Session Zero

Session Zero is a guided pre-campaign setup flow for groups who want to build backstories together before Session 1. Players create backstory entities, submit them for GM review, and the GM approves, edits, or returns them — all in real time.

📝Note

Session Zero is not a separate feature. It is a focused mode for the existing backstory and approval queue tools, with a streamlined interface for pre-campaign use.

Starting Session Zero

From the campaign dashboard, click Start Session Zero.
Players receive an invitation via their campaign portal or email if they have accounts.
Players without accounts can receive a Session Zero companion link instead — same process as a session companion link, scoped to the Session Zero flow.

What players do

Each player works through a guided backstory-building flow. They can create:

NPCs — people from their character's past: mentors, rivals, family, old friends
Locations — places that shaped the character's history
Events — things that happened before the campaign started

Players fill in the entity details and submit. Submissions arrive in your approval queue in real time.

What the GM sees

The approval queue is front and center while Session Zero is active. Each submission shows the full entity the player created. You have three options:

Action	Result
Approve	Entity enters the world immediately, visible to the submitting player
Approve with edits	You modify the entity first, then it enters the world
Return with notes	Sent back to the player with your feedback; they revise and resubmit

💡Tip

Use "Return with notes" when a submission creates a continuity problem or contradicts established world lore. Be specific — the player sees your note directly.

You can approve submissions from multiple players in parallel. There is no required order.

Ending Session Zero

When you are satisfied that the backstory content is complete, click Mark Complete. All approved content enters the world simultaneously at that moment.

❗Important

Any submissions still in the queue (pending or returned) are not entered automatically. Review the queue before marking complete, or explicitly decline any submissions you are not carrying forward.

After Session Zero

Once complete, players' backstory entities appear throughout the world:

World graph — backstory NPCs and locations appear as nodes with their relationships
Timeline — backstory events slot into the chronology before Session 1
Relationship web — connections players defined between their backstory entities are visible

Session 1 starts with the world already shaped by everyone's history, not just the GM's pre-written lore.

Troubleshooting

The "Start Session Zero" button is missing from my campaign dashboard. Session Zero requires an active campaign with at least one player invited. If the campaign has no players yet, the button is hidden. Invite at least one player first, then return to the dashboard.

A player submitted a backstory entity but it's not appearing in my queue. The queue updates in real time when you're in the Session Zero view. If the submission isn't showing, refresh the page. If a player is using a companion link (not a full account), confirm their link hasn't expired — companion links issued for Session Zero only work during the active Session Zero flow.

I accidentally approved a submission that had a problem. Approved entities enter the world but are fully editable afterward. Open the entity from the world entity list, make your corrections, and save. You can also adjust visibility settings if you want to hold it back from the player until you've finished editing.

Players can't see each other's submitted entities. By default, submitted backstory entities are private between the submitting player and the GM until they are approved and canonized. This is intentional — players building backstories in parallel often find it more engaging to discover each other's history at the table.