Campaign Pitches and Session 0

I'm a big proponent for running session 0 for campaigns. When I had initially started playing and running D&D I always wanted to pack in as much action into a session as possible, to squeeze out the most fun and excitement. Without the foundation well set however, the campaign can crumble for any number of reasons.


What is "Session 0"?

A session 0 is a gathering of all participants of a campaign where the goal is to talk about what the campaign is going to be about, do some world-building, and most importantly character creation. My primary praise for session 0 is the ability for players to get the chance to understand what world they will be playing in. Will they be sailing the high seas as pirates? Scouring forgotten dungeons and delving deep into the underdark? Fighting battles on the open plains for their kingdom? Trekking deep into the mountains to confront the giants in their stronghold? 

 This understanding will help in guide the players to create characters that will not only fit within the world, but will be a part of it. They'll be able to attach their backstories and backgrounds to places within your world, or in places of their own creation.

 Many others have delved into the specifics of session 0. Check out Dawnforgedcast and Web DM for more details.

 Part of this session 0 should include the gamemaster's ideas for their campaign. Generally, it is the GM who has ideas for the world, setting, themes, pantheon etc. Often times this individual will have poured countless hours into world-building and fleshing things out. Creating lore, histories, pantheons, regions everything. Almost too much for the players to even normally get to. For some quality world building advice, check out Runehammer.

 As I've continue to run games though, I've learned that all this effort can be for not. Some still enjoy it, but is it worth your time to develop all of this world if only you can experience it? There is a beauty in creativity with limitations. It seems contradictory, but it in fact liberating in a sense. Today Geek n Sundry put out a very similar article with tips for limitations. However, it was Matt Colville that inspired me to create a "campaign pitch" for my upcoming West Marches Season 2. If I have not mentioned it before I will mention it again, I highly recommend Matt's content, especially his Running The Game series for aspiring GMs.


Campaign Pitches and Limitations

My goal was to create a campaign pitch based on Matt's style. I limited myself to a single page that would be able to effectively convey my key ideas:
  • The theme and a hint of the story plot.
  • The style of game: hack n slash, political intrigue etc.
  • The balance of the 3 pillars of 5th edition D&D (Combat, Social, and Exploration)
  • The expectations that I have of the players in the game
  • The format of the game, in this case West Marches with a twist
With these goals in mind, this was my final product. Have a look and let me know what you think. I also created an audio version of the story blurb that I may or may not share online in the future. I find the sound of my own voice cringy. I'll see what my players think.

I believe that the one-page campaign pitch is a great way for GMs to condense all of their ideas into an easily digestible and easily understood format for potential players.

Have a great week and roll well,

Mack


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