Scribbles and Horrors

The aim of D&D -1 is to never quite get around to playing D&D. Rather than eschewing Session 0, D&D -1 is composed entirely of Session 0s.

Here’s how to play:

The first few meetups should consist of detailed discussions about which edition of D&D to play, or whether it would be better to use another system entirely. Rulesets should be compared and contrasted and preferences about the kind of play desired should be taken into consideration.

When a consensus has been reached, a short course on the history of the chosen edition would be in order, perhaps with guest speakers. The group should read through the ruleset paragraph by paragraph or, (if there is time) sentence by sentence, pausing to discuss unclear or confusing elements as needed. No more than a handful of meetings will be necessary here.

It will be a good idea at this point to work out resolution procedures for rules-questions. Even in games where the referee has “final say”, there are many edge cases and social considerations which should be considered.

Once the foundations of the ruleset are firmly covered, the group could move on to a study of various safety tools. Group bonding exercises could be used to get everybody used to one another, and several meetings can be had about safety expectations for the game. Some themes or topics might be explicitly forbidden, although most probably won’t be. Likewise, certain behaviors (bullying, overturning tables, etc.) will be preemptively prohibited or assigned boundaries. Set aside at least three meetings for this.

After this, review could be made of various kinds of roleplaying playstyles. Reading lists could be developed to give an overview of common cultures of play. One might be picked, and the ramifications of that particular style upon the chosen ruleset should be noted.

It may be worth it at this point to write up some sort of play agreement or pledge to ensure that everyone is on the same page about playstyles and safety. This agreement should include a provision for amendment. While it can’t really be binding, it should be thorough.

A club charter for the group could be set up, and, depending on the scope expected, it might be worth setting up as a 501(c)3 in your state.

A method of scheduling which works for everyone should be settled upon, along with expectations for attendance, taking time off and so on. Schedule at least 2 meetings to nail it down.

After all this, you can start thinking about character creation. Careful study should be made of each character class and attribute, going over the options and their implications. (Don’t be afraid to review the chosen ruleset, or perhaps choose a new one!) It’s important to connect through discussion the various character options and the play philosophy of the group.

Characters should be rolled up strictly according to the rules agreed upon, and if there’s any confusion about these they must be discussed and revised using the resolution procedures worked out earlier. If these procedures fail to achieve a desired result, they should be revisited.

Backstories for the characters should be written—set aside at least half a dozen meetings for this—drafts should be presented and read aloud, notes given and taken, making sure to treat each character fully. It may happen that the story of a character leads them to their death; if this happens, the process will have to begin again. Like any creative process, it’s important not to rush things. Allow the character backstories to develop as they will and the characters will be better for it.

Once the characters are ready, it will be necessary to develop relationships between them and the world at large. It may be useful to write and perform scenes of the characters growing their relationships with each other, after thorough drafting of course.

Next is precepts for the world (because surely the referee hasn’t begun writing up the adventure—not yet!). Conversations about the sorts of things that are desirable and undesirable should be had. Here D&D -1 really opens up. The referee can begin a series of sessions setting the stage for the world. This will include lectures about its history, of course, but also scenes, readings, exams, etc. naturally, if there is consternation about any element of the world (or potential consternation about how a certain element might appear in play) this must be discussed and worked out according to the group-decided procedures for this kind of thing. If these procedures cause confusion, several meetings should be spent revising them. A dozen or more meetings might be necessary to fully flesh out the imaginary world.

If your group has gotten this far you’ve done something wrong, but you may as well switch to playing D&D. A short one-shot is appropriate, preferably one which you suspend halfway through and never get around to scheduling the second session of.

The End.

Epilogue

My point in writing this is to think about how what counts as “play” depends a great deal on one’s perspective, and how in many instances, from the outside, a “play” activity and a “not-quite-yet play” activity look pretty much the same.

Play is about process. Goals are important as the aim of processes, but the process is the point. For many games it does not matter too much whether those goals are actually achieved, only that the players tried to achieve them.

This is why losing is an acceptable component in many games—the loser has participated in a game just as much as the winner.

What of games where there are no winners? The teleology of roleplaying games is frequently infinity. How many OD&D campaigns close their doors long before players start building strongholds? How many dungeons sit unexplored, hexes untouched, characters dormant, etc.?

OD&D is Chainmail -1.