Whether you’re starting a long term campaign or kicking off a oneshot, starting off right is important! A good start helps your game run smoothly and minimize that beginning awkwardness.

One way to start your game off right is to get your players excited about it before you begin. Here, I’m going to talk about communicating what kind of game you’re going to run with your players. This helps your players buy-in to the game from the start. That way, everyone can be on the same page!

Before you talk to your players about what game you’re running, though, you first have to decide what that is to begin with. The most basic level of answering this question is the system you’re using. Are you going to run Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder? Fate or Shinobigami? What edition of the rules are you using, if you’re running a system that has multiple iterations (playing D&D 3.5e is different than D&D 5e)?

But more importantly, what are you going to do with that system? What kind of story are you all going to make together? That is, what sort of genres do you associate with this game you’re going to run? If you’re running a prewritten adventure/campaign, some of these questions will be answered for you. Making your own adventure gives you more freedom to decide (which can be both a benefit and a challenge). Will your game have a lot of intrigue and social strategy? Do you expect combat to happen every session? Will characters have long stretches of time in between adventures?

So, briefly, here’s what’s helpful to know when communicating with your players before the game starts:

  • What system are you using? Are you using any homebrew or house rules?
  • Are you running a prewritten adventure or making your own?
  • How long do you expect the game to last? (Is this a long term campaign, a one shot, or somewhere in between?)
  • What kind of story will this be? What tone do you expect (hopeful, dark, gritty, comedic, casual, serious, etc.)?

This isn’t spoiling your campaign, it’s more like checking the genre of the moving you’re going to see. If you come in expecting a comedy and get a thriller, it’s going to be a jarring experience. By communicating with your players about your concept for the game, your players can get on board or discuss any concerns they have beforehand. This also allows players some context for character creation and roleplay.

Essentially, you’re discussing your expectations for the game you all are about to participate in.

Starting this conversation is as simple as:

“Hey everyone, I’m thinking of running Waterdeep Dragon Heist next.”

Or, “who’s up for a one shot? I have an idea for a dungeon crawl for level 10 characters.”

Once people express interest, you can get into a more detailed discussion of the concept you have in mind!

How do you do this with your group? How much do you discuss beforehand, and do you use any tools like the consent checklist? Do you have a session 0? I’d love to hear about what you all do!