I played one on one with my dad to introduce him to the game. Started with Lost Mine of Phandelver to give a basic overview. Within 3 hours he wrangled 8 people into a full blown posse to take down every baddie! I gave him a pre-gen with -1 CHA but the dice love him!
Hello Bob ive been an RPG'er since 1979 and i really enjoy your video presentations Take this as a compliment The way you voice your videos is very 'Bob Ross' to me in a RPG way!
Fantastic tips. I ended up doing a mid-campaign pause to see if expectations were met, find out something the players want to change, and figure out where the party wants to go next. Thanks again.
I really appreciate it! I was working as an outdoor educator until 2020 got wild. I've been doing more indoor education you could say, but I'm hoping to get back outside in the future!
I'm glad there's a few rules now. I've seen so many DM's not doing a session zero even though they're so important. there are so many people that come to the first session, just play their characters and don't communicate with any other players. I think most of this comes from them not knowing how all the rules work in the universe or story and then don't know where to start. Communication is key so everyone knows what's up and what to expect. great vid Bob, I loved the dragon of icespirepeak campaign tips and would love to see more of them.
I never used to do session zeros, but now that I do, things go much better. The only downside is I am continually finding new ideas or topics I should have covered in session zero.
Yeah, I hope the inclusion of session 0s in this book will help make them more mainstream. You and others have already brought up some great points about communication among the players that I think will make a great video topic. And there will be another DoIP video coming later in December!
I never used them and we never had any issues. It's like people need a manual to be grown, responsible, and nice to each other. Were these social skills not taught during childhood? :/
@@syd4890 For a great many people those skills were not taught at any point. I DM three different campaigns for a D&D club I strated with an urban, inner-city school distirct. 95% of the kids have been heavily traumatized, most have one or more serious emotional issues, and nearly every one comes from a broken home.
Because of your help that you provided in your other videos, me and brother are doing a one on one game together, and we're both enjoying it! Thanks man
I recently held a session 0 for the players, then following session 1, I needed to run a session 0.2 before our next session; as it became apparent that we needed some refining and clarity on our social contract and some “party gelling” once the game began. Session 2 went so much better Now I intend to not just focus on one character during role play but also ask what others are doing- to give them a chance to interject, to see if they want to influence the interaction, and to involve them in the encounter... even if the PC says “I’m patiently observing”... this way everyone gets their time
If anyone reads this a year later: I honestly have my players roll initiative during RP, Exploration, and Combat. This keeps players from hogging all of the time, reminds me personally to give every player "a chance to shine," and generally reassures the players visually that I will call on them. It isn't a perfect system by any stretch of the imagination but everyone appreciates that I "pause" the player(s) (at a "good" pausing point) to ask around the table what others are doing at this time. This also helps when there is a "lull" at the table because of "analysis paralysis" happening or two competing ideas. Splitting the party sucks (and as a DM you should actively discourage it) but real life is "messy" so occasionally your campaign will become "messy" too.
Good timing. I just had an incident with two players arguing over a loot item. The argument morphed into members of the party fighting one another (not in real life, but that would have been interesting). At any rate, they didn't even realize the item was cursed; thus the "winner" was the unlucky one.
Oof, could've cursed them both for the behavior haha, I would have liked to hear their claims to the item though. I feel like it's usually pretty clear who saw something first, etc.
Much appreciated! Yeah, I really think these session zero tips have helped a lot of people, so I'm very happy to see WotC making session 0s more mainstream :)
I’ve been running a campaign with my buddy for about 6 years now, and a few other 1on1 campaigns for 4 years. Narratively, they’ve been the best games I’ve ever run. Also the most dangerous. Combat is way deadlier without friends.
Yeah, feels really extreme! I mean, I guess I agree, but it would take a few strikes for me to actually ban someone from my table. Fortunately I've never had to do that!
@@BobWorldBuilder I just love the wording. Doesnt give ways to help fix the problem. Just agree or disband I feel they did a good job on this Even though I find social contract to be crazy with the expection to NSFW D&D I still have no idea why that is a thing
Great video on the comparison of your session 0 checklist and theirs! I'm honestly quite surprised that it's taken WotC this long to have an official "Session 0 Checklist", but it's great for those just getting started now. That being said I do find your list much more accommodating and friendly towards new players and groups, so I'll continue to use yours. Thanks for the video as always and have a great week Bob!
