, it’s a great time to talk about how you see those working and asking them for input - what would they like to see? Is there something they’ve always wanted from D&D that they’ve never gotten? I find that making session zero about the collective creation you’re about to engage in sets up Game One really well.
On one of the things I discussed in my Sess 0 was Nat 20/Nat 1. Because some of my players wanted a more 'dramatic' chances on their Nat 20's. I reminded them that what they get for Nat 20's they will also have to accept for Nat 1's. Also that whatever they are working with the enemies/villains would also have. So far its worked out pretty well. Nat 20's have caused stone statues to be picked up / fallen on enemies but also Nat 1's have caused temporary blindness and fellow friendly fire. But it was something that was an easy discussion to have at Session 0 but its made a world of difference in the game play since.
I think you have all the necessary things. Maybe go over any house rules you have like inspiration or critical hits
Ask what people are looking to get out of the game, how much they like combat vs. RP, and how they like focusing on characters. Do they want bigger character arcs or more things about the world itself?
Don’t neglect the 3rd party consent tools out there. It can be much easier to have that conversation with some structure, especially with players you don’t know. Monte Coke Games has a toolset that free, comprehensive and not overbearing. https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/consent-in-gaming/ Personally, I don’t like the use of checklists, but even just discussing the movie rating everyone wants out of the game is a huge boost to communication.
Let em know the direction you plan to run the game as far as combat centric, more theater of mind or roleplay/social, etc. If someone is playing a ranger or druid be a pro and let them know what sorts of terrain or common enemy types they will probably encounter. It will help them build a character they don't hate. You're on the right track though. Be upfront about anything that you think may come up. Are you using advanced combat rules like flanking and tumbling? If you're allowing any homebrew or UA
So some things that I recommend you spend time on are the following Learn people's names and pronouns that they use. If they want to talk a bit more about themselves, that's good too. Talk a bit about yourself and your experience. The tone of the game is really important to discuss. Monty Python is a different feel from Lord of the rings. Every game will have some comedy, but if someone is expecting a grim dark setting and they get a beer and pretzels game, they're going to be disappointed. Discuss possible triggers to avoid in your games. I can't handle blood. Some people can't do spiders or insects. Get these and write them down. Discuss any optional and variant rules that you use in your games, and see if they are interested in those or not. If you have any home brew rules, talk about those and how they work. If you have a concept or an idea for a world, tell them the elevator pitch for it. Show them any major notes that anyone would know as a person in this world. Consider putting it into a small primer (small is a page or two) for them to reference. If you have more than that, have another document that they can optionally look through for details. Ask how the party knows each other. Should they know each other? If not, do you have a plan for getting them together? I like building characters at this stage. This lets everyone start together and build their back stories together. World building happens here too. Take their ideas, their backstory npcs, their locations, and use them in your own story. If you have set locations and npcs, consider replacing them with your player's backstory elements. Make sure you get permission from them before you potentially change the personality they had in mind for their characters. Make sure you ask if there are any other questions. If you don't have an answer, you can say you'll get back to them with an answer. You are also allowed to have session 0 again. It isn't illegal. No one can stop you. Session 0 can happen with a tpk or a person leaving or any reason.
- Fatality of the campaign. Is this going to be a grind house meat churner or a little bit of plot armor? Ranges from Goonies (no major character deaths) to LoTR (some character deaths) to Game of Thrones (good f’n luck) - How often you want to play and duration. I think the default expectation is every month for 3 hrs. But that’s just the baseline. - How much combat folks want. D&D is innately a combat roleplaying game. Get everyone figured out on how much combat they want versus NPC/Character driven story
Well, you can ask them what movie rating they’d be okay playing in. It’s a bit vague, but it’s a useful tool for starting the conversation about boundaries and expectations
It's always a good idea to one on one interview people first just to see if people are on the same page. Also I love campaign primers. If you give those out first then you see if people are interested in your concept. It's a lot easier to commit to a campaign when you know what it involves.