2026-01-09: Session Zero¶

Session Zero establishes expectations, creates characters, and builds the foundation for the campaign. This document captures both the plan going in and the decisions made.

Campaign Expectations¶

Established Decisions¶

These have been discussed and agreed upon:

Tone and Style

Minimal action, maximal investigation/character interaction. Combat exists but is not the focus. The campaign centers on discovery, relationships, and navigating difficult choices.
Minimal PvP. The PCs generally have to get along. Tensions and disagreements are welcome; working against each other is not.
Strong player narrative authority. Players can establish facts about the world, fill in backstory details, and shape scenes. The GM is not the sole source of truth.

Secrets and Discovery

GM notes in setting documents are secrets from both players and characters. Discoveries should be genuine surprises.
The campaign involves world-changing revelations. The journey of discovery is central to the experience.

To Discuss¶

In-Character Betrayal

NPCs may betray the party — this is a feature, not a bug. But how do players feel about this? Should NPC betrayal be:

Foreshadowed so players can anticipate it?
A genuine surprise?
Minimized to avoid frustration?

Tone Boundaries

How dark can things get? The setting includes murder, discrimination, and existential threats. Are there limits?
Any topics or themes to avoid or handle with care? (Lines and veils)
Character death — on the table? Under what circumstances?

Pacing and Duration

How long do we expect the campaign to run?
Session frequency and length?
What happens if we need to pause or end early?

Character Creation¶

System Summary¶

Characters are built with 4 lifepaths (see Mechanics):

16-30 skill points distributed among skills
45-50 resource points for Resources, Circles, and gear
Stat bonuses: +2 to one pool (Mental or Physical), or +1 to both
Talent rating: 2-4 (with the Prime trait, making Talent grey shade)

Character Sheets: Google Drive folder

The Pilot PC¶

Established:

Full telepath and empath (both receptive and projective in both disciplines)
Former Fleet, served with Splishy Splashy (saved the dolphin's life during a mission)
Present during a boarding incident that led to rehabilitation on Ceres
Went through Fleet Basic Training with Victoria McKinley and Kai Le Gerrac
Met Kai Le Gerrac at a concert before enlisting; they served together; Kai helped get them to Ceres rehab
Met Rin Jeong during Ceres rehabilitation

To Establish:

[ ] Name, pronouns, background (origin, family, culture)
[ ] Talent ratings (Empathy skill, Telepathy skill, Talent attribute)
[ ] What happened in the boarding incident? What went wrong? (We discussed this, but details have faded)
[ ] How did they save Splishy's life? What was the mission?
[ ] Why leave Fleet for a university research vessel?
[ ] Current mental/emotional state — recovered, healing, or still struggling?
[ ] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3)
[ ] Key skills beyond Talent (piloting, navigation, combat, social, etc.)

Victoria McKinley¶

Established:

Medical staff and linguistics specialist on the Sagan
Empath with psychometry
Called in by UEF to examine Tiamat remains; has limited clearance
Was serving on Ceres when called in — selected because she had the right expertise and was already on site
Carries heavy secrets from what she witnessed
Went through Fleet Basic Training with the Pilot PC and Kai Le Gerrac
University of Mare Serenitatis alumnus (attended before Fleet service)
Met Rin Jeong while serving on Ceres (acquaintances; would recognize each other)
Potential: May have returned to UMS Luna for a guest lecture post-Ceres — would have overlapped with Rin's coursework (clarify during Session Zero)

To Establish:

[ ] Background (origin, how she became a medical professional, linguistics training)
[ ] Her Ceres posting — what was her role there? How long was she stationed?
[ ] Talent ratings (Empathy skill, Talent attribute)
[ ] What exactly did she experience when examining Tiamat remains?
[ ] How much does she know? (Enough to be burdened, not enough to understand)
[ ] Her clearance situation — who called her in, what are her obligations now?
[ ] How was she recruited to this mission?
[ ] Connection to other crew members
[ ] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3)
[ ] Key skills beyond Talent (medicine, linguistics, research, social, etc.)

