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Session 0

Session 0s are a great way to begin communication, set expectations on the kind of story and play, and introduce and discuss what safety tools will be used at the table.

Safety Tools

Decide together as a group what safety tools you will be using to keep each other safe and comfortable. The key to safety tools is communication and trust. There needs to be open and respectful communication alongside a culture of trust for these to work.

As a game master (GM) or player, you can create this culture by making it clear that the care and well-being of everyone at the table comes before the game or story. This can be done by actively listening to everyone, offering accommodations and safety tools, implementing actions when asked while not prying (nobody owes you their trauma as explanation), and actively checking in before, during, and after a game.

Setting Expectations

It’s a good idea for everyone at the table to discuss:

If for some reason it’s not possible to deliver on a person’s expectations, discuss alternatives with the person. Everyone wants to have fun, but everyone has a different idea of what fun is. The players and the GM should avoid ruining someone else’s fun with their expectations. Decide if everyone at the table needs to be there for the same reason, or if it’s okay for people to get something different from the game.

If this is your GM’s first time, then they should let the players know, and the players should remain patient as the GM finds their way of doing things. It may help for the GM to compare themselves to well-known roleplaying game facilitators so players have a baseline as to what to expect while playing.

If anyone is having a hard time verbalising what it is they want out of the game, they complete a survey so they have time to think about it and write it down. They can also complete a Bartle Test. The Bartle Test classifies players of multiplayer online games into categories based on Bartle’s taxonomy of player types. Each player type is defined by the gaming elements which they find most enjoyable.

Introduce the Game

Introduce the game using the information on this website, starting with Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game.

GMs should setup interesting scenarios and scenes which provide their players an opportunity to shine. Player victories should be celebrated, while failures should be cause for drama and complications to the narrative. Characters should feel like they have agency within the world, without feeling lost and directionless.

Players should expect to be part of a large, ever-expanding world which they are only a small part of. While characters can certainly affect change on a local or planetary scale, they all exist within systems far beyond their control or understanding. That doesn’t mean they’re powerless. It just means they will have to navigate spaces which are constantly trying to work against their interests. What those interests are will depend largely on the kind of character the players are playing and the genre of the story you’re telling together.

Genre

Discuss together as a group about the kind of genres you’re interested in exploring, as well as any genres you’d like to avoid. Regardless of the kind of campaign your group wants to run, you can always tailor it to match whatever the group is interested in exploring.

Example Genres

Combat Frequency

Decide as a group how often combat should occur in a given session. Combat could occur often, being the main focus of sessions, or rare to the point of never happening at all. Keep in mind that some player character abilities rely on combat to function, while others may work best when there’s no combat at all. A balance between periods of combat and no combat at all is best.

Pace of Encounters

Decide as a group how long each person should have to perform their turn during an encounter. In order for everyone to feel welcome, it’s best to allow people the time they need to perform their turn—within reason. However, you could decide as a group to only allow a certain amount of time for each person to declare their actions in a round, in order to keep a steady pace.

Certain player character abilities benefit from quick decision-making, and so it may be beneficial for some players to act fast.

There are also ways to control the pace of encounters beyond enforcing arbitrary time limits. The GM can also introduce new elements to encounters to affect the pace of encounters, especially if players are finding they are taking too long between turns to take actions, forcing them to react to new developments.

Campaign Length

Decide as a group how long you’d like to spend on a campaign and its arcs, as well as how long everyone can expect to inhabit a player character. If the GM has a good idea how long their campaign will last, now is the time to inform the players.

If everyone is unsure how long the campaign should be, commit to 2 sessions. You will know by the end of the second session if this campaign is worth pursuing further, or if it’s best to move on to something else.

Escapism

Decide as a group whether you would prefer to play a game with a focus on escapism, or if you would prefer to tell a compelling narrative together within the context of a tabletop roleplaying game. Neither option is better than the other, but the two are often at odds, and your decision will have ramifications for every other decision you make about your game.