I planned on running each player through a few one-on-one sessions *_before_* they meet up as a party. These were to be level zero sessions, and were the transitions between being a farmer and being a fighter. That way, each character truly has their own history, accomplishments, and backstory that they can share (or not) with the rest of the party. Also, it would be a great place to dredge up old adversaries that one of the players *_actually_* has history with, rather than the NPC baddie just being a name the player made up while creating their backstory. I started to do this with one of my old players, but the whole party fell apart before I could run the rest of the players through their own sessions.
ALL BARD PARTY! I did a one shot like this and it was a blast! we all decided on different bard subclasses (theyre are so many). we were a band and did a concert thing. so much fun.
I enjoy one player games, you can run through material faster and have to be careful not to stump the only player. I had made a vacation campaign for my wife (so we could game in the hotel room), it became her favorite character, so now I've been running her barbarian for years.
I've tried running a single player campaign several times.. some went better than others.. but 9 times out of 10 it ended i nthe player dying way too easily.. and me feeling bad for it. My last attempt was the drago nof icespire peak.. I thought finally this is a campaign designed for a single player, this will go well.. and then on her way to Falcons Hunting lodge she met the boar-druid and instead ofhaving him run off.. I had him attack.. I wasn't going to use the lightning bolt cause it was too powerful.. but when she got him to half hp.. I figured he would definitely use the lightning bolt since it's his only chance of survival.. one shot my player and her sidekick. "Really?" she says.. but it's too late t oretcon.. game over.
Where do you find players who actually give input? Like constructive, useful responses? I don’t get a lot of that... GM: ok so this is the world and area of the campaign. Does anyone have preferences for political intrigue or gritty wilderness survival events? A themed party with a patron? Anyone have any ideas about religion or gods beyond alignment? PCs: Sure/Do you!/Sounds good/I’m down for whatever!
Excellent question! I mostly play with people who also DM, so they're pretty good at knowing what they like. Many players unfortunately don't, and that's really common with less experienced players. Sometimes these folks do just want to play and will settle for a campaign they don't "love" because "hey, it's still D&D." If your group is not good at communicating, you have to practice picking up on the signals: what really made them laugh, what got them excited, what scared them, etc. and try to shape your game around those observations-- but asking pointed questions after each session really helps, "Hey (particular player), what did you like the most/least about this session?" and that will get them more comfortable with sharing.
Hmm, I haven't thought about it much actually! Maybe the tattoos and/or magic items. My party doesn't need a Patron per say, but they are pretty poor... so that could be something to incorporate. Did you have any ideas?
@@BobWorldBuilder Maybe have Auril be the patron throughout the campaign, taunting the players to join her side, maybe tell them her motivation? Also the tattoo's would be cool as well.
I mean, diversity is nice, when it isn't forced. I kind of enjoy when parties make sense in the lore of the world. Of course, get your players on board to play in world X, Y or Z. But, let's say that I enjoy cohesion more than a vast set ideologies strutting around. XD
Yeah, I guess the classic argument against a diverse party is with alignment. Chaotic characters will always be creating shenanigans that the others have to fix! I think when it comes to classes though, there's something to be said for a group of characters who all have the same forte. The power levels between classes is pretty similar in 5e (more than previous editions anyway), so I feel like you could have an "all tanks" or "all casters" type of party without much difficulty. I haven't ever tried it though :P
@@BobWorldBuilder Haha, yes, alignments are also a bit confusing due to the many interpretations. I'd like for 5.5 or 6E to give us a tighter definition if possible. I guess having a themed-party is one of my favorite as well, Ravnica did provide us with a little table for the kind of party that I like, maybe we could see more of those tables in all the books, I'd like that!
I think it should be insulting to tell an adult that you expect them to be respectful. It sounds myopic to me that society seems to need to repeat this rhetoric as a matter of course.
