Prelude to Play

What is the Prelude to Play?

We love to play games with our friends! While the goal of everyone should be to have a fun time, sometimes personalities clash, misunderstandings happen, and bad memories are re-lived. While none of those are good for a game many are easily solved by taking just a little time before the game starts.

Some people call it Session 0, but it doesn’t have to be an entire session. It could be a half hour before the first game or an online conversation in the days or weeks before the game starts.

An image of the covers of the Prelude to Play documents

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What game are we playing?

Start by making sure everyone is playing the same game. It isn’t fun if half the group expects a light-hearted romp and the other half wants a dark, macabre tragedy. This is the chance to discuss what everyone wants out of the game such as heavy combat, slice of life fun, or political intrigue.

The person running the game usually has an idea of what they want to run, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for players to talk about the game they want to play. Perhaps one player can be navigating the political landscape at a governmental function while the rest of the group beats the tar out of the guards outside. Knowing what all the players want lets the game be tailored to give everyone a great experience.

This is also a chance to go over the various themes in the game. Specifically, players can decide what subject matters are or are not appropriate for the table so that everyone can be comfortable in the adventure.

Check it off the list

Some players love the dark and gritty undertones of torture and death while others want to keep the details to a minimum. There is no right way or wrong way to play, but that doesn’t mean that every group is good for every player.

What is or isn’t an acceptable theme for each player depends on their beliefs, history, and comfort level. We don't always know what others have experienced, even with our own good friends. The worst experience at a game table is for someone to bring up a subject that brings real pain to a fellow player and friend.

This is where the Preludes to Play checklist comes in. Each player can fill out any subjects that they are uncomfortable with or refuse to interact with. This way the person running the game can work with their friend’s needs to make sure everyone has fun. The checklist can, and probably should, be anonymous because people won’t want to share those things that upset them the most.

Download a copy of the Prelude to Play Checklist for Google Drive

Red Light, Green Light

Finally, there will be times that players come upon subjects that trigger a response that they hadn’t previously thought of, or realized, would be a problem. If those subjects come up during play, having a system to let the other players know if a subject is a problem keeps everyone playing a healthy game.

For this, players can use three index cards, each with red, yellow, and green on them, and either simply hold up or place that color card on the table. Online, a predetermined emoji or image can be placed in chat.

If there are no concerns, no card needs to be placed, but if there is a concern, the color meanings are:

Red - Stop.

Red is a hard stop. This shows that the player has reached a point where the subject is too much and they have to stop. This stop should extend to the entire game for at least until the player who stopped the game is ready to go on.

Yellow - Slow and be ready to stop.

Yellow is for when the player knows that they are approaching a stopping point. A good narrator can quickly close out the scene by moving it ‘behind a curtain.’ Everyone knows what happened without having to see the whole thing.

Green - Proceed with caution.

Green means that they realize that the subject might be sensitive, but they are willing to continue. This makes the narrator aware that the subject might be sensitive.

Narrators have stumbled into subjects that draw out terrible reactions from people and it’s never fun for anyone involved. TTRPGs should be dramatic and the characters in the game should absolutely be made to be uncomfortable at times, but the players themselves should never be put into a position where their real-world experiences make them personally uncomfortable.

Remember that the goal is for everyone at the table to have fun.

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