We just started our first long-term campaign for the podcast and part of the preparation for that was a fairly in-depth session zero. We knew a few details about the setting – it was a post-post apocalypse in which monsters from beyond space and time wiped out most sentient life on the planet several hundred years ago – but beyond that, every other detail was left open for the players to fill in.
To facilitate that, I came up with a list of questions to help them flesh out their starting location and the immediate areas around them. Here are the questions I asked – some are specific to my setting but with a little work, they could be tailored to fit your homebrew world instead.
- People starting coming together to form villages again about 50 years ago. How long has this town been settled?
- Why did people choose to settle here?
- What’s the climate like? What natural disasters (blizzards, mudslides, etc.) happen?
- Who was the first family to settle here? Are their ancestors still in town?
- What’s housing like in the village? What are homes made of?
- Since this town was founded, what’s the best thing to happen to it?
- The worst?
- Who has power here?
- What’s something the town has in abundance?
- What’s something rare in town that people need more of?
- There’s another village within a few days travel. Aside from distance, what separates it from your village?
- Who was the latest person/group to settle in town? How did integrating them into the town go?
- What’s a place nearby that no one wants to go?
- After the Fall, the old gods died or abandoned the world. What do people believe in now?
- Are there any holidays? How does the town mark time?
- What’s the biggest threat in the region?
- What’s the economy like? Do you have a currency of any sort?
- When someone gets sick or injured, who do you turn to?
- What do you want your character to achieve?
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