Table talks
We wrote recently about reassuring your players, and especially the value in letting uncertain players know when they’ve failed at something because of the plot, not their own dice or playing. But there’s another kind of support that we should talk about — table talks.
Table talks or session zero — or any one of several names for them — are important in role-playing. They are when the Storyteller (ideally) discusses what kind of game the campaign will be, how long it will run, and what levels of gore or gritty realism players can expect. That’s the time to lay down rules for the table — no swearing maybe, if there are kids; or no sexual misconduct from player characters, depending upon the Storyteller.
It’s also a vital time for players to let the Storyteller know about their own triggers or squicks. I don’t enjoy my characters being humiliated a lot, can’t stomach themes of rape or sexual enslavement, and have a strong aversion to forced feeding scenes. Any one of these is a big “nope” from me for any role-playing game.
So during any table talk, I make sure to let my Storytellers know that these are problems for me. If they are present in the campaign, our table talk is a good chance for the Storyteller to either take a note to remove those elements, for us to talk about how much of a problem they will be, or for me to politely decline participation in the game campaign.
There is a difference between letting a Storyteller know that spiders frighten you so that they can use some skittering noises and cobwebs to get you on the edge of your seat, and making sure they know that any spiders will send you out of the room to calm down. Be clear and as exact as you can with your Storyteller so that you can both have a great game.
A quick reminder: We occasionally get pushback from players and Storytellers who really like using uncomfortable and frightening situations in their campaigns. As long as that works for you and your players, great! You don’t need to read this post. Role-playing is a game and supposed to be fun. This is simply an advice blog on how we like to do it.
Table talks are also for letting players speak to each other. Got a dwarf character who has problems with elves, but who is supposed to adventure alongside an elven ranger? Talk about how that is going to unfold ahead of time, before you have two angry and frustrated players shouting “It’s what my character would do!” across the table at each other as they ignore the plot to beat each other to death.
Another important part of our player-level table talk is always the moral compass of the party. There needs to be wiggle room, of course, but it’s always proved worth our time to compare notes on roughly how heroic everyone intends to be. If we have a rogue prying the fillings out of every defeated enemy and a paladin who can’t stomach an ambush, even when the player party is up against vastly superior numbers… Well, that’s a potential recipe for angry players.
Now, there’s no one answer on what to do if there are differing moralities across the party. If your players think it’ll be fun to hash out their differences in character, sure! That sounds like an interesting and dramatic set of scenes. But if that kind of intra-party debate doesn’t seem like fun to your players, then the table talk is the time to find out and figure out a moral compass that will more or less work for the whole party.
And if your campaign is a long one, stop every once in a while to touch base with your players. Make sure that they feel their boundaries are being respected, and give them the chance to refine their preferences. In a long campaign, the table talk can quickly go from the front of everyone’s mind to something vaguely remembered from a year ago.
Check in and update things if something’s changed, or remind folks what was agreed to originally. Maybe they gave a hard no on spiders before the game started, but now they’re feeling a little safer and interested in stepping outside their comfort zone. Perhaps it’s time to put just one eight-legged encounter into your notes and see how it goes.
Table talks are important for the mental health of players and Storytellers alike, to set expectations and avoid potential campaign-ending problems down the road. And as a result, they’re good for the health and longevity of your RPG, and give you an extra tool to help ensure that everyone is having as much fun as possible.