Rin Jeong¶

Established:

Security Officer / Sensors on the Sagan
Belter, empath
Mispahk survivor
Native Belt modifications plus enhanced clotting and toxin tolerance
Met the Pilot PC and Kai during Ceres rehabilitation
Met Victoria McKinley on Ceres (acquaintances; would recognize each other)
After rehab, took coursework at University of Mare Serenitatis on Luna (security focus with sensors minor); deepened friendship with Kai and may have had more contact with the Pilot during this time

To Establish:

[✅] Background that you want the other players to know (origin in the Belt, family, how they came to security work)
Above bullets cover this.
[✅] Talent ratings — Talent attribute G4; Empathy G3
[ ] Relationship with the Pilot PC — what kind of bond formed during rehab?
[ ] Relationship with Kai — how do they relate?
[ ] Why join a university research vessel? (Partially answered — she studied at Mare Serenitatis after rehab, so has a connection to the university)
[✅] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3)
[✅] Key skills beyond Talent (security, sensors, combat, investigation, etc.)

Kai Le Gerrac¶

Established:

Chief Engineer on the Sagan (promoted to chief for this mission)
Enrolled as a child in a Venn Life Sciences longitudinal study
Unknowing kinetic — Talent manifested subtly during an electrical accident, deflecting a lethal discharge; he believes he was simply lucky
Engineering degree with a minor in archaeology
Met the Pilot PC at a concert before enlisting; served in Fleet together
Went through Fleet Basic Training with the Pilot PC and Victoria McKinley
Present during the boarding incident (not directly involved?)
Helped get the Pilot to Ceres rehabilitation, where they both met Rin

To Establish:

[ ] Background (origin, family, how his hybrid heritage shaped his life)
[✅] Talent ratings — Talent attribute G3; Kinesis skill TBD (noting he doesn't know he has Talent)
[ ] The electrical accident — what happened? How close did he come to death?
[ ] His relationship with Venn Life Sciences — how does he feel about the study?
[ ] Relationship with the Pilot PC — how has it evolved since the boarding incident?
[ ] Relationship with Rin — what kind of bond formed on Ceres?
[ ] Why leave Fleet for a university research vessel? (The archaeology minor suggests interest)
[ ] Beliefs (3) and Instincts (3)
[ ] Key skills beyond (unknown) Talent (engineering disciplines, archaeology, etc.)

Relationship Mapping¶

The crew has pre-existing connections that shape the mission dynamic.

Established Relationships¶

Connection	Nature	Notes
Pilot ↔ Splishy Splashy	Life-debt bond	Pilot saved Splishy during a mission gone wrong
Pilot ↔ Kai Le Gerrac	Old friends	Met at a concert, went through Fleet Basic together, Kai helped Pilot reach Ceres rehab
Pilot ↔ Victoria	Fleet Basic cohort	Went through Fleet Basic Training together
Pilot ↔ Rin Jeong	Rehab connection	Met during Ceres rehabilitation
Kai ↔ Victoria	Fleet Basic cohort	Went through Fleet Basic Training together
Kai ↔ Rin Jeong	Close friends	Met on Ceres; friendship deepened when Rin studied at Mare Serenitatis
Victoria ↔ Rin Jeong	Acquaintances	Met while Victoria served on Ceres; both UMS Luna alumni (non-overlapping); possible guest lecture connection?

What have I missed/forgotten?

To Establish¶

[✅] What is Kai and Rin's relationship like? (Close friends — met on Ceres, deepened during Rin's coursework at Mare Serenitatis)
[✅] Does Victoria have prior connections to anyone aboard? (Yes — Fleet Basic with Pilot and Kai; acquaintance with Rin from Ceres)
[ ] How long has the Pilot known each of these people? (Rough timeline)
[ ] Any tension points in these relationships?

