The Session Zero Toolkit

Your campaign won't be killed by a dragon. It'll be killed by a group chat poll about rescheduling.

The Session Zero Toolkit is 14 print-and-play worksheets and checklists that handle the part of tabletop RPGs no rulebook covers: keeping five busy adults showing up, engaged, and glad they came. Fill them in at the table in minutes. System-neutral — works with D&D 5e, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, and whatever your group runs next.

What's inside (17 pages, US Letter, print-friendly)

Before the campaign

• Session Zero Agenda — a 90-minute meeting plan that covers pitch, people, safety, and logistics
• Campaign Pitch Worksheet — if the GM can't fill this in, the campaign isn't ready
• Table Charter — the social contract, in writing, with signature lines (yes, really — it works)
• Player Expectations Survey — find the mismatches before week six does
• Lines, Veils & Safety Tools — including an anonymous column, because honesty needs an easy path
• The Scheduling Pact — quorum rules and a cancellation ladder. The boring sheet that saves the campaign.

During the campaign

• GM Session Prep Sheet — one page, thirty minutes, done
• Session Recap Log — filled in by players, not the GM
• NPC Quick-Reference Cards — a want, a voice, a secret; cut along the dotted lines
• The Missing Player Playbook — decide what absence means before it happens

Health checks

• Mid-Campaign Health Check — an anonymous-friendly survey for every 8–10 sessions
• Campaign Trouble Diagnostic — 10 symptoms, a score, and what to do at each tier
• Campaign Retrospective — for groups that want to still be groups next campaign
• Ending Well: The Final Session — turn "that game that died" into "that game we finished"

Who this is for

• New GMs running their first session zero and wanting a script to lean on
• Veteran groups whose last three campaigns quietly trailed off
• Anyone restarting a campaign after a break and wanting to do it right this time

Print & permissions

Sheets are designed one-per-page so you can print only what you need. Photocopy freely for your own table.

Want the why behind the sheets? The full book Roll for Friendship covers flaky players, GM burnout, switching systems mid-campaign, and the group dynamics that decide whether your table survives. The toolkit is the hands; the book is the brain. (Bundle available.)