An escapist game is one which focuses on fulfilling the desires of players and allowing them to do what they’d otherwise be unable to do in their daily lives, such as:

At the same time, an escapist game minimises the negative consequences of player character actions, as well as the risks involved in engaging in sociopathic behaviours. In an escapist game, the world revolves around the player characters, like main characters in a video game, with everyone and everything acting as their play things.

A game which focuses on telling a compelling narrative is akin to a writer’s room for a TV show or novel which is being written collaboratively in real time. The player characters are protagonists who are as believably human, with flaws, desires, fears, and motivations separate from the player who is in control of them. The world is dangerous, expansive, and reactive, as are the people and creatures which inhabit it. Magic and advanced technology act as narrative devices which push the story forward and provide direction for the player characters.

There may also be games which exist on a sliding scale between these two extremes. Knowing where your group sits on that scale can ensure everyone at the table is having the best time possible.

Info

While escapism is a valid form of storytelling, Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game was developed to allow players and the GM to tell a compelling narrative first and foremost, with the rules and fantastical elements being tools to make it happen. If your group decides that escapism is their primary goal, some rules, such as disposition or items, may need to be adjusted for a better experience.

Theatre

Decide as a group whether you should use physical or digital tools to enhance the roleplaying experience, or if the narrative should be confined to the theatre of the mind.

Examples of Physical Tools

Examples of Digital Tools

Open World vs On Rails

Decide as a group whether you’d rather play in an open world where anything is possible, or if the story should follow a strict story with little to no deviation. There are benefits and downsides to either approach.

Playing in an open world allows players a lot of freedom in what they can do and where they can go. However, story beats often have to be decided by random tables, and it can be daunting for inexperienced GMs and players.

On the other hand, an on-rails experience gives everyone a very clear goal with prefabricated encounters ready to go. However, it’s more difficult for players to break from the script without throwing out several hours of prepared GM content.

The best games use a combination of the two, but it’s still nice to know what it is the group prefers, so the GM can lean more into one or the other.

Homebrew

Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game actively encourages homebrew content—from guides for creating custom quirks and abilities, to a myriad of worlds and the unlimited potential of magic. If someone in the group does want to homebrew something for your campaign, now is the time to discuss it.

Some people may not be comfortable with homebrew content—especially if they’re new to the game. It can be particularly difficult for the GM to accommodate a player’s homebrew content while trying to learn how to run the game themselves. If someone brings up concerns over homebrew content, it’s okay to discuss alternatives to find a compromise between a person’s fun and the fun of others in the group.

Self-imposed Restrictions

Discuss as a group if any of the players would like to add restrictions on their character—especially when it comes to performing magic. In theory, characters could perform magic by standing still and thinking what they want to happen. But it’s much more interesting if magic requires physical components, specific gestures, an incantation or some other kind of ritual to complete. Rituals can be used for other kinds of actions as well. Perhaps a sniper needs to say a prayer before they take their shot, or a politician needs an energy drink before each speech.

Self-imposed restrictions can feel like an inconvenience and mechanically detrimental to a player’s experience. However, it does make every interaction the character has much more interesting and helps make them feel unique.

Respect and Consequences

Everyone coming to the table should agree to be respectful of each other and of each other’s time. Everyone should be able to self-regulate their behaviour. The GM shouldn’t be expected to exercise authority over anyone else. However, you should agree as a group what happens when someone is being disrespectful, up to and including ejecting the person from the gaming group permanently.

Attendance

Decide as a group how many players are required for a play session to take place—not counting the GM. The GM is an essential component of playing Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game, so unless you have a backup GM who can run the same campaign or another, separate campaign, chances are a play session will not take place if the GM is absent.

You should also decide as a group what happens when the minimum threshold is not hit. Some options include:

If someone is absent, and you’re still above the agreed-upon threshold for attendance, you should decide as a group how to deal with the player characters of any absent players.

Players should never be punished for missing a session. Life happens and sometimes, other things take priority. If you’re finding the group has a difficult time with attendance, and you’re running a campaign which relies on everyone attending, it’s worth revisiting the Open World vs On Rails section to see if an open world experience where people can come and go is better in the long run.