DM comes up with a campaign. You're in or you're out. I don't want to play with people I need to go over more than that. If the DM needs to be reminded not to go on an ego trip. Not my friend. If the players have to be reminded that having fun is great, but we need to keep our focus on the game, the DM is on an ego trip. There will be pizza. Your character sheets will be ruined by somebody spilling pop. Get over yourself. There will be cursing. If you try to lawyer the rules you don't come back. Nobody wants to see the latest bullshit book you bought. Have some f*** imagination of your own. Your turn to DM is coming, be prepared with a campaign that continues with the characters we all like. Role Playing Games are meant for smart people. Most of you don't qualify. (Y'know, this is far too harsh, but I'm going to leave it here, because the vid did make my skin crawl, and it's basically saying what I mean. I would never come back after a "Session Zero." I would never be able to feel emersed in the world, because none of that operates on a high enough level. I expect a ton more sensitivity and insight all around the board so the DM knows that the players can visualize mostly the same images. It's virtually a theater of mind, few if any visual aids, only background mechanics on the table, nothing to cross-up realities. A mutually shared reality, of the mind and in the mind, is the goal, but with all the politics you set up, how can you ever get there? How do you forget about rule books and character sheets and just live the role? And those weird canned descriptions of things, as if every character had the same inner voice and the same attention to detail. I just don't get it.)
🌟 FREE Session 0 Checklist available on Patreon! www.patreon.com/posts/39281630
▶️ Tasha's Cauldron overview: ruclips.net/video/FuS2ECyENwc/видео.html
Hey Bob! Dope video! I know this is 9 months old, but I was wondering if you have (or will) update your session 0 checklist?
I played one on one with my dad to introduce him to the game. Started with Lost Mine of Phandelver to give a basic overview. Within 3 hours he wrangled 8 people into a full blown posse to take down every baddie! I gave him a pre-gen with -1 CHA but the dice love him!
Haha, nothing beats an angry mob 😆 My party just did the same thing in Frostmaiden
An angry mob can quickly turn into a terrified scramble of corpses when evil metal dragons show up
I have been running a one on one game with my wife for two years now. She is level 23 and looking toward demigodhood. It has been an amazing game.
WOW! Epic levels, haha, the game certainly moves quicker with only one player. I bet it's been a fantastic story :)
Hello Bob ive been an RPG'er since 1979 and i really enjoy your video presentations Take this as a compliment The way you voice your videos is very 'Bob Ross' to me in a RPG way!
I really appreciate that! He's an inspiration to us all :D
Scheduling is so important!
Totally! It really can't be overstated!
Fantastic tips. I ended up doing a mid-campaign pause to see if expectations were met, find out something the players want to change, and figure out where the party wants to go next. Thanks again.
That's awesome to hear! Checking in always helps!
You have worked as a teacher before right? It shows either way. Great work again bud!
I really appreciate it! I was working as an outdoor educator until 2020 got wild. I've been doing more indoor education you could say, but I'm hoping to get back outside in the future!
I'm glad there's a few rules now. I've seen so many DM's not doing a session zero even though they're so important. there are so many people that come to the first session, just play their characters and don't communicate with any other players. I think most of this comes from them not knowing how all the rules work in the universe or story and then don't know where to start. Communication is key so everyone knows what's up and what to expect.
great vid Bob, I loved the dragon of icespirepeak campaign tips and would love to see more of them.
I never used to do session zeros, but now that I do, things go much better. The only downside is I am continually finding new ideas or topics I should have covered in session zero.
Yeah, I hope the inclusion of session 0s in this book will help make them more mainstream. You and others have already brought up some great points about communication among the players that I think will make a great video topic. And there will be another DoIP video coming later in December!
I never used them and we never had any issues. It's like people need a manual to be grown, responsible, and nice to each other. Were these social skills not taught during childhood? :/
@@syd4890 For a great many people those skills were not taught at any point. I DM three different campaigns for a D&D club I strated with an urban, inner-city school distirct. 95% of the kids have been heavily traumatized, most have one or more serious emotional issues, and nearly every one comes from a broken home.
Because of your help that you provided in your other videos, me and brother are doing a one on one game together, and we're both enjoying it! Thanks man
I recently held a session 0 for the players, then following session 1, I needed to run a session 0.2 before our next session; as it became apparent that we needed some refining and clarity on our social contract and some “party gelling” once the game began. Session 2 went so much better
Now I intend to not just focus on one character during role play but also ask what others are doing- to give them a chance to interject, to see if they want to influence the interaction, and to involve them in the encounter... even if the PC says “I’m patiently observing”... this way everyone gets their time
Yeah always important to check in!
If anyone reads this a year later:
I honestly have my players roll initiative during RP, Exploration, and Combat. This keeps players from hogging all of the time, reminds me personally to give every player "a chance to shine," and generally reassures the players visually that I will call on them. It isn't a perfect system by any stretch of the imagination but everyone appreciates that I "pause" the player(s) (at a "good" pausing point) to ask around the table what others are doing at this time. This also helps when there is a "lull" at the table because of "analysis paralysis" happening or two competing ideas. Splitting the party sucks (and as a DM you should actively discourage it) but real life is "messy" so occasionally your campaign will become "messy" too.
