Preparing For Session 0: A Cyberpunk GM's Guide 

Becoming a GM for a cyberpunk 2020 campaign this friday! Been looking at a lot of 'how to vids' and jon jon gives some great tips!

A session zero is about going over character creation, campaign themes, and most importantly lines and veils. A pseudo session, sort of test run, can be useful but it's not priority

I''m starting preparing my first GM session for Cyberpunk RED. thanks for this. I've never done anything like this and the task was pretty daunting, this has definitely given me some tips for the first session

Thanks for the tips! I'm starting a Cyberpunk Red campaign in a few days and I'm more then a little nervous. Very good video, I see it being a big help 🙏

I just found your channel since we're planning to start a Cyberpunk: RED campaign next month. I am a 10 year DM, but only on high fantasy systems like Pathfinder and D&D so the scifi/futuristic/cyberpunk stuff is completely out of my wheelhouse so I worry if I can keep things compelling enough. Luckily, we're all new to Cyberpunk since we wanted to try something new, so I can take some solace from that! We're really excited for session 0 and your videos have been helping me a lot when preparing. Fleshing out my understanding on the rules and giving me ideas! So thank you so much for helpful advice! EDIT: You definitely deserved a sub! And I hope you'll get plenty more, your stuff is informative and to the point, you definitely deserve more!

A great video!! Keep up the great work!

One thing I've made sure to include in my Session 0 has always been stating "While I subscribe to "Rule of Cool", I need to know if there's things that are gonna be problems." It then allows for some more fun to be had by all my players, not just 1 or 2 of them.

Thanks, JonJon. This is super helpful for me being a first time GM.

Starting a Cyberpunk Red campaign this month and I've never been a GM before. This video encouraged me a good bit and I'm gonna try and make it as fun as I can!

I'm prepping some Cyberpunk Session 0's for a couple of total newcomers to tabletop RPG's at the moment. My approach is to take the finishing touches of the Character Creation process and make that the Session 0. Instead of looking up the Income Table, giving the player a few grand and the gear lists to buy some gear, I would make that process their first session. There are two main things I'd focus on: First: How does the character survive day-to-day? How do they make their money? Roleplay a few scenes of that with the relevant dice rolls. If they do well, they might end up with a bit more cash than they would've got just looking up the Income Table. That helps a new player relate to their character, cause everyone knows what it's like to have to make a living. Plus, now they've probably also met a few of the NPCs that populate their character's world. Next: There's always that one juicy piece of gear that a player wants for their character. Don't give it to them! Roleplay out how they get it. Put obstacles in the way of them getting that gear and encourage them to figure out how their character could use their particular skills and personality to get that gear in some unconventional way. Assuming it's a normal starting level piece of gear they should obviously end up with it by the end of the session. Now they're starting to problem solve as their character and they're starting to get a taste of the fact that nothing in Cyberpunk comes for free. To wrap it up, I agree- a low stakes combat scenario is a good way to go. Personally I'd make it pretty quick and cinematic, with an easy opponent that will drop quickly and give the player a sense of victory and excitement about future games. A big part of this idea is that the story for the session comes entirely from the character the player has created, the goals are super clear but it's not a 'mission'. It's their character engaging with the world, trying to figure out how to survive, think for themselves and get what they want.

This is good info that I'll be putting into practice with some friends in a few weeks.

This is great. Simple and to the point. Keep rocking it! SooWoo

Going to be starting my first game of Cyberpunk 2020 and tabletop game in general pretty soon. We are all new to it and I'm the DM/GM and yeah...setting it up has been an experience. I was told to keep it simple for the first go of it. Still, it's going to be a trainwreck but hopefully we'll learn from it.

Super helpfull and reassuring, thank you !

Great video

Just what i need, i've never played or dm'd for cyberpunk, but my brother is moving in town and i wanted to surprise him with a game and was looking for tips

this is so helpful!! Thank you!

Im starting a game of CP 2020 soon, session zero is this Saturday, Im new to tabletop games and I've only played like 5-6 sessions of d&d 5e. My players have been playing rpgs for years and im a little worried about boring them. I just not 100% certain where to start it all.

You deserve way more subs. I'm starting a game of Red with some long time friends soon, but it'll be my first time GMing any CP game. Your channel has been really helpful for a lot of reasons.

Great video dude, but when are the rest of the Cybepunk roles?

In DnD5e I like to run (for new Players that have never played before) a simple brawl fight in a tavern or market place. First players can roll some checks e.g. Perception, Intimidation. After wards i suggest them to make a rest (they get hit in someway or another no matter what). This has everything, roleplay, skill checks, combat, restrules. Afterwards we start the real adventure. My groups tend to play not that ofter, so we always play like 6-10hrs sessions on a weekend day. (yeah iam blessed and cursed) so as a GM I have plenty of room. I plan my CPR game like this: The players (this time people who have 20+ years of experience in pnp) work for a small company specialised in logistics, security and escort (sounds familiar? =)) they all hired separetly and now get a message that they get their first job. Since the company gathers individual people to teams, the need to do a team building event in a shooting range. Here they will learn all combat rules, can learn a little bit about each other etc. But i never run CP yet and still don't have the book on hand, so this is just a first idea.

I am beginning my first GM sesh with my kids (12+10) next week. I'm anal about details and I've gone through a TON of the book material, drawing it cohesively together is seeming to be my struggle. Of course I haven't gone off on the adventure books, just glued to details in the chromes and arms stuff 😵. I got a solid solo NPC to help them if need be but fingers crossed man, roll some 20s for my fortune

Love these points great video !:) Can i ask you something on the discord? :)

I've Dmed dnd 5e for like 4 years now but mew to Cyberpunk. I think a lot of my skills will transfer but like you said in the video I can't shake that Im just not ready. It's the high tech, big city parts that really scare me. DnD settings are simple comparatively imo.

I don't know if you have a companion video for the Power Gaming episode on the podcast, but you had me until you took the "Who am I" excuse. You are the GM and it is your job to facilitate the kind of game that you want to run for people who will hopefully enjoy your choices in how you present the game. If you let in the power gamer and feed him what he wants you are going to likely ruin the game for other people at the table including yourself. There are so many groups out there that do purposefully engage in the Video Game or Power Game approach that I don't feel bad about turning people away politely so that they can find a group that fits them better. Seth Skorkowski has a good bit on the geek fallacies, and I feel this inability to exclude falls into that category. It's not the end of the world, just find a group that wants what you want. Great videos and podcasts!

You aren't supposed to actually play during session 0.

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but how are we supposed to use random encounter tables made with fantasy games in mind for CP2020? How would it work mechanically?

I am willing to help new GMs too. I have a few decades of experience with 50+ systems under my belt. Let me know. AMA.

This is literaly a oneshot... Edit: I think its important before this step to lay some rules, so that everybody is on teh same page. Who want to play which class? Do we have a Netrunner or a Medic? And very important, how is the group? Want they play good guys who helps people or want they play a gang and want to criminals which make everything for money. I had 2 times the problem where two of my players want to help and the over two want to play badass a*holes.

Ngl, Its kinda hard to sell a party of people on a game where they want to be invested in a character and the GM wants an in depth character and then they just die. And that's it. Kinda a hard sell.

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