Player Attention

It can be difficult for some people to pay constant attention for long periods of time. If a player’s lack of attention is causing delays or is distracting for other players, it may be time to discuss the issue with the person to figure out if there’s some way they can stay engaged when it isn’t their turn to play. It’s the GM’s job to captivate players with compelling narratives, but it’s also the responsibility of players to be immersed within the world. There are a few things you distracted players can do to keep themselves busy.

Putting away cell phones and other digital devices can help, but isn’t necessary.

Attention-deficit issues aside, everyone should make an effort to pay attention to what’s happening in order to contribute to the ongoing narrative. Otherwise, players risk making decisions in a vacuum, divorced from what everyone else is doing.

Cell Phones and Digital Devices

Decide as a group whether people are allowed to bring their phones or other digital devices to the table. No one’s device needs to be taken away to enforce this rule. However, if you decide to not allow devices at the table, it should be clear that they’re to be used for emergencies only.

Alcohol and Narcotics

Decide as a group whether people are allowed to drink or indulge in narcotics at the table, and the consequences for not respecting a decision. Regardless of what you decide, it should be clear that disrespectful behaviour while intoxicated will not be tolerated—especially behaviour which conflicts with other things the group has agreed upon.

Disruptive Topics

Decide as a group what topics are out of bounds for the table outside the context of the game, such as:

You can also set aside time before or after the session to speak about these topics to avoid them coming up during the game.

Play Session Length

Decide as a group how long each play session should be. The standard is 4 hours, with a structured 15-minute break every 90 minutes. More frequent breaks allows for people to play for longer, and longer play sessions means more immersive play.

You should also decide as a group how early people should arrive before a play session begins in order to set up, socialise, or ask questions.

Player Agency

Unless a player character is controlled or confused, a player should always be in control of their character. If there are periods of downtime where a player is not actively controlling their character, they are responsible for providing narrative input for their character.

Sharing the Spotlight

Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game is a collaborative game. Everyone should feel comfortable participating, and if someone is not actively participating, it’s everyone else’s job to check in to make sure that person feels included. Safety tools are a great way to facilitate this process.

Character Creation

Discuss with the group whether the players should create their characters individually, without consideration of what anyone else is doing, or if everyone would prefer the party to be balanced instead. There is no right answer. The GM should always try to tailor the experience to the group, regardless of who makes it up.

In the case where everyone creates their character in isolation, you risk having multiple characters filling the same narrative or mechanical role. However, creating your character without consideration for what others are doing can allow your own creativity to flourish.

If the group creates player characters together with party balance in mind, you may end up with some players feeling forced into a role they’d otherwise not want to play. However, if done well, you end up with a much more cohesive cast of characters who can tackle any problem.

Character Relationships

One important aspect of character creation is ensuring every player character has a connection to:

Without anything anchoring a player character to the world, whoever is playing that character is likely to feel disconnected from the game and the story.

The easiest way to avoid characters feeling disconnected from the narrative is to begin with the player characters already knowing each other before the start of the first session. That way, player characters already have ties to each other, if nothing else.

Roleplay vs Roll-play

Decide as a group how often rolls should happen, as well as what kind of actions require a roll. It can be helpful for those new to improvisational roleplay have more dice rolls to decide the outcomes of interactions, while groups with more experienced roleplayers may decide that, as long as actions are played out in exciting and interesting ways, rolling the dice may be limited to high stakes encounters and combat.

Character Action Descriptions

Each player should decide whether they prefer to dictate their own character’s actions during encounters, or if it’s up the GM to weave a narrative. Ideally, the entire group should have the same preference, though some players may not be comfortable dictating their character’s actions until they’ve become more familiar with the game and roleplay in general. The GM may also be uncomfortable spinning a narrative for non-player entities (NPCs) and player characters, and prefer to describe encounters clinically, without embellishment.

