episode 38 – session zero

Even when you're equipped with quickstart materials (as we discussed a few episode ago...!), it can be daunting to prepare your/your players' first Changeling game. Many of the potential speed bumps can be smoothed over with a solid Session Zero, where everyone gets together, talks about the characters they want to play, the particular game and story they expect to craft, and the questions they need answered before diving into the roleplaying "proper". In this episode, we draw on our experiences both great and abysmal, to inform our takes on some important things to think about in general and for Changeling in particular. This is by no means a tutorial on "how to Storytell," but we hope that it will helpfully enrich your own playing style.

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In this episode, we make reference to these documents, which some Storytellers like to circulate before starting to supplement the "lines" and "veils" deployed in-game. They're usually checklists of topics which might be triggering for players, giving them the opportunity to highlight specific items they don't want in a game. There are a variety of these out in the world, but here are three (free) examples:

• Monte Cook's "Consent in Gaming" booklet: https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/consent-in-gaming/
• Gehenna Gaming's WoD/horror-centered checklist/safety document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g5c2GhmnJYaGIDFKlxgXLL_GruGPNncv/view?usp=sharing
• Another WoD-centered example, from DTRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/314220/World-of-Darkness-RPG-Consent-Checklist-A4

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) requires players to handwrite their sheets with calligraphy on parchment if they take Title greater than 2. Pooka G (any pronoun/they) awards starting XP based on how many crullers each player brings to the table in tribute.

"Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." —Andre Gide, Le Traité de Narcisse