What to record after Session Zero
Keep the agreements you will need during play: the premise, schedule, character ties, and any boundaries the group permits you to record. Leave personal disclosures out.
The short answer. Write a short note of the decisions the group agreed on. Include what the campaign is about, how you will play, and how the characters know each other. Ask permission before recording boundaries, and agree who can read them. Leave out anyone’s personal reasons for requesting a boundary.
What belongs in the record
- Campaign premise. Two or three sentences on the activity, tone, and starting situation. Name what players will spend time doing.
- How the table works. Write when you play, where to post absences, and how you handle rules questions during a game.
- Character ties. Keep only connections the players approved: who trusts whom, why the group stays together, and one shared problem they will face first.
- Agreed boundaries. With permission, note what stays out of the game, what fades out, and how anyone can pause or revise a scene. Leave out who asked and why.
- Open decisions. Label anything still undecided. Note who will follow up and when you need an answer.
What to leave out
Leave out personal experiences, medical or family information, private messages, and transcripts of the discussion. You may need “Romance fades out” during play. You do not need “Alex requested this because...” in the campaign notes.
If permission to save an agreement is uncertain, do not save it. Follow the agreement at the table and ask again later without pressure.
A completed shareable record
- Campaign. “A river-town mystery about debt, loyalty, and a missing tax chest. The group will investigate people and places, negotiate with rival organizations, and choose who controls Bellwater’s ferries. The tone is tense but hopeful.”
- How the table works. “Every other Thursday, 7 to 10:30. Post an absence by noon if possible. The GM makes a temporary rules call during play; rules questions can be checked afterward.”
- Character ties. “Sera hired the group after the chest vanished. Each character has one reason to protect Bellwater and one reason to distrust the Lantern Guild.”
- Agreed boundaries. Everyone agreed to save this for the group to read: “Romance fades out. Harm to children stays off screen. Anyone may call a pause, rewind, or break without giving a reason.”
- Open decision. “Choose whether the first scene begins at the ferry or council hall before Tuesday.”
Read the shareable record back to the group before treating it as settled. Silence is not permission, and a safety conversation is not consent to publish its details.
Revisit agreements when the group changes
- Confirm after the first session. Ask whether the stated activity and tone matched play. Change the record when the group changes its mind.
- Check when the group changes. Revisit agreements when a player joins, the campaign changes genre, a new recording tool is proposed, or someone asks for a check-in.
- Keep revisions visible. Date the new agreement and tell the group what changed. Do not quietly expand a permission from one purpose to another.
Share setting information without spoilers
Common questions
Should a Session Zero safety discussion be written down?
Only the agreed boundary, and only with permission. Record “romance fades out” or “anyone may pause without explanation,” not who requested it or their personal reason. If the group does not agree to save it, do not save it.
How often should we revisit the Session Zero record?
Review it after the first session. Check again when a player joins, the campaign changes tone, or someone proposes a new recording or assistant tool. Anyone can ask for a check-in. Tell the group about changes and ask permission before using their agreements for a new purpose.
Where Storywright fits
Create a Session Zero session to keep the date and your private GM preparation. Do not store the raw safety discussion, personal disclosures, or a transcript.
If the group wants a shared record, agree what to save and who can read it. Use an entry visible to players in your world only if the group approved that audience. Check the player view before sharing. Storywright controls visibility, but the group must decide what belongs in the record.
Anyone with a public briefing link can open it, including people outside your group. Do not use one to share a private agreement. Permission to record a boundary is not permission to publish it.