Starting Level

Level 1 player characters are incredibly powerful in Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game, so the only reason a player character would start at a higher level is because an ability allows it. Players may also discuss having their character start at a higher level with the GM, as long as they’re okay with having some kind of disadvantage to balance out their character’s experience.

Levelling Up

Decide as a group when player characters should be allowed to advance to a new level. Level ups in Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game are relatively quick, but it can still be something a player attends to outside a session.

Metagaming

While the primary responsibility of players to immerse themselves in the narrative, they should remember that their characters are separate entities from themselves—especially when it comes to what they know, versus what their character knows. Players should be careful not to make character decisions based solely on what would be the least inconvenient for themselves and their character. They should instead make decisions based on what their character knows, as well as what’s interesting for the narrative in the moment. People very rarely make the best decision in real life—even when they have all the information available to them. The same should apply to characters in the story your group is telling.

Min-maxing

When players are creating their characters, they should be trying to build well-rounded, complex people. It is very easy to create an overpowered, unbalanced character using the options available during character creation. While someone can find a certain amount of satisfaction from doing that—and players are more than welcome to do so—characters are much more interesting when they’re flawed and prone to making mistakes. There’s a reason that the primary method of gaining Experience in Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game is through Complications.

If a player does create an optimised character, it’s okay for the GM or other players to discuss alternatives or ways the journey can be made more challenging.

Keeping Secrets

Keeping secrets is usually a bad idea. At first glance, it may seem that hiding something and revealing it later on is exciting, but you’re more likely to disappoint someone with a surprise betrayal or with information only available to a select few. The GM necessarily has to keep some information to themselves to weave a compelling story, but they shouldn’t foster an environment where they’re only revealing information to specific players in the hopes of pitting them against each other.

If the GM does want to introduce intrigue in this manner, it should be done above board with all parties consenting. It also shouldn’t be done just to prevent Metagaming.

Unwarranted Violence

It’s possible that players may engage in unwarranted violence against non-player characters. Consequences for these kinds of actions are integrated into Immortal Freedom: The Roleplaying Game in the form of Complications and disposition. Players should feel free to perform murder on a large scale, but the world will react to them accordingly. actions have consequences, and no bad deed goes unpunished—even if it takes a while for those consequences to manifest.

Disagreement on Rules

Decide as a group what happens when the GM and players disagree on how to interpret rules of the game. A lot of rules are worded in a way to encourage interpretation. If you find that some rules don’t line up with your narrative, you’re more than welcome to change them or ignore them completely.

You should also decide as a group whether rule disputes are performed in the moment, or if someone should note the disagreement to be handled at a later time.

Repeated Actions

Decide as a group if player characters should be allowed to perform the same action more than once if the previous attempt was unsuccessful—separate from the Re-roll mechanic. You can either disallow repeated actions entirely, inflict some kind of downside, or simply allow repeated actions with the understanding that doing so could be tedious, if sometimes necessary.

Performing the same action over and over isn’t necessarily done out of malice. Sometimes, players just don’t know what to do and believe there’s only one way to solve the problem presented to them. GMs should be mindful of their players actions and offer Intuition or suggest alternatives if a player is performing the same action over and over again.

Encounter Balance

The main focus of any campaign should be the story your group is trying to tell. Encounter balance is never as important—whatever experience the group is looking for.

Character Death

Decide as a group how often players can expect their characters to be in mortal danger, as well as how likely it is for their character to die. Keep in mind that there are no game mechanics for resurrection, and death is generally considered permanent.

Unannounced Dice Rolls

Players should never roll their dice pool until they’ve discussed what they want to do with the GM. That way, the GM can determine what dice to roll—or if a dice roll is even necessary.

Initiative

Decide as a group if you’d like to implement the optional initiative rule, as well as whether the group would prefer passive initiative or reactive initiative during encounters. The decision to implement initiative should be based on whether players are worried they may be left out of encounters, or they want a more organized structure to encounters.

Immortal Freedom © 2026 by Allen Christianson is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0