Good timing. I just had an incident with two players arguing over a loot item. The argument morphed into members of the party fighting one another (not in real life, but that would have been interesting). At any rate, they didn't even realize the item was cursed; thus the "winner" was the unlucky one.
Oof, could've cursed them both for the behavior haha, I would have liked to hear their claims to the item though. I feel like it's usually pretty clear who saw something first, etc.
There you go again, great points, that I will use in my games.
Keep up the fantastic work man. Glad to see your channel grow:) :)
Much appreciated! Yeah, I really think these session zero tips have helped a lot of people, so I'm very happy to see WotC making session 0s more mainstream :)
I’ve been running a campaign with my buddy for about 6 years now, and a few other 1on1 campaigns for 4 years. Narratively, they’ve been the best games I’ve ever run. Also the most dangerous. Combat is way deadlier without friends.
This channel is legit :P
Love the commitment dude.
No idea when you started but i'll be back.
Thank you! It'll be two years in April 2021! Welcome :)
I love the last part of the social contract. 🤣 👍
Yeah, feels really extreme! I mean, I guess I agree, but it would take a few strikes for me to actually ban someone from my table. Fortunately I've never had to do that!
@@BobWorldBuilder I just love the wording. Doesnt give ways to help fix the problem.
Just agree or disband
I feel they did a good job on this Even though I find social contract to be crazy with the expection to NSFW D&D
I still have no idea why that is a thing
Great video on the comparison of your session 0 checklist and theirs! I'm honestly quite surprised that it's taken WotC this long to have an official "Session 0 Checklist", but it's great for those just getting started now.
That being said I do find your list much more accommodating and friendly towards new players and groups, so I'll continue to use yours.
Thanks for the video as always and have a great week Bob!
I agree that's it's a little overdue, but better late than never! It means a lot that you still prefer my list. Thank you! :)
player team building kickoff, awesome!
Glad you like the idea! :)
I planned on running each player through a few one-on-one sessions *_before_* they meet up as a party. These were to be level zero sessions, and were the transitions between being a farmer and being a fighter. That way, each character truly has their own history, accomplishments, and backstory that they can share (or not) with the rest of the party. Also, it would be a great place to dredge up old adversaries that one of the players *_actually_* has history with, rather than the NPC baddie just being a name the player made up while creating their backstory. I started to do this with one of my old players, but the whole party fell apart before I could run the rest of the players through their own sessions.
ALL BARD PARTY! I did a one shot like this and it was a blast! we all decided on different bard subclasses (theyre are so many). we were a band and did a concert thing. so much fun.
especially the inspiration chanes.
Good stuff!
Thank you, AJ!!
I enjoy one player games, you can run through material faster and have to be careful not to stump the only player. I had made a vacation campaign for my wife (so we could game in the hotel room), it became her favorite character, so now I've been running her barbarian for years.
That's awesome! I imagine barbarian is a solid class for a one player game too, since they can take and deal the damage of two regular characters lol
@@BobWorldBuilder Oh ya, and with her Bear tanking, monsters go down fast.
Scheduling is tough for sure
Good video
Thanks Rivers! I can't emphasize the scheduling piece enough. My groups have all been running smoothly since we've buckled down on the timing
Nice video there's something to think about here.
Tasha's Cauldron definitely supplied a lot of food for thought!
lol. That intro to the video had me dying of laughter. What drugs are the Design team taking?
Seems like a mix of Good Intentions with Iron Fist. I think they'd be happy with my reading though :)
@@BobWorldBuilder lol. Let's hope ;)
Apparently RUclips stopped giving me notifications for you got some catching up to do
RUclips does that from time to time 😅 I appreciate your diligence!
Yooooo! 11k!
🎉Yeah, I think my next big milestone goal for end of 2021 will be 75k, gotta keep aiming high!
@@BobWorldBuilder 100k easy
I've tried running a single player campaign several times.. some went better than others.. but 9 times out of 10 it ended i nthe player dying way too easily.. and me feeling bad for it. My last attempt was the drago nof icespire peak.. I thought finally this is a campaign designed for a single player, this will go well.. and then on her way to Falcons Hunting lodge she met the boar-druid and instead ofhaving him run off.. I had him attack.. I wasn't going to use the lightning bolt cause it was too powerful.. but when she got him to half hp.. I figured he would definitely use the lightning bolt since it's his only chance of survival.. one shot my player and her sidekick. "Really?" she says.. but it's too late t oretcon.. game over.
