GM resource
Session zero for Freeform / Custom
Set expectations, tone, and table agreements. Session zero for Freeform sets the table before the dice matter: agree on tone (an open, table-defined tone and genre), safety boundaries, and what each player wants from the game.
Checklist
- Talk through tone and boundaries: how hard the table wants to lean into what makes Freeform distinct (an open, table-defined tone and genre).
- Walk the group through the core roll mechanic together so nobody is guessing at the table: Prose-first profiles, relationships and journals, no stats required.
- Collect character concepts and connect them to each other before the first scene.
- Agree on logistics (session length, cadence) and which safety tools the table will use.
Common pitfalls
- Skipping the tone talk and hitting a mismatch mid-campaign
- Running session zero as pure character creation with no table agreements
- No shared safety-tool agreement before the first high-intensity scene