Timeline Questions¶

[ ] When was the boarding incident? How long ago was rehabilitation?
[ ] When did Victoria examine the Tiamat remains? How recently?
[ ] How long has each PC been aboard the Sagan?
[ ] Mars is the first mission for this crew configuration — but have any of them worked together before (besides established notes above)?

Talent and Society¶

Where do the PCs stand on the political questions of the era?

Registration and Disclosure¶

Are the PCs registered? Disclosed? Hiding anything about their abilities?
What are their opinions on mandatory registration?
Have they experienced discrimination? How has it shaped them?

The Push for Organization¶

Do they support a unifying Talented organization?
Guild, union, advocacy group — which appeals to them, if any?
Are they involved in any Talented community or isolated from it?

Personal Stakes¶

What do they each want out of this mission, beyond the job?
What would make this mission a personal success or failure for them?
Are they aware that discovering alien artifacts could change their lives forever?

Beliefs and Instincts¶

Beliefs drive character action and earn Artha. Instincts are automatic behaviors that can help or complicate situations.

Belief Guidelines¶

A good Belief is:

Actionable — it pushes you to do something
Stakeable — pursuing it has real consequences
Challengeable — circumstances can test it

Beliefs can be about the mission, relationships, values, or personal goals. They will evolve during play.

Instinct Guidelines¶

An Instinct is an automatic behavior:

"Always check the exits when entering a room"
"Never leave a crewmate behind"
"When stressed, reach out empathically"

Instincts can help (the GM may say "your instinct means you already did that") or hinder (triggering when it would be better not to).

Draft Beliefs¶

To be completed during Session Zero.

Pilot PC:

Victoria McKinley:

Rin Jeong:

I will make sure no Corporate screws over one of mine again.
My job is to prevent trouble before it happens and developing my Talent will be key to succeeding at that.
By contributing to this mission's success, I am contributing to my family's success.

Kai Le Gerrac:

My greatest work is to strive for improvement. From shaping my body and mind to discover my best self to creating innovations in the fields of space engineering, I will make every effort to test the boundaries of what is possible.
Talents are a great unknown. I will protect Talents from being abused, and help those in my close circle to learn as much as possible about their abilities, and their origin.

Draft Instincts¶

Pilot PC:

Victoria McKinley:

Rin Jeong:

I always do a head count before moving on.
I always carry two backup weapons, one being a nonmetal knife.
I'm always wearing a harness with a minimum of five tethers stored on it.

Kai Le Gerrac:

I always keep my lucky wrench at my side. It was my first tool as I took up my engineering degree.
I always check on a crewmate if they seem to be having a rough time.

Kai Le Gerrac:

Crew Dynamics¶

The PCs are joining an established ship with its own culture and tensions.

Key NPC Relationships to Establish¶

Captain Iyer: How do the PCs relate to ship's authority?
Professor Leonidas: The driving force of the mission. Ally? Difficult boss? Somewhere between?
Noor Hadid: The eager colonization specialist. How do the PCs respond to their energy?
The research team: Where do the PCs fit in the ship's social structure?

Potential Friction Points¶

These may come up during play. It's worth knowing where the PCs stand:

Scientific discovery vs. practical mission objectives
Risk tolerance — how far should the crew push?
Secrets — how do the PCs feel about keeping or revealing information?
Talent — are they open about their abilities with the crew?

Session Zero Checklist¶

[ ] Discuss campaign expectations and boundaries
[ ] Complete Pilot PC character creation
[ ] Complete Victoria McKinley character creation
[ ] Complete Rin Jeong character creation
[ ] Complete Kai Le Gerrac character creation
[ ] Map relationships and establish timeline
[ ] Draft Beliefs and Instincts for all PCs
[ ] Discuss Talent and society positioning
[ ] Establish any remaining NPC relationships
[ ] Answer any open questions from this document
[ ] Talk session schedule and logistics

Notes and Decisions¶

Space for recording what we decide during Session Zero.