That would have been a cool situation for them to wake up hours later (which you could any time a lone PC dies) with lightning powers from Talos!
Where do you find players who actually give input? Like constructive, useful responses? I don’t get a lot of that...
GM: ok so this is the world and area of the campaign. Does anyone have preferences for political intrigue or gritty wilderness survival events? A themed party with a patron? Anyone have any ideas about religion or gods beyond alignment?
PCs: Sure/Do you!/Sounds good/I’m down for whatever!
Excellent question! I mostly play with people who also DM, so they're pretty good at knowing what they like. Many players unfortunately don't, and that's really common with less experienced players. Sometimes these folks do just want to play and will settle for a campaign they don't "love" because "hey, it's still D&D." If your group is not good at communicating, you have to practice picking up on the signals: what really made them laugh, what got them excited, what scared them, etc. and try to shape your game around those observations-- but asking pointed questions after each session really helps, "Hey (particular player), what did you like the most/least about this session?" and that will get them more comfortable with sharing.
Hey Bob, are you going to incorporate anything in Tasha's too Icewind Dale?
Hmm, I haven't thought about it much actually! Maybe the tattoos and/or magic items. My party doesn't need a Patron per say, but they are pretty poor... so that could be something to incorporate. Did you have any ideas?
@@BobWorldBuilder Maybe have Auril be the patron throughout the campaign, taunting the players to join her side, maybe tell them her motivation? Also the tattoo's would be cool as well.
what a wholesome dude you are :]
Thank you 😊
I mean, diversity is nice, when it isn't forced. I kind of enjoy when parties make sense in the lore of the world. Of course, get your players on board to play in world X, Y or Z. But, let's say that I enjoy cohesion more than a vast set ideologies strutting around. XD
Yeah, I guess the classic argument against a diverse party is with alignment. Chaotic characters will always be creating shenanigans that the others have to fix! I think when it comes to classes though, there's something to be said for a group of characters who all have the same forte. The power levels between classes is pretty similar in 5e (more than previous editions anyway), so I feel like you could have an "all tanks" or "all casters" type of party without much difficulty. I haven't ever tried it though :P
@@BobWorldBuilder Haha, yes, alignments are also a bit confusing due to the many interpretations. I'd like for 5.5 or 6E to give us a tighter definition if possible.
I guess having a themed-party is one of my favorite as well, Ravnica did provide us with a little table for the kind of party that I like, maybe we could see more of those tables in all the books, I'd like that!
I think it should be insulting to tell an adult that you expect them to be respectful. It sounds myopic to me that society seems to need to repeat this rhetoric as a matter of course.
I think so too, but then I go on Twitter sometimes and remember how wild people can act over this game :P
@@BobWorldBuilder I know that feeling!
That's your guys' problem! You go on Twitter! They'd act like braying donkeys over marshmallow peep colors.
DM comes up with a campaign. You're in or you're out. I don't want to play with people I need to go over more than that. If the DM needs to be reminded not to go on an ego trip. Not my friend. If the players have to be reminded that having fun is great, but we need to keep our focus on the game, the DM is on an ego trip. There will be pizza. Your character sheets will be ruined by somebody spilling pop. Get over yourself. There will be cursing. If you try to lawyer the rules you don't come back. Nobody wants to see the latest bullshit book you bought. Have some f*** imagination of your own. Your turn to DM is coming, be prepared with a campaign that continues with the characters we all like. Role Playing Games are meant for smart people. Most of you don't qualify.
(Y'know, this is far too harsh, but I'm going to leave it here, because the vid did make my skin crawl, and it's basically saying what I mean. I would never come back after a "Session Zero." I would never be able to feel emersed in the world, because none of that operates on a high enough level. I expect a ton more sensitivity and insight all around the board so the DM knows that the players can visualize mostly the same images. It's virtually a theater of mind, few if any visual aids, only background mechanics on the table, nothing to cross-up realities. A mutually shared reality, of the mind and in the mind, is the goal, but with all the politics you set up, how can you ever get there? How do you forget about rule books and character sheets and just live the role? And those weird canned descriptions of things, as if every character had the same inner voice and the same attention to detail. I just